about the term High Functioning

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It may not be quite so difficult... if you see a potential single man, wait for him to pass and quick... Grab him! OK, maybe not quite like that.... Remember. Men in general are not very good at getting hints, and some of us are exceptionally good at not getting hints! So it maybe an idea to form a semi direct approach. Not too direct to scare the guys off, but direct enough to let them know that you would like to have a date with them.

I am far less stressed when I am by myself or with supportive people. I have a hard time doing things when people are standing too close to me, to the point I can feel them breathing down my neck. I also hate when people micromanage everything. It slows me down. I find myself stuck at a very basic level from which I don't appear to progress.

When there is always something new and different, such as on the tennis court, I can see my progress. Even when I just play fun games, I see new people all the time and they inspire me to work harder.

Even if you have a service dog, if you don't have an obvious disability, you get people accusing you of faking just so you can bring your pet dog with you. Unfortunately, there are people who do that, since there isn't any actual, legal documentation or anything for service animals, which makes things even harder for those of us with legitimate service animals. Also a significant number of people who don't understand the concept of a service dog and will complain loudly about dogs being allowed somewhere when it's only service dogs that are allowed.

As for the topic, I'm technically diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which is considered high-functioning, but I consider myself to be more of moderate-functioning, since I have selective mutism, am not capable of working a job I could possibly support myself on, may or may not be capable of independent living at some point, and no matter how hard I might try to "mask," it's always going to be obvious that something is up with me. But I do have the problem that other people have mentioned where sometimes I'm higher-functioning than others, and people see me at my best and assume I'm always capable of that. For example, not a single person who's met me in person believes me when I tell them I have selective mutism (including my parents) - they see me talking just fine one time and assume I just don't want to talk at other times and refuse to believe me when I tell them that no, actually sometimes my vocal cords just won't respond no matter how hard I try. Overall, I'm significantly more disabled than a "high-functioning" label suggests.

I hate the term high-functioning. It belittles problems that you have and causes people to put expectations on you that you may not be able to achieve.

I struggle with executive functioning, socializing, connecting with people, sensory issues, never worked yet, I don't even do my own grocery shopping and yet I'm still considered high-functioning.

Doesn't stop people from calling me lazy, slow, anti-social, and looking at me like I'm strange.

I honestly don't feel that much more capable than a 10 year old. Nowadays instead of trying to become a functional person in society, I just want to be that 10 year old away from everything and just live my life happily.

I agree that the term belittles the problems we do have. I also feel I am not high functioning no matter what the label suggests. I vaguely remember someone saying the difference between HFA and Asperger's depended on if there were speech problems. I feel I have speech problems in a way. But they aren't what is bad. I think I would rather be 'lower functioning' and have it consist to be 24 hours a day then to be 'higher functioning' part of the day and not able to function the rest. But I have worn the 'neurotypical mask' around people for so long because of necessity that it seems I don't know how to take it off.

The same here. My level of functionality is less about me and more about me in a particular environment. Crowds, noise (especially echoey, overlapping noises), bright lights, multitasking, beaurocacies, or just being very tired, stressed or sick all dramatically reduce my ability to function and "pass."

I'm currently getting tested for an ASD but I think the specialist is leaning more towards me just having had a lifelong anxiety disorder. If it wasn't for her saying at our last appointment that she has all the information she needs I'd send her the link to that article. I read it last night before bed and it really made some things click for me that were very poignant to my situation right now.
She's putting my lack of social skills and even average, sometimes below average, school performance down to anxiety. But our last appointment was an IQ/cognition test and obviously without being able to give the results yet she still told me that the rough tally immediately looked like I was going to present as "gifted". Now for most people that would be flattering but the fact that I really wasn't expecting it, even thinking I *might* possibly be a bit below average, that tells me that IQ is really just a meaningless number in a lot of ways. Like Australian Aborigines that live in the Outback have probably the lowest average IQ on Earth. Even low enough to be considered mentally handicapped by some measures. And yet they've survived out there for 60,000 years with nothing but basic tools and their wit when even the most capable modern westerner would be lucky to survive alone out there for more than 60 hours lol.
So even if I do end up being above average intelligence it just makes me wonder why the hell didn't I do well in school and life in general? But it also makes me feel like an ASD is still a better fit than an anxiety disorder as this would be just one more thing I have in common with some people on the spectrum. But yes, I know because my specialist made it clear that autism/anxiety often overlap.

I hate it when people blame things on anxiety that are really caused by ASD. Sometimes it depends on the source of the link on if people in the psychiatry field would be open minded about links.
I think only you can know if something is caused by autism spectrum or anxiety. Even when others may not agree, only you can know.

The major problem is that functioning level fluctuates. I see it in my kids and in myself. Our school seems to get this. They refer to the boys as mild/moderate. There are accomodations in the IEP that are typically seen for "high functioning" as well as "low functioning" for those days that the mask just does not fit. There may be hope though. In the official report for one of the boys the Doctor gave a diagnosis of Aspergers, and indicated that more intensive interventions may be needed at times.

My own levels fluctuate too. For me it depends on how much stimuli I am around.