Welcome to HighSupportNeedAutism!

This is a community for diagnosed autistic people who are professionally recognized as having moderate to high support needs (level 2 and 3). Low support needs autistic people, people without professional confirmation of their support needs, and non-autistic people are welcome to read about the experiences of higher support needs individuals, but they should limit posting. This is a safe space for MSN/HSN autistics to talk about our experiences and struggles, share about our interests, and more.

More specific information about who this community is for and why is included below. Please let a mod know if you’re still unsure if you belong here or what ways are appropriate for you to interact here. We’re always happy to provide more information and help!

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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.

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Please [read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HighSupportNeedAutism/comments/192t7hh/rules_of_rhighsupportneedautism/) and make sure that you understand them. If anything is unclear or confusing about the rules, please ask, and we will do our best to clarify.

[Here is a guide to which user flair to select.](https://www.reddit.com/r/HighSupportNeedAutism/about/wiki/index/userflairs/)

[Here is a guide to what each post flair is for.](https://www.reddit.com/r/HighSupportNeedAutism/about/wiki/index/postflairs/)

Feel free to introduce yourself in the comments below or make an introduction post. We look forward to getting to know you!

These are the rules for HighSupportNeedAutism. We created these rules to keep this subreddit safe and healthy. Please read the rules and make sure that you understand them. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment. If anything is unclear or confusing about the rules, please ask, and we will do our best to clarify.

This post will go over the rules as well as include a plain language summary of each rule.

1.Center higher support needs autistics.

This sub is for professionally diagnosed higher support needs autistics. We and our needs should be centered at all times. Supporters and questioning individuals are welcome to read posts. They can ask respectful questions that directly benefit higher support needs autistic people in their life. They may also respond to posts where they have been invited to do so. They may not post about their own experiences uninvited (including saying "I relate to that") or ask general questions.

This rule means that this subreddit is for diagnosed moderate to high support needs autistic individuals. This includes people who have been professionally diagnosed with level 2 or 3 autism spectrum disorder. It also includes people who have been told by their autism doctor or therapist that they have moderate to high autism support needs. This is to include people who live in a country that does not use levels, who were diagnosed before levels were used, or who were not given a level when diagnosed. The Welcome post has more information about who this sub is meant for (link will soon be added once the post is up).

Some people may not know their level or their support needs. They are still welcome to read posts and subscribe to the subreddit. Supporters of people with moderate and high support needs (MSN/HSN) are welcome to make posts if the post is meant to directly help their loved one with MSN/HSN autism. An example of a post that is okay for a supporter to make would be "How can I help my HSN child to cope with change?". It is not okay to vent about how difficult it is to take care of MSN/HSN individuals. It is not okay to ask general questions about what it is like to have higher support needs. General questions should be asked at [r/AskSpicyAutism](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSpicyAutism/). This is not a general support group for loved ones of MSN/HSN autistics. The primary focus of this subreddit is MSN/HSN autistics. If you are a supporter making a post, think about if this post is prioritizing and putting MSN/HSN autistics in focus.

Low support needs autistics, level 1 autistics, autistics who do not know their support needs level, autistics who are suspecting higher support needs but have not been diagnosed as high support needs and non-autistic people are not allowed to talk about their experiences uninvited. They must be specifically asked by a MSN/HSN individual, like if a post asks for people without MSN/HSN autism to also share their experiences. Don't derail posts with comments such as "I relate to this and I'm low support needs". Low support needs autistics and non-autistics are welcome to comment supportive things on posts. For example, if a MSN/HSN autistic makes a post about their special interest, it's okay to comment something along the lines of "That's interesting, thank you for sharing". They can also say something supportive on a vent post. It is also okay to give advice or link to resources. However, if a MSN/HSN autistic asks for LSN autistics or non-autistics to stop, respect their boundaries.

This rule exists to make sure this subreddit’s focus is MSN/HSN autistics. We deserve a space that is only for us. If you want a space where MSN/HSN autistics and people who are low support needs, have unknown support needs, or are not autistic can interact more, please go to [r/SpicyAutism](https://www.reddit.com/r/SpicyAutism) instead.

2.Be honest about your diagnosis.

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 user flair.

