#support needs label

[antonsautismlife]

A lot of things have changed, so I make a new introduction.

Basic infos

Name: Anton

Age: 18 | born on 5th April 2007

Conditions:

- LSN autism 🧩♾️ (read the blue text please⬇️)

- adhd 🦋

- anxiety disorder 😨

- ptsd 💥

- ocd 🧠

- infantile eye nystagmus 👁 [a condition which lets my eyes wiggle 24/7 automatically. I'm nearly visually impaired due to it.]

Gender: binary transmale 🏳️‍⚧️♂️ (out since September 2018 , name legally changed since March 2025)

Other queer stuff: I'm (completely) aroace 🏳️‍🌈

My life situation

I live at a care home for mentally ill people since 4th April 2025. Before that I have lived in a care home for intellectual disableds for around one year but it wasn't a long term solution for my federal state because I'm not intellectual disabled. I was at a sheltered workplace from December 2022 to the day I moved out of my former care home but I was just there to have care takers while day the last year so it was more like a day center for me. Now I'm at a day center.

My goal is to develop better life skills, self-control skills, and a better mental health in the next months to be fit for semi independent living as soon as possible. I feel not so good at the new care home, but I hope it's a motivation for me to get fit for semi independent living.

Why are there post on my account where I said I would be MSN ?

Because I really thought I would be MSN. Due to a good meant behaviour of my mom when I lived with her (she didn't motivate me to independence. She didn't forbid me to do things independently but if I wanted she just did it for me helped me.) and due to really thinking, it would be helpful for me to reduce stress due to letting people help me with some ADLS and letting most IADLs be completed for me I development like an MSN autistic person. I don't know if I really was really MSN autistic at some point in my life, but probably I'm it not anymore since more than 1-2 years.

I'm honest. I was already thinking if I'm really MSN in the last year, but I was to scared of a changing label because of restricted thinking. This also made me scared of symptom improvement.

But now I overcome my fear and say that I'm LSN autistic. If I'm L , M, or H LSN, is unclear for me. I need to try which IADLs work and which do not, but I think it's unlikely that I'm L-LSN.

I will mark post about gaining independence and working on myself with the hashtag #soldierboyswaytoindependence

I'm LSN but I will never talk bad about the higher support needs autism community. There are a lot of people who really are MSN , MSN-HSN or HSN. I will talk about my symptom improvements due to medication and using strategies and I also will talk about gaining independence but to the people who read this hold in mind that there are so much autistic people who never can learn the things I learn.

My connection to the topic military 🪖

I have a special connection to the topic military. It gives me energy , motivation and hope. I feel like my soul was made to be in the body of a soldier. I know I never will be able to be a soldier, but this belief gives me motivation, hope, and energy, so it's helpful. I listen to military music because engaging with the topic military is helpful for me and because it's calming for me because it's a slow kind of music that mostly doesn't get suddenly faster or louder. I call myself in my head things like Soldierboy, Solboy, or Soldatenjunge, which ist basically the German version of Soldierboy.

Other stuff about me

- I'm interested in the topics disability ♿️ and military 🪖 but I also have a good general knowledge in most areas.

(I need to be careful with engaging with the topic disability to not fall back into restricted thinking.)

- I have a plushie pig as my comfort item. It's called Nilschwein 🐷.. The name comes from the german words Nilpferd (hippo) and Schwein (pig) because Nilschwein is a pig that looks a bit like a hippo.

- I wear eardefenders with built in Bluetooth nearly my whole wake time but often only on one ear because it reduces sensory input but I also hear my environment.

- I use Fidgettoys and mental health apps

[auschizm]

I think what low support needs people get wrong when they feel invalidated by the terms low support needs vs high support needs is that they think "low support needs" implies "insignificant support needs/no support needs". But that's not what it means. Every disabled person has support needs. Just because they are on the low end compared to certain other disabled people's, that does not imply that they aren't real and valid. Someone else needing more support than you doesn't imply that your disability isn't a real disability

[khaoala]

Ongsa, do you want me and Tinh to help you pursue Sun?

