Published on 12, July, 2020
Is What does this actally mean in practice, not the dictionary definition, but for those of us so labelled? Although no ones ever told me I'm high functioning, I guess I am.
Is it a helpful term or unhelpful?
Does it express our experiences properly or reflect away from them?
Is this a term more helpful to NT's than us?
Personally I find the term a bit insulting as well as divisive and dismissive.
Functioning or not functioning in society is often looked on as an on/off switch. Those able to function are fine and dandy, holding down jobs and suchlike, while those unable to function are the subject of relatively high levels of support and concern by and from society. I do not begrudge people with high support needs getting appropriate levels of support, far from it, but, the idea that autistic people who can function in society do not often also have very debilitating problems is not true. People who can and do outwardly function, often pay a high price in anxiety, stress and poor mental health.
This is often overlooked by NTs, the cost we pay for masking, or the length a meltdown can affect us etc. Courts got it right with PIP (in general about MH, but surely applies to Autism) when they ruled that a person who needs support for any event may need support weeks ahead and weeks after it.