Functioning Labels - Open Discussion

These "high-functioning" or "low-functioning" labels were not created or (originally) used by autistic people. They were created and used by neurotypicals to describe how well autistic people were able to fit in to their society; to describe how easily or how well we could pass as one of them.  

These "high-functioning" or "low-functioning" labels were not created or (originally) used by autistic people.

Not quite, as Intelligence Quota scores involving people having anything from low scores to high scores gave rise to the low, medium and high social support needs criteria being mistaken for social status criteria.

They were created and used by neurotypicals to describe how well autistic people were able to fit in to their society;

Not really, as societies consist of and are proportionally embodied by neurologically typical, atypical and divergent people, rather than as belonging to or allowing any discrimination against anyone proportion of which, with every member in the UK being as such protected from under the Equality Act 2010.

to describe how easily or how well we could pass as one of them.  

Not at all, otherwise the diagnostic criteria for the most socially impaired would not apply; whilst the least socially impaired would be the most diagnosed proportion of the autistic community, rather than the least.

Sorry, I'm struggling to understand your syntax; so, it's difficult to know what you're trying to convey in your writing. 

The term “low-functioning” dates back to 1968 and William Goldfarb, Nathan Goldfarb, and Ruth C. Pollack's categorisation of autistic children on the basis of their IQ and language. The term “high autistic” was used a few years later (1973). The criticism is that these measures are not related to autism, but to arbitrary notions of what is normal for neurotypicals.

If you use oranges as a basis for describing apples, then you will always be operating from a false analogy; and an apple will always be faulted for not being an orange.

Deepthought said:

I have always been under the impression that when such rhetorical practices are used ~ so should an exclamation mark

You're being silly, now, Deep. Hypophora does not require the response part of the call-and-response structure to be exclamatory, not in speech nor in writing. 

Not so, as I was merely being pedantic about punctuation and addressing the fact that having arguments with yourself does not form a valid consensus ~ in regard to your insistence upon mistaking the medical model of support criteria for social colloquialisms involving social status criteria, i.e., compliments and by contrast condemnations.

Deepthought said:

you previously described as and moralised to me about being, "Verbal chess is very much a game that neurotypicals delight in playing with one another. I can't speak for every autistic person, of course, but for me, direct questions are much easier to understand." So stick to direct questions, direct statements of fact and direct statements of opinion, as being then much easier to understand for the general reader.

Hmm. Sounds to me as if your ego is still smarting from this exchange from a while back. It wasn't intended as a pin to *** you, so my advice would be to let it go. I forgot about it minutes after writing it. So should you.

'Harbouring resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.'

Remember that the map is not the territory ~ or in other words the projection of your imagined fantasy of me as harbouring resentment is not the reality of me, as there was no smarting on my behalf as I was as I am now calmly explaining again the facts of the matter ~ rather than arguing about your responses in some upset or angry mannerism, in that I find your responses as fascinating and intriguing as I do anybody else's.

So again:

Deepthought said:

Anyway, back on topic ~ stating that because you have not been given any indication of having a low, medium or high level of social support needs ~ despite having been diagnosed as being on the diagnostic spectrum; arguing that it is some form of discrimination is just not the case at all in medical terms, nor in sociological terms either ~ because rather than wilful bigotry our greatest problem is actually the ignorance that facilitates and enables ill will in society.

Deepthought said:

I have always been under the impression that when such rhetorical practices are used ~ so should an exclamation mark

You're being silly, now, Deep. Hypophora does not require the response part of the call-and-response structure to be exclamatory, not in speech nor in writing. 

Deepthought said:

you previously described as and moralised to me about being, "Verbal chess is very much a game that neurotypicals delight in playing with one another. I can't speak for every autistic person, of course, but for me, direct questions are much easier to understand." So stick to direct questions, direct statements of fact and direct statements of opinion, as being then much easier to understand for the general reader.

Hmm. Sounds to me as if your ego is still smarting from this exchange from a while back. It wasn't intended as a pin to *** you, so my advice would be to let it go. I forgot about it minutes after writing it. So should you.

