low support needs does not mean NO support needs

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My mom was complaining today how nothing gets done around the house and yard and she can't get it done because she's never home (works 12+ hour shifts all week)

"Your kids are mentally disabled" was my response.

"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier"

It seems that she's beginning to accept that mine and my sibling's neurodivergence is something that significantly affects us. Things don't get done by us, not because we're not trying, but for a multitude of reasons that are a result of ADHD and ASD.

That's good. Is your mum ND too?

I have to remind myself of this ^^ all the time, and go easy on us all.

I've kinda suspected she is, but I don't know. She doesn't believe she is whenever I have brought up the possibility to her.

I got a union.

I misunderstood and got onions. But, I do have to admit that it works much better. Now nobody comes within 20 feet of me and I can get my stuff done.

I'm a successful businessperson and parent ... and then put me up against intimidation --- workplace or traffic stop or school authority and watch the show... if enough things are going well in my life, I am the model of confidence and assertiveness (albeit I process slowly when under duress), if things aren't going well in my life, I'm a complete mess. I wish I had a monitor to let me know what my baseline stress was and how quickly it was increasing. My friends and family with diabetes have monitors; couldn't there be one for stress? Cortisol --- some chemical or bio measure?

Someone posted here that you wouldn't be diagnosed autistic if you didn't need accommodations. I hope they meant human carers, even if that means someone making phone calls.

The need for accommodations or support needs is not a diagnostic criterion.

I have zero support needs, but according to some narrative here, I actually have minimal support needs, because I use accommodations in non-human form. I've worn ear muffs and earplugs on the job (the noise wasn't loud; but it was a hissing hum from old-school computer systems; nobody else minded. One day I forgot my ear muffs. I was miserable but didn't melt down and simply trudged through the shift).

I'll plug my ears at home if I hear loud exhaust pipes tearing down a nearby street. I get VERY, VERY distracted if, while at my computer, I hear the kids two doors down in their stupid trampoline (there's four little girls, and no exaggeration, they spend several HOURS nearly every day in that thing, not all at once, as they go inside for a brief time, but then are back inside that thing jumping up and down like mindless automatons -- by the time they're 18 they'll have only one skill: jumping for hours without tiring; all that time in there, while they could be spending some of that time learning a musical instrument and developing real skills).

Very distracted by a dog that won't stop barking. I've complained to animal control about three homeowners' dogs.

HATE, HATE the sound of an engine idling for no reason. Will put on ear muffs. But I don't mind this noise if I'm out in public or at someone else's house.

HATE, HATE stickers on things, and my accommodation is to use an exacto knife to scrape every last bit off before using the product.

VERY SENSITIVE to the stench of human breath at the gym. My accommodation is to openly gag and wave my hand or cover my nose so that the offender gets the hint that his breath reeks.

HATE clothing tags; my accommodation is toenail clippers.

HATE the sight of certain things; I accmmodate by looking away or physically manipulating the item.

I'm sure that low support needs doesn't mean no support needs, but if it's a question of anybody meeting those needs for free, there's a tendency for them to equate "low" with "zero," because that's easier for them. My GP (NHS) would have turned down my request for a referral if I'd said I was getting by without it - I think the key question she asked was "Do you feel you've made rather a mess of your life?" As for benefits payments, it seems to me that they search very hard for any excuse to declare you fit for work so that they don't have to pay anything out.

It's much the same with some individuals. There have been notes attached to windscreens in disabled parking spaces, saying "I saw you walking about, you're not disabled." The trouble with being disabled is that to some extent you're going to be a material burden on society, at least in some respects in the short term, and people can get very mean about that kind of thing, and hate to give unless it's blindingly obvious that the disability is profound. And of course the world isn't a perfectly honest place, so it's perhaps understandable that people are skeptical when there's doubt about whether or not somebody can or can't pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

Yes, it is actually.

All ASD diagnoses using DSM5 are assigned one of three support levels, which are "Requiring Support", "Requiring Substantial Support", or "Requiring Very Substantial Support".

We actually get two of these scores. One is for the Part A Social Communication and one is for Part B RRB.



From DSM5 ^


There is no level called "No support needs" in either category so yes, a need for "support" is universal to ASD.

DSM needs to be updated, and I bet eventually it will be. There are autistic people who are 100 percent self-sufficient. Elon Musk is autistic. Can't imagine what support needs he requires. Now if "support" is in the form of things that the autistic supplies themselves, then yes, I myself have "support needs." If you consider wearing earplugs to block out sounds that NTs wouldn't even notice, then I guess that's a support need. And I can't wear a shirt with tags in the collars; I must cut them down to the nub; so I guess my toenail clippers that I use to do that, is a support need. Dan Akroyd, the actor, and Temple Grandin, the scientist ... what are their support needs?

My examiner said I hit all seven criteria, but NONE of those criteria say, "Requires support." She didn't even put "Level 1" in the report. It was just "Autism Spectrum Disorder" and its code. The Levels are just for descriptor guidance, so that when someone says, "She's level 3," people have a better idea vs. "She's level 1."

What if we lived in a world where fluorescent lighting was never invented, and all lighting was LED? This would eliminate the support of sunglasses for some autistics.

So sometimes, the need for support is dictated by the environment. What if we lived in a very quiet society? No need for noise cancellers. What if there was no such thing as phone calls, and all communication was by text? No need, then, for a caseworker or family member to make phone calls for the autistic. One can be clearly autistic and not require unusual levels of support. One can have social communication struggles, mis-reading social cues, repetitive behaviors, dislike for small talk, sensory issues, feeling different and disconnected since childhood, all that good stuff, relating to issues and thoughts that other autistic people have, other autist's experiences resonating with me, without needing unusual levels of support.

The gold standard for testing, the ADOS, does not probe for support needs.

Other testing modules do not probe for support needs.

Of course, those with "zero support needs," that doesn't mean we haven't had major struggles.

I'm just reporting what the DSM says. ^

I'm not trying to argue with anyone about the support needs of people I've never met.

I assume that Dan Aykroyd was dx with Aspergers before the DSM5. I don't know what the descriptors are for Aspergers or if it was ranked with Support levels, and I've never met him so I can't answer. Regardless, I'm sure he has a need for some sort of support to avoid feeling anxious or having a burnout. That support could be human or not. Temple Grandin? I've heard of her but I have no idea who she is or what her needs are. Isn't she the one who invented cow hugging machines? They sound like a support imo.

I'm Level 2 in both categories and my supports are mostly non-human because I don't like being around humans. I use TTY like you do for phone calls. I agree with you about the lighting / sensory issues inflicted on us by the NT world. Sadly, I'd still feel and be autistic even if I was alone in my own private cave without interacting with others. I'm overwhelmed by sunlight and the smell of nature (flowers, dirt), so even if I were the only person on the planet I would still be profoundly affected. I'd still stim. I'd still have difficulty making inferences even if they didn't involve other humans.

My ADOS didn't give me a specific score in my report but it said I was above the cutoff.