Im personally not a fan. Functioning terms are/were usually an allistics view on how we function, which could obviously have error. Also for many people the way we function fluctuates, im okay most of the time. But ive had days where i had meltdowns, extreme sensitivity to noise etc. Not sure what a good replacement would be though either

not great. in fact, pretty sucky. labeling someone as high functioning can mean they won't receive accommodations and help they need, and labeling someone as low functioning can mean people treat them condescendingly or as a child. i understand why they are used and how they can be helpful sometimes, but in general im not a fan. additionally, i see autism as sort of a grab-bag of traits- i shut down when im overstimulated and cry and don't understand anything anyone is saying to me or what i need to get out of that environment, but i can scrape by socially and mask enough that i look normal. my reaction to being overstimulated would likely label me as low functioning, whereas my social skills would label me as high functioning. neither are accurate.

Also, some autistic people use their high functioning term as a way to belittle others. Like "im not like them cause theyre bad" mentality

I hate it. I feel like it's much more detailed than high or low. I would likely be labeled "high" but on some days I show traits of someone who is "low". I don't like the level system either.

I understand the theory for it but yeah it isn’t helpful in it’s current state. I’m labeled high functioning and that coupled with my masking made certain stuff difficult. Plus I disagree that I’m high functioning. I’m unable to work and live independently but I can mask effectively enough to just be the weird loner at social events. I think the terms need to be better defined and/or separated into different categories so like low function/high social

Like others, I understand the desire for functioning labels but I don’t like them. I’m… indifferent to “support needs” labels, but those aren’t great either. If you need to label someone with autism honestly… use their symptoms imo 🤷🏻‍♀️ an autistic person with severe sensory issues and high social skills etc.

personally, i feel like it's just a separator. we're all autistic, and it feels to me like those terms separate us into two different categories when autism exists not in boxes but on a spectrum