'Harbouring resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.'

I might be autistic but at least I’m high-functioning, right? Wrong.

This was my attempt at using hypophora. It's a common rhetorical device and involves asking a question, but then giving an immediate answer.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” Never. We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

In simplest terms, hypophora is a question with an immediate answer used speech and writing to capture the attention of the listener or reader.  

Deep,

Hey Michael! :-)

No matter now much we debate this, but the fact remains that these labels were created by neurotypicals to describe autistic people. I am autistic. On my diagnosis paperwork, it says I have an Autism Spectrum Condition. What it does not say is that I am high-functioning or low-functioning. Autism Spectrum Condition. 

Kanner's Syndrome involves lower ranges of social functioning, and Asperger's Syndrome higher ranges of social functioning.

I was referred for an Asperger Syndrome assessment in 2013 and verbally diagnosed that May as having in fact Asperger Syndrome ~ rather than any extent of Kanner's Syndrome, which would have been diagnosed as Autism then I believe.

Due though to the diagnostic unit I was diagnosed at in 2015 changing from using the [European] International Classification of Diseases version 10, to that of the [American] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) ~ my diagnostic report in July stated that I have Level 1 Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as "Requiring support"; rather than Level 2: “Requiring substantial support” or Level 3: “Requiring very substantial support” ~ which you can examine in full regarding the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ASD below:

DSM-5TM Diagnostic Criteria

Autism Spectrum Disorder 299.00 (F84.0)

A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):

1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.

2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.

3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.

Specify current severity:

Severity is based on social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior (see Severity Listings 1, 2 and 3 below).

B. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):

1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypes,
lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).

2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal
behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns,
greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat same food every day).

3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).

4. Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement). Specify current severity:

Severity is based on social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of
behavior (see 'Severity level [listings] for autism spectrum disorder' below).

C. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).

D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.

These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.

Note: Individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Individuals who have marked deficits in social communication, but whose symptoms do not otherwise meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder, should be evaluated for social (pragmatic)
communication disorder.

Specify if:

With or without accompanying intellectual impairment

With or without accompanying language impairment

Associated with a known medical or genetic condition or environmental factor
(Coding note: Use additional code to identify the associated medical or genetic condition.)

Associated with another neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder
(Coding note: Use additional code[s] to identify the associated neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder[s].)

With catatonia (refer to the criteria for catatonia associated with another mental disorder for definition)
(Coding note: Use additional code 293.89 [F06.1] catatonia associated with autism spectrum disorder to indicate the presence of the comorbid catatonia.)

Severity level [listings] for autism spectrum disorder:

Severity level 3 “Requiring very substantial support”

Social communication.
Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills cause severe impairments in functioning, very limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others. For example, a person with few words of intelligible speech who rarely initiates interaction and, when he or she does, makes unusual approaches to meet needs only and responds to only very direct social approaches.

Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors markedly interfere with functioning in all spheres. Great distress/difficulty changing focus or action.

Severity level 2 “Requiring substantial support”

Social communication.
Marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place; limited initiation of social interactions; and reduced or abnormal responses to social overtures from others. For example, a person who speaks simple sentences, whose interaction is limited to narrow special interests, and who has markedly odd nonverbal communication.

Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts. Distress and/ or difficulty changing focus or action.

Severity level 1 “Requiring support”

Social communication.
Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. Difficulty initiating social interactions, and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful responses to social overtures of others. May appear to have decreased interest in social interactions. For example, a person who is able to speak in full sentences and engages in communication but whose to-and-fro conversation with others fails, and whose attempts to make friends are odd and typically unsuccessful.

Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Inflexibility of behavior causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Difficulty switching between activities. Problems of organization and planning hamper independence.

https://images.pearsonclinical.com/imag ... sorder.pdf

The fact that some neurotypicals have created labels to describe how much or how little I resemble them, may sound like a compliment.  But it isn't. I might be autistic but at least I’m high-functioning, right? Wrong.

