The ‘Low Support Needs’ Label Hides the Invisible Struggle and Unmet Needs of Autistic Adults
Learning to do without support isn’t the same as not needing it
As an autistic person, I’ve found profound connection with other autistic people based on shared experiences. But I also know that we are a hugely diverse group thanks to infinite combinations of attributes and life circumstances.
So why is society so intent on imposing binaries on how autistic people are understood and represented? Why does it fail to acknowledge the complexity and nuance of my life and the lives of other autistic people?
The low/high functioning binary is stubbornly persistent in the way that non-autistic people describe us.
The externalized behavior of autistic people is observed and then judged according to neurotypical behavioral norms. The internal experience of the autistic person is irrelevant.
The low/high functioning binary also offers parents a way of signaling that their autistic child has redeeming features that have currency in a neurotypical world. That despite their child’s weirdness, they have something of value to contribute.
Functioning labels are a neat way of assigning autistic people according to the degree of…
