low functioning vs high functioning

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29 Nov 2019, 7:16 pm

billygamer331 wrote:

low functioning vs high functioning Autism I think are two completely different things one is a disorder( low functioning) and the other (high functioning) is like being gay which is no longer classified as a mental disorder it's just that some people are different. I believe they are two completely different things that were accidentally misclassified what are your thoughts on this subject?

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I completely disagree. Autism is not a mental disorder no matter what part of the Spectrum you are on. It is a neurological difference. Our neurological systems are completely different than people who have what is within the normal parameters of a typically developed neurological system. And "low functioning" and "high functioning" Autistics have a tremendous amounts of traits and symptoms in common. We just experience them in different degrees and levels of severity. We all have to have very specifically defined manifestations of very specific traits in order to get the diagnosis at all no matter what part of the Spectrum that we fall into. We are the same animal, we just appear different on the surface. Just because levels of severity in traits can look different, does not mean that they are inherently different.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:19 pm

ASPartOfMe wrote:

Why high functioning VS low functioning? Is this some sort of competition?

Exactly. We are all Autistic.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:22 pm

la_fenkis wrote:

Just because there is overlap between the sets of symptoms doesn't necessarily mean there's a common etiology.

Etiology does not matter in this case. It's irrelevant. Lung cancer is lung cancer no matter what caused it. The treatments and therapies might differ because of the causes but the symptoms are the same. The etiology only matters when it comes to therapies and treatments so that they can be effective.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:25 pm

firemonkey wrote:

Maybe a stupid question,but are we comparing people on the spectrum to people not on the spectrum or to other people on the spectrum re functioning ?

I don't think I fit low functioning , but I'm not at all sure I'm high functioning . If left completely to my own devices I'd struggle to maintain a healthy level of independence.

Functioning levels need to be redefined.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:28 pm

Rainbow_Belle wrote:

High functioning are more likely to find employment and cope with setbacks. Low functioning are less likely to find employment and unable to cope with setbacks.

Interestingly, high functioning people are more likely to lose employment once they find it. Lower functioning people are more likely to keep employment if they find it because accommodations will be made for them.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:32 pm

Amity wrote:

billygamer331 wrote:

low functioning vs high functioning Autism I think are two completely different things one is a disorder( low functioning) and the other (high functioning) is like being gay which is no longer classified as a mental disorder it's just that some people are different.

I believe they are two completely different things that were accidentally misclassified what are your thoughts on this subject?

I find more similarities with people on the autism spectrum than differences.
I relate to the social preferences, communication styles and sensory challenges we share, across the different levels.
Besides, functioning ability can fluctuate, based on environmental factors for example.
If my environment enables me, I'll get by ok. If it doesn't I struggle to be independent.

Similar to how a person with wealth will struggle less with meeting their basic needs than a person living hand to mouth.

Not to mention autistic burn outs... before mine I was getting by, now I struggle with many more things. I lost functioning skills that took a lifetime to develop, if they had been abilities, I would have retained them.
Am I more autistic now because I lost functioning skills, or was I always this autistic and my environment enabled me to mistake skills for abilities and take for granted my fortune of potluck?

Yes. I agree. I am the same way. As far as being more Autistic now, I think it is a combination of both, post burnout deterioration and the fact that we are more severely Autistic than we realized, we just happened to be in environments that enabled us to function for awhile. I think it is the same for low functioning people as well. If you create an environment that suits their needs, they will be much more able to function in many more ways.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:34 pm

I'm thinking that degree/severity of symptoms doesn't always dovetail neatly with how well a person can do when it comes to day to day practical, living skills . That puts a massive hole in the low vs high functioning approach to things.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:34 pm

kdm1984 wrote:

I guess this goes back perhaps to the whole idea of girls being able to mimic social situations better than boys.

I was definitely able to get by better in the elementary years, but adulthood was another story. That's when I was diagnosed.

I mimicked so well that I was not noticed until I was 45 and I ended up being a level 3.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:38 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:

He thinks I walk... funny, ....

That is actually a documented Autistic trait. Many of us, including myself, have an odd gait.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:44 pm

My stepdaughter has said I walk like I'm drunk.

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29 Nov 2019, 7:48 pm

I walk like a gorilla

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29 Nov 2019, 7:54 pm

skibum wrote:

Mountain Goat wrote:

He thinks I walk... funny, ....

That is actually a documented Autistic trait. Many of us, including myself, have an odd gait.

The problem is, when someone says I walk funny, I feel like I walk even funnier as I try not to walk funny if that makes sense, as it is then on my mind! :mrgreen:

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29 Nov 2019, 8:01 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:

skibum wrote:

Mountain Goat wrote:

He thinks I walk... funny, ....

That is actually a documented Autistic trait. Many of us, including myself, have an odd gait.

The problem is, when someone says I walk funny, I feel like I walk even funnier as I try not to walk funny if that makes sense, as it is then on my mind! :mrgreen:

I have had that happen to me too!

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29 Nov 2019, 8:07 pm

skibum wrote:

Mountain Goat wrote:

skibum wrote:

Mountain Goat wrote:

He thinks I walk... funny, ....

That is actually a documented Autistic trait. Many of us, including myself, have an odd gait.

The problem is, when someone says I walk funny, I feel like I walk even funnier as I try not to walk funny if that makes sense, as it is then on my mind! :mrgreen:

I have had that happen to me too!

Or you are concentrating so much on how to walk.... Which leg goes first etc, one either just stands there not sure what to do, or one can trip oneself up! I am soo glad I only habe two legs! :lol:

Can you imagine being a centipede?

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29 Nov 2019, 8:09 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:

skibum wrote:

Mountain Goat wrote:

skibum wrote:

Mountain Goat wrote:

He thinks I walk... funny, ....

That is actually a documented Autistic trait. Many of us, including myself, have an odd gait.

The problem is, when someone says I walk funny, I feel like I walk even funnier as I try not to walk funny if that makes sense, as it is then on my mind! :mrgreen:

I have had that happen to me too!

Or you are concentrating so much on how to walk.... Which leg goes first etc, one either just stands there not sure what to do, or one can trip oneself up! I am soo glad I only habe two legs! :lol:

Can you imagine being a centipede?

I would never get anywhere. All I would do is trip!

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29 Nov 2019, 8:20 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:

skibum wrote:

Mountain Goat wrote:

He thinks I walk... funny, ....

That is actually a documented Autistic trait. Many of us, including myself, have an odd gait.

The problem is, when someone says I walk funny, I feel like I walk even funnier as I try not to walk funny if that makes sense, as it is then on my mind! :mrgreen:

That makes sense. The more aware I'm walking funny , the more I try not to, the worse it is .

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