Any low functioning autistics on here?

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I just want to know if there are any low functioning autistic people on the boards. I am not but sometimes I feel like one because my mom is my caregiver and I really can't do anything myself. I don't drive. I dont really cook but really limited things I do cook, I don't shop on my own unless I have a list from my mom. My dad can't do these things either though. But he does drive. He doesn't cook or plan meals or shop. I also think I have a low functioning IQ. At least borderline intellectual functioning which is an IQ of 71-84. Technically that is still a "high" functioning level but personally I don't think so. I have the lowest IQ on the boards because I have tested at the BIF level ever since I was young. I only had ONE IQ test that was "normal" and that is it. It is only because I know patterns and I scored really high in that part. Low in everything else. There was a section that I scored in the lowest 1% of the world in. That means 99% of the people scored higher than me. I think I am barely high functioning and actually close to low functioning. So, are there any others on here that are considered low functioning? And if so, what is it like?

You've said before that your IQ was -50, that you have every single condition in the DSM, and that a brain scan found that you had no brain in your head at all, and then at another point that your had a tumor in your brain.

Because of this, I have no idea which of your descriptions to take seriously and which not to, because I can never tell when or if you're engaging in exaggerated figures of speech, joking around, having communication troubles, taking the piss, trolling, or what it is you're saying or meaning in the first place.

Based on your writing, which is very clear and uses better grammar than most Internet posts, I would not estimate you IQ as being quite so low as you have claimed. There was a paper published a few years back that suggested traditional IQ tests may be inadequate to measure autistic IQ. If you're worried about it, try taking the Raven test and comparing it to your result on that to the more traditional Weschler. You may be surprised at how wide a gap there is between the two scores.

There are some LFA's here. I am HFA by DSM-IV, AS by Gillberg. Kingdom_Of_Rats is LFA, and there are a couple others as well.

It is true that I am not all that bright. That is why I say I have a "-50 IQ" I can't figure out simple things and it really DOES feel like I have no brain. Please don't shoot me down to make me feel worse. And no, I don't have EVERYTHING in the DSM, just a lot of it. It just seems like everything.

If I am AS I may be under the low functioning but I can write pretty good.

Okay, sorry, didn't mean to offend, it's just hard to tell sometimes whether someone's doing something to be mean or as a figure of speech.

In response to some other people, personally I don't buy that a person has a thing called a 'real IQ', or that people with low IQ scores on tests can't write well. Donna Williams has written a huge amount of books with an IQ score of 67 after all, and so have other people. It's just a stereotype. My IQ has scored all over the place throughout my life, which makes me doubt the tests even testing anything other than test-taking at that moment in time.

The common clinical definition of "LFA" is somewhat erroneous when applied to the whole spectrum; as for most of us, we're "moderately" affected in some areas, and "severely" affected in others (with the two extremes on either end, those who're "moderate" across everything, and those who're "severe" across the same).

I'm sure there's a few members here diagnosed with Autistic Disorder who have a verbal IQ of under 70 at the moment; researchers state that those with a verbal IQ of under 70 have a poor outcome compared to those with a verbal IQ over 70. The higher the verbal IQ, the higher the adaptive functioning.

What's funny is that researchers did tests with those with a verbal IQ over 70, and they were shocked at how poor the outcome was when their "standardized" cognitive potential was taken into account.

The distinction between "HFA" and "LFA" isn't that great in outcome.

The two terms are of no use in reality; Autistic Disorder, and AS, both of which are developmental disabilities, but one has a better outcome for it manifests in a way that allows people to fit into society better.

Then you get people who try and lump in near a third of Autistic Disorder into AS, for the simple reason that they're more alike than not (uh, lung cancer is similar to brain cancer, but they're still totally different; "LFA" and "HFA" are closer together than AS and HFA are, but people seem to forget that).

And, actually, they found that once the (standardly-tested) IQ got over 70, the adaptive skills did not get much higher.

Many people, for one reason or another, score unimpressively on standardized tests. On one test, I scored in the average range overall, but I completely messed up on the block design. I aced the sections on general knowledge and vocabulary. My verbal skills are much better than my performance skills.

Firebird, you do write very well and express yourself eloquently. Many people have scored poorly on standardized tests. Donna Williams is an excellent example. I've seen quite a few people with various disabilities and differences who have done quite well. To reduce their functioning to a numerical score would be to do them a grave injustice.

I'm not actually low functioning. I just feel like I am because I can't figure simple things out. And no, good writing skills do not indicate a high IQ. I know someone with Down's syndrome and he writes perfectly, even better than me! His vocabulary is much higher than my own. I feel like I write at a 10 year old level. Yes, I have perfect grammar and spelling but I have always had that. And people with Borderline Intellectual Functioning are not mentally ret*d because they have scores higher than 70. I have tested at a 80 IQ before when I was young and believe it or not I knew how to read and write at the age of 3. That does not mean high intelligence, it is just "hyperlexia" which is common with people with autism or autism spectrum disorders. My mom comes up with an excuse on why I tested so low. She said I was nervous. I didn't even know what an IQ test is at the age of 6 when I was first tested and scored in the BIF range. I feel incredibly dumb at times because my younger brother is ahead of me in every way, shape, and form. He is at a University and studying game programming which is a job that you need a high IQ. All I can do is art and even profoundly ret*d people can do art if that is their talent. That would be called an Idiot Savant then. My knowledge is very restricted. I only know about psychology, art and current events. Outside of that I really DO have a -50 IQ and no brain. My mom keeps on saying I actually scored at a 140 IQ but when I got the reports there is no mention of that at all. That was a lie to boost my self esteem and that is all. Every test except one I scored in the BIF range. And the one I scored "normal" in I only did so because of my incredible pattern finding skills. I am not capable of a high paying job because of my lack of intelligence. When people first meet me they think I am bright but only because I impress them with my knowledge in psychology and ability to say medical terms such as anencephaly and stuff like that. By the way anencephaly means "with out a brain." Some days I am so dumb that I think I have that condition. If I scored 140, that means Mensa would want me because I think that would put me in the top 2% of the country, therefore being accepted into Mensa. Did I get the letter of acceptance? No. It is because the 140 IQ is a lie.

no because my IQ is way too low unlike what my mom thinks. She thinks I am very smart which ain't true. The 140 IQ is a LIE!! !!

I think it depends too on how you categorize low functioning. Does that mean in all areas? I am very verbal, can write well and can look you in the eye. You would have no idea I was ASD if you met me. But, I rarely socialise and have about 3 friends, none of them close. I'm socially low functioning.