Functioning Labels

Click here for the standard version

[Image description: A rainbow gradient that is labeled "more autistic" on one end and "less autistic" on the other. There is a red X next to it. Below it is a rainbow colored wheel that reads "language", "motor skills", "sensory", "perception", and "executive function". There is text in the corner that reads "Circular spectrum by Rebecca Burgess. Montage @sciencebase.]

Functioning labels  describe how well an autistic person can function in society. There have been lots of bad assumptions that have come from the use of them. The most common functioning labels for autism are high-functioning and low-functioning. They are often shortened to HFA and LFA. Laura Tisoncik once said, "high functioning means your deficits are ignored, and low functioning means your assets are ignored".  People function differently depending on the day and where they are. Functioning labels are not accurate. They are like the scale institutions used to "grade" someone's mental development. They graded based on  IQ. Another common functioning label is Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's separates the HFAs from the LFAs. This is also done within autistic spaces. This concept is known as Aspie Supremacy. Other functioning labels for autism include mild, moderate, and severe. The DSM-V does not have Aspergers. It does have numbered levels for autism. 


A lot of the content on Autistic Archive uses functioning labels. There are also plenty of critiques of the use of functioning labels. It is still something the Neurodiversity Movement struggles with. Aspie Supremacy is very much still an issue that needs to be combatted. I may add a separate category for it in the future. For now, you can find writings that critique functioning labels here.

Changes to the DSM-V

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-V) came with an important update to autism. That update was the removal of Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's was removed from the DSM-V in part due to advocacy from autistic people. This changed many things. Below are links that explain it more in-depth.