Published on 12, July, 2020
Hey Everyone,
I'm curious to know what your thoughts are on functioning labels I see a lot of videos and posts on various social media pages. That are of the view that are a bad thing that segregates people within the autistic community. To be honest I'm not sure how I feel about it, I'm not sure I care enough to pass judgment on the topic. I do understand the purpose of them because there are autistic that can live independently with minimal to no help from all the way up to people that need full time round the clock care and everyone in-between.
I would never judge or treat any autistic person differently if they were for example nonverbal vs someone like myself who would be considered high functioning. I guess I just don't necessarily understand why there seems to be a of distaste towards functioning labels.
I don't particularly like the label "high-functioning", because it basically means "good enough at masking/able to hold down a job to be a valuable asset under capitalism". Also, it's all relative. I for example appear high-functioning because I am well-spoken, but I can't hold down a job. I prefer the terms "high support" and "low support".
It's got nothing to do with capitalism - it's purely about being able to look after yourself or not.
Oh ok, I didn't realise that! I thought it had something to do with having a job.
I'm sorry to hear that you've had such bad experiences :( I can relate, it's so difficult to get adequate support and the NHS is rubbish for helping. It also takes a lot of spoons to fight for being seen, which we don't always have.
I've also had to fight a lot for everything - for my diagnosis (it took me years), for my benefits also... ironically I wasn't taken seriously *because* I'm "high-functioning". At one point I was homeless, living in a hostel and getting food from the food bank. It took me 8 months of screaming and shouting to get my benefits sorted, which wiped me out.
I think capitalism is significantly involved.
It's to do with whether they can leave you t to scrape the bottom of your own barrel and if you can shout loud and long enough to get the help you need.
I'm "high functioning". Got a 1st class degree in teaching maths n all dat. Doesn't mean I can cope the same as others, or that I don't need support.
I'm currently unemployed after having a major bout of (burn out /shut down) depression.
I can't shout for help.
I can't bring myself to make demands.
If it hadn't been for my partner doing all the shouting and demanding on my behalf, I'd have just kept getting worse and worse until I did actually manage to kill myself.
There is no perfect system.
Our NHS is being compartmentalised and sold off to tory approved capitalist money-grubbing profiteering bullies who've only ever known what it is to ride roughshod over everyone in order to get what they want.
Someone else started a discussion called something like the NT world is a disaster. I agree. I think I should leave this thread now. I'm beginning to remind myself of the futility of existence. Sorry.