#medium functioning autism

[midwestemokilledmygrandma]

me personally (guy with level 1 autism) do not care at all whether people use person first language (person with autism/you have autism) or identity first language (autistic person/you are autistic) to describe me specifically, I normally use identity first to describe myself bcs ik that's what a lot of my autistic peers prefer but on a personal level I do srsly not gaf

so I just thought I'd do a poll to see what ppls views were on the language used to describe them. if u see this pls rb bcs I want a wider variety of answers

just for the sake of clarity (and I don't necessarily agree w these descriptions language wise but it is what it is)

level 1 autism - lower support needs, higher functioning

level 2 autism - medium support needs, medium functioning

level 3 autism - higher support needs, lower functioning

obviously it is a spectrum tho

[vampjasper]

A sentiment I see sometimes, mostly in the high masking level 1 LSN autistic community, is the disdain for all labels about how impaired you are, especially the autism levels and support needs.

A lot of what I see is people saying they're bad, there's no need for them and that they have no use, that they're basically functioning labels and ableist, that we shouldn't be comparing ourselves and each other, and that they somehow don't include high masking people.

None of these things are true, they ignore the fact that often these labels are self-identifiers, and honestly, I think when having discussions on terminology like autism levels and support needs, the voices of levels 2-3 and HrSN people need to be centred. We're the people who need these terms, we're the people who often depend on them to actually communicate our needs, so when people go around saying these terms are bad without having so much as an afterthought about us it is really upsetting and hurtful.

I've seen people say we don't need the terms because we can just explain the supports we need as if it was so easy to do so. Many of us have such complex needs that trying to explain them all the time isn't possible.

[thetrashthatsmilesback]

A lot of us american dx-ed autistics are encouraging american undiagnosed autistics not to pursue diagnosis at the moment. This sadly doesn't address what accommodations one might need, so here are options to discuss with your treatment team (general practitioner, psychiatrist, therapist, social worker, etc).

I want to emphasize that this post is not encouraging doctor shopping. It is encouraging discussing other possible diagnoses who's criteria you fit which will gain you accommodations you might need as an undiagnosed autistic person without pursuing diagnosis

For speech therapy, a certified speech pathologist can assess you for any number of speech impediments as well as selective mutism, and insurance will cover care for these diagnoses. While some treatment approaches differ for those on the spectrum, this will allow you to access a level of care for speech and language difficulties (this is actually what happened for me as a young child before I was diagnosed)

For school or work accommodations, anxiety and ocd diagnoses (which are often comorbid with asd) can get you extra time on assignments, access to a quiet room during work hours, extra time when test taking, access to a quiet test taking room, and more. A diagnosis of sensory processing disorder can get you access to a quiet room during work hours, a quiet room for test taking, and potentially the ability to type your notes in classrooms that otherwise do not allow it. All of these can be diagnosed by a GP or psychiatrist.

You can qualify for disability payments with a diagnosis of any of the above, as well as any number of other autism comorbidities such as depression.

Any of the above diagnoses *may* allow you access to either a note taker or a recording device during classes or work meetings. (I am unsure as I had access to these explicitly as an autism accommodation, though my cousin has access to them as an adhd accommodation)

Autism resources you may face barriers to without a proper diagnosis:

Autism grants

Occupational therapy

AAC payment aids

Proper AAC training

Access to aids which can help with ADLs and IADLs

Edited to fix a typo

[simpforsix]

"i'm a low support needs autistic!" i say as i fail yet another class due to not having accommodations, faint because i missed hunger cues, get told off at work for my sensory issues, miss important activities because they mess up my schedule, isolate myself because masking is too hard, etc

[studying-roxas]

fellow elopers, have you noticed that your elopment as an adult is different than when you were a kid? as a kid i just would not notice that i was separated from my group, but now as an adult i can notice and usually end up calling whoever i was with on my phone. its like, i still just walk the fuck off, but now i can catch myself

(idk if this even counts as elopement anymore because i can eventually notice that i've wondered off)

edit: i did elope regularly as a kid, and my parents even had to call the police a few times as they thought i was kidnapped. one time an entire park was looking for me. i know i used to elope, i just don't know if what i described above even still counts since i can catch myself before i get too far now.

