what is your functioning level in your opinion?

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1. Mild. I'm living on my own and holding down a job, but barely. I'm scraping by on 4 nights a week and I don't know how much longer I can even do that. I've already filed for disability once and was rejected because I'm just over the income limit, but if I make any less I lose my apartment and then I'm homeless, so what can I do? I'm stuck. I have anxiety, depression, and major issues with executive functioning.
If I had to live a more "normal" life with a full-time day job and constant communication, I would fall apart completely.

2. Money. If I work any more than this I'll have a breakdown; if I make any less I'll go broke. Society just doesn't have a system in place to accommodate autistic people. We're stuck either living with our families or struggling to get by in a world built by NTs, for NTs. That's not fair and it needs to change.
My other big challenge is communication. I can't manage a social life. I dread talking to people because it drains my energy, and I have a hard time figuring out what they want or expect of me. I can't even stand to check my voicemail for fear that it's bad news or I'll have to call the person back.

3. I'm good at reading, writing, pronunciation, correcting errors, remembering dates, and organizing information.

1. High-functioning. Most people probably would not think of me as being on the spectrum. I do know many people find me "odd" but can't put their finger on why. I do OK in social situations and outwardly look like I'm pretty normal most of the time.

2. Executive functioning issues and developing/maintaining close friendships. My house is a chaotic mess, and if my husband wasn't paying all the bills and taking care of a lot of appointments, etc., I would be failing miserably at that. Grocery shopping - I have given up on meal planning and making a list. I now go to a discount store only where I don't have to go "prepared". If I remember my reusable bags, I'm doing great! I have a hard time remembering to return phone calls, and I need my friends to contact me more. It is a lot of effort to stop everything and make a call. For some reason, it seems everyone is always expecting *me* to initiate, and I'm the one that finds it so hard! I have very few friends - my close relationships are with my immediate family. They are kind of stuck with me. Everyone else remains on "acquaintance level" for basically forever, and I don't know what I am doing to cause that.

3. I'm very good at music and critical & logical thinking. I learn most things quickly. I'm an excellent teacher (I teach privately - not all day everyday. That would wear me out.) I'm a good cook, but I don't do a lot of fancy things. I have devoted myself to my husband and my kids.

I really don't know how well I function. I've managed to hold down a steady full time job for 6 years, and I keep my place clean. I guess that counts. But socially I'm just completely lost. I don't have many friends and I don't know how to make any, and with that said I don't really have the motivation to make any either. Suppose that answers #2 as well, getting out there just doesn't happen. I'm too awkward, I don't like crowded places, I don't have the confidence to lead a conversation and I just don't take joy in what most people do, especially with the fact that most people my age enjoy only one thing (which I do not) in being drunk.

I really haven't figured out what I'm "good" at - I'm good at several random different things but I don't think anything sticks out like other people have suggested.

1) what would you say is your functioning level? how does it differentiate from the functioning level in which they classificate you?
I am diagnosed AS and I would say in comparison to where somebody my age should be, I'm quite non-functional in a lot of ways. I'd say moderate-high in the social department, but low when it comes to sensory overload, dealing with reasonable emotions, and executive function.
2) what are your biggest challenges in your opinion?
Anxiety that results from confusion that results from issues with executive functioning. Also, I would definitely say some of my biggest issues surround basics like eating properly, hygiene, and independent living skills as a whole.
3) what are some of the things you are good at?
I'm not good at anything tbh.

Anyone can choose a definition of functioning to fit whatever they think of as their own functioning level and what they want others to think their functioning level is.

I'm able to do stuff better than they said I would. I can communicate much better at least in writing then they said I would. These days I pretty much agree with what they say, but take it as a challenge to do better.



Looking after myself in many ways. Needing someone with me outside so I don't get lost. Lacking self awareness. Being verbal. Schoolwork.



Writing and communicating in forums. Good at being helpful and insightful they say. Good at target shooting despite my dyspraxia. Good at photography. Good at being good in school and following rules.

1) what would you say is your functioning level? how does it differentiate from the functioning level in which they classify you?

I'm "high functioning" and that's how they classified me. Sometimes I look like a pretty normal adult, married, two kids, a house in the suburb...etc. However I can never live up to what "normal" people can do.

2) what are your biggest challenges in your opinion?

Anxiety is my biggest issue, mostly social anxiety, especially dealing with people I don't like or are unpleasant. (Saying the right things and being nice is sooo hard sometimes I feel exhausted after an hour or so.) I keep fantasizing that someone else can do these things for me, someone who's actually social, nice and caring can take care of my parents, crazy brother, grandma with dementia. I'll pay her to be me. I also can't drive, which is a serious problem for jobs or even running errands. My executive function isn't great either, and DH shares the same problem. Our home is a big junk pile, so we never invite anyone over.

3) what are some of the things you are good at?

Curiously I'm good at many things I have tried to do. I'm particularly good at problem solving. I'm also good at talking with a purpose. I mean I can sound confident, smart, assuring and make people believe whatever I say. I can boss people around and be manipulative if I want to (though I usually don't bother). I'm extroverted and never feel shy or afraid of conflict. I love to argue and win.