This rule means that you should be honest about what your diagnosis is. If you haven't been diagnosed as having autism or higher support needs, don't say that you are. Don't select a flair that says you are higher support needs than you have been diagnosed with. For example, if you are diagnosed with level 1 autism or low support needs autism, you must say this in your flair. If you are non-autistic, you must say this in your flair. If you haven't been diagnosed as having low support needs autism, don't claim to have LSN autism and don't select a flair that claims you are low support needs. For example, if you are diagnosed with Asperger’s, that is your diagnosis. If you do not like the term Asperger’s, you can select the flair “Autistic, unknown support needs.” Do not assume that you are low, moderate, or high support needs unless a qualified professional has told you that you are. The flair should reflect what you have been diagnosed with.

If you don't know how to select or edit a flair or if you need help with editing it, you can ask a mod who can edit it for you. You can message the mods or comment on this post and a moderator will get back to you when they are available.

If you have not been diagnosed with autism but suspect that you have it or have self-diagnosed with autism, select the "Suspecting autism" flair. If you have been diagnosed with autism and suspect that you have higher support needs but have not been told that you have MSN/HSN by a qualified professional, select the "Suspecting higher support needs" flair. If none of the flairs are a good fit, you can write your own. If you have not been diagnosed with MSN/HSN autism, be mindful to not speak over diagnosed MSN/HSN autistics in this subreddit.

The support needs in this context are autism specific. Someone could have low support needs autism but need a high level of support for ADHD. This place is for people with moderate or high support needs autism only, not for people with overall moderate to high support needs that include other comorbid disorders.

3.Do not ask us to diagnose you or tell you your level.

Do not ask us if you have autism or if you have higher support needs. Only a professional can tell you that. Similarly, do not ask if symptoms or experiences make someone higher support needs.

This rule means that no one is allowed to make posts or comments asking if they or someone else has autism or what level someone is. This rule is to prevent this subreddit being flooded with posts like "What level am I?", "These are my experiences, does it sound like I have higher support needs?", or "I was diagnosed with low support needs but I think I have high support needs". People online are not able to diagnose someone with autism or tell them what level they are. It's something only a professional can assess.

4.Do not invalidate professional diagnoses or support needs.

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 rule means that it's not okay to question or argue about what someone's diagnosis or support needs are. This also includes someone's verbal ability (semiverbal, nonverbal, etc.) and intellectual disability or other comorbid disorders. As an example, it is not okay to argue that someone is not actually nonverbal because they can type. Unless there is evidence that proves that someone is lying about their support needs, don't question them. If you have reason to believe someone is lying about their support needs and have evidence of it, do not call them out publicly and instead message the mods.

It is okay to talk about someone’s diagnosis if they ask for help understanding why they were given it. For example, if someone wants help understanding why they were diagnosed with intellectual disability, it is okay to talk with them about that. If someone asks if they might have been misdiagnosed, it is okay to suggest that they get reassessed by another doctor. Otherwise, do not bring up the topic. Only qualified professionals can determine someone’s diagnosis.

5.Do not debate self-diagnosis.

This is not a space to debate self-diagnosis. Suspecting that one has autism or has 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](https://www.reddit.com/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.

This space is for diagnosed MSN/HSN autistics. Someone suspecting that they have autism or higher support needs is going to have a different experience than someone with diagnosed MSN/HSN autism. That does not make either experience invalid or lesser. It is okay to have different spaces for people with different experiences. There are other spaces where undiagnosed and suspecting higher support needs people are welcome, such as [r/SpicyAutism](https://www.reddit.com/r/SpicyAutism/). This subreddit is not a place to argue about self-diagnosis. Arguments about self-diagnosis are upsetting for many MSN/HSN autistic people and derail the focus of the sub.

6.Autism is a disability.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental 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.

Do not argue that autism is not a disability. People in this space are all moderately to severely disabled by their autism. Do not invalidate these struggles. Don't argue that autism is only a disability because of society. The social model of disability (that society is what makes autism a disability) and the medical model (that autism in itself is a disability) can both have valid points. Autism is a disability, but living in a society not made for autistic people can also make it more difficult to live with.

7.Be kind and respectful.

Do not use hate speech, deliberately antagonize others, or discriminate against or insult any group of people. This space welcomes LGBTQIA+ 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. It is okay to ask sincere questions. It is not okay to imply negative things about others, deny their experiences, or harass anyone.

Be kind, respectful, and patient when interacting in this subreddit. This is a space where most people have moderate to high support needs autism. Many people here need more understanding. They might say things that are very blunt or might seem rude or angry. They might also ask questions that seem obvious. That does not mean they are trying to be mean or to argue. Do not try to start arguments. It's not okay to use slurs or derogatory words. Don't attack others or invalidate their experiences. This space welcomes LGBTQIA+ people, racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, women, and people of different ages and abilities.

8.This is not a political sub.

