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Functioning and intelligence

Being ‘intelligent’ doesn’t always mean you can function well. If you’re struggling with something, you’re struggling with something. It’s not a case of being bolshy/contrary/lazy/passive aggressive etc.

My s/dau gets that far more than the avg (mental) health professional.


Comments

  • Statest16Statest16 Citizen, Mentor
    I'd agree 
  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    edited February 2022
    Yes that true.

    Intelligence is not panacea or magical. It might help with problem solving but you you can't solve with intelligence problems that are limited by your physiological or mental differences.

    I would advise not mentioning IQ with mental health professionals.
  • verity said:


    I would advise not mentioning IQ with mental health professionals.

    Why is that?
  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    When public services are alocated and tighly controlled you don't want to give them reason not to provide them. Therefore it is best focusing on direct needs. You also only have a certain amount of time to convey the information. Once you are in a therapeutic and strickly confidential setting then you might mention more, but with gate keepers stick to the problem you need adressing.
  • That makes sense.Even with scarcely mentioning intelligence I've been quite badly affected by  an all too common (mental) health professional mindset of 'If you do A well but B badly it's due to be bolshy,lazy,passive aggressive etc.
  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    If you think about it, it is not really what psychiatry is about. IQ tests are more to do with neuropsychologists  and educational psychologists not psychiatry.
  • Whilst it's not a primary part of psychiatry there should be a greater awareness that not all of us do equally well/averagely/poorly at everything we do. The abuse of being accused of being contrary,lazy,passive aggressive etc when you're genuinely struggling  with something is totally unacceptable. It also  results in below par help and support., and a black mark against your name as to your character.


  • AmityAmity Administrator, Citizen
    Being ‘intelligent’ doesn’t always mean you can function well. If you’re struggling with something, you’re struggling with something. It’s not a case of being bolshy/contrary/lazy/passive aggressive etc.

    My s/dau gets that far more than the avg (mental) health professional.


    Our traditional approach to intelligence is outdated imo, how we measure it and the way we value a narrow range of abilities seems to me to be a way to discriminate against alternative types of intelligence.
  •  A comment I made elsewhere today.I’d describe myself as like the player who bats .305 in practice games, but when it comes to official games(real life situations) bats quite a lot lower.

    As with quite a few autistic people my executive functioning isn’t very good. For me,especially so re organising and planning. Multi step tasks can be problematic.

    An example: Housework. What to do first? What to do next etc? I get overwhelmed and the anxiety kicks in. At my last place that resulted in my going into avoid mode. The result- I was living in a s*** heap, with my stepfamily having a cleaning blitz when they visited every 6 months or so.

    When I moved to be near my s/daughter and her family help was put in place re cleaning. It also helped that I downsized.

    So an example of batting much lower in real life situations is as above. Batting .305 in a practice game=Being listed on the World genius directory. You use your best score(s) on a proctored or high range IQ test. Last time I looked I was about 95th= on the list.


  • AmityAmity Administrator, Citizen
    edited February 2022
    I struggle with my functioning, its such a delicate balancing act that the slightest change can undo well laid plans.

    Ive been exceeding my capacity for 4 decades and I have to stop doing this, I genuinely hate that Im stuck in a loop of burning myself out in order to survive in a world with no supports for ASD adults.

    I have a plan on how to live more respectfully of my natural way of being, perhaps 5 years from now I will be on that different path.

    When I have time to follow my own interests, space to just be my version of autistic and Im in good health I find that my ability to process information improves.
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