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Do You Think High and Low-functioning Should Be Used?

Daniel

I prefer to use autism or ASD because I believe high and low-functioning autism creates a false perception of The Autism Spectrum. To me and I imagine many others, low-functioning and high-functioning create the image of a horizontal line with one side saying "most autistic" and the other side saying "least autistic", especially since I hear people say "end of the spectrum." 

I see The Autism Spectrum as more of a circle divided with each section representing a difficulty, with the individual in the centre having a variation of difficulties with differing levels of severity to one another. Like someone described as low-functioning may be able to walk through shops with no oversensitivity while someone described as high-functioning can have a higher level of severity in sensory processing that it's too hard and not be able to.

Do you think we should avoid the use of high and low-functioning as they're not clinical terms anyway?

Parents

  • HIGH or LOW?

    No harm in using the terms, it's nowhere near perfect.  It is a way of trying to  bring order and understanding to a complete mess.

  • in reply to Robert124

    no not really ---- i would be amazed if someone asked me what level i am. it would mean they know what autism is Slight smile

  • in reply to aidie

    My understanding is that psychologists label you as HIGH, if you can perform basic functions, on your own,  such as cooking, travelling by public transport, planning journeys, pass educational exams.  

  • in reply to aidie

    my boyfriend falls somewhere in the middle i think, he can take care of himself but struggles to communicate and it's extremely obvious, i will 

  • in reply to laraiesha

    yes that would be true  but they can burst through,,, which really woke me up.

    i feel very uncomfortable boxing someone else because of this book.

    this book ( i have read it )  is brilliant. it is written one character at a time from an alphabet card

    buy it and read it u wont regret it it alll about the feeling and thoughts of a severely autistic boy.

    www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=sr_1_1

  • in reply to aidie

    i assume the difference is low functioning people simply never have periods of high functioning? my severely autistic brother could definitely attest to that

  • in reply to Robert124

    yes what you say is correct but there is usually a swing into periods of low level functioning. The problem is when u are labelled high functioning it can be forgotten that u are still autistic and may be having really bad periods where you are low functioning.

    but in the end it is a single word way of  saying        "I can survive",,,,,,

Reply
  • in reply to Robert124

    yes what you say is correct but there is usually a swing into periods of low level functioning. The problem is when u are labelled high functioning it can be forgotten that u are still autistic and may be having really bad periods where you are low functioning.

    but in the end it is a single word way of  saying        "I can survive",,,,,,

Children
  • in reply to aidie

    my boyfriend falls somewhere in the middle i think, he can take care of himself but struggles to communicate and it's extremely obvious, i will 

  • in reply to laraiesha

    yes that would be true  but they can burst through,,, which really woke me up.

    i feel very uncomfortable boxing someone else because of this book.

    this book ( i have read it )  is brilliant. it is written one character at a time from an alphabet card

    buy it and read it u wont regret it it alll about the feeling and thoughts of a severely autistic boy.

    www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=sr_1_1

  • in reply to aidie

    i assume the difference is low functioning people simply never have periods of high functioning? my severely autistic brother could definitely attest to that