high functioning, mild, severe etc.

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momsparky
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14 May 2012, 7:55 am

Wreck-Gar wrote:
MMJMOM wrote:
See, I thought functioning level had to do with function...like self help skills. You can have an autistic savant whose IQ is in the 170s, but if they cannot dress themselves, nor can they prepare a simple meal or write a check to pay a bill, would that make them LOW functioning?
Or an individual with an ave IQ, but if they are so focused on stims that they cant get thru the day, or behavioral, etc...would that make them low functioning?


Well, if you want go with that definition, there are plenty of NT adults who probably qualify...


That's the point - it seems to me that these terms are more about ableism than they are about offering accurate information.



MMJMOM
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14 May 2012, 8:07 am

Exactly, it an work for any person, NT, Autistic or any condition. But the question was specifically about autism and how we determine functioning level in autism...


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momsparky
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14 May 2012, 10:25 am

I understand what you mean, MMJMOM - the issue I have is that autism is such a complex condition, with both deficits and benefits, that in any given individual you might have someone who is simultaneously well beyond the capabilities of his or her peers in certain areas, but yet totally unable to perform certain tasks that others consider perfunctory.

I could hear someone saying "My child has difficulty communicating" or "my child has trouble with fine-motor skills" to indicate what kinds of things they need help with, but IMO there isn't really a good way to package everything up in a single, short phrase so that people's expectations are accurate. Plus there's the factor of asynchronous development to consider, which means that it's difficult to predict which are lifelong issues and which will be addressed as they develop.

It's no wonder we so frequently see new parents here posting in a panic; it's a LOT of information that is very, very difficult to condense into words.



Wreck-Gar
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14 May 2012, 10:38 am

MMJMOM wrote:
Exactly, it an work for any person, NT, Autistic or any condition. But the question was specifically about autism and how we determine functioning level in autism...


It was already answered. For a 3-year-old, it's too early to know.



MMJMOM
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14 May 2012, 11:03 am

its too early to know...but wat are they going to know? Is there a book or something on the actual criteria to meet specific function levels? I could say my son is HF ASpergers, but when he is in meltdown mode, he can only utter ONE word or phrase over and over. In those moments he is LOW functioning. Or when he is overstimulated, and he cannot look you in the eye, etc...

So I guess it is subjective and also dependant on the situation. For a whole I would consider my son high functioning, but it really depends on the moment, the situation, etc...

Do we look at the bigger pic and go with that? Or what?


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J- 8, diagnosed Aspergers and ADHD possible learning disability due to porcessing speed, born with a cleft lip and palate.
M- 5
M-, who would be 6 1/2, my forever angel baby
E- 1 year old!! !


Wreck-Gar
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14 May 2012, 12:33 pm

MMJMOM wrote:
its too early to know...but wat are they going to know? Is there a book or something on the actual criteria to meet specific function levels? I could say my son is HF ASpergers, but when he is in meltdown mode, he can only utter ONE word or phrase over and over. In those moments he is LOW functioning. Or when he is overstimulated, and he cannot look you in the eye, etc...

So I guess it is subjective and also dependant on the situation. For a whole I would consider my son high functioning, but it really depends on the moment, the situation, etc...

Do we look at the bigger pic and go with that? Or what?


I think these are loose terms with no formal definition.

And yes, I'd look at the person as a whole, not by the time of the day.