EARN PREEYAPHAT as CHAROEN, MILK PANSA as ONGSA NANNAPHAT and VIEW BENYAPA as AYLIN feat. FORD ARUN as TINH and JUNE WANWIMOL as LUNA episode 4 of 23 POINT 5

[defectivegembrain]

Saying stuff like "I'm autistic and I can do that thing you claim not to be able to do" or "I can do that thing you can't do because I was forced to" is not solely perpetrated by low support needs people, nor does it solely affect high support needs people, and talking about such things only in this rigidly categorised way is frankly turning "low support needs" into a euphemism for "bad ableist person who doesn't really struggle" and "high support needs" into a euphemism for "people who really struggle and would never dismiss anyone else's problems". And erasing so many other people. Like. If a person says "you could just learn to read body language if you had to", do you really think that only affects people with the highest support needs? No, it affects almost every autistic person ever. If you want support needs language to mean something and be useful don't turn it into a false dichotomy with frequent moral implications.

[antonsautismlife]

I see it similar

The spectrum circle is right but the severity line is it too.

There are people who have high supportneeds and high struggles in all possible areas, which is definitely more severe autism than people who have low struggle in some areas and high struggles in other areas.

But the spectrum circle is also important, so people also understand that the struggles of one autistic person can be low in one area but high in the other area.

The spectrum circle and the severity line combined is are also a good mix.

People should not see my language ability (I'm fully verbal) and assume I'm "only" mildly autistic but people also should not see my support needs in the area IADLs and ADLs (I have MSN) and think I'm moderately autistic in all areas.

I'm unsure if I'm mild to moderate autistic or moderate autistic. I mostly use the severity term moderate autism. My mom also sees me as moderately autistic.

One thing which I also see important in such discussions about things lower support needs autistics do because they feel invalidated is that yes it causes issues what they do but please don't forget they have often psychiatric conditions like most autistics have no matter their support needs. It's possible that they try to not feel invalidated by severity language and it doesn't work or they need to stop trying because it really impacts their ability to do things they need to do. That is no reason to stop using severity language, but please also understand this.

when people (esp lower support needs ppl) talk about how autism “spectrum” as in like rainbow color instead of light to dark or green to red single gradient mild to severe n about spiky profile n like. always make me wince.

“ehhhh— no—ye—but no—but also yes—”

n when have this reaction people expect condense that into binary “yes” “no”, n in this case “must” be say “no”

but that not… really right

what be call “spiky profile” exist, right? like pretty common in online autism community, for example, someone struggle with like, put thought into word lot more than what most be expect for someone verbal & high vocab & bubbly & stuff.

so if ask that person rate struggles 1-5, 5 be most difficult 1 be least difficult, may rate like “word communication” (can’t think of word rn) as 5, because they exist in nondisabled neurotypical world so keep be compare to nondisabled NT people n so feel extreme out of place. n let’s say they not struggle with hyper & hyposensitivity as much, so rate as 2.

but what 5 mean n what 2 mean? is struggle be define as how distressed by it? or by more objective amount skill you have in that area?

another autistic person minimally verbal, in both speech & language can only use like, 10 words on regular basis. n at best can only combine 2 words together. but they have very violent n distressing meltdowns so they n caregivers rate meltdown n aggression as 5 n look at language, n go, well struggle lots, but like, meltdown most distressing symptom, n speech language not compare, n their circle of people is people at self contained moderate/severe special education classroom where so many kids fully nonverbal, so hey at least can speak n language some right? so rate it 4.

is first person’s 5 more struggle than second person’s 4 then? after all, 5 greater than 4, right? (rhetorical question)

do outside people get bump first person’s 5 down to 2 or 1 then? even tho they very distress by it in world where expect 0?

what 5 mean? what 2 mean?

