Are some autism cases more serious than others?

Question

I have autism and I can walk, talk, but I have a lot of trouble making friends at school. Do you think there are more serious cases than others?

Answer 1

There is a wide range in the autistic spectrum. Most autistic children do learn to communicate in one way or another, but some do not. Being autistic means you have characteristics that aren't typical, one of which being difficulty in social skills. I would suggest that you get involved in a social skills group (ask the school's speech therapist about this) to learn how to better relate with others. My son has autism and he doesn't realize how self centered he is (he's only 6 though). Other kids aren't interested in only talking about what he wants to talk about or doing what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. They like him, but his self absorbedness tends to isolate him from others. It's a good idea to look for a few good friends that have common interests and build on those relationships with the help of adult mentors like a teacher, parent or therapist.

Answer 2

I do think there are more serious cases than others, but now that my 5 year old is being diagnosed (waiting on the final) and all the research I've been doing between autism and aspergers, I see a lot of it in myself as a child and adolescent. My son is high functioning and intelligent, just makes no sense when he talks and has the anger issues due to his frustrations in trying to communicate. I was gifted as a child in areas of language, memory, music, and writing (no kidding huh?!). But, totally awkward and sad. Not many friends. Couldn't do it socially. My motor skills were especially terrible, and I didn't at the time understand why, and of course was picked on for it. But now, I get it. It's all come together now. I'd say socially I was always behind, but at about 27 I finally got to the point of social finesse and comfort. Up to that point I was totally adrift with regards to the unwritten social rules. It just takes longer, but you can do it, and when you do, you will be able to show your brilliance to everyone! Love it, don't hide how smart you are inside! And most of all, think extra hard before you speak. We are not good on the spot communicators. But, would you believe I'm actually running a sales business now? I'm great at the legal side of it, too.

Answer 3

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a very broad spectrum.

My niece is 10 years old. She can say a few words but her pronunciation is so bad only the people who spend a lot of time with her can understand her. ("Kay" means spaghetti, "Lies" means fries)

She can't come close to writing. She can't even color in the lines. She knows only a few of her letters. (I'm working on that one with her.) She knows he colors & some of her shapes.

She is "mostly" potty trained. She can feed herself but she is very messy. She has an exceedingly small number of things she will eat.

She can be very affectionate but she can give you a black eye or throw your back out when loving on you. She seems oblivious to the idea that other people feel pain.

She used to bang her head when frustrated but she hardly ever does that anymore.

There are some worse than her. In some of the workshops I've been to I've learned some can't even understand pictures. If you show a hungry child a picture of a banana & ask if he wants that, he'll refuse it. "What would I want with a picture? I'm hungry!" seems to be what they are thinking. And some need to wear a helmet all the time because of how often they bang their heads.

Answer 4

definitely! some people are so autistic that they only function when alone or doing what they want to do, others just love one thing more than most people know how to. some people speculate that Albert Einstein was autistic as well as most of the great composers of our time and before. be glad that the problems you have are less severe , i used to work with a child that hadn't spoken one word other than "read" since he learned to "talk" at age two. he was very, very smart though!! such a sweetheart! but just did not understand how to function socially. you may have a similar, but less severe case. the only way to work on that is to ask for help from people that understand you, and also understand other people. ask them how they would do certain things, then try them out slowly on the people you know. it takes learning, just like everything else! good luck!

Answer 5

Absolutely. Autism is a spectrum disorder, with some people being very functional while others cannot function at all.

Answer 6

Yes.
Autism ranges from highly functioning (like yourself), to barely functioning at all (these are people who can't speak and use physical force when confused).
Some people with autism are also gifted in art, music or math.

Answer 7

Of course!

Answer 8

Count your blessings

Answer 9

absolutely.
its a very large spectrum.
my son has aspergers syndrome...he is probably alot like you!

Answer 10

do you have aspergers, it can be unoticeable if you train yourself,,I think it can go away too