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High, Low, Moderate.

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AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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06 Oct 2013, 12:47 am

wozeree wrote:
i was just discussing this very thing with someone, hmmmm, who was it? :D 

I think I am high functioning because I hold a job and support myself (thank goodness), and most people (I've only told a few) don't believe I have autism, they think I'm just weird.  Maybe that should be the definition of high function, when you hear people say it's not Asperger's, you're just weird, if you would just try harder...

I think to an extent these labels are pointless though because although I hold a job and excel at some aspects of it, I totally suck at other aspects and my personal life is messed up because I have trouble doing all the things I'm supposed to be doing.  Taxes anyone?  Money in general?  Tending to clothes, complicated hygiene issues, the list goes on.

The other thing is, I'm somewhat insulated in my job, but if I get laid off, I don't know what will happen to me.  My profession is a dying art, there aren't a lot more jobs doing it out there.  So then am I suddenly low functioning?

I struggle with things like filing my yearly income tax form and calling my health insurance company when needed.

And plus, I think for many if us on the Spectrum, there is an inverse relationship between supposed "easy" jobs and "hard" ones.



Jensen
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06 Oct 2013, 2:47 am

Tell me about it!
In easy jobs, that don´t require much analysis to do, I tend to fail. I am much better at intellectually more demanding work.
My piano teacher thought I was a weird one. I did a good job with pieces of a difficulty far beyond my stage at that time, but failed miserably with simpler things.

My theory is, that the more you have to think to carry out tasks, the better control you have.
The more routinely the work becomes, the greater the danger of falling into the "executive difficulty" pit is, because you have to let the intellectual control rest, when things suddenly move fast.
I need more time with intellectual control, than average, it seems.

I believe, in general, that the above mentioned phenomena is due to the one tracked mind that is typical for AS people.


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