.

another example. autistic person diagnose “severe” “profound”

they do not speak by mouth, n also have extreme struggle in use language, so both speech language rate 5. they have big n small routine from which bowl use which brand of specific food eat at what time sit where to big day routines, and meltdown whenever any “smallest” change happen, so that also be 5. they extremely sensitive to touch to sound to clothes to texture to point scream when touch n have feeding tube bc not eat enough malnutrition bc food texture n only have like 3 clothes wear n refuse throw them away will meltdown if do bc change, so that also be 5. they not look at people (not to mention eye contact) not respond to name when called no joint attention, so 5 on reciprocity. can go on n on, but u get point.

n when say they scream n meltdown do mean that n they broken walls n object n furniture n bones n bled n had to ER n had permanent body damage from meltdowns. so also 5.

if put on that rainbow circle chart, would be whole circle.

is not gotcha. these people exist. it not bad negative insult say they exist.

n maybe still too “extreme” of example, but there even more people who maybe few of these, 1, 2, 3, be rate lower number, but majority still be rate 5.

maybe their “better skill” still rate at 4. or maybe even still enough to be 5 - just slightly less intense 5.

know people like this.

in this rainbow spectrum circle wheel. if we go by “amount skill you have/not have in compare to all autistic people”. not all, but many people diagnose “severe” “profound” “low functioning” “high support needs” would have majority 4-5s.

.

want be clear that not saying like, spiky profile false. wrong. not exist. or that linear better, more accurate, that we should go back to it.

n also not say rainbow spectrum circle wheel not have place in high support needs autistic people lives. or that all high support needs autistic people lall struggle with things in different parts (speech, language, cues, restricted interest, repetitive behaviors, etc) all same amount all extremely.

it’s just that. you all don’t understand high support needs people, or people diagnose level 3, “severe” “profound” “low functioning.” n create new way measure autism not going make that magically better or hide that fact.

rainbow spectrum circle wheel can be better system. except a lot you all using it to erase for lack better word, “severity” (or “sheer amount”?) of high support needs struggles, you use that wheel not to talk about how all autism dynamic. you actually use that to erase autism dynamic different. you use it to make us all same. you use it to try get close to us in not accurate way.

autism dynamic different only allowed if it for you.

but whenever we say hey we also pretty different you get mad because that invalidating your struggles, or whatever.

all autistic people similar but this not it.

rainbow circle wheel have use n purpose n improve but this not it.

[birdgee]

"we need more weird queers!!!" and then when they dont actually support weird queers and police peoples identities

[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.

[zebulontheplanet]

“I don’t like the terms high support needs and low support needs because they just remind me of functioning labels”

You realize that it’s not bad for someone to need more support then you, right? You realize that people needing more or less support than you is a thing, right? You realize that maybe we still need labels to get the point across and build community within a community, right?

You realize that the lives of higher support needs people and lower support needs people are different so they need something to connect with eachother, right?

If you don’t and still think that…then maybe you need to work on yourself.

[this-is-a-name-dont-worry]

pride episode where there's a pride parade in Danville and the boys decide to participate with their friends but Buford is confused about what any of the flags and labels mean. So after he asks the other what the trans flag is and they explain, he's like "I don't get it, everyone wants to be a girl",

"I don't. What about you, Ferb?"

"I don't really think about it much."

"Yeah I don't either."

"And I really don't want to be a boy."

"Wait so none of you guys want to be a girl sometimes?"

"No."

"Already am!"

The A plot is the gang making fun Pride stuff with Buford's gender identity crisis going on in the background (he likes being a girl, but he ALSO likes being a boy!! sometimes it feels better to be one and sometimes it feels better to be the other!! he doesn't get it, he has to try everything in the most stereotypical way and make a tally to see which one he prefers!)

Meanwhile, Perry arrives at Doofenschmirtz Evil Inc., but Doof tells him there's no evil plan this time, because Vanessa amd his ex wife told him about this Pride Month thing and apparently today is Danville's Pride Parade and Vanessa said she's going with some friends. And because he's trying to be more involved in her hobbies, he asked if he could participate, and Vanessa told him that sure, they could meet up at some points and do a part of it together. So he decided to build a chariot because he knows that in every Danville's parade there are chariots, but the issue is that he has no idea what a Pride Parade is, and doesn't even understand what Pride Month is, so he had to improvise. At first he wanted to make a sculpture of everything he was proud of but it looked like shit, so instead he decided to focus on one thing and did two birds one stone; he'll make his chariot about Vanessa, because he's proud of her, and she can be proud of herself too!

