Autism and the Different Levels

Your child has just been diagnosed with autism and received their CDE or Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation. Often, a document that is meant to provide clarity results in more confusion. Too often many parents are left feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. At Sunshine ABA, we strive to help all parents with every aspect of the process to the best of our ability. From knowledge to resources to services, we want to help you feel supported and empowered to make the best decisions for your child. With this post, we hope to provide a little more information on an Autism diagnosis, and the different levels.

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What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorder begins in early childhood. Many children will start showing symptoms within the first year and a half. According to the Mayo Clinic, "autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others... and includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity."

Because of the wide range of symptoms from child to child, severity of autism is often difficult to determine. Generally, autism is diagnosed based on the level of impairment and their ability to function independently throughout daily life.

Most research for the rest of the article is paraphrased from Psych Central. Please refer to them for more information.

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Level 1

A level 1 autism diagnosis typically requires the least amount of support. Referring to a spectrum, they would be considered higher functioning. Some characteristics that may be seen in a level 1 diagnosis include

• trouble understanding social conventions
• disinterest in social interactions with peers, sometimes preferring independence
• emotional or sensory dysregulation
• relying on a rigid and consistent routine
• stress during transitions
• difficulty adapting to abrupt changes

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Level 2

A level 2 autism diagnosis has similar characteristics as those in level 1, but often to a greater extent. Those with level 2 benefit from additional and more intensive support. Some characteristics seen in level 2 include

• using fewer words or noticeably different speech
• missing nonverbal communication cues such as facial expressions or tone of voice
• exhibiting inappropriate social behavior, like not responding or walking away during a conversation
• difficulty understand what is appropriate for different settings such as at home vs. the grocery store
• repetitive behaviors such as pacing or repeating what they said
• excessive stimming interfering with daily functioning
• distress with transitions

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Level 3

• nonverbal or have echolalia (repeating words or phrases they hear)
• prefer solitary activities
• interact with others only to meet an immediate need
• repetitive physical behaviors like rocking, blinking, or spinning in circles
• extreme distress when asked to switch tasks or focus
• unable to mask and have high burdens of self-regulation

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While the autism spectrum disorder levels are helpful for figuring out an individual's support needs, the scaling system is still limited. It does not fully define the traits of each individual, nor does is paint an accurate representation of who that person is. Avoid letting an autism diagnosis define who they are or limit their potential. Instead, to is best to use your child's diagnosis as a guide to get them necessary help.

We hope that you found this post helpful. Let us know what you would like to see more content, or a question we can help answer!