[ominous-faechild]

This! @lloyd-the-green-gremlin <3

I completely agree with pretty much everything OP had to say though, tbh. The way people treat other languages that real people speak is insane. Like, that's how they communicate? It's how they live? It's part of who they are? How could you insult someone so intrinsically by insulting the very language they speak?

Personally, I've unfortunately run into issues with this because I have auditory processing disorder myself. I'll have a very hard time understanding people if it doesn't "approximately" sound how I expect them to. A lot of the time people speak in my daily life (yes!!! My daily life!!! So accents I'm USED to hearing!!!), I straight-up can't "understand" some of their words and have to guess what they say based on context clues. It's actually really rough!

I used to ask people to repeat themselves, but they'd just say it the same way, I'd still not be able to understand them, and they'd get frustrated with me and it'd cause all the more issues.

I've since learned to legit ask "say that again, but slowly?" and it's actually helped a lot! I think me phrasing it that way helps them understand (even if only subconsciously, idk tho) that it's a hearing issue, they're a lot more understanding of it, and when people speak more slowly they tend to enunciate much more, or make the different sounds more "distinct" so to speak!

(Though it's obviously not a hearing issue, it's auditory processing. I don't think a lot of people understand that exists, though, so I kinda just let them assume whatever they need to in order to make communicating easier between us.)

To circle back to the original topic, though--a lot of different accents make it much harder for me to understand people! Again, I struggle to understand people when they speak in ways I'm familiar with, so it's even harder when it's in ways I'm not!

Still, I think judging people off of the way they speak (with varies / depends on their family's accents, the places they've lived, and the language(s) they first spoke) is incredibly sucky. I just also think it's important to know that it's not always a classist, racist, or {insert -ist} thing!

Sometimes you just struggle to understand people who speak differently, or you don't like certain sounds, and that's fine! The problem comes when you treat people differently because of it.

Which is an incredible struggle for me, because there's this one kind of Voice that some men have that's so bass-y that the very sounds of their voice triggers my (autistic) sensory overload... but I have ways of coping with it, so!

not only are there no bad languages there are also no bad or annoying dialects

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

quick reminder that autism levels is medical term defined by DSM 5 (so not all autistic ppl labeled w one if they not in place that use DSM, n some may not identify with one regardless), it about overall average amount of support you need for your autism symptoms ONLY [plain text: overall average amount of support you need for your autism symptoms ONLY], separate (if possible) from all other disabilities & disorders. there two catagories: 1. social communication & 2. restrictive repetitive (interests, behavior, & sensory). it not based on adaptive functioning, bADLs iADLs, etc.

sometimes a level 1 autistic is low support needs, a level 2 autistic medium support needs, & a level 3 autistic high support needs, but this not always the case & two should not be used interchangeably because

low/medium/high/[everything in betweeen] support needs is community term (though high support needs sometimes used medically) about overall average support you need for basic & instrumental activities of daily living (bADLs & iADLs) that include all your disabilities [pt: overall average support you need for basic & instrumental activities of daily living (bADLs & iADLs) that include all your disabilities]. it not autism specific term. someone w level 1 autism may have other disabilities that make them have high support needs. but even without other disabilities, amount of help need for autism symptoms not always neatly translate to support need for iADL bADL & adaptive functioning.

both terms is not compare to nondisabled people alone [pt: alone]. autism levels compare to all autistic people & support needs compare to all disabled people (or all people which still include all disabled people). low =/= no.

