Colors on the Autistic Spectrum...

[Crossbreed]

Many have pointed out that DSM-V did away with the distinctions within the autistic spectrum, but I would beg to differ. I believe that it only consolidated these diagnoses.

Just as the light spectrum exhibits many distinct elements, so, too, does the autistic spectrum. (The following is from my experience of being on the spectrum and my children who are on different parts from me.)

• Red autism: Previously (and colloquially) known as Kanner's or classic autism, the adult subject has a court-ordered guardian and shows no interest in challenging that status.
• Orange autism: this adult also has a court-ordered guardian, but is allowed to give input on the guardian's decisions.
• Yellow autism: This adult subject has no court-ordered guardian, but Social Security requires a designated payee to make sure that benefits get applied to living expenses, first. This subject lives in a group home-type setting with structure and many domestic services provided.
• Green autism: Also has a designated payee, but lives in their own apartment with additional support nearby and/or on-call.
• Blue autism: a step between green & violet autism (that I have not observed). Aspergers with a debilitating co-morbid condition, maybe?
• Indigo autism: another step between green & violet autism (that I have not observed). Competent, but non-verbal, perhaps?
• Violet autism: Previously (and colloquially) known as Asperger's, this adult subject is considered competent to manage their own financial/self-care affairs appropriately, but would benefit from social skills training otherwise.

 

[tree]

Many have pointed out that DSM-V did away with the distinctions within the autistic spectrum, but I would beg to differ. I believe that it only consolidated these diagnoses.

Just as the light spectrum exhibits many distinct elements, so, too, does the autistic spectrum. (The following is from my experience of being on the spectrum and my children who are on different parts from me.)

• Red autism: Previously (and colloquially) known as Kanner's or classic autism, the adult subject has a court-ordered guardian and shows no interest in challenging that status.
• Orange autism: this adult also has a court-ordered guardian, but is allowed to give input on the guardian's decisions.
• Yellow autism: This adult subject has no court-ordered guardian, but Social Security requires a designated payee to make sure that benefits get applied to living expenses, first. This subject lives in a group home-type setting with structure and many domestic services provided.
• Green autism: Also has a designated payee, but lives in their own apartment with additional support nearby and/or on-call.
• Blue autism: a step between green & violet autism (that I have not observed).
• Indigo autism: another step between green & violet autism (that I have not observed). Competent, but non-verbal, perhaps?
• Violet autism: Previously (and colloquially) known as Asperger's, this adult subject is considered competent to manage their own financial/self-care affairs appropriately, but would benefit from social skills training otherwise.

How firmly attached to these categorizations are you?
Do they seem to be solid characterizations of the statuses
or are they tentative?

I am asking because I was thinking about the symbolism of
the colors. None of that would be pertinent if the color
slotting were only on a "hey maybe we could say this" sort
of basis.

 

[zurb]

indigo: Aspergers?
violet: PDD-NOS?
ultra violet: on the spectrum but not 'clinically significant', or not bad enough for clinician to recognise or 'see'.

 

[Warmheart]

I agree that the new DSM has consolidated. Uneven skill sets, which are a hallmark of autism, rarely make classifications accurate. It really is not a linear spectrum. The above list does not resonate with my experiences regarding myself, and some others I know on the spectrum, due to those uneven skill sets. One really couldn't fit me, for example, into the above list. However, I do agree that we have many shadings.

The good news with the limited DSM classifications is that Department of Developmental Services here in the US no longer limits supports offered based on where they imagine someone falls in their classifications. They now instead do an SIS (Supports Intensity Scale) test to see where the individual needs the most help. The autistic person, plus at least two people from his/her life, meet with the tester. It's an extremely thorough three hour test, but there are breaks whenever the autistic person needs them.

 

[Crossbreed]

PDD-NOS?

The spectrum would be bounded by violet and red. Ultra-violet IMHO would be an NT. Infra-red would be a vegetable of indeterminate status. And PDD-NOS would be any position on the spectrum that isn't clearly defined.

How firmly attached to these categorizations are you?
Do they seem to be solid characterizations of the statuses
or are they tentative?

