Terpsichore
New Member
Legitimate question asked with complete respect: why are terms like "mild" and "severe" autism so problematic?
If someone has "mild" asthma they probably get kinda out of breath at times but might not even bother to carry their inhaler compared to someone with "severe" asthma who absolutely needs an inhaler with them at all times to save their life. If someone has a "mild" cold they probably feel pretty sick but not so bad that they can't work, but someone else could get a more severe case where they are sick in bed for a couple days. Why is it a problem to say a similar thing about autism? I would think people who find their autism interferes with their life only slightly (people who feel that autism is more difference than disability, or people who go through life completely fine and only start to think about autism when a family member is diagnosed) could be considered "mild" compared to someone who finds autism to greatly interfere in their life.
Obviously both people are fully autistic and I can also see how such labels should originate from the individual, since it can be problematic to decide from the outside what a person's internal experience is, but I've seen people called out for labeling themselves as "mildly autistic'
Just trying to be better informed. Thanks!
If someone has "mild" asthma they probably get kinda out of breath at times but might not even bother to carry their inhaler compared to someone with "severe" asthma who absolutely needs an inhaler with them at all times to save their life. If someone has a "mild" cold they probably feel pretty sick but not so bad that they can't work, but someone else could get a more severe case where they are sick in bed for a couple days. Why is it a problem to say a similar thing about autism? I would think people who find their autism interferes with their life only slightly (people who feel that autism is more difference than disability, or people who go through life completely fine and only start to think about autism when a family member is diagnosed) could be considered "mild" compared to someone who finds autism to greatly interfere in their life.
Obviously both people are fully autistic and I can also see how such labels should originate from the individual, since it can be problematic to decide from the outside what a person's internal experience is, but I've seen people called out for labeling themselves as "mildly autistic'
Just trying to be better informed. Thanks!
