Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental difference that can appear in many forms. The DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR include three levels of support needs for autism spectrum disorder: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. The level that a person is diagnosed with is based on the severity of their symptoms and how much support they need in their everyday life. The levels of autism are an attempt by the medical community to help clarify the needs and abilities of individuals with autism.

Here are the three levels of autism:

1. Level 1: Requiring support - This is the mildest form of autism, which includes those who would have previously been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Individuals with ASD Level 1 may have difficulty understanding social cues and may struggle to form and maintain personal relationships. They may understand and speak in complete sentences, but have difficulty engaging in back-and-forth conversation. Children with ASD Level 1 experience some inflexibility of behavior, like difficulty switching between tasks, staying organized, and planning.

2. Level 2: Requiring substantial support - Social communication and repetitive behaviors present themselves more obviously in children with ASD Level 2 than in children with Level 1 autism. Children on this level have challenges in verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as reduced or abnormal responses to social cues. They may also find daily functioning difficult due to the challenges of coping with change, which might cause them to experience significant distress.

3. Level 3: Requiring very substantial support - This level of autism is characterized by severe challenges in social communication as well as extremely inflexible behavior. Children with ASD Level 3 will be nonverbal or have the use of only a few words of intelligible speech. Initiation of social interaction is very limited, and they may have very challenging behaviors, such as frequent meltdowns, aggression, or self-harm. They might have more frequent and more intense stimming behaviors.

Its important to note that even someone with Level 1 autism might have a very different experience from someone else with Level 1 autism, and the same is true for Levels 2 and 3. The levels of autism are not meant to be a definitive or exhaustive way of describing the condition, but rather a way of helping doctors and other specialists work with the individual to provide the right support.