I guess I can see the big problem after writing those. I'm naturally sharp, critical, bossy and like to argue, and I have to act nice and caring and social most of the times. I really need to work on this and either change to a different person, or just accept myself and the fact that people might not like me.

1) We agree. 2) I'm like a house of cards .. I fall apart completely for the tiniest reason. 3) I do many things well when mood is right.

As long as I can keep my anxiety issues under control - I am about as high functioning as anyone can be who is still on the Spectrum. I only really learned in my 30's how to make and sustain eye contact and how to converse interactively.
As long as I can stay in relatively non-confrontational living and work environment - I do really well. I will still come off to people as a tad bit odd like I am somewhat in my own world - but if I can find a tolerant lower stress place to live and work like I currently have - life is pretty good for me. My greatest fear is of something that might disrupt my current relatively stable situation.

1)High-functioning: I earn very good money in a blue collar warehouse job (although intellectually am capable to do much more demanding jobs), have lived independently since I was 21, nowadays can keep apartment relatively clean, have the ability to form relationships, although having the mental energy/drive to do so is hard.

But when other people get a grip on my intelligence, they think I should have done much more. But what they don't know that I have spent my entire 20s trying to catch up to my peers in social skills/undestanding and trying to recover from past emotional trauma and abuse.

2) Exhaustion/running out of energy. Brought on by sensory issues without a doubt (I believe in the Intense World Syndrome of asperger's), so I trace every single problem I have, to fundamentally being overwhelmed by incoming data.

This means that having a job and pursuing a social life at the same time is very difficult.

The fact that I'm all alone with my problems is very frustrating. I have surpassed my older aspie brother a long time ago, and my aspie father is not useful in navigating the current social world we live in. My NT grandmother and NT mother are even more useless when it comes to some practical advice. I can't even talk about certain problems since my close-ones either lack the intelligence or knowledge/experience to understand what I am talking about.

Therefore I find talking to my more neurotypical relatives a complete waste of time, I get nothing out of these interactions, they don't make me feel good nor can they give any true empathy or advice to me. The platitudes that someone is with me in their thoughts feel very empty, especially when said person doesn't have the faintest understanding of my problems.

It's a real curse being too intelligent, because it makes connecting with most people impossible. Sometimes I'm just so f*****g tired of being intelligent and very sensitive, but being surrounded by insensitive idiots all around me.

Right now I'm battling depression that is caused by coming to terms with my condition. I really could use some real life peers who share the same experiences and understanding I have, but they are few and far between. E-buddies or FB-friends just don't count because I can't interact with them in real life.

3) The most important thing is that I finally understand the dynamics of my asperger's and how the intensity with which I experience everything makes life so overwhelming and exhausting.

I believe the basic problem in asperger's is that things like rejection and being ostracised are felt very intensely, which causes us to withdraw into our own worlds and special interests. Therefore finding ways to just roll with the punches, and keep on going regardless is the key to finding happiness.

Finding meditation and mindfulness practice has helped in diminishing the emotional intensity I experience. And I intent to continue daily meditation practice in order to see just how far I can change my brain and how it processes emotional experience.

Having developed the basic skills and understanding of how relationships are formed has been very empowering, in many ways it is the most important thing I have ever learned. It feels very empowering to know that relationships are within reach, compared to few years back when it felt like a complete pipedream.

1) High functioning, which is how I am generally seen although my initial diagnosis was AS
2) My biggest challenge is structure and my learning ability which is very low
3) I am good at conversing, creative endeavors and thinking outside the box

This question is hard because there isn't a clear baseline and there are so many different aspects. Some people on the spectrum may not be able to hold back from an obvious melt down. Am I higher functioning because I can contain it? Because I can hide the overload, burnout, frustration, paranoia, self-hate, etc.? Even if it's killing me and I can barely keep up the facade?

All I can say is the term high functioning feels wrong when applied to myself. If I had money and food I could take care of myself. At least in theory. But other than that I don't see myself as very functioning. Being around other people hurts. I feel like all I can do is fail. That they'll inevitably end up hating me or simply never care one way or the other... which feels like hate. Apathy is just as bad as hate to me. I don't like being around permanent strangers with their neutral expressions looking at me but not seeing me. Being around people who do "see me" can be just as hard but in a different way. Because I still feel like they're far away. Like a distant star. I don't know how to reach them. I disappoint everyone.

Because of my stuttering I can not talk well and likely come off as not intelligent. I have a terrible memory for most things. Even if I could talk well my brain seems slow unless I'm talking "to myself". Which mostly consists of ramblings and tangents and debates and trying to understand the world or trying to find a way to make life better but never coming any closer to it. Everything overwhelms me. The smallest thing that a normal person, probably even a lot of people with Asperger's, would never think twice about can take a toll on me.

Wow. I think we are the same person - only I could never describe it so eloquently.

1) what would you say is your functioning level? how does it differentiate from the functioning level in which they classificate you?
I'm high functioning, same as evaluated
2) what are your biggest challenges in your opinion?
Knowing what I want out of life
3) what are some of the things you are good at?
Public speaking, thinking

Pretty good.

Sure, I'm on disability, but apart from working with people, I can do quite a lot.

Low.

Strength: Eidetic memory