[argue about “autism levels = ableist” get blocked]

[meepmrop]

Hi guys!! Just a little PSA I feel the need to say, especially given how many people I see self diagnose with autism or ADHD

Please do your research. I'm serious. The media has downplayed both of these disorders to simply autism being passionate about something and ADHD as having a low attention span or being insanely hyper

These are just common traits. You can have traits of a disorder without actually having it. I repeat, you can have traits of something without actually having it.

All forms of neurodivergency (yes, autism/adhd aren't the only ones. Get it through your damn head.) are disabilities. It needs to disable you from being a fully functional human being. I understand there's people with low support needs, but this is directed towards the people who claim to have medium/high support needs.

A special interest isn't just someone you're insanely passionate about, it's a coping mechanism that can take over your life. I hate to admit that I have spent hundreds of dollars on useless things that have made me think of any of my special interests.

Hyperfixations are the same where they take over your entire thought process. For many, their hyperfixes come to mind even in situations it shouldn't. Some people have said that is happens during tests, essays, funerals even.

If you're 16 or older, I highly recommend that you take the RAADS-R test since it's widely accepted by many psychologists world wide. If you're under 16, I recommend you still take it and then take it again when you're 16 to see if you get the same score. I also highly recommend talking to people who are diagnosed and listing to them your symptoms. I have 3 friends who have been diagnosed tell me that I cover more than enough symptoms to qualify for a diagnosis.

Addition to this (because i got a bit of feedback): No online test will be completely reliable. I highly recommend keeping all of your symptoms somewhere to show a psychiatrist. The main reason I recommend the RAADS-R test is because you can download a PDF that shows not only your score but also your answer to all 80 questions. Psychiatrists are a lot more likely to believe you if you can give a list of your symptoms and how long they've been occurring. I keep a notebook for every time I show an autistic trait (since I struggle most with social situations as an autist, many of mine are moments where I can't tell apart the tone in what people say and I take things way too literally...)

Also, if you mask or used to mask, jotting down your experience with masking is important. Keeping a journal of how things affected you when masking, writing down how things affected you when you started to unmask. I started to mask (quite horribly...) when I was 13 and had a bunch of social norms shoved on me. Due to heavy burnout, I'm 17 now and don't mask anymore because I can't take it any longer. Since unmasking, I've noticed how much my autistic traits have hightened. It's like I've been bottling everything up for so long, and the river doesn't stop flowing.

Also, another thing to add on top of all of that, OCD isn't the same as being super neat either. Compulsive disorders like OCD are consuming. As someone with a compulsive disorder, in my experience, basically the thought does not leave your mind until you act out the thought. It's like having a huge pile of intrusive thoughts that only get bigger the longer you hold them back. It causes immense distress that will constantly bother you until something is done about it.

I also feel the need to point out some ableist language that has somehow become normalized.

1) using "narcissist" to describe someone who's egotistical and selfish. Also the term "narc abuse" to describe a pwrson with NPD traits who are abusive. Go talk to people with NPD. Go to blogs that educate on NPD. Seriously. You will find that NPD isn't just appearing selfish and egotistical. NPD (or any disorder for that matter) are inheritly abusive. I had to snap at one of my friends for calling her brother a narcissist when he's just a little asshole.

2) the terms "sociopath" and "psychopath". These terms have typically been used against people with ASPD/ASPD traits. My partner has ASPD and reclaimed the term "sociopath".

3) "yandere". There are many mixed feelings about this term in the BPD community, ranging from people saying they have no issue with it, some considering it a slur (key word: consider. It's not an actual slur, but some people consider it one. I've had some asshole harass me for saying this, and I don't want any more drama about it.) because it romanticizes the trait in BPD and OLD (Obsessive Love Disorder) of having unhealthy relationships, some saying the term gives them comfort because it describes their symptoms as someone with BPD (which would be like reclaiming the term). I personally fall under the group of people who consider it a slur, and I will be blocking people who use the term who aren't reclaiming it for their personal selves. I am heavily uncomfortable with the term and ask that anyone who uses the term on any character or person a big fat serious DNI.

