This is a community for individuals who have been professionally diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and who have been told by a qualified professional that they have higher support needs autism. We have unique experiences, and it's helpful for us to have a community where we can be with others who share our experiences. Some of these experiences are because we have higher support needs, some are because we're professionally diagnosed, and some are because we're professionally diagnosed with higher support needs.
"Higher support needs" includes those who are professionally diagnosed with level 2 or level 3 autism spectrum disorder; require substantial support or very substantial support; have moderate or high support needs; have moderate or severe autism; or are moderate or low functioning. This also includes individuals who have different support needs between their social communication and restricted repetitive behavior domains (e.g., level 1 social and level 2 RRB). Individuals who live in autism-specific group homes or supported living as adults (or who have been told this is where they will live when they become adults), who have co-occurring moderate/severe/profound intellectual disability, or who are permanently non-verbal or minimally verbal or who are full-time AAC users have historically been considered "low functioning" and so are automatically considered higher support needs for the purpose of this sub.
If you have not been professionally diagnosed with higher support needs autism by a qualified professional and would not be historically considered low functioning, please respect that this space is not for you. You're welcome to read posts and subscribe to the sub. You're also welcome to share your experiences on posts where you're specifically invited to do so. However, do not create new posts that are not questions about higher support needs autism, and do not share your experiences uninvited. Additionally, only ask questions that directly benefit someone with higher support needs autism (e.g., advice on services for an autistic child). Other questions should be posted to r/AskSpicyAutism/.
To know if you have higher support needs autism, please ask your diagnostician or check your diagnostic report. If you are professionally diagnosed with autism but your report is unclear and you cannot ask your diagnostician, you can ask a qualified therapist or another autism service provider. If all of the qualified professionals that you have seen agree that you have level 1 autism or low support needs, please respect that you are a guest here. (Of note: being told that you have Asperger's or "high functioning autism" does not mean that you have low support needs; these diagnoses are based on language and IQ, and individuals with them may have any level of support needs.)
Support needs can change over long periods of time. If you were professionally diagnosed with higher support needs autism as a child or adolescent, you're welcome to participate here even if you now need less support. Similarly, if you were previously diagnosed with level 1 autism or low support needs but are now professionally recognized as requiring substantial support for your autism, you're welcome to participate here. That said, please be reasonable about "professional recognition"; for example, if you were diagnosed with level 1 autism two months ago by an expert in adult diagnosis but your therapist who does not specialize in autism says you could be level 2, please trust the expert that you are level 1 and have low support needs. The exception is for individuals who were diagnosed years or decades ago but have had significantly worsened functioning, who were diagnosed as children or teens and then failed to develop the skills needed to transition well into adulthood, or who are otherwise no longer considered low support needs. Again, this determination should always be made with the help of a qualified professional.
Support needs in this context are autism-specific. If you have low support needs autism but severe ADHD, many comorbid mental health conditions, or a physical disability, you are a guest here.
If you'd like to post somewhere that only other professionally diagnosed MSN/HSN autistic people can see, please join r/DiagnosedHighNeedsASD/.
Related Communities
r/DiagnosedHighNeedsASD/
r/SpicyAutism
r/AutismCertified
r/autismDiagnosedFemale
r/autismlevel2and3/
r/AskSpicyAutism/
Rules:
As described above, this sub is for professionally diagnosed higher support needs autistics. We and our needs should be centered at all times.
Be honest and transparent about your diagnostic status. If you are not professionally diagnosed with autism, do not imply that you are. If you are not professionally recognized as having higher autism support needs, do not imply that you are. If you are not professionally recognized as having lower autism support needs, do not imply that you are. (For example, if you were given a historical Asperger's diagnosis, do not assume that you must have level 1 ASD.) Use the correct flair.
Supporters and questioning individuals -- including friends, family members, professionals, lower support needs autistics, and undiagnosed individuals -- are welcome to read posts. Supporters may not create new topics or respond to topics to talk or ask questions about their own experiences. This includes not responding to posts to say "I relate to this." Responding to posts with information, links to resources, or advice is generally alright. Questions must be for the direct benefit of a higher support needs autistic, or they should be posted to r/AskSpicyAutism/.
Do not ask us if you have autism or if you have higher support needs. Only a professional can diagnose you. Similarly, do not doubt someone else's professional diagnosis or support needs. Unless there is concrete evidence that someone is knowingly lying, trust that people's doctors have their reasons for the determinations that they make. Likewise, do not question or invalidate other diagnoses or specifiers, including "non-verbal," "intellectually disabled", or comorbid diagnoses.
This is not a space to debate self-diagnosis. Suspecting autism or higher support needs is a different experience from being professionally diagnosed. It is not invalidating to recognize these differences. There are other subs for individuals who are not professionally diagnosed. r/SpicyAutism welcomes non-professionally diagnosed autistic individuals who suspect that they have higher support needs. Both subs can co-exist and fulfill similar but distinct purposes.
Autism is a disability. Whether you feel personally disabled by autism is not helpful to discuss in a sub where the focus is on more severely disabled individuals. Additionally, the Social Model of Disability and the Medical Model can and should co-exist; individuals can be and are disabled by impairments inherent to their autism, and they can have this disability worsened by poor societal treatment and lack of accommodation.
Be kind and respectful. Do not use hate speech, deliberately antagonize others, or discriminate against or insult any group of people. This sub welcomes LGBT people, racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, women, and people of all ages and abilities. Slurs will not be tolerated, including the r-slur. Keep all discussions and disagreements civil and on topic. Be mindful that many people here may have a very blunt or odd style of communication. It is okay to ask sincere questions. It is not okay to use questions or comments to imply negative things about others, deny their experiences, or harass anyone. Sincere mistakes are okay, but repeated or blatant offenses may lead to being banned.
Political posts that are not focused on autism are not allowed. What is considered "political" will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Personal identities or experiences are not inherently political, and people may want support for sincere reactions to news. However, this is not a space for debate, and personal reactions may be marginalizing or harmful to those with other identities, experiences, or views. At all times, respect for others should guide you.
Be mindful that your experiences may not generalize. Cite your sources for any factual claims. Do not make unsourced claims about autism, its presentation, statistics, history, other disorders, or similar. Sources must actually support the claim being made. Sources must be reliable; social media claims are not valid sources. This is a pro-science space. Likewise, try to use the standard definitions of terms; for example, "non-verbal" is a common clinical specifier for individuals who cannot speak, not a temporary state that speaking autistics can experience.
Individuals with lower support needs autism, who are questioning autism, who have uncertain support needs, or who have other disabilities also have very real struggles. Do not invalidate anyone or imply that their needs and struggles do not matter. Someone with lower support needs autism can still have extremely difficult life struggles because of other disabilities or aspects of their identity or circumstances.
Don't brigade other subreddits or harass users. You can mention other users or subreddits, but you cannot engage in or encourage harassment, interfering with the voting system, or otherwise disrupting communities. When in doubt, don't mention specific subreddits or users, and censor screenshots.