The fact of the matter is neurologically typical, atypical and divergent people have independently and collectively developed categorical systems for identifying different objects and states of affairs since at very least the time of human's getting into cave painting ~ with a higher proportion of scientists, researchers and specialists being autistic rather than allistic, on account of having narrower or more singular ranges of interest and higher perseverant focus.

You are also confusing the social model as involving compliments ~ with the medical model as involving treatments, i.e., going to a doctor, being referred, getting diagnosed and receiving treatment and or support.  

Now since you have already stated that, "On my diagnosis paperwork, it says I have an Autism Spectrum Condition. What it does not say is that I am high-functioning or low-functioning." it really does not make sense in the next paragraph to ask, "I might be autistic but at least I’m high-functioning, right?" nor then to make even less sense by correcting yourself as being, "Wrong."

Deep,

Hey Michael! :-)

No matter now much we debate this, but the fact remains that these labels were created by neurotypicals to describe autistic people. I am autistic. On my diagnosis paperwork, it says I have an Autism Spectrum Condition. What it does not say is that I am high-functioning or low-functioning. Autism Spectrum Condition. 

Kanner's Syndrome involves lower ranges of social functioning, and Asperger's Syndrome higher ranges of social functioning.

I was referred for an Asperger Syndrome assessment in 2013 and verbally diagnosed that May as having in fact Asperger Syndrome ~ rather than any extent of Kanner's Syndrome, which would have been diagnosed as Autism then I believe.

Due though to the diagnostic unit I was diagnosed at in 2015 changing from using the [European] International Classification of Diseases version 10, to that of the [American] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) ~ my diagnostic report in July stated that I have Level 1 Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as "Requiring support"; rather than Level 2: “Requiring substantial support” or Level 3: “Requiring very substantial support” ~ which you can examine in full regarding the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ASD below:

DSM-5TM Diagnostic Criteria

Autism Spectrum Disorder 299.00 (F84.0)

A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):

1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.

2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.

3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.

Specify current severity:

Severity is based on social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior (see Severity Listings 1, 2 and 3 below).

B. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):

1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypes,
lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).

2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal
behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns,
greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat same food every day).

3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).

4. Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement). Specify current severity:

Severity is based on social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of
behavior (see 'Severity level [listings] for autism spectrum disorder' below).

C. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).

D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.

These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.

Note: Individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Individuals who have marked deficits in social communication, but whose symptoms do not otherwise meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder, should be evaluated for social (pragmatic)
communication disorder.

Specify if:

With or without accompanying intellectual impairment

With or without accompanying language impairment

Associated with a known medical or genetic condition or environmental factor
(Coding note: Use additional code to identify the associated medical or genetic condition.)

Associated with another neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder
(Coding note: Use additional code[s] to identify the associated neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder[s].)

With catatonia (refer to the criteria for catatonia associated with another mental disorder for definition)
(Coding note: Use additional code 293.89 [F06.1] catatonia associated with autism spectrum disorder to indicate the presence of the comorbid catatonia.)

Severity level [listings] for autism spectrum disorder:

Severity level 3 “Requiring very substantial support”

Social communication.
Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills cause severe impairments in functioning, very limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others. For example, a person with few words of intelligible speech who rarely initiates interaction and, when he or she does, makes unusual approaches to meet needs only and responds to only very direct social approaches.

Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors markedly interfere with functioning in all spheres. Great distress/difficulty changing focus or action.

Severity level 2 “Requiring substantial support”

Social communication.
Marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place; limited initiation of social interactions; and reduced or abnormal responses to social overtures from others. For example, a person who speaks simple sentences, whose interaction is limited to narrow special interests, and who has markedly odd nonverbal communication.

Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts. Distress and/ or difficulty changing focus or action.

Severity level 1 “Requiring support”

Social communication.
Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. Difficulty initiating social interactions, and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful responses to social overtures of others. May appear to have decreased interest in social interactions. For example, a person who is able to speak in full sentences and engages in communication but whose to-and-fro conversation with others fails, and whose attempts to make friends are odd and typically unsuccessful.

Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Inflexibility of behavior causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Difficulty switching between activities. Problems of organization and planning hamper independence.

https://images.pearsonclinical.com/imag ... sorder.pdf

The fact that some neurotypicals have created labels to describe how much or how little I resemble them, may sound like a compliment.  But it isn't. I might be autistic but at least I’m high-functioning, right? Wrong.

The fact of the matter is neurologically typical, atypical and divergent people have independently and collectively developed categorical systems for identifying different objects and states of affairs since at very least the time of human's getting into cave painting ~ with a higher proportion of scientists, researchers and specialists being autistic rather than allistic, on account of having narrower or more singular ranges of interest and higher perseverant focus.

You are also confusing the social model as involving compliments ~ with the medical model as involving treatments, i.e., going to a doctor, being referred, getting diagnosed and receiving treatment and or support.  

Now since you have already stated that, "On my diagnosis paperwork, it says I have an Autism Spectrum Condition. What it does not say is that I am high-functioning or low-functioning." it really does not make sense in the next paragraph to ask, "I might be autistic but at least I’m high-functioning, right?" nor then to make even less sense by correcting yourself as being, "Wrong."

Deepthought said:

I have always been under the impression that when such rhetorical practices are used ~ so should an exclamation mark

You're being silly, now, Deep. Hypophora does not require the response part of the call-and-response structure to be exclamatory, not in speech nor in writing. 

Not so, as I was merely being pedantic about punctuation and addressing the fact that having arguments with yourself does not form a valid consensus ~ in regard to your insistence upon mistaking the medical model of support criteria for social colloquialisms involving social status criteria, i.e., compliments and by contrast condemnations.

Deepthought said:

you previously described as and moralised to me about being, "Verbal chess is very much a game that neurotypicals delight in playing with one another. I can't speak for every autistic person, of course, but for me, direct questions are much easier to understand." So stick to direct questions, direct statements of fact and direct statements of opinion, as being then much easier to understand for the general reader.

Hmm. Sounds to me as if your ego is still smarting from this exchange from a while back. It wasn't intended as a pin to *** you, so my advice would be to let it go. I forgot about it minutes after writing it. So should you.

'Harbouring resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.'

Remember that the map is not the territory ~ or in other words the projection of your imagined fantasy of me as harbouring resentment is not the reality of me, as there was no smarting on my behalf as I was as I am now calmly explaining again the facts of the matter ~ rather than arguing about your responses in some upset or angry mannerism, in that I find your responses as fascinating and intriguing as I do anybody else's.

So again:

Deepthought said:

Anyway, back on topic ~ stating that because you have not been given any indication of having a low, medium or high level of social support needs ~ despite having been diagnosed as being on the diagnostic spectrum; arguing that it is some form of discrimination is just not the case at all in medical terms, nor in sociological terms either ~ because rather than wilful bigotry our greatest problem is actually the ignorance that facilitates and enables ill will in society.

Deepthought said:

I have always been under the impression that when such rhetorical practices are used ~ so should an exclamation mark

You're being silly, now, Deep. Hypophora does not require the response part of the call-and-response structure to be exclamatory, not in speech nor in writing. 

Deepthought said:

you previously described as and moralised to me about being, "Verbal chess is very much a game that neurotypicals delight in playing with one another. I can't speak for every autistic person, of course, but for me, direct questions are much easier to understand." So stick to direct questions, direct statements of fact and direct statements of opinion, as being then much easier to understand for the general reader.

Hmm. Sounds to me as if your ego is still smarting from this exchange from a while back. It wasn't intended as a pin to *** you, so my advice would be to let it go. I forgot about it minutes after writing it. So should you.

'Harbouring resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.'

I might be autistic but at least I’m high-functioning, right? Wrong.

This was my attempt at using hypophora. It's a common rhetorical device and involves asking a question, but then giving an immediate answer.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” Never. We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

In simplest terms, hypophora is a question with an immediate answer used speech and writing to capture the attention of the listener or reader.