4) "psychotic", "delusional" and "schizo". I hate that I feel the need to say this, but schizophrenia and psychosis are serious mental disorders. Can we stop using fucking mental disorders as insults or as some quirky label. I experience psychosis, and it has ruined my life. As a hellenic polytheist, I often struggle to tell the difference between psychosis or one of my deities talking to me. As a DID system, I sometimes struggle to tell the difference between psychosis and an alter talking to me. As an enjoyer of EPIC: The Musical, psychosis makes it hard to tell if we have a new fictive, if it's psychosis, or a deity.

I'm going to add the stuff said in this reblog since I find it really important

Stop with lobotomy jokes people. It's a tragic case of medical abuse, and was used many many times on vulnerable people (they'd lobotomize psychotic/schizophrenic people to make them more docile and easier to handle. It's horrific. If they didn't like what a woman was doing, they'd label her psychotic and do it to her too.) The jokes I see are all so tasteless and almost feel mocking to me about it. You didn't go through lobotomies, why are you making it so quirky and downplaying how horrible it is? Schizophrenic and psychotic people (among others but I'm focusing on the group I'm apart of) are still not being taken seriously and left in the dust even after disability activism is on the rise. I don't understand why people will be so understanding with some but then just completely turn off that empathy whenever someone has psychosis. Stop joking about lobotomies, they're not even funny and your sanism is showing.

If anyone would like to pitch in, I highly encourage it. I would also appreciate it if anyone could give us some blogs to tag that help educate people on disorders that are downplayed or aren't talked about enough.

I'm gonna tag my partner's blog @zerasocial if anyone wants to ask them about their experience with ASPD

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Wait... Autism and dyspraxia share symptoms? I've had diagnoses for both of them for at least a decade and I had no idea.

I thought dyspraxia only affected my co-ordination and autism had nothing to do with that...

All neurodiversity has overlaps with others somewhere. I'm synaesthetic, which seems like a fun wacky brain thing with no downsides, except it often goes hand in hand with sensory overload. My ADHD also gives sensory overload at times, so between the two, I have to wear earplugs when I go shopping so that I can stay long enough to actually buy what I need.

But also, when we talk about "The part of the brain that does X", we forget that X will not be the only task done in that region; and, of course, that X tends to be the 'output task' that we see and understand, rather than something more fundamental. This means, for example, that we go "Ah, dyslexia, the condition that means you mix up letters in writing"; forgetting that written alphabets are invented by humans, and we do not have a brain region that evolved to allow writing. What's happening in a dyslexic brain is more fundamental than that. Mixed up letters are a symptom, as it were, but so is impaired time management, and impaired executive function, and forgetting words and names in verbal speech, and sometimes maybe going semi-verbal or even non-verbal during times of high stress.

(Also, dyslexic symptoms present far less in languages with consistent orthography. This comes up a lot in Welsh-medium schools; dyslexic kids can read and write far better in Welsh than in English.)

Anyway, a very common characteristic of dyspraxia - generally described as just being about physical coordination - is that planning tasks becomes difficult. Another is time blindness, and time management challenges. Another is executive dysfunction. And there's a body of evidence about motor difficulties in autistic people, ranging from issues with hand-eye coordination to atypical gaits.

So: yes! There's crossover between the two, and you may or may not have characteristics to that effect.

[cripplecharacters]

hi, i'm AUDHD myself and i've been trying to figure out if "high functioning" and "low functioning" are appropriate terms to use about autistic people?

i've heard that they're ableist because, well, to be honest it sounds ableist and very inappropriate. i might be wrong, but weren't the terms made by Hans Aspergers?

but then again i've heard/hear autistic people using there terms for *themselves* claiming they are correct terms and help them with their identity but it feels so wrong. maybe i'm misunderstanding? how could someone call another person "low functioning"?

