@BugSpirit's post on Artfol
I hate the functioning labels of Autism so fucking much. Can we just scrap them and just say Autistic? People consider me "high functioning" when I feel like I can't function at all. Makes me feel less Autistic, which every Autistic person is equally as Autistic.
Why don't we do this for other disorders anyways? I also have extremely severe ADHD, I don't see people calling it low functioning ADHD.Jun 20, 2025
Why don't we do this for other disorders anyways? I also have extremely severe ADHD, I don't see people calling it low functioning ADHD.Jun 20, 2025
Comments
I hope I don’t come off as ignorant, but this topic confuses me. I understand that the terms “high functioning” and “low functioning” are hurtful and have a horrible history, but to me it seems like not all autistic people are the same. By that I only mean that a completely nonverbal autistic child or an autistic adult who needs another person to live with them their whole lives seem to be much more “low functioning” than someone who is autistic but still able to communicate and even live on their own. So, my question is, is there a less insensitive way to differentiate? Because they feel very different at least from an outsider’s perspective. I think this is why neurotypical people tend to use those terms, because they almost feel like completely different diagnoses, especially when you have no idea what it’s like. Also, most neurotypical people (from what I’ve observed) can’t cope without categorizing. Hence the low/high functioning and Asperger’s terms. I’m very sorry if I come off as rude or insensitive, I’m really just trying to learn.
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•I thought instead of functioning people changed it to high needs? Or levels, like level 1,2 and up to 5
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•Ya I used to have a roommate that was “high functioning” and they were VERY noticeable. Which made me very confused because I thought I was??
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I know another user commented this but For the high functioning vs low functioning autism thing, I’m pretty sure some of it does go back to the Nazis. You know how High functioning autism is sometimes also called/ associated with Asperger syndrome? Yeah It was named after a guy who literally worked for the Nazis and he was incredibly ableist iirc…
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I feel you there, especially because sometimes they are helpful in communicating your needs(at least for my personally),ex “I’m having a low supported need or a high functioning day” but they’re so inflexible in how they’re used that they become just frustrating and not helpful.
As for why they exist, I’m like 99% the answer is Nazis
, from what I remember learning they came up with labels because they could send “high functioning” people to labor camps instead of just killing them
As for why they exist, I’m like 99% the answer is Nazis
, from what I remember learning they came up with labels because they could send “high functioning” people to labor camps instead of just killing them •
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