Perry knows exactly what Pride is and that Doof is misunderstanding the whole thing, but he gladly accepts to help. Then Vanessa arrives and gets upset when she sees the final product that's all about her.

She's not going to the Parade for herself, but for her friends, and the chariot is like. Going to a friend's birthday party, but then the cake and decorations are shaped like your face. Perry tries to comfort her, and Doof feels bad.

For Candace's plot, she is stressing out because she volunteered to give water and food to the attendees when they pass by, thinking that it's ok because she'd get to hang out with her friends or Jeremy, but it turns out they all participate at the Parade, and not even Jeremy invited her, so she starts wondering if she was a bad friend or did something wrong that made them not want her to accompany them. And also not want them to answer her calls. She starts overcorrecting herself about everything, worried she'd look like a bad ally, and it becomes ridiculous.

At the end the chariot has been slightly remade to be about Vanessa and her friends (that or about doof, perry, vanessa, and norm, becoming really Heinz's chariot, im not sure), and Candace gets comforted by everyone that it was ok, it's just that they knew she already had something else going on and had planned to stop when they reached her. They couldn't hear their phones in the crowd, and they're sorry for not thinking about telling her.

For the A plot?

"So Buford, how is your identity crisis going?"

"Meh, I've decided to not think about it for now. I'm like, 11, I've got plenty of time to figure it out later."

"Well when you do, we'll be happy to help!"

"Thanks guys."

and then idk we have a joke that confirms a sexuality or gender that takes people by surprise to finish it all off

[autistic-answers]

Autism poll: What do you think would make the best sense for subdividing support need labels?

The autism support need labels are LSN, MSN, and HSN for low(er) support needs, medium support needs, and high support needs, respectively. The Autistic community is still debating exact definitions and cutoffs.

Since autistics are diverse, the presence of optional subdivisions within the 3 labels could be handy in some circumstances. For example, LSNs could be broken into lower LSNs (least support needs), medium LSNs, and higher LSNs (close to MSN but not quite there).

Let's use me (lower MSN) as an example. In your opinion, what would be the clearest and best way to write this?

(Please vote!)

Why would we introduce the option of sub-labels?

Medium and higher LSNs might find it more validating to use a sublabel and might feel less tempted to encroach on the MSN label.

People who meet MSN and HSN label definitions, but find themselves on the lower end, might fear appropriating/intruding on others in the group. Specifying the L could alleviate those fears (I say, as someone who worries about this).

Some people just might like it!

(Note: No one would be forced to use sublabels if they are unsure or just don't feel like it.)

If you run an autism blog or have autistic followers, please share this! I would like to hear from as many voices as possible to know what's clearest and easiest to read.

[greypistacchio]

Castiel, Angel of the Lord, is the autistic rep we deserve

DEAN.- The general vicinity? That's all you've got? CASTIEL.- Yes, which is why I need your help. It seems this is gonna involve talking to people (...). But it seems I lack a certain... DEAN.- Skill?

how wonderful that there's no self-deprecation in Castiel's voice as he acknowledges this, nor is there an ounce of shame! instead he sounds puzzled, like he can't put his finger on exactly what it is that he's getting wrong about human social interactions? he has been studying Social Skills 101 through TV shows, which will surely be enough to pass as A Human Man!

(spoiler alert, it doesn't, because you can have an amazing repertoire and still mess up by not knowing how to tell what is and isn't appropriate depending on the context and the people you're with)

the beautiful thing about Castiel's trouble adjusting to the human world is that he never beats himself up about how unexpectedly difficult it seems to be for him. he's aware that his "people skills" are "rusty", and what does he do about it? he asks for help without it becoming a big deal.

something in the very chill way he goes about this makes me super happy. unlike lots of other autistic-coded characters, Castiel doesn't feel dismayed whenever his lack of social skills gets in the way, and what's more! his friends never shame him for it! yes, Castiel often says things that are inadvertently funny to everyone else for reasons he can't figure out. yes, Castiel misreads social cues more often than not, and whenever he explains his thought process about them out loud it's clear that he has been trying to build himself a mental handbook about Human Interactions For Dummies. yes, Castiel tends to clarify figurative language for others despite it not being something he was asked for, and yes, he often takes sayings at face value and struggles to understand what they mean because he's going off of literal meaning.

and you know what's beautiful about all of this! the fact that neither Dean nor Sam give him hell about it!!

even though there is never any label assigned to Castiel per se, which on the other hand makes sense because when exactly would he find the time and motivation to go get diagnosed... the show makes it clear enough that he is, in fact, on the spectrum. the way he talks is described by alluding to Rain Man, which is about an autistic man played by Dustin Hoffman. Castiel's favourite Heaven is that of an autistic man who's happy to fly his kite in a beautiful meadow for eternity.