Hello,

They're outdated. For a lot of people in the community, these terms are the ones they were diagnosed with and the ones they self-described with, so they keep using the terms even though new terms have emerged. Some people like these terms, some are neutral to them, some are only okay with them if autistic people are the ones using them like me, and some do not like these terms at all and may even consider them akin to slurs. Functioning labels are seen by many as ableist and dehumanizing, I would air on the side of caution and only use them if you're autistic to self-identify or to describe someone who uses those labels (I do know several people who use functioning labels because they're easier or familiar.)

As for Asperger's, you're right, it was named after a Nazi (Hans Asperger) who created the category for eugenics purposes. It used to be a diagnosis, though, and many people were diagnosed with it and might even still be diagnosed as that in their medical records. Some people are attached to this label because it's how they self-describe and are reclaiming it, but it understandably makes a lot of people very uncomfortable due to it being a label created explicitly for eugenics and due to it being a term coined by a Nazi. It's also named after Hans Asperger who created the divide between "useful" autistics, who could be in the Nazi forces, and "useless" autistics (as the Nazis called them, a "life unworthy of life,") who would be killed. This term is also based on an extremely outdated understanding of autism, which was the belief that autism is a disorder similar to schizophrenia and "psychopathy," which is no longer a valid diagnosis (never really should have been a valid diagnosis to begin with) and largely falls under the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, when autism is very much its own diagnosis and not part of or defined by schizophrenia or a personality construct. This idea is extremely outdated and has been scientifically proven to be incorrect, similar to female hysteria. This term is really not one someone should be using unless they are autistic and using it to describe themselves, and even then it's still a very loaded term.

(Asperger's is also still a valid diagnosis people are being diagnosed with to this day in other countries that use the ICD-10 rather than the DSMV-5 of the ICD-11. The DSM isn't the main diagnostic criteria in many countries and some countries haven't yet updated to the ICD-11, so make sure to research which text is used in the country your setting is in.)

The modern terms are autism spectrum disorder and support needs labels, which are generally no support needs, light support needs, medium support needs, high support needs, and very substantial support needs. There are also autism levels (levels one, two, and three, one being light or no support needs and three being high or very substantial support needs,) though not everyone likes those.

If someone uses terms that are, medically speaking, outdated when describing themselves, it's fine to use those words in reference to them. But don't force them on people who don't like them. And when writing an autistic character, it is best to use the most up-to-date knowledge possible unless the time of the setting prevents that, because the most up-to-date terms are the ones considered most medically accurate.

(And if your setting is before autism was created as a diagnosis in 1910 by Eugen Bleuler, here is a Wikipedia page that includes other terms used up until the World Health Organization in 1978. It might be best to avoid using the r-slur if at all possible. Lois Lowry in her book "The Silent Boy" did this rather elegantly in her description of an autistic character who lived long before the autism diagnosis was a thing, in which he was referred to as "touched," meaning "touched in the head," or "touched by God," rather than as the r slur. Try to avoid using the r slur, I cannot stress this enough.)

Mod Aaron

[nightcolorz]

Community’s autism rep is phenomenal, but one thing that always stands out to me as outdated +inaccurate is how Abed is occasionally referred to as having “Asperger’s” (which would now be referred to as level 1 autism). Obviously Asperger’s is no longer a diagnosis and lots of autistic people find it offensive + inaccurate, but that’s not what gets me lol. What gets me is that Asperger’s (now level 1) exclusively refers to autistic people with lower support needs. The reason this stands out to me as wrong is bcus imo, abed comes across as having medium support needs and would be more accurately categorized as having Level 2 autism. Maybe I’m just projecting lol, bcus I have “Level 2” on my diagnostic files, but maybe not!! Bcus I think the fact that I see myself so heavily in abed lends itself to a truth.

here’s an example of the differences between functional levels:

