Color wheel. Concept: autism spectrum redefined. Can an autistic person be both high and low functioning? Is this even the right question to ask? I've heard the term "high-functioning" and "low-functioning" used for autism for nearly two decades, when I was first diagnosed. I am not offended by the terms, but confused by them. What is in question? IQ? EQ? verbal and social skills? How about coping with co-morbids and sensory processing disorder? The autism spectrum is often seen as linear, with "low functioning" being at one end and "high functioning" being at the other. This is one dimensional and I think, misleading. My IQ has been tested in adulthood twice. Each time, I scored 110, considered a B+ grade. Intellectually, I could say I'm high-functioning. I can speak, though I sometimes have to stop and think about what I have to say or wind up repeating words while I try and think about what ones I want to use. I do well with wr