3 Levels of Autism : How much Support your child Need?

These 3 levels of autism tell how much support your children need. Autism is mainly divided into 3 levels which are explained based on DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition). From these levels, we can see the intensity of support for our child based on repetitive behavior and social communication, we know at which level our children fall. These levels are general guidelines, but the behavior of every autistic person is different, which is why autism is called a spectrum disorder.

What is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5)?

DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition) was created by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 2013. The main purpose of DSM-5 is to classify mental health disorders and provide proper diagnostic criteria for them so that healthcare professionals can accurately diagnose them and make a treatment plan. It is used for diagnosis all over the world.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR)

DSM-5 is an updated version of DSM-4. DSM-5 was developed by a team of health professionals and researchers, all of whom are experts in mental disorders.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), was published in 2022. More than 200 experts contributed to its development.

What are the 3 Levels of Autism?

Level-1 Requiring Support (a little support is needed, Mild Autism)

Social communication

1. Difficulty in social interaction
2. Difficulty understanding social body language and reading facial expressions
3. Difficulty starting and maintaining conversations

Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors

1. Difficulty accepting changes in routine
2. Can focus more on some specific things
3. benefit from therapy

Level-2 Requiring Substantial Support (more support is needed, Moderate Autism)

Social communication

1. difficulty in verbal and non-verbal communication or using different speech sentences
2. difficulty in understanding social cues and people’s emotions, crying in gathering
3. limit interest on topics

Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors

1. They are rigid towards routines and find it difficult to change their daily routines.
2. They feel anxiety and frustration when their routine changes.
3. Repetitive movements or inappropriate behavior like hand flapping and rocking are more common.

Level-3 Requiring very Substantial Support (too much support needed, Severe Autism)

Social communication

1. The person may be nonverbal or use very few words.
2. Social interactions are almost absent.
3. The person finds it very difficult to understand or talk to someone.

Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors

1. So many severe behavior problems like hand flapping, rocking, toe walking, self-injury, etc
2. follow a rigid routine, never accept changes
3. difficulty in handling in any unfamiliar environment

Signs and Symptoms of 3 Levels of Autism

Diagnosis Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder

There are five main criteria for the diagnosis of the severity level of Autism or ASD:

• Social communication impairment
• Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors
• Symptoms are present in the early developmental period
• Symptoms cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning
• These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability or global delay

Conclusion

The intensity of signs and symptoms of these 3 levels varies and children are made independent through early intervention, activities for Autistic kids, and therapies like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and sensory integration therapy. When we decide the level of children, the therapist or developmental pediatrician asks some questions and based on them tells at which level of intensity our child stands i.e. whether he has mild autism, moderate autism, or severe autism.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)