One of the most significant distinctions is that people with level 1 autism are rarely able to be identified as disabled by strangers. these are often the people who get the response “wow you’re autistic! i could have never guessed!” Or even “you don’t look autistic!” (Extremely rude thing to say btw) When they disclose that info. On the other hand, it’s usually easy for strangers to tell that someone with level 2 autism is disabled, bcus the ability to mask is less refined and autistic traits are more obvious.

this is one of the biggest reasons why I think Abed is level 2 and not level 1 as sometimes described. Abed is easily identifiable as autistic by other characters, including strangers. This wouldn’t be the case if he was level 1. I would also argue that Abed requires substantial support, considering how often “supporting abed” is a conflict or major plot point in community 😭😭

[8irdies]

autpunk! (autism punk) 🌈♾️

i’m a medium-high support needs autistic person and it has a huge impact on my day-to-day functioning and ability to stay alive in the most basic sense. i can’t work or take care of myself properly. and i’m still a human being who deserves to exist and reach happiness! like you!

autistic people have value no matter what we are capable of :)

[aropride]

i think a lot of the confusion with low support needs vs medium/high support needs for autism is that all 3 categories are Huge spectrum- a person who's functioning near-indistinguishably from an allistic person and gets by without burning out using a bullet journal and talk therapy is low support needs of course. but an autistic person who often has verbal shutdowns, who can't manage cooking or shopping on their own and needs someone to budget for them, with severe sensory issues, and difficulty understanding tone or hidden meanings when people are talking to them, who has a family member or friend living with them to help them with their IADLs- that person could also be low support needs. because the "low/medium/high" isn't compared to neurotypicals, it's in comparison to other autistic people's needs

whereas someone with medium support needs might not be able to use full sentences, not understand most speech, might have meltdowns where they harm themselves or others nearby without being able to control themselves, cannot complete most IADLs (managing money, taking care of their health, preparing meals) on their own and struggles with some BADLs (showering, using the toilet, eating, getting dressed). and someone with high support needs might not understand speech at all, possibly isn't aware of other people or is completely uninterested in interacting with them, has severe and sometimes violent meltdowns, has needed intense support services and physical therapy etc from a young age, and isn't able to do most BADLs at all

and part of the confusion i think comes in misunderstanding the level of difficulty or inability someone with medium/high support needs might have with "basic" tasks. like, someone with low support needs might live off of pbj sandwiches and ramen because they aren't able to cook, someone with medium or high support needs might not be able to physically use a fork or knife without hand-over-hand assistance. someone with low support needs might forget to shower, have difficulty with it, need reminding, have meltdowns during or after showering, etc. someone with medium or high support needs might not be able to understand/remember/enact the steps involved in showering, the physical movements, etc. not just executive dysfunction or struggling to do things "correctly" but an inability to do these things unassisted at all.

like, someone with low support needs like me, if god himself picked me up and put me in an empty studio apartment in a city with a water bottle and a blanket and said i'd be living there alone for a week before being magically transported back to my normal day to day life. i wouldn't be happy about it, but i would be able to book an uber to go to the store, id be able to buy my ramen and peanut butter and bread and jelly, i'd be able to get home and shower and take care of myself. i would not be doing well, i could not sustain living on my own for an indeterminate amount of time, and i wouldnt be able to figure out the bus system in that short amount of time. but i would be alive. if someone with medium support needs like my brother were in that situation they might not be alive at the end of the week, or they might wander off without awareness of where they are and get hurt, or have a meltdown and not be able to explain what is happening.

i think people see "low support needs" and assume that since they have several crucial support needs, that they can't possibly have low support needs. but it's not just about having support needs at all, it's the type of activities that someone needs support with. someone can be nonverbal and have low support needs, they can have an intellectual disability and have low support needs, etc. and it doesn't mean they don't need a substantial amount of support! just that it's not the same type or amount of support as someone with medium or high support needs would need

[opossumanon]

I'm gonna be so real with you guys I'm a little confused about low/medium/high support needs and the idea of visibly autistic.