They are legal distinctions of which I am most familiar with (and those are tied to cognitive function). There may be a better neuro-physical taxonomy, but those distinctions are beyond me.

 

[tree]

They are legal distinctions of which I am most familiar with (and those are tied to cognitive function). There may be a better neuro-physical taxonomy, but those distinctions are beyond me.

I don't understand.
I thought this thread was about a way of
categorizing aspects of the spectrum, according
to colors, which you had assigned to them.

I got the idea that you had assigned the colors because of this statement:
"(The following is from my experience of being on the spectrum and my children who are on different parts from me.)"

Where do the color assignments come from, if you
didn't think them up?

 

[Crossbreed]

Where do the color assignments come from, if you
didn't think them up?

• The color assignments are: highest frequency [violet] = highest functioning, lowest frequency [red] = lowest functioning. Ultra-violet and infra-red do not appear on the visible spectrum so they would represent conditions outside of the autistic spectrum.
• Some of my children and I are [violet] autistic where our legal competence has never been challenged, previously identified as Aspergers.
• I am the legal guardian of my non-verbal, 21yo DD who has been declared legally incompetent [red]. (Her presentation is typical for what had previously been known as Kanner's/classic autism.)
  
• When filling out those guardianship papers, there was another level of guardianship where the ward has a say in their own affairs [orange]. (They would have to have some means of communication to do so, however.)
• My autistic 28yo son has no legal guardian, but has always had a designated payee.* He started off in a group home which some never leave [yellow].
• He is presently in a supervised apartment [green], though struggling.

*Yellow & green had previously been identified as high-functioning autism, requiring a designated payee, but not a legal guardian.

 

[tree]

• The color assignments are: highest frequency [violet] = highest functioning, lowest frequency [red] = lowest functioning. Ultra-violet and infra-red do not appear on the visible spectrum so they would represent conditions outside of the autistic spectrum.
• Some of my children and I are [violet] autistic where our legal competence has never been challenged, previously identified as Aspergers.
• I am the legal guardian of my non-verbal, 21yo DD who has been declared legally incompetent [red]. (Her presentation is typical for what had previously been known as Kanner's/classic autism.)
  
• When filling out those guardianship papers, there was another level of guardianship where the ward has a say in their own affairs [orange]. (They would have to have some means of communication to do so, however.)
• My autistic 28yo son has no legal guardian, but has always had a designated payee.* He started off in a group home which some never leave [yellow].
• He is presently in a supervised apartment [green], though struggling.

*Yellow & green had previously been identified as high-functioning autism, requiring a designated payee, but not a legal guardian.

What I am asking is whether you thought of
the color designations. Did you think of them?

 

[Crossbreed]

What I am asking is whether you thought of
the color designations. Did you think of them?

Yes. My previous post stated my rationale.

 

[Crossbreed]

They now instead do an SIS (Supports Intensity Scale) test to see where the individual needs the most help...

My "colors" are probably an analogy to that scale.

 

[Warmheart]

Actually, the concept of a linear spectrum is what they are specifically avoiding.
Autism is not a linear spectrum, rather it's more like a sundae bar, where each person gets a little of this or a lot of that. Being verbal and being relatively aware do not necessarily go together any more than being non verbal and being awareness-challenged go together, for example.

Uneven skill sets means there can be a non verbal individual who can manage a corporation, or a verbal individual who cannot retain enough awareness to make a sandwich, or do simple self care without supports. Thus, with current SIS to customize supports, the non verbal CEO gets AAC supports to communicate, and the chatty autistic with awareness/executive functioning challenges gets either support staff in-home, or is offered an opportunity to apply for supported living situations.

We are thankfully a long way away from the time we linked being non verbal with being intellectually challenged, and best of all, today verbal autistics who struggle with significant challenges to self care, reactive neurology (meltdowns), etc. can be supported rather than judged.

 

[Crossbreed]

I am not suggesting that all non-verbals have profound cognitive dysfunction, but those with profound cognitive dysfunction (like my daughter) tend to be non-verbal, on top of all their other problems.