When a doctor diagnoses a child with autism, it's important to know the severity of the condition. If the doctor does give his opinion on the severity, it is with the disclaimer that it is only an opinion, not a medical diagnosis. The severity of autism is difficult to pinpoint, mostly because of the many factors that contribute to the overall severity of the disorder.
Instructions
1. Remember that it's subjective. No matter who gives an opinion of the severity of the child's autism, it is not a diagnosis. Whether the opinion is that it's severe, or that it's mild, it has no bearing on the actual diagnosis. A child with autism deemed as mild is just as autistic as one believed to be severe. The medical diagnosis for both is exactly the same.
2. Take an online assessment. These assessments are very accurate if the person answering is honest. The questions refer to consistent behavior, not one-time or occasional events. When referring to skills, it is imperative to answer with skill levels displayed and used, not what the child probably can do. A good rule of thumb is if an explanation is needed for the answer given, it's not a consistent behavior or skill (see Resources below).
3. Talk to the professionals. While the severity of autism is not a diagnosis, doctors who specialize in autism can tell where a child is in relation to the other children they have assisted. This also goes for teachers or anyone else that has experience with children with autism. Remember that the same child will get different opinions of severity from different people. Because it's subjective and not a technical diagnosis, there is no right or wrong answer.
4. Know there are different areas affected. Severity of autism depends on the severity of impairment on many levels. Autistic children have issues with social interactions, behavioral issues, restricted interests, self-stimulatory activities and sensory issues. So severity in each of these categories needs to be determined to assess severity as a whole.
5. Understand that nothing is permanent. Severity of autism changes not only day to day, but also situation to situation. An autistic child may appear severely disabled when trying to play with other children on the playground, but maybe in the classroom he is indistinguishable from his peers. Autism severity is simply a place to start, something to use to help the child make progress by getting more services or to help describe the child to a new teacher. It is a snapshot in time, not something that reflects the future or the child in every situation.
6. Look at the positives.
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