What My Support Needs Looks Like as Someone With Medium Support Needs Autism
Managing finances: I can buy things, such as Robux and books, with my own debit card or with my own cash. But my parents manage almost everything beyond that, such as taxes, budgeting, and purchasing things like supports like my AAC app and programs aimed at people with disabilities like autism.
Medication Management: I rarely need reminders to take my medications, but that's because they're often kept in a weekly pill manager on the dining table. I always take them before anything else, but if i do forget, my parents remind me and bring me the pill. But to refill the prescription, my mom does everything such as calling, and going to the pharmacy and asking for them. Sometimes i come with her but i don't do anything in that process.
Housework/Chores: I can make my bed pretty independently, but any other chore like laundry i have my mom help me out. She tells me to segregate the clothes into dark and other colours, then she helps me place the load in the respective laundry machine while watching me do so. Sometimes she does prompt me to close the door because i sometimes forget, and she is also there to help me remember the steps otherwise. However, things like cleaning my bathroom, and my bedroom, my mom prompts me and gives me step by step directions on how to do a certain thing for cleaning.
Meal Preparation: My mom and/or my dad makes my meals for me, but i can make some pretty small meals like snacks and whatnot. However, anything larger than small snacks like popcorn, my parents do all of the cooking for me but sometimes i was allowed to help them with cutting certain vegetables but that was about it for my assistance. The same goes into the meal planning for the week, my dad does all of it but he sometimes asks me what meals or snacks would i want him to get when he goes on his grocery run later that day.
Transportation: In school, i can independently get on and off the school bus but the problem is that sometimes i miss it due to some other factors like not wanting to go or in the rumble stage before a meltdown. However, in public and outside of school transportation, i don't or can't utilize public transportation, especially not without my parents assisting me by telling me when our stop is, and i can't drive a car yet. I can't drive because of my behavioural problems, like i might have road rage and that could be dangerous for me. Another reason why i can't drive is because of my processing and working memory issues, because i might not react fast enough or may forget certain road laws which could mean that i am a danger on the road for good reasons.
Shopping: I barely shop by myself without my parents, but when i do shop with parental assistance and guidance is when i'm buying a book and very rarely when i'm shopping for clothes. My parents help remind me to take out my wallet, and to make sure that i have enough funds to make a successful transaction first, but they also just supervise me and sometimes talks to the cashier too instead of letting me speak for myself, which is for good reason because i don't remember nor care about if i have rewards programs set up or not.
Communication: I rarely call someone on the phone, all i like and can do is texting them on Discord for example. But for emails, sometimes i have my parents be sent the email too so they can know what's going on. Sometimes, they tell me to not send people emails, even regarding my medical information simply because the doctor who reviewed it did it for one time only. But for stuff like calling teachers, medical professionals and the like, my mom does most of the calling for me, and sends emails as well, sometimes even without letting me be sent the email as well. However, using the internet like social media, gaming platforms and the like are available for me and i can independently use these services but the time that i can use them are severely limited by my parents because i might forget or ignore my basic needs such as my hunger and my chores.
Bathing/Showering: I can shower myself independently, but sometimes i would need prompts and reminders for me to take a shower. Sometimes, my parents have to limit my screen time in order for me to understand that i need to take a shower that time. When i am out and about, especially in a hotel, i oftentimes need my parents to help me shower via showing me how to turn on the faucet, where things are, and a reminder for me to be careful because those bathrooms are often smaller than the one that i have at home. And regardless of if i am in a hotel or not, parents often need to remind and to prompt me to wear deodorant and to brush my teeth, because right now i only brush my teeth before bedtime so that is only once per day. I barely wear deodorant, and i forget to even if there is a step in my visual routine that tells me to do so.
Dressing: I can put on clothes pretty independently, except for dresses. For dresses, my mom has to help hold the dress up for me so i can wear it, and the same can be said for certain costumes during Halloween. However, the real struggle is in selecting weather and situation appropriate clothing, so my mom has to tell me to wear certain clothes, and to change before going out because it's either too cold/hot, or what i am wearing before changing is not appropriate for the situation or the location. For example, last night, i was going to go to a restaurant with pajamas and my mom stopped me, saying that i should change into jean pants because pajamas were not appropriate wear in her opinion and that she wants me to understand that certain situations call for different types of clothing, usually not pajamas.
Toileting: I can get to the toilet, and can wipe my butt by myself, but i really struggle with understanding and feeling the need to use the washroom. So my parents have had to remind and to prompt me to use the washroom before leaving the house, and to use the washroom whenever they see me dancing as i try to hold back the pee. When i am on my period, my parents prompt me to change pads every 2 hours because i often forget to do so because i don't notice the pad, or i simply don't want to or basically just because i forgot and didn't know how long it was between my last pad change and the need to change it again.
Transferring: I can do this pretty independently, and i need almost little to no help.
Ambulating: Same as with transferring.
Eating: I can bring the food to my mouth but my struggle is with holding the utensil in the correct position, and even then i don't finish my meals so my parents have had to remind me to eat. Sometimes we have a compromise where i eat some more food than usual, especially when i say i am done, but then i don't have to finish it. I just have to eat two more bites or something, but not actually having to finish it.