Castiel is as explicitly autistic as he can be, and he's never made to feel bad about the struggles that come with it. what's more, though! many of Castiel's most beautiful qualities and choices are directly related to autistic strengths.

for example, the strong sense of justice. Castiel has got a heart of gold that's in the right place, and he can't bear the idea of falling back into line if it means not doing what's right. but he isn't an arrogant assbutt about it. instead of trying to preach some holier-than-thou crap, he thinks out loud about what's right and what's wrong and the consequences that each option comes with. he is genuinely invested in doing what's right.

or the unwavering loyalty and devotion to those he cares for. Castiel loves the Winchester brothers deeply, and Dean in particular, because they listen to him and have actual conversations about the stuff Castiel asks himself questions about. they are the first people who treat Cas as an equal, as a friend, as family. and so Castiel does the same. he loves them enough that he'd rather swallow Purgatory whole to stop Raphael, who is planning on resuming the Apocalypse, than let his brother put Dean and Sam in the line of fire. he would rather protect the family he's found than comply with the Heavenly Plan.

or his extraordinary ability to notice the smallest things. as shown often enough whenever Castiel is taking his time to appreciate what's around him, he has an extraordinary eye for the subtlest details. even when he uses his powers, he is immediately able to figure out stuff in very precise detail.

or his boundless empathy. what enabled Castiel to rebel against Heaven in the first place was his inability to ignore how much Dean was hurting. nevermind how many times Uriel snapped at him for giving the mud monkeys too much credit, or how utterly racist most angels seemed to be towards human beings. Castiel was immediately struck by the pain that Dean felt, and in the end he stood up for what he figured was right because of his willingness to put himself in Dean's shoes to understand his point of view.

or his genuine authenticity. no matter how many times others screw him over and take advantage of how very sensitive he is, and how badly he wants to do what's right and will save people, Castiel still wears his big heart in his sleeve. in a world where most characters lie and deceive and betray and pretend their way through things, Castiel remains genuine in his quest to do the right thing. he keeps being open about his feelings and his motives and what he longs for, even though it is something that can and will be exploited to his detriment, because he doesn't know how to not be his true self.

or his complex and intense emotions. even though Castiel admittedly struggles to express his emotions in a typical way, and at first had trouble identifying and naming them too, there is never half a doubt that he feels them deeply. everything Castiel does is imbued with so much emotion, and if there's one character with a strong sense of transcendence it's him. if there's one character who created free will and stopped Fate dead in her tracks out of love, it's him. if there's one character whose fury was enough to decimate Heaven, it's him. if there's one character whose embarrassment was strong enough to keep him in Purgatory, it's him. there is an explicit acknowledgement, in fact, that Castiel has a larger-than-life heart that's always been a core part of who he is. no matter how many times it lands him in trouble or brings him great distress.

or his great tactic ability to analyse situations. as shown time and time again, Castiel is an extraordinary asset to have in one's team due to his sharp intellect regarding strategic planning. he is Team Free Will's brains, and every time he's involved in a case or an offensive he voices all the foreseeable concerns and possibilities so they can be ready for them. whenever someone is upset or conflicted, and by someone I mostly mean Dean, Castiel is able to analyse everything that has happened to figure out what Dean might be feeling and why. from the very first time they meet, Castiel is able to put together the many pieces of Dean Winchester at the speed of light, and when he himself makes mistakes he has an insane sense of introspection that enables him to realise what happened or didn't happen so he can improve moving forward.

and let's not forget his expressiveness. yes, Castiel's voice is often flat and monotonous. yes, he makes interesting word choices that don't quite land in many contexts. all of this is a clear result of his trouble with unspoken social cues regarding what is and isn't "appropriate" in a certain situation, or with certain people, but he nonetheless expresses so much all the time. in fact, I'd say that he's one of the most emotionally aware characters in this whole show, and he has a fucking ton of lines that are absolute bangers and capture really, really nuanced and complex thoughts and feelings beautifully.

all in all, Castiel is beautiful autistic rep, and I'm so very happy that he exists!!

