From e560b70d66e8e070275d86d96eaad40650644f12fb040607f187a3bd938609e6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nicholas Johnson Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Subject: New entry: on-the-term-low-functioning-autism --- content/entry/on-the-term-low-functioning-autism.md | 12 ++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/entry/on-the-term-low-functioning-autism.md diff --git a/content/entry/on-the-term-low-functioning-autism.md b/content/entry/on-the-term-low-functioning-autism.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a12585e --- /dev/null +++ b/content/entry/on-the-term-low-functioning-autism.md @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +--- +title: "On the Term \"Low Functioning Autism\"" +date: 2023-01-31T00:00:02 +draft: false +--- +[My last entry](/2023/01/31/on-the-term-high-functioning-autism/) was about the term "high-functioning autism". This entry is about the term "low-functioning autism". + +My main complaint about terms like "low-functioning autism" and "high-functioning autism" aren't that they're inaccurate, just that they lend itself to misinterpretation. Neurotypicals get the impression that autism can be understood using some binary or linear scale, rather than seeing it for the multidimensional spectrum that it is. + +When neurotypicals hear "high-functioning", they think of someone who doesn't require any extra help. When they hear "low-functioning", they imagine someone who's incapable of doing anything for themselves. Many "low-functioning" folks are quite capable in many domains and it's patronizing when you assume that they're not just because of their label. I think the language "low-functioning" contributes to this confusion. + +Thus I've recently taken to calling "low-functioning autism" "high support needs autism" instead and I suggest you do the same. -- cgit v1.2.3