Those extremely high-functioning?

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Yes and no. I work, shop by myself, make plans with friends, prepare my own food, but I still can’t drive, and I struggle emotionally. I also have difficulty with school work because of the emotional barrier that makes it hard to remember and understand information. I have good social skills, but executive functioning and emotional regulation are a different story.

I get around using Uber. I’m scared to drive—I could space out or blank out while driving, because of emotional issues.

I'd presume so. I skated by under the radar until middle-age, so at least by the standards of a few decades ago I'd be HF enough to be invisible. With the increased awareness in the last five years or so, it's possible I might not pass as easily...?

I work full time in a call center job for tech support at an insurance company. Never thought I'd do such a thing but I somehow managed for 6 years now so far. Usually take 30 or more calls a day.

I drive and have a house and raise a bunch of chickens and have pets and it's a house that I have to specially manage the water well, septic, and heating system which I think the Aspergers helps me with because if I have to do something technical no mater what time of day to make something work it does not bother me.

I like to travel and my first solo trip I bought tickets that had me taking a 4 hour flight then a 15 hour flight then a 4 hour flight to get to my destination. I managed that well but was a bit worried about all the stuff to go through customs and get a rental car and drive on the other side of the road and all but it all worked out. I'm picky about where I travel to overseas alone but I do it every so often. That trip was to Australia totally alone the entire trip I was I think 26 at the time. I also did a Europe trip alone getting there but met family there for a vacation though I took a week off to northern Europe all on my own with a stick shift rental car to see the northern lights. I also went to South Africa once too but I only traveled home alone on that trip and was with a friend the rest of the time.

I wanted for the longest time to get a PPL (private pilot license) to fly rotary wing aircarft (helicopter) but decided against it. Two reasons for that being they are very expensive to rent for training and to buy and operate. Talking generally over $500K used for a good one and $50-80K yearly for operating costs. It is easily calculated because everything has a time limit for how long until it is required to be replaced even if it's working perfectly. Secondly it sounds difficult to get cleared for a commercial license being on the spectrum though it's been done before it's not easy to get cleared for the medical. That being said why pay so much for getting a private license if you can't do work for people and get paid for it. I at least had the chance to ride a couple times in a Bell 206 helicopter on some crazy flying and even sideways turns before so that was fun.

I was going to go for a commercial driver license and maybe still will but I don't know if I want to do all that driving after thinking it over more and I know that won't be a problem being on the spectrum. I need a better job that is less stressful though eventually.

I see myself as very high-functioning and can appear aggressively NT to some people, some think I'm very weird and quiet. It depends on the situations I typically see them in and how comfortable I can be with them. I can hold a job and live independently but I have few friends and a small social circle. I also suffer from avoidant personality disorder which is a direct result of my Asperger's.

I scored 22 points on the AQ which is atypically low for a diagnosed Aspie and the informal Aspie Quiz also says I have both neurotypical and aspie traits. I feel like I have two sides; I like socializing and talking to people but on the other hand I can spend a week without seeing anyone and I need a lot of alone time in order to recharge. I experience social burnout and can become snappy and irritable if I don't get my alone time. I understand idioms and can form friendships with very extroverted people who lead the conversation. I have difficulty getting along with people who don't give me clear feedback of everything I say (most people...) so most of my friends are overtly bubbly extroverts.

I masked for so long because I was beaten and forced to be as normal as possible when I was younger. It was obvious I wasn't normal. The cost is that I cannot even function now.

Outwardly normal but still get "I've never heard anyone so honest" or more commonly the wide eyed stare. Work most of the time, was a single mom, live alone so function well because I am in control and can do what I want so nothing builds up any more. Age and experiences helped a lot - extremely shy, quiet and bookish as a child, monotone - I've changed so much since then.
I think it helped that I'm from a big family so wasn't hovered over by my parents. I can't imagine coping with all the attention (obsession?) parents put their autistic kids through now. My only wish as a kid was to be invisible, unnoticed.

