Published on 12, July, 2020
'High functioning' is a term commonly used to describe people diagnosed with autism without an intellectual disability.However, despite the term's prevalence in medical journals and everyday use, new research shows the term can be misleading and advocates have called for its use to be dropped.Post-doctoral researcher Dr Gail Alvares said while 'high functioning' is used to describe people diagnosed with autism who have IQs in the normal range, it does not indicate their functional status.A new study has found labelling children with autism 'high functioning' can be misleading.
However, despite the term's prevalence in medical journals and everyday use, new research shows the term can be misleading and advocates have called for its use to be dropped.
Post-doctoral researcher Dr Gail Alvares said while 'high functioning' is used to describe people diagnosed with autism who have IQs in the normal range, it does not indicate their functional status.A new study has found labelling children with autism 'high functioning' can be misleading.
www.brisbanetimes.com.au/.../new-research-shows-high-functioning-is-an-inaccurate-autism-label-20190619-p51z9t.html
The gap between expected adaptive functioning due to IQ and actual level of adaptive functioning can be quite large.
Interesting, I always associated high-functiong with just that, high-functioning. I didnt relate it to IQ at all. By that I mean, someone who presents very neurotypical in both social characteristics and social capability/engagement, is not particularily eccentric and essentially runs an everyday, autnomous self-sufficient successful life.
I have an IQ of 133 but i barely leave the house. Were i to leave the house and talk to people they would assume i was an NT like them. So am i high or low functioning? Complex.
I used to have an IQ of 132 but after an unfortunate co morbid brain injury it’s gone down to 118. I get out of the house a lot and socialise a lot (mainly with other autistic people) but I’m pretty sure that I don’t come across as NT and probably seem a bit odd to NTs due to my complete inability to ‘read’ people or to pick up on social cues hidden in tone of voice; facial expression; body language etc etc. So am I high or low functioning? Even more complex :-)
Oh yeah. Maybe i don't come across as NT either then. I just meant that i don't come across as rainman. Anyway we're alive and functioning in our own various ways. Just as the Ant builds it's nest and the tree grows its vines. The Autistic still breathes.