Whether you call severe autism: “level 3”, “profound” or “high support needs”, I don’t care but stop the narrative that everyone is equally autistic. Someone who needs 24/7 care and can NEVER communicate beyond basic needs isn’t comparable to a Level 1 autistic “going nonverbal”. See how that only works one way? Someone with Level 3 Autism doesn’t have days when they can be Level 1. Someone being more severely autistic than you, doesn’t take away from your struggles. Autism isn’t a competition.

There’s been a huge increase in people trying to erase severe autism. “Severe autism isn’t real.”“We’re all equally autistic.”As someone diagnosed with Level 1 ASD who’s raising a child with Level 3 (severe) ASD, I can tell you that these statements are far from the truth. (1)There’s a significant difference between an autistic person who has the luxury of being able to advocate for themselves on social media, me, and an autistic person who can’t communicate beyond basic needs, who can’t keep th