Why High Functioning Autism label hurts Autistic People?

Why is the high functioning autism label hurts autistic people? Well High Functioning Autism is a label use to describe autistic people with "Mild autistic traits". But in this video, I'll be talking about High-Functioning Autism (HFA) symptoms, what high functioning means and ultimately discussing why this label of being a high functioning autistic is wrong.

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*ABOUT ME*
Hello indie people, I'm Andy and I have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I make videos on autism from the perspective of an autistic adult. Sharing my autism experiences to help other autistic people and autism families to improve their understanding of autism.

This channel is focused on raising autism awareness & acceptance of autism. To try and change attitudes towards autism, to educate people about autism for those who are new to the autism world.

So if you are on the spectrum, know someone with autism, or are working professionally in the autism field and want to learn more about autistic people then consider subscribing and turning on the notification bell to see all future videos.

#highfunctioningautism #indieandy #autistic

[IndieAndy]

Hi indie people! What are your thoughts on high functioning autism as a label after reading this video? Do let me know and I've left some other videos which might be helpful:



Stay you, stay indie!

Andy

[natford]

I might be high functioning academically but I am very low functioning when it comes to every day life like washing up, laundry, cooking, opening mail, making phone calls and so many other adulting things.

[remygallardo]

When I was diagnosed at 28, alongside being diagnosed as ASD I also was given an IQ test and ultimately my psychologist phrased it to me as I was a high functioning autistic. This description she gave me set me up for failure and it took me two years to actually come to terms with and understand what my diagnosis meant for me and how my perception of reality was different from neurotypical perception. I echo the concern that it creates an expectation. The way my psych told it to me she made it sound like I'm just a quirky neurotypical. In reality high functioning just means that I've adapted and have a high enough IQ that I can dedicate tremendous mental effort to appear neurotypical to a high degree. Finally getting to the point that I understood that any time someone asks me if I'm high functioning I counter by explaining I can keep pace with any neurotypical but in order to do that I'm running a supercomputer while they're running a laptop and conversely if they want to comprehend what my life is like it'll take that much effort for them to reach my level of normal.

[beelzebubbles]

Personally for me I was diagnosed almost 2 years ago and was deemed ‘high functioning’ but when I go into meltdown/ shutdown or even when I’ve been through depression I can go what some people call ‘low functioning’ but was still deemed as ‘high functioning’ which made me feel so misrepresented, people need to realise that us autistic people can change with how much support we may need with tasks in day to day life. Thank you so much for educating people Andy <3

[murielbilly]

I also hate the concept of high fonctionning. Even if my IQ is higher than most of people, I never was able to use it, except for masquing. People told me again and again since I was a child oh you're too intelligent, it's bad for you, it would complicate your life. What can I do? I didn't decide, and I feel it almost like a curse. People can't see when I need help, because of the masquing, and no one can imagine how tough it is to try to fit in. I had good results at a test, but what's the point? I have a lot of sensory overloads, low communication skills, a lot of meltdowns and shutdowns or autistic burnout. And I found that discriminating. We all do our best, it's exhausting but we try, whatever we are low or high fonctionning.

[lysagreen]

I suppose I am considered “high functioning” because I work full time, live independently, pay my bills (obsessively). But no one is there when I can’t make friends, start or follow a conversation, or struggle to attend any social activity, or make myself wash my hair or brush my teeth. So really how “high functioning” am I? Functioning labels should NEVER be used to describe or define anyone

[DVDandFilmBloke]

Since autism is a spectrum it effects people on it in different ways and like with humans in general people are more capable in some areas then others (your either a maths person or an English person). Everyone is intelligent because intelligence isn't something that can be calculated because of different circumstances and people are better at different things. For example being able to play chess (which is a common gage of intelligence) doesn't automatically make you good at composing music or painting, and because the concept of intelligence can change on a whim even a complete idiot could change what intelligence means to make themselves look like the smartest person on earth.
Back to autism, there are those that do actually require higher and lower levels of support but even that can vary based on the person (I'm what would be viewed as "high functioning" but that doesn't necessarily mean I can do everything most NTs take for granted, even a basic phone conversation is a challenge). Also it varies based on living circumstances as well as what the person is going through at the moment, hell even mood can dictate an autistic persons supposed ability to function.
Functioning labels are an over simplification of something that should be viewed on a case by case bases.

