Without supports in place, which statement best describes Level 1 autism?

• A. There are no impairments
• B. Severe impairments in all domains
• C. Noticeable impairments such as initiating social interactions and inflexibility
• D. Only academic problems

Answer: (C)

Level 1 autism describes impairments that are noticeable in social communication and in restricted, repetitive behaviors when there are no supports in place. The best description is that there are noticeable difficulties such as initiating social interactions and inflexibility with routines or changes. Without support, challenges in starting conversations and maintaining social reciprocity become evident, and rigid or inflexible behaviors make adapting to new situations or transitions harder. This is not a complete absence of impairments, nor is it the severe, all-domain impairment seen in higher levels. It also isn’t limited to academics; the defining features are social-communication difficulties and rigidity in behavior, which can affect functioning across settings if supports aren’t provided.