Is Asperger's Syndrome always mild

Answer 1

Sort of. In comparison to autism, Asperger Syndrome is generally milder. Whereas the lowest functioning autistic individuals are unable to speak or dress themselves, Asperger Syndrome can never be that severe.

However, Asperger Syndrome ranges in severity, and severe Asperger Syndrome can cause significant problems. Some people with Asperger's Syndrome have so much difficulty coping with interactions with other people, they do not leave their homes. In contrast, some can cope well enough to lead what seem to be relatively normal lives.

As an example, a person with Asperger's Syndrome might be too terrified to go into an unfamiliar store without a "safe" escort, such as family, but has become accustomed to one grocery store, so can do his or her shopping there. So, that person might seem to be relatively normal unless pushed to go into an unfamiliar place.

As another example, a person with Asperger's Syndrome might be able to interact with a single person, but not a group of two or more people. This could appear to be shyness, so again that person might appear to be relatively normal.

But, in both these examples, typical life experiences can be very stressful and difficult without it being obvious to other people.

Furthermore, although a normal IQ and verbal skills are required for Asperger Syndrome, many individuals with Asperger Syndrome have nonverbal learning disability - a condition in which verbal skills are good and everything nonverbal (spatial skills, math, motor skills, etc) is poor. This is often reflected by the verbal IQ score being higher than nonverbal IQ. In severe nonverbal learning disability, they may be unable to learn some basic motor skills such as tying their shoes or riding a bike, and may be unable to do even first-grade level math. This is despite being able to write college-level essays or do other highly-skilled verbal tasks.

One example of a child with nonverbal learning disability was a 4 year old girl whose motor skills were similar to a 2 year old. When she was being assessed, whenever she failed at a motor skill, she'd say 'but that's extraordinarily difficult for a child my age, right?'

A big problem for Asperger Syndrome people is that most people judge your abilities by your verbal skills. Since these are a strength with Asperger Syndrome, many people expect more from them than they are actually capable of.

Answer 2

Autism cannot be mild or severe - autism is autism, full stop.

An Autistic person is always going to be autistic, they are never going to be less autistic or not as autistic as another person - they are simply Autistic. How someone is effected however will change: autism is a spectrum so different people are effected in different ways and to different severity which can change throughout our lives or even from one situation to the next. The idea that someone can be mildly Autistic is false, they are Autistic but not severely effected by X, Y, Z symptoms.