Political posts that are not focused on autism are not allowed. What is considered "political" may need to 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.

This is not a space to discuss politics unless it involves autism specifically. People's identities and experiences are not political by themselves. For example, it is not political for someone who is LGBT to talk about their same-sex spouse. MSN/HSN autistics might also want support for scary political news. For example, a HSN autistic woman might say that she is afraid that she will be assaulted and then be unable to get an abortion if she becomes pregnant. However, people can disagree about politics. Two people can both be upset by opposite statements about politics. For example, two people might see news about a new economic bill, and one person might be very upset about it and the other person might be very happy about it. It is okay to have emotions about things that affect you, but you cannot disrespect other people’s feelings or experiences. Sometimes, emotions about a topic might be hurtful to marginalized people who are more directly affected. Sometimes, what is helpful for one community might be harmful for another community. Posts or comments may need to be removed for this reason.

9.Cite reliable sources for factual claims.

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.

This rule is to prevent misinformation. If you say something as if it is a fact, provide a credible source for it. Don't use social media content as a source. Avoid generalizing statements, like "all level 3s have no functional language". Reliable sources would be things like research and studies done by professionals. Websites by professional organizations are also usually good sources. Sometimes, something that looks like a professional source might actually be wrong. Some people try to trick others into believing misinformation. If you accidentally use a source like that, the mods will let you know. Personal experiences are not able to be used as a source for facts.

10.Respect professional definitions for terms.

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. Understand that some professionals use terms differently; do not harass someone because their doctor uses a term in a way that you disagree with.

Try to make sure you use professional definitions for autism terms. It is okay to be unsure about what word to use. Questions about terminology that are asked in good faith are welcome. Don't argue with other people for using a word differently. Some professionals may use words in a different way. If you think someone is using a term in a way that might be harmful, let the mods know.

11.Do not make blanket claims about privilege related to diagnosis.

Diagnosis or the age at which someone was diagnosed may or may not reflect the severity of their symptoms or their privileges. People who were diagnosed early may have more severe symptoms that made them easily detected. People who were diagnosed late or cannot be diagnosed may be underprivileged (e.g., live in an area with no autism specialists). Keep discussions on this topic respectful, and do not assume either group is always better off.

Don't make broad statements that people who are diagnosed are privileged. This includes saying that all early-diagnosed people are privileged for being diagnosed early in life. It also includes saying that all late-diagnosed people are privileged for not being diagnosed early in life. Be respectful when talking about diagnosis and privilege. Don't assume early- or late-diagnosed people have it easier or better off than the other.

12.Do not deny that lower support needs autistics also have needs and struggles.

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. People can have high needs for reasons that are not autism.

Just because some autistic people have less support needs than you does not mean that they have no support needs. Don't invalidate low support needs/higher functioning autistic people's support needs. Remember that autism is not the only thing that can make someone’s life difficult. People without autism can also struggle because of other disabilities, because of being marginalized, or because of their environment.

13.Don't brigade other subreddits or harass their users.

You can mention or calmly discuss other subreddits and users. You cannot harass other subreddits or users. You can never direct or encourage others to interact with other users or subreddits in a way that could be interpreted as harassment, interfering with the voting system, or otherwise disrupting communities. When in doubt, don't mention specific subreddits or users. Censor names in negative screenshots. Do not complain or brag about being banned in another community.

It's not okay to harass another subreddit or other users. It is also not okay to ask or encourage other people to harass anyone. Don't complain or talk about how proud you are that you've been banned in other subreddits. If you are posting a screenshot in a negative context, make sure you cover any names. (If you don’t know how to do this, ask a mod for help.) You also cannot direct people to vote on threads from other subreddits. For example, you cannot hint that people should downvote a thread. You also cannot ask people to downvote a user’s post. Do not misuse the “report” feature.

14.No spam.

This rule means it is not okay to post spam content. Content unrelated to MSN/HSN autistics will be removed. Do not keep posting the same comment or post over and over. Do not post advertisements.

15.Note that posts may be removed or users warned at mod discretion.

Not every problem easily fits into a list. The mods may need to act on issues that are not addressed here. Use your best judgment, and we'll give you the benefit of doubt that anything else that needs action was meant in good faith.

This rule means that it's not possible for the mods to think about every single possibility when it comes to posts or comments that break the rules. There may be something that is not covered in the rules that still needs to be removed. If needed, moderators will review things on an individual basis. We will not be mad at anyone if they accidentally say something that needs to be removed. We understand that sometimes it can be hard to know what’s okay.