[seejendo]

I often wonder if there is a correlation between intelligence and our ability to “pass” as neurotypical. Are smarter people better able to learn the things required to “pass” and function better, and that’s why folks don’t think of them as autistic? The crap part about it all is that the better you mask (whether consciously doing do or not), the harder it is to get the support you need, so while you may be able to function better than someone else needing more daily support, when you do eventually meltdown/shutdown/burnout, it’s really hard to get support that will actually help.

[elisakrivas]

Yes! Thanks for explaining it so well! I had a new psychologist (not the one who originally diagnosed me because I moved states) and I said I was autistic. He retested me (for extremely dumb reasons, but I complied because he was irritating me and I preferred complying rather than talking to an irritating person; pick and choose battles) and after the tests, he called me a liar, basically (didn't say that word, but said I was deceitful, so basically a liar) because I wasn't really autistic, I was very HIGH FUNCTIONING autistic. 😑😑😑 I was so done with him.

[davidbrown]

What a thought provoking video for an Asperger’s syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder person like myself.

[whitneymason]

Thank you so much for posting this video! I'm currently in the process of getting my diagnosis as an adult. I I would be considered high functioning, which I don't like that label because it just sounds like I'm fine because I'm just a touch autistic or people expect you to be some sort of savant. My son is autistic and nonverbal. He would be considered low functioning. I don't like that label because then everyone just gives me pity and seems to automatically think he won't accomplish much. I think the support levels 1-3 are a bit better but it's hard being put into a box when you're already kind of in one!

[jovanngunter]

Ive never been hurt by the label before but this is an interesting perspective

[joannequinn]

Absolutely love your videos you come across as such a cheerful lovely person. I totally agree with you here as a mom of two little boys on spectrum absolutely hate when people say “ooh they are high functioning only a little autistic, you dont look autistic ” 😡 both my boys have completely different needs & have their own struggles and its hurtful for people to label and put expectations on them or any individual on the spectrum, we as a society need to stop judging

[RosheenQuynh]

So I was diagnosed with Asperger's when I was 13-15 (I can't remember, all I know was that I was in middle school cuz when I did a presentation about i
Asperger's, a student said "All people have those symptoms"... 😑) but when I was 6, I was tested as having an IQ of 68 because I my language skills were that of a 3 year old... Apparently this is (or was) the equivalent of being the R word... My mom insists that I'm intelligent and stuff but I dunno, I think I might've been misdiagnosed the second time...

[raven]

Excellent video! I'm trying to recover from autistic burn out, and this is what I wish the world knew about us. My problem is that I'm not able to articulate it nearly as well as you did here.

[patrickmanway]

What if an autistic person prefers the term "high functioning"? What if I believe it helps people know that I am capable of doing things on my own? Because I have a driver's license and a college degree.

[aspiewithattitude]

I agree too. Even individuals who are neurotypical are low functioning.

I am mainly referring to neurotypical individuals who are too lazy to work, live a disfunctional lifestyle with the urge to bludge from the government or other people who have disposal income to make ends meet.

[sarinalight]

Thank you So much. The duck swimming in a pond, appearing to be Calm, Relaxed & Smooth while their little flippers underneath are moving quickly, is Perfect example of what & how I’m feeling days. T1D & ASD together has made my difficult but Not impossible. I choose a job that I feel comes naturally to me. Yes at times the dogs look at me as to say ‘ Human, Can you just shut up now’.😆 Thanks for sharing your experience as an Adult with Autism! I APPRECIATE you :)

[Optimegatrongodzilla]

As a high-functioning autist myself, I have to say that the rhetoric that the functioning labels are problematic is false! Not using them oversimplifies autism and makes it look like all autists can be put together in the same metaphorical box, as if we are all at the same level of cognitive functioning, which anyone with a decent level of knowledge of autism can tell you isn't true. The currently popular "Level 1, Level 2, & Level 3" terminology means the same thing as the "high-functioning, medium-functioning, & low-functioning" terminology.

[Beef]

im autistic too and this video opened my eyes a lot and this was great. Thank