It's funny because the reason I'm having trouble understanding is that the definitions don't feel 100% ironed out for me which is peak autism lmao.

Anyways...

For being visibly autistic, the definition I'm hearing is "Support needs are obvious, people immediately know you're autistic", which feels odd because I'm not sure how a clueless neurotypical would be able to clue in on someone with medium/high support needs being autistic, as in actively thinking "Oh they're autistic". Like how people think I'm weird and dumb as fuck, but they aren't consciously thinking "He's autistic" they just call me a retard. Is my understanding of the meaning of visibly autistic inaccurate, is there something I'm missing, or am I just looking too much into it?

And for the idea of low/medium/high support needs, I've always been a little confused as to the hard lines that make these three categories different from one another. I know that high support needs means needing full government assistance, a caretaker, help with lots and lots of things including tasks that need to be done for survival (Eating, bathing, etc.). I know that low support needs means that you can do those tasks by yourself, and that the government won't look at you and see you as someone who needs help. The thing I'm wondering is that for me personally, I mostly fit low support needs, but my energy levels are so low after doing some simple tasks that I struggle to do coursework so hard roughly 50-60% of the time and I'm really doubting my ability to find a job and actually be able to keep it. I'm technically functional, but I can't do too many things before I burn out and become pretty useless. I'm basically a one-trick pony most of the time. Does that still meet the definition of low support needs? Does support needs have anything to do with employment and energy levels/burnout? Are my definitions incorrect?

I'm asking because I am genuinely confused about this and I want to have a better understanding for both myself and others. People all over the autism spectrum please answer or point me in the direction of some clear answers if you can and you want to, especially medium/high support needs folks because you guys would know more about medium/high support needs than the rest of us.

[voidoftheotherside]

Happy autism awareness and acceptance month!

Unfriendly reminder that if you are advocating for autism to not be considered disabled you are advocating for the removal of supports many of us need to function and stay alive! It is by definition a disability, and you should be listening to medium and high support needs autistic people more!

[kittiesjournal]

Autism: Support needs, Spiky Profiles and my Experience

I wanted to take the chance to write about the levels of support and spiky profiles that are seen with being Autistic. It is a topic of importance to me as the growth of the Autistic community online increases, and it’s likely there is a percentage who are unaware of these terminologies. It also gives me a chance to share my experience as a medium support needs / Level 2 Autistic individual and to connect with other Autistic people and their experiences. 

First, let's discuss support needs. 

Autistic support needs refer to how much support, assistance and accommodations the individual requires in their day to day life. Currently many places will provide an indicated level of support to an Autistic person when they are diagnosed based on the information discussed in their assessment and Functional Capacity Report. This information will likely include, ability to perform self-care and home care tasks, ability in accessing the community, impacts from the need of routines, repetitive behaviours, sensory profile and special interests, and whether they require the assistance from other people (family, carers ect.)

There are Three Levels of Support, increasing in support needs:

Level 1 Needs Support, Level 2 Needs Substantial Support, Level 3 Needs Very Substantial Support. These are also often referred to Low, Medium, High Support Needs. 

But in continuing this discussion further it is important to specify some myths and facts surrounding these levels.

Every level indicates a need for support. If someone is diagnosed with Level 1, this does not mean they require no support, assistance, accommodations throughout their day. 

Every Autistic person is going to have their own set of support needs and accommodations that work for them and help them thrive as best they can. The aim of these support levels is not in line with the outdated language of functioning levels. There is no need to keep using “High-functioning” and “Low functioning” as they only get placed upon Autistic people based on the neurotypical standard of functioning, they are not indicative of the Autistic person's abilities and needs and no longer represent what we have learnt of the Autistic spectrum. Furthermore, an Autistic support needs are not set in stone, they are likely to change and shift throughout their life, even in a year, month, week depending on what is going on in their life, environment and other variables. Lastly, it's important to highlight the lives of all autistic people at different support levels and with different support needs. With the growing platform for autistic voices, higher support needs individuals may be overshadowed by lower support needs autistics. “Nothing about us, without us.” must include Medium/High support needs autistic people alongside Lower support needs autistic people. 

