annikaunmasked
Region: US
Friday 24 July 2026 05:24:56 GMT
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Nimmie :
I sometimes hear people say high functioning when they really mean someone who just doesn't have other disabilities besides autism and that feels a bit weird to me
2026-07-24 18:11:01
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noamtsvi DESIGN :
if you compare yourself to someone else you would always be disabled. autism has many advantages that the neurotipacal cannot keep up. compare the good stuff and realize you have super powers
2026-07-24 13:50:57
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raissa :
high functioning really just means not being able to recognize or respect your own boundaries and feeling like you're dying on the inside and/or constantly burning out
2026-07-24 10:01:23
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Iscream_iris :
That is such a good way to view it. I usually call it high functioning in a sarcastic way. As in „people don’t see me struggle because o have structures in order but this is a burden as well“
2026-07-24 05:58:38
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JulienBrattli :
I have never been high functioning. I just was really high masking. I was masking my dysfunction, even to myself. And I now suffer with chronic fatuige because of it.
2026-07-24 11:56:26
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Woofa :
yes its high fontioning but it lack one word. high cost functioning
2026-08-01 15:48:55
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Joel :
Not to mention that calling someone “low functioning” ends up being basically a ‘nicer’ way of using a slur.
2026-08-09 21:53:47
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MrTuk :
I dont like the terms "lower" or "higher" support needs. Like wth. Thats kinda degrading, just because you are autistic that doesnt automatically make you dependent and in need of support. I have a grip on my life, i go to work full time every single day, i manage my small family and household, i pay my bills, i care for my house, i run a tiny side business while STILL having enough in my bones for my special interest. Being autistic doesnt make you dependent. Thats where i very well would say i am high functioning because to be absolutely honest: A lot of neurotypicals are NOT able to pull off what i do every single day. Does it cost me so much energy that i might fall apart almost every day? Yea it does. And i still got a grip on it and get through. Maybe i am dalusional here and burnout will be waiting for me right around the next corner but i dont care until it happens. Besides that even nt's can have severe burnouts and depression, so even that it not an exclusively autistic trait or thing. I think we should stop trying to put people in labeled boxes and instead let them define themselfes for what they think they are. It works very well for gender, why not for autism as well?
2026-07-24 22:20:53
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Trog1 :
High functioning because we are so good at masking and burning ourselves out 😭
2026-07-24 11:03:00
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.☆ 𝕄𝕠𝕒𝕍𝕚𝕩𝕖𝕟 ☽⋆｡°✩. :
I always say low support needs, because I still need support..
2026-07-24 07:31:36
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Madi :
Functioning is so ambiguous 🤦♀️(ik they really mean ability to work). And this “functioning” or productivity changes from day to day to some extent
2026-07-24 20:14:44
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GatorGeckz ⟡༺ ◎ ︿ ◎ ༻⟡ :
I get that , it’s because it’s not in reality high functioning for us , but for other people it’s a manner to feel too comfortable about calling us something where they don’t feel they aren’t talking down at us or looking down at us for not being autistic, and for not always being functional. That’ might be the reason you are feeling off saying it 🖤
2026-07-24 07:46:51
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madelynn :
ahh i see! yeah definitely don’t like these terms now. thank you for sharing, this definitely helped me understand
2026-07-24 16:57:13
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mexla.07 :
High functioning = high masking
2026-07-25 14:33:46
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Canceled Answer :
Stage 1 can become the stage 2 or 3 also…
2026-07-24 16:50:17
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Lynda Dawn Owen 🏳️🌈 :
"high functioning" is a word that basically means you can function well enough to work. It is a brush under the rug kinda phrase in my opinion.
2026-07-24 12:22:40
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. :
I agree high functioning also sounds like you are functioning higher than the usual functioning, like as if you’re functioning greater than an average person
2026-07-24 05:49:05
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caninesbestfriend :
I’m all over the place functioning….. high ability to communicate and mask.
2026-07-24 05:54:56
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adrianne.hayward :
High functioning but 24:7 suffering and no one believing me because I don’t “seem” autistic. 🥲
2026-07-24 05:48:08
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hemizeni 🌱ヘミゼニ :
same I am called high function ...and yet I struggle everyday
2026-07-24 07:18:28
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Just Matt :
it's a left over label (not a clinical one) from the 1990s. it was a polite way of saying you functioning is higher than a person with an IQ of 70 (ie, you're not mentally disabled). As an autistic person, I really hate this label.
2026-08-17 10:16:25
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they/them spike :
"high functioning" just makes other people assume you wont have a meltdown or need accommodations which can make a meltdown or needing accommodations dangerous.
2026-07-29 23:16:06
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Rainy :
I use high masking. Because I'm high masking but I need a lot of support. But people think I'm high functioning but I'm not functioning I'm braking down every single day
2026-08-11 05:18:26
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IsekaiMePls🌎 :
thank you for posting
2026-07-24 20:51:55
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Scott 🇨🇦 Auty Ursid :
When I found where functioning labels came from, I was disgusted and the fact inhumanity became clear. But the levels are bookkeeping codes for the insurance companies, not any kind of measure of who we are and what we need -/ just a ballpark estimate of what it'll cost the insurance company.
2026-07-24 15:54:29
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