#l-msn

I have been very easy to fool my whole life , people would take advantage of that all the time growing up . it would always upset me because people would tell me mean jokes or fake bad news and then laugh when i got sad or started crying .

it is so cruel to do this , so please don't make anyone but especially autistic people upset just to laugh in our faces , it is mean and cruel .

i don't understand tone or expression that make it clear its a joke , neither do many other autistic people .

please be mindful this april 1st ( and always ) .

(MSN = medium support needs, L- modifier = lower end of this group.)

When you're an L-MSN:

When you visit LSN-dominated groups, you see them discuss all these freedoms and opportunities you don't have. You can't relate to statements like "my autism is a superpower, not a disability" or "autism doesn't hold me back, only society does." Because for you, it's not that easy.

When you visit groups for people with higher support needs, you can feel like an intruder. Most of them have greater impairments than you do. You seem unwelcome, or only conditionally welcome—allowed to support them, but not considered one of them. Sharing your own experiences might step on their toes.

Anyway, it's an awkward and sometimes isolating experience.

for me tantrums are different from meltdowns cause they happen when i dont get something i want. i have this really strong need for routine and i get frustrated super easy and sometimes i just cant handle being told no. i really like things to be fair and if theres no good reason why i cant have something i want i get really angry

my tantrums look like arguing and hitting things and crying and screaming and it might seem like im freaking out over something small like not getting chick-fil-a or a toy i want but its actually a really big deal for me. ill try to negotiate and argue to get what i want and if that doesnt work ill get even more upset. i totally refuse to move on until i either get what i want or the person im arguing with leaves completely and then i might do SIB or self harm

these tantrums are really emotionally intense and they drain me completely. i get headaches from crying and screaming and afterwards i feel super guilty and exhausted. i dont like having tantrums but they happen

id: a 5x5 bingo game labelled “higher support needs autism”, there are some orange details by the caption, as well as an orange arrow with text “@ autisticvelo” pointing towards the ‘t’ tumblr icon at the bottom. the squares are described from left to right, starting on the top row: ‘constant infantilisation’, ‘used to / does elope’, is / was in special education’, need(ed) 1:1 help in school’, restrictive & intense interests’. 2nd row: ‘on disability benefits’, ‘needs help with some or most / all iADLs’, ‘nonverbal / semiverbal (or long-term struggle with speech’, ‘developmental delays / abnormalities’, ‘has / needs a caregiver’. 3rd row: ‘violent meltdowns’, ‘needs help with some or most / all bADLs’, ‘free space (golden infinity sign)’, ‘comorbid physical disability’, ‘gets verbal shutdowns’. 4th row: ‘struggles with hygiene’, ‘assumed to be LSN’, ‘can’t live alone / requires great support’, ‘poor motor skills, ‘comorbid mental illness’. bottom row: ‘sensory seeking / avoidant’, ‘has ID / mild ID / BID’, uses AAC of some kind’, ‘poor saliva control / drools’, ‘won’t ever be independent’. end id

🧡 INFO:

• first point: if anything here is hard to read, let me know and i will simplify it for you, i do not mind.

• if you are able to, please copy the image description i’ve provided above into your post if you repost the bingo game to make it more accessible to visually impaired folks / screen reader users etc. !!

• this is made to include people who are somewhere between L-MSN and HSN, i’m hoping i’ve gotten some things right that many experience, but also remember that these might not be exclusive to HrSN autistic people but in combination with each other they are very common for HrSN autistics.

• if you have feedback on if i got something wrong, i’d like to know so i can learn more and do better next time!

• if a box kind of fits you, it’s okay to count it i think, example: if you are not nonverbal or semiverbal but struggle long term with speech, it’s okay to cross that one. i did add some notes in some boxes.

• i wasn’t completely sure on what terms to use for ID + mild ID and borderline ID, if anything is wrong, please tell me! i’m still trying to learn more so i can be inclusive.

• last point, if you struggle with image descriptions it is okay to tag me and i will write one for you! i am often able to write them even if words are hard and i don’t mind.

🧡 MINE:

“autism is a superpower”

idk how to tell you this but if you are not disabled by your autism in some way, you probably aren’t autistic. the diagnostic criteria explicitly states that you have to be dysfunctional in some way to reach the criteria. (“D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.”)

it’s okay to see the positive sides of autism, but it is not okay to say that there are no negative sides or that it isn’t a disability.

i don’t remember when i showered my body last time, it’s been at least over a week. and i think i need to shower now because i smell a lot. but i don’t want to.