Why the labels High Functioning and Low Functioning Autism miss the mark and harm Autistic People
People confuse the spectrum (a circular gradient) with a line (high to low functioning or less autistic to more autistic) - and that’s a myth/miss-understanding of what Autism really is, because it ignores that much of what goes into making some Autistic People’s lives more difficult and cause us to need more support is the co-occurring disabilities (that aren’t required to have an Autism label) making people who are uneducated think those with more layers are “more autistic” when in reality it’s Autism+ (plus motor control differences like Apraxia and Dyspraxia, and plus intellectual disability, sometimes epilepsy, insomnia, and other things that aren’t required to be diagnosed Autistic).
It also can cause people to think those additional conditions (that aren’t required to be diagnosed Autistic) are “just part of Autism” so those of us without them are “less Autistic.”
It means the specific difficulties are missed, and may not get proper support for those with the label, and is used to tell those of us with less co-occurring differences we’re “less Autistic” when there’s a baseline for Autism… and everything else is a +++.
Of course, the more pluses we have the more complex, and even difficult our lives would be…
But it feels like eugenics and “some Autistics are worthy of being saved” - like Nazi Germany.
It makes it seem like some Autistic Lives are less valuable, but being alive has value.
We all deserve love, compassion, dignity, and respect.
The term "High Functioning" was coined by Dr. Asperger. He was a Nazi doctor who euthanized his own patients. Let that sink in, people.
I'm considered "High Functioning", but that's Ableist Bullshit. Socially and emotionally, I'm in constant pain. Nobody wants to acknowledge this. There is something wrong with the World.