Level 1 autism is a mild form of ASD that can affect social interactions, communication, and behavior. While individuals at this level may be able to live independently with minimal support, they still benefit from targeted interventions and support to enhance their social, communication, and behavioral skills. 

Diagnosis: confirmed. Reaction: not surprising.

I’ve no intention making my recent autism diagnosis the central focus of my blog, however I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. It’s a formative part of my past, present and I expect, future. The whole diagnostic process hasn’t been a surprise, rather a confirmation. Looking back a lot of factors add up to this conclusion; awkward social interactions, preferring to be and work alone, hyper focus on specialized subjects, collecting information, intelligent, yet, still struggling with the flow of educational processes.

I have one strong indicator which eclipses a lot of the other elements of my diagnosis; a strong sense of justice. To my detriment or credit, I don’t know, but I see much of what goes on around me in black or white. I’ve trained myself to adjust to nuance, but my first reactions will always follow what I see as right or wrong.

This is one reason why I’m slow to return to the evangelical fold. I see so much duplicity and marginalization. The favored and the outcast. Most churches I’ve attended have stacked the board with the wealthy, powerful and or highly educated. Forgetting that those near the bottom of the “success” food chain often have greater humility, give more in relation to their means, offer space to the needy… in other words, they’re more like Christ.

Broad generalization? Maybe.

There is also the patriarchy problem. The idea that “men lead, women follow.” It doesn’t sit well with me. I hear the bible verses that men use to justify it, but I’ve always been more comfortable with the bible being inspired, rather than infallible. (In humility, I defer to those who have read the bible in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic plus have a PhD in history. Plus who was first at the tomb of Christ?)

I spend a lot of time contemplating modern Christianity and I’m wholly comfortable with being uncertain… about a lot. I haven’t done the research; there are probably less than five people on the planet that have.

I’m going with my quirky, justice-driven brain here in thinking all is not right in the evangelical world. Too much money, too much power, too much show. Not enough fruit, grace, mercy and justice. God gives what we need, not what we want. Maybe God created me with this crazy, neuro-divergent brain so I can be a truth teller?

Regardless, knowing my brain I don’t think I’ll lay down and accept things as status quo… ever.