higher functioning
Better cognitive performance
Higher functioning describes someone with a disability or condition who operates closer to typical ability levels than others with the same diagnosis.
The phrase appears most often with autism and intellectual disabilities: He's higher functioning, so he lives independently.
The term is controversial—many consider it dismissive of real struggles or overly focused on how "normal" someone appears rather than their actual needs.
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- educationSystematic development of mind
- coping strategiesTechniques for handling adversity
- employmentPaid occupation status
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
competence · social integration · productivity · self-sufficiency · emotional regulation · intelligence · adaptability · life skills · daily living · self-awareness · adaptive behavior · social cues · abstract thinking · problem-solving · decision-making · capability · advanced · maturity
higher functioningmalfunctioning
Operating incorrectly or failing
dysfunctional · underperforming · impaired · broken · failing
higher, highest, highly, highness, function, functions, functioning, functional, functionally