Today, 2nd of April, is World Autism Awareness Day.
I wanted to do a post discussing my feelings on the problems with ‘high’ and ‘low’ functioning labels.
There is no consensus
There is no agreement on the definition of these labels. For example, is ‘high’ functioning referring to the individuals IQ, how they communicate, or perhaps whether or not they can interact with others in social situations? What is ‘low’ functioning? Where does ‘normal’ functioning end and ‘high’ functioning begin?
Functioning is not stable
Often, the way somebody functions can depend on the circumstance or situation. A student who excels academically is likely to be labelled ‘high’ functioning, but let’s say this same student struggles to speak on the phone, or has crippling sensory issues. It is probable that because of their ‘high’ functioning label, their difficulties may be underestimated or even ignored. Equally, those labelled as ‘low’ functioning may be underrated and their capabilities dismissed.
The important thing to remember is that ‘functioning’ is not fixed. Neurotypicals do not function equally in all aspects of life, so why does this idea of functioning only apply to autistic individuals?
Continue reading “World Autism Awareness Day | The Problem with Functioning Labels” →