Maybe you’ve heard the term ‘high-functioning’ being used to describe another person before. It’s not common to hear, but it does happen. It pops up more often when dealing with people with special needs.
I recently had a conversation with someone who worked briefly with children with special needs. She had heard the term being used but was unsure of its exact meaning. High-functioning autism is used to describe someone with special support needs but requires minimum support to go about their daily tasks. These are children and adults who have autism but are able to move about and take care of themselves independently. Many are fully capable of holding jobs and performing well in their tasks and responsibilities.
People with low-functioning autism are people who need high levels of support to care for themselves and to operate in their day-to-day activities. They may have extreme difficulties communication or being unable to verbally communicate at all. Basic interactions for them may be challenging.
While we may label someone with autism as high-functioning, it doesn’t mean they don’t require some support. They may have some difficulties with organisation and planning, retaining information and short-term memory, or have issues with interpersonal communication. If we assume they don’t require much attention, it’s very possible their life can become unnecessarily difficult.
The labelling also creates a bit of a problem because the label makes assumptions about the individual person’s abilities or capabilities when in reality, this may not be so. For example, a person labelled as high-functioning may be bright but may have sensory overload issues that make learning in a class setting incredibly challenging. Each person may have their own abilities and talents that may get passed over if we take the label too literally.
Each person and child needs to be assessed and given an appropriate level of care and support. Some people will require more support than others, but that doesn’t mean we put less attention on those who we label as high-functioning.
Contact us to see how you can develop an understanding of the different types of exceptional children, their needs, and the different special needs programmes and specialties that are available to you, for them.
CAE’s 15-months Postgraduate Diploma in Special Education (PGDISE) is a part-time programme is designed specifically to train potential candidates to be effective educators to children with special needs. At a graduate level, the Post Graduate Diploma in Special Education focuses on developing and enhancing candidates’ experiential knowledge and skills professionally through a holistic approach.
CAE’s 12-months Advanced Diploma in Special Education course trains educators and parents in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of these needs and the basic principles and practices of effective teaching and learning. The programme is highly practice-oriented to ensure that what you learn in class can be applied to children with special needs under your charge.
CAE’s Diploma in Learning Disorders Management & Child Psychology programme is designed specifically to train potential teachers, parents and caregivers to identify, detect and support children with special needs, such as Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyspraxia, and Dyslexia.
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