
Like many folks on the autism spectrum, I have real problems with the expression “high-functioning autism”. On any given day, I can be doing extraordinarily well in some regards, and downright pitiful in others. That doesn’t mean those abilities are static and/or will be the same over the long term. It’s just that it’s all very variable, and where I might be “doing well” in one situation, my capabilities will bottom out in a different one — even just a slightly different one.
That’s what makes this all so magical.
My recommendation is that rather than being labeled “high-functioning”, those of us who have the ability to do super-wonderful at certain times, are considered “splinter-functioning”, with the understanding that as glorious as we may be doing in one moment, that’s no guarantee we’ll be aces the next.
Just an idea…
Pingback: Not “Splinter-functioning” — “Spike and Trough Functioning” – Under Your Radar