[ysaefinn]

Pinterest has been feeding my delusions since reading your writting, and with Knight suguru i found this and yeah, he is living the dream, i think that it he could have his way, you be in his arms 80% of the day. With the last one i think he would have a heart attack if his baby kneel like that in front of him.

THIS IS SO HIM OH MY GOOODDDDDDDD 😭😭😭😭 you are so true so real you're doing God's work by sharing these TATATATAT

I mentioned this a loooong long time ago, historically speaking nobles can have personal knights assigned to them and that is the case with knight suguru!!!!!! He's supposed to be a bodyguard basically,,,,,,but obviously it doesn't stop there.

He's just so sweet such a gentleman UNIMAGINABLY devoted it makes me sick ;v; the hand kisses are a given honestly we can't have knight suguru without those,,,, he kneels to hold your ankle in his hand and brushes it gently before leaving a long lingering kiss, you can feel the warmth of his tongue too....sniff...sniff, BUT HE'S SO HESITANT ABOUT KISSING YOU ON THE LIPS I still stand by this YOU HAVE to initiate,,, he's very afraid of pushing his luck and accidentally over stepping but wants nothing more than to hold you properly without the weight of the crown looming over him TAT

I will not rest in peace until i successfully sell each and every one of you on the idea of a bold carefree royale reader who jumps into his arms in public, they're not spoiled they're just goated lmaooo a strong presence and almost free of judgment, your days consist of slow dancing in your chambers, begging him to join you for whine in your balcony and sitting on his lap under the shades of a tree while being hand fed fruit slices, pulling his hand back into your mouth to lick the juice off his finger tips and giving him a heart attack UAHHAYAYAGAUAGAYAGU TOT SAVE ME,,,,,

God the bowing down,,,, it makes me feel nauseous YOU DO NOT BELONG THERE THIS ISN'T RIGHT!!!!!!! He's grabbing you by the armpits to plot you back up on his lap like a misbehaving cat,,, would never admit that he enjoyed the casualness but no...it's not right, and not fair to you

[shallowseeker]

the way that even in early usa, extended families often lived together or within walking distance

the idea that each nuclear family should have its own house, own appliances, own everything and that adult children should move out at 18 is a relatively recent post-WWII, suburbanization-era invention

and it just so happens to be highly profitable

[scary-friend]

I don’t wanna label myself as disabled because I feel as though I’m not nearly affected enough as other people and me using that term is disrespectful to them…

[antlerkitty]

Being MSN is weird. Because on one end, you have folks like me, who need help with multiple bADLs and some to most iADLs, but none of these are “essential to stay alive in the short term” things. Based on specific situation. Like need support for medication management, but I don’t have any lifesaving medications. If I did, the likelihood of me dying because of being unable to manage my own medications fully would rise a lot. But right now, I will get sick without support, I will develop medical issues, but will not die most likely.

But then there’s MSN folks who absolutely would die very quickly without support. And while this tends to be folks on the higher end of MSN or folks who are MSN-HSN, they’re still part of the MSN spectrum and a very valid part of that even if they aren’t higher MSN or MSN-HSN.

When your support needs label is “needs physical help with some bADLs but not all” that’s a huge range. And that’s ok! I generally feel quite at home in MSN and HrSN spaces, so not at all complaining. But it’s good to remember that it’s a range of experiences and struggles. Someone may need more hours of support but could survive (especially short term) without the support, even if they get sick. Whereas someone else could need less hours but will likely or definitely die without the support. Or any combo.

[elvenbeard]

You're my World

Doesn't matter where we are as long as we're together.

New Pride Flags Makeup (AXL Edition) by @pinkyjulien 💛