High-functioning autism does not appear in medical classifications, yet it is quite common to come across this term in various sources. It is defined as people with autism spectrum disorders who experience a smaller range of difficulties in everyday life than patients with the most severe forms of the autism spectrum disorder. how to recognize high-functioning autism, and check whether the diagnosis of this type of autism spectrum disorder leads to differences in the patient's therapy.
High-functioning autismdoesn't really exist in any medical classification - it is more generally a colloquial term used to describe the level of functioning of people with autism spectrum disorder.
The classifications for autism are constantly and still changing dynamically. Just as one of the classifications of diseases - ICD-10 - distinguishes particular types of autism, the American DSM-V combines various problems belonging to this group and together refers to them as autism spectrum disorders (you can also come across the term autism spectrum disorder).
Autism began to be discussed more widely since 1943 - it was then that the works of Leo Kanner appeared, who described children with early childhood autism.
With the successive years and the research carried out and the resulting observations, more and more terms related to autism appeared.
One of the most interesting was the one that was created in 1981. Its authors were Marian DeMyer, Joseph Hingtgen and Roger Jackson, and the term was high-functioning autism (HFA for short, derived from the English name high-functioning autism).
There is a lot of controversy around HFA - some researchers argue that this problem is similar to Asperger's syndrome and that it is possible to treat these two terms as synonyms. I
Other specialists, however, still hold the view that high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome are definitely separate problems.
Both have appropriate arguments to support their beliefs. So who is right - it is unknown.
Autism: causes, symptoms, therapy
Types of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder
What is the life of an adult autistic like?
High-functioning autism: causes
It is absolutely impossible to answer the question why one child with autism spectrum disorder has a high level of functioning, and the other - theoretically having disorders from the same diagnostic category - exhibits significantly worse functioning.
What influences the daily behavior of an ASD patient is now as unclear as what causes autism in general.
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High-functioning autism: symptoms
In general, there is no single, specific compilation of features that characterize people with high functioning autism and which allow to define a patient's disorders in this way.
The variations found in autism spectrum disorders vary from patient to patient: for some, speech disorders are the biggest problem, while for others, difficulties in social interactions are predominant, but high-functioning autism has certain characteristics. One of the most notable ones is the IQ of people with HFA - typically the same as that of average non-autistic people.
Sometimes even the IQ of patients with high-functioning autism is higher than average.
Another feature of people with high-functioning autism is that the range of autism symptoms they display is much smaller than in patients with low-functioning autism.
As an example, we can give here, for example, social functioning. HFA patients can - even very well - function in their family environment. They also often try to interact with their peers.
Admittedly, it can sometimes be difficult for them to adapt their behavior to the behavior of children without autism disorders, although in high-functioning autism the difficulties in social relationships are much less severe than in the course of much more severe types of autism.
Generally, when defining the discussed problem, the term "highly functional" is used for a reason. Well, yes - in the case of HFA, the patient may manifest many disorders, incl. stereotypical behavior, the need to maintain routine in everyday life or express oneself in a specific way.
Nevertheless, the level of functioning of such a person can usually be considered at least relatively good.
In childhood and adolescence, people with high functioning autism are able to achieve good or even very good results at school.
Laterand, in adulthood, they are able to live independently - work, and sometimes even start a family.
It is true that a person with an HFA may find it difficult to find a job that requires constant cooperation with other team members, but in certain positions - e.g. as a manager or working in a way where most tasks are performed individually - it may she has already achieved remarkably satisfactory results.
Late symptoms of atypical autism
Early childhood autism: causes, symptoms, therapy
Therapy for High-Functioning Autism
In fact, the therapy for high-functioning autism does not differ from the one that is implemented in patients with more severe forms of autism spectrum disorders.
The main difference here is that therapeutic interactions may focus on solving a smaller number of problems - when the patient mainly exhibits atypical behavior, and his social functioning can be described as good, then in therapy it is necessary to focus on teaching controlling different behaviors.
In short, it can be summarized this way: in highly functioning autism, it seems necessary to focus on specific deviations existing in the patient, and not on comprehensive therapy. Sources:1. Psychiatry of children and adolescents, ed. I. Namysłowska, publ. PZWL, Warsaw 20122. Autism Speaks materials, on-line access: https: //www.autismspeaks.org3. Rynkiewicz A., Łucka I., Fryze M., High-functioning girls with autism and Asperger's syndrome - causes of rare diagnosis, case report, Psychiatria 2012, vol. 9, no. 2, 43-524 . Szafrańska A., A student with high functioning autism at school - a case study, on-line access: kn.pfron.org.pl/download/5/815/08AnidaSzafranska.pdf
About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.