do you feel 'high-functioning'?

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High-functioning in relation to your diagnosis doesn't refer to your level of function amongst the general population but amongst the autistic population. If you don't need support to carry out everyday activities and tasks then you are considered a high-functioning autistic. Of course you're going to feel socially inept compared to the general population, that's the crux of being on the autism spectrum.

^^^in relation to that line of reasoning, high-functioning for our case then would seem to be being able to easily find compatible work that pays a wage sufficiently remunerative so as to not need any help such as Medicaid and food stamps/rent assistance/et al.

I'm not saying it's my reasoning, but it's the reasoning of those who diagnose us. It's their term to define how much support we might need. Work is inherently a social thing, so anyone on the spectrum is probably going to find difficulties in some way or another. Some more so than others of course. But someone considered high functioning probably doesn't need help getting ready for work in the morning for example. Which is why we would get labelled high functioning. But it's all relative and apparently we're not that great at relating, so why think too much about it if it's only going to get us down?

I think a term to describe people like me would be "medium functioning" in that I can go through the motions of going to work [getting up, getting appropriately dressed with adequate hygiene, driving to work on time, clocking in [when I remember to clock in, always was lousy with remembering to do that], being polite with coworkers and nominally doing the jobs as assigned within the time assigned. but in terms of rating the level of work that pays enough to afford [in amuurica] health insurance [without subsidies] and enough to pay both rent [without subsidies] and feed myself above starvation level [food stamps], that would be high-functioning in my book [related to aspies] and above where i'm at.

Maybe you'd have rated "high functioning" a few decades ago, before the billionaires raised the prices while leaving wages stagnant. My most functional talent along that line is learning to get along on a small and variable income. I fix my own stuff, often salvaged first, buy food as ingredients, etc. Reliable, economical cars cost me under $200 pa for parts and depreciation.

Fair enough, I see what you're saying. Unfortunately for most of us our economic system doesn't really work in our favour. If you're doing all the right things as you've mentioned then ideally you should be able to afford the things you have mentioned. That's what we get told growing up, right? I'm the same way, I can do all that is required no problem, but somehow still struggle to maintain a progressive career. So I'm going back to study, that is somewhere people like us can generally excel (so long as we study what we are interested in )

Right now, no. I've been sick the last four days and haven't been able to go to work or any of my social activities. I feel like my brain is being dulled.

I have a cousin in law who is considered lower functioning than I am. That is a thing that confuses me. She is capable of working and getting herself to work. I am not. She is capable of being on top of things like birthday cards and housework. I am not. Neither she or I can live alone and manage all of the adulting (totally a word) that people must do to be independent. There was, however, a time in my life where I could and I did. She was diagnosed as a child. I was not. She does have more support in her life than I have ever had. I had a major crash and burn thing happen to me as an adult. I never have fully recovered. She never has had a burn out event. *shrugs*

My spouse has said that I most certainly am high functioning. I don't feel high functioning. Not today anyhow. For me, functioning levels change on a regular basis. I have days that are worse or better than others. Functioning levels are not fixed things in my little world. Unfortunately for me, the days where I cannot function kinda wreck the next few days/weeks where I am continually living in this cycle of falling apart and playing catch up because I fell apart... which stresses me out and makes me fall apart again. I swear, I am part hamster... stuck in a stupid wheel.. run, crash, run, crash... Oy. The way I live my life makes me wonder how my spouse can consider me high functioning. To me, I am the opposite of that.

Not really, I don't really function at all and feel quite disabled but I suppose I may just have more issues than others due to the trauma in my life. It's kind of a curse, people on the outside looking in seem to think I am smart therefor I should be able to do XYZ but they don't know how much of an all encompassing effort I put into trying to appear normal and not be noticed. Part of how smart you are is how you're able to apply it so knowing a lot of trivia about things that interest me personally really is a pointless measure of intelligence, I still feel like a child in a lot of ways and am dependent on others for a lot of the most basic things. I feel very unevenly matured, I feel like emotionally in some ays I am where I should of been at 10 years ago or longer and at this age it's pretty hard to make up for lost time I think with my extinguished social capital and limited means. I am lucky to have the few advocates that I do have for I would be totally lost on my own, a lot of people carry bitterness in their hearts for the way their parents raised them and I am no different but I do have the perspective of knowing they are at least good people in their hearts which a lot of people are not lucky to have.

I usually feel pretty low-functioning (my professional diagnosis is High-Functioning Autism) I don't know a lot of people on the spectrum and almost all of my friends and peers around me are neurotypical. I haven't been able to steadily go to school and I can only take online classes because campus courses stress me out too much and cause me to have meltdowns. I have a job right now, but I don't know how long I will be able to keep it, as my track record of staying employed isn't great.

Wow, a car for less than $200 a year, that sounds indeed high-functioning to me.

high functioning is easily being able to go through all the hoops to graduate from college with a salable degree. I fell down there.

i didn't necessarily say it is bad, just a difference. at least what's basically meant by maturity. of course depending on what you mean by it it can be bad, like not having discipline and preparing for the future.

yes of course, which is why i was comparing myself to the other aspies i've came across whether online, irl, or within shows/movies whether fictional or not.

Mentally I'm VERY high functioning (IQ consistently measured in the 90th percentile, degree with top marks) but when it comes to lifeskills and independent living I'm quite low functioning. I'm learning, but very slowly. I'm scared I won't have learned anything by the time my mother dies and I HAVE to live on my own. I feel I'm capable of learning it but I'm sorta scared too.