#functioning labels

[eldritchbauble]

And is that "high functioning" person actually able to highly function or are you ignoring their disability because it's inconvenient for you and they've learned to not be inconvenient?

[pixierainbows]

April 8th: Do you think, since the time you found out you were autistic, that society's views on autism has gotten worse, better, or about the same? In what ways?

Yes very much and not for better . Not for Pixie and other more disabled autism people . Possibly for better for those more high functioning , but at much too high cost for those more severely disabled autism people ...

The “ conversations “ about autism now mostly centering high functioning low support needs autism people . because . They have many many many more words and much much much louder stronger voices . And . They been devastatingly aggressive about silencing parents , caregivers , doctors , therapists , Teachers , and all other people what care for low functioning high support needs autism children and adults . Autism people what not can communicate anything without help , what are even more language-disabled than Pixie .

So many low functioning high support needs autism people just not able advocate for them self . Pixie think is not very common be low functioning high support needs and still able “ speak up “ about experiences like Pixie can *sometimes* do .

Even when Pixie CAN communicate about experiences that not be common in high functioning low support needs autism people … too too often get harassed , accused of being fake / Just a “ stereotype “ , that experiences not actually possible or real , repeatedly told am wrong about own experiences and am “ bad representation “ . Pixie get silenced just as much as not-autism people what are try to advocate for they low functioning high support needs family members or patients .

It not always been like this . it not need be like this ! Is not competition !!! Is absolutely possible to have conversations about be high functioning low support needs with out punching down on more severe disabled autism people .

Is wonderful that people acknowledge those what are high functioning low support needs autism now . But . It must STOP being done by silencing those more disabled AND their caregivers .

[auschizm]

I think what low support needs people get wrong when they feel invalidated by the terms low support needs vs high support needs is that they think "low support needs" implies "insignificant support needs/no support needs". But that's not what it means. Every disabled person has support needs. Just because they are on the low end compared to certain other disabled people's, that does not imply that they aren't real and valid. Someone else needing more support than you doesn't imply that your disability isn't a real disability

[chiropire]

A sentiment I see sometimes, mostly in the high masking level 1 LSN autistic community, is the disdain for all labels about how impaired you are, especially the autism levels and support needs.

A lot of what I see is people saying they're bad, there's no need for them and that they have no use, that they're basically functioning labels and ableist, that we shouldn't be comparing ourselves and each other, and that they somehow don't include high masking people.

None of these things are true, they ignore the fact that often these labels are self-identifiers, and honestly, I think when having discussions on terminology like autism levels and support needs, the voices of levels 2-3 and HrSN people need to be centred. We're the people who need these terms, we're the people who often depend on them to actually communicate our needs, so when people go around saying these terms are bad without having so much as an afterthought about us it is really upsetting and hurtful.

I've seen people say we don't need the terms because we can just explain the supports we need as if it was so easy to do so. Many of us have such complex needs that trying to explain them all the time isn't possible.

[chronicsymptomsyndrome]

Love, support, education, and accommodations are infinitely more important than a clinical autism diagnoses. All of these things are vital except the last, and I wish this didn’t feel controversial to say.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Okay I need to rant here about functional labels because I think they’re so ableist. Like…what does highly functioning autism even mean? That I can function in society in general? And low functioning just sounds like you’re saying that they can’t function in society or at all.

I’m glad we aren’t using those anymore but the level system now is weird too. Like…what does highly functioning you mean I’m level 1?

???????

[zebulontheplanet]

“I don’t like the terms high support needs and low support needs because they just remind me of functioning labels”

You realize that it’s not bad for someone to need more support then you, right? You realize that people needing more or less support than you is a thing, right? You realize that maybe we still need labels to get the point across and build community within a community, right?

You realize that the lives of higher support needs people and lower support needs people are different so they need something to connect with eachother, right?

If you don’t and still think that…then maybe you need to work on yourself.

[the-august-one]

BBC's Sherlock: I'm a high functioning sociopath.

Me: Sherlock, functioning labels can be really harmful. "Low support needs sociopath" is the better terminology. Also, you're not a sociopath, you're just a huge twat sometimes.