SOLD IN OVER 20 COUNTRIES
A book written from the heart about the brain
Through socialising exclusively with people too drunk to remember it later, to pretending to be dead to avoid answering the door, Too High to Function documents what life can be like living on the autism spectrum.
In Too High to Function, Charlotte opens her heart up to the vulnerability she has experienced whilst living on the autism spectrum. Having spent years researching the neuroscience behind her autistic traits, she wanted to impart her wisdom to others, helping to give an enlightening explanation to anyone who has ever felt isolated, including bewildered parents and family members.
This raw, heart-breaking yet hilarious account will become your weapon of self-construction, autistic or not, taking you on a journey of self-acceptance, whilst celebrating the power of the mind, and all the weird and wonderful things about it.
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Reader Accessibility
It's important to Charlotte that Too High to Function is accessible for all her readers. With this in mind, she has chosen a larger font than usual and there are regular breaks within each chapter - look out for the clouds!
Printed on
re-cycled paper
Too High to Function has now made it to over 20 countries and every continent - yes, even Antartica!
We thought we'd share some of the lovely photos readers have sent in from around the world.
Why 'Too High to Function' ?
The labels high and low functioning are starting to be considered controversial, and I can understand why. Before my diagnosis, my knowledge of autism was limited. I thought that being autistic meant that you were either a sociopathic mastermind like Sherlock Holmes or that you belonged to the cast of Rain Man.
This is where the terms high and low functioning get confusing. People often assume that because I'm classed as 'high functioning', I don't struggle as much as other people on the spectrum. (In fact, some people expect me to have magical savant superpowers.) Although I do have my own set of unique autism-given gifts that allow me to excel in certain fields, I'm definitely not a genius...sorry to disappoint. I am just your average autie. Superpowers not included.
The reason why I am so uncomfortable with these labels is because they're inaccurate. The truth is, some days I can function reasonably well, but depending on my energy and anxiety levels, on others I can barely function at all. Sometimes I can be too high functioning for my own good, as I often struggle to keep up with my brains processing.
Autistic people are seen as either total geniuses or complete burdens on society – there doesn't seem to be a middle ground. But the autism spectrum is exactly that: a spectrum. My own account of life lived in this complexity might help to explain a bit more about what that means.