I'm sorry to hear this I had a very similar experience I masked nearly constantly due to abuse from both my family and community I now maintain it indefinitely as it's of minimal inconvenience to me I'm to the point where In my high school years i became popular had a normalish/successful dating life and I've had more then one therapist accuse me of not having ASD (I was diagnosed very young and was moderate) the only remnants of my ASD behavior are severe but masked sensory issues and my horrible coordination... I'm not happy with how I received these skills but because of those experiences I got to assist within autism support groups to help people regulate and make strategies to help achieve their goals so I can at least be happy about that I hope you can learn to function or if failing that I hope you can be happy

I wasn't physically beaten but otherwise... I'm in a similar place, PTSD-ed and burned out.
Learning to unmask, to force other people to accept me as I am. Long, bumpy and scary road to this but so far - worth it.

I am HFA. I work, buy the groceries, drive, got married, etc. Usually I can pass as NT, but when someone has been working with me long enough they figure out that my perspective is very much not like theirs. Some of my wife's friends have figured it out, too, and one who had worked with kids on the spectrum spotted it very quickly. So my mask isn't perfect, despite a lifetime of practice and improvement, but that hasn't stopped me from having a successful career and an independent life.

Perfect words, "my perspective is very much not like theirs". That defines my issues the best, anyone can tell I'm different if they spend much time with me. I tend to stick to shorter sentences without much detail day to day.

Maybe. When I was diagnosed back in the late 90's, I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS and the woman who evaluated me said there was a possibility I'd "outgrow" it. Fast forward about 10 years, and my psychologist at the time said she believed I was on the spectrum and had PDD-NOS or mild Asperger's (this was before the diagnoses were merged into Autism Spectrum Disorder). All the paperwork I've had since my last evaluation in 2010 says I have Asperger's Syndrome, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, OCD, and Major Depressive Disorder. As I see it, I'm on the spectrum and have difficulties related to that (such as social struggles and sensory issues) but my anxiety disorders are what cause most of my difficulties in my everyday life. I can drive, I'm in college, and I have a job. I buy most of my own stuff, like my groceries and clothing but I still live at home with my family. I'm hoping to get my own place once I graduate and am able to make enough money to maintain an apartment or a condo (my dad tells me I should look for a condo instead of an apartment if I can) but at the same time, the prospect of living alone makes me anxious but also excites me.

I kind of tentatively self-diagnosed with AS 10ish years ago, after reading maybe a half dozen books on autism, reading about it online, even visiting this forum, taking the various quizzes, etc. I saw a spectrum specialist who couldn't diagnose -- the nearest pro who could diagnose was asking for something like $2000 and didn't take insurance. I was in grad school at the time and wasn't able to do that (even now I wouldn't want to spend that much). That specialist referred me to the guy I did end up seeing, who worked with people on the spectrum, and we met a handful of times. I was amazed by how well he seemed to understand me, but often counselors are good at what they do anyway (and I was going through some stuff). He let me know that I didn't seem to be suffering as severely as most of the people he worked with, he acknowledged that I must be high functioning if I did in fact have AS (which is kind of presumed by AS in the first place, but even within AS, there must be a spectrum). For one, I was working and going to school at the time, so I did appear pretty functional (and I suppose I was).

I was exhibiting a lot of signs of paranoia, thinking people were saying things about me etc., thought people were saying "aspie" or "Asperger's". I was becoming sort of paranoid, and experiencing mild psychosis, although I couldn't recognize it. Then not long after, psychosis kicked in more and more until I had a serious psychotic break, and that became my dominant problem. I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder (but not autism). Years later I've recovered from the psychosis (through the help of medication and just moving forward with my life), and I realize some AS issues (which I see of the more "positive" or "neutral" variety) are still there but they don't get in the way. I don't need professional help nor want any. I don't even particularly want a professional diagnosis although part of me is intrigued about what these people would say about me. It's definitely possible to have both ASD and schizoaffective issues.

So I think the OP is asking how many of you can mask your autism

I would say that those HFA/AS probably don't have to mask as much, because there isn't as much there to mask...so masking is easier for them?

Good answer

Yes. The doctors says I´m a extreme HFA so I trust them. But I don´t feel that extreme high-functioning really...