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Ponderings |
... On Level of Functioning.
If there is one thing I have learned from having to deal with
autism all these years, it is that my high level of functioning is
never to be taken for granted; there are simply too many factors that
can lower it in a hurry. Believe me, being low functioning is not
fun, especally since that is when the sensory torture is the worst.
For me, my high level of functoning is something to be treasured and
protected, for only in doing that am I able to function at a high
level so much of the time, something which hasn't always been the
case. Everyone has good days and bad, times when they functon better
than at others. And I think most people are affected to at least some
extent by such environmental factors as loss of sleep, fatigue,
excessive noise, toxins, and illness. For the autistic individual,
though, with his neuro-physiological differences, these same factors
have major, major impact on how well he is able to functon from one
day to the next, or even from one moment to the next. By "level of functioning," I mean one's ability to access
knowledge and skills learned, to think clearly, and to express
oneself in a meaningful manner. For most autistic people I know,
including myself, the ability to function at a high level is clearly
there, whether it happens or not. Hypothetically, if the antagonizing
factors such as crowd noise is present constantly, then high
functioning may be attained. So the dlemma: how can unexpressed intelligence be real? Many
parents tell me that doctors often remark that their autistic
children cannot possibly know things they apparently do know. And I
ponder: is the brain, with all ts mechanism for allowing
communication, really all that different from a personal computer?
After all, having information on the hard drive does not necessarily
guarantee that one can access it. In my experiences, Windoes 98 is
all too good at freezing. No matter how much I lecture my computer, I
still can't access the information I want; I have to restart it
first. So no wonder level of functioning in autistic children goes
misdiagnosed so frequently. Of course, the good news is that low
functioning need not stay that way: take away the aggravating factors
and the individual with autism is suddenly able to reach his or
potential. Just what are all these factors? One can never know for
sure, or to what extent they are, but that's a pondering I'll leave
for another time.
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* "Ponderings" is an editorial feature I publish online on various autism-related issues. Check back here for future articles and please do recommend this site to all your friends. :)