This can lead into the understanding of ‘Spiky profiles’.

This term refers to the skills and abilities autistic individuals have that may not correlate cohesively or expand into all areas. This is not something that is used officially in diagnosis, in support resources ect. But it has been developed by autistic people to explain that they may have high and well developed skills in a handful of areas while lacking in skills in other areas. For example an Autistic person may be really good with language, writing and literacy but struggle with self-care and require a support worker to help them get ready for the day. This allows us to honour our skills; sharing what we love to do, understanding where we need support, and help feel more positively about our skill set. No matter the level of support an autistic person has, each person has a skills profile that is a representation of themself, and is not something to compare yourself to others with.

Now that I have discussed the topics of Support needs and Spiky Profiles, I'd like to share my honest and real experience and my profile of where I am in my life currently. As I mentioned in the introduction, I have level 2 / medium support needs which was indicated by my diagnosing psychologist. In my understanding, having level 2 support needs feels like being in a middle void between having independence and being dependent, leaving my skills profile very spiky. My support needs expand to a range of areas:

I need prompting to complete self-care and house care tasks, meaning that i shower only a couple times a week, i rarely brush my teeth, i can forget to brush my hair, it takes a lot of energy to perform these tasks especially if i were to try to do them everyday. Furthermore, I need to be prompted to complete house chores fully and there are some chores I cannot do. This is often because of sensory sensitivities and executive dysfunction as well as pathological demand avoidance. 

I struggle with leaving the house by myself. There are instances where I have been physically able to, but it is dependent on different variables; is it somewhere I have been before with someone else? Do I know the route? Do I have sensory accommodations and comfort/safe items? 

It also takes a huge amount of energy to do so and leads me to be exhausted, needing to rest or I can even become overwhelmed and meltdown / shutdown. Therefore it is in my best interest to have a support person when I leave the house. 

This also expands into being unable to work in a standard job like my neurotypical peers. I have never been able to get a job as even an interview is too much for me. My psychologist indicated that even with support, I would only be able to work at most 10 hours a week. Because of this it is my goal to have a job that is not the standard 9-5 work; An Artist! 

My support needs also include needing support and guidance in social interaction. I have deficits in my social abilities as Autistic people do, leaving me “failing” social situations. My partner will guide and direct conversations in my place when we are together and socialising with other people. Additionally, I have periods of verbal shutdowns where I am unable to speak. I make use of an e-writer to communicate, i also plan to make communication cards and have text to audio AAC app as options. 

The last point i would like to share about my support needs is that i struggle with transitions and autistic inertia, i can often be driven to stay focused on one thing, stuck when it comes to changing or starting tasks, as well as having rigid thinking, being hyper focused on my special interests and overall finding it easier when i have a routine to follow. There are two things that help me when i'm stuck; a support person to guide me into the next task or if i'm alone; music, so there is something that is the same as i change tasks.

My support needs indicate the lower points of my Spiky profile; where my skills aren’t the strongest but I accept that, I accommodate that and then praise my high points.

I am a great learner! I can pick up skills pretty easily especially when they're on the creative side but overall I love learning. I was given the highest award at my high school graduation for Literary Studies, Psychology and Physic! I can draw traditionally, digitally, I can paint and craft, I'm learning to sew and I love to sing and write. I care about people, I'm good at listening and always want to show my love for people. I can cook a pretty good meal or bake yummy sweets most of the time.

Each person has a set of skills that makes them who they are, driven by their passions, interests and what's important to them. Autistic people will struggle in some skill areas, but they are able to balance out when they have the support, assistance and accommodations they need! Autistic people can thrive no matter the support they need. We are disabled but we have strengths too.

Thank you for reading!!

-Kittie