Autism Spectrum Explained (3 Autistic Experiences)

The autism spectrum is often referred to as linear. However the autism spectrum is three dimensional. Here I use 3 Autistic experiences to explain what the spectrum actually means. I also explain how our Autistic spectrum can change with age, from child to adult, and due to life experiences. In fact, a child's autism spectrum can be much more pronounced than an adult’s.
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#autism

[@ProudlyAutistic]

What are your biggest autistic traits?

[@artofmkd]

The more I learned about autism, the more I found my traits aligning to it as an "OH, that makes sense now" realization. I think the trait I'm most aware of is my physical stimming. I've always rocked and swayed and spun around in circles, as well as vocal stims I didn't realize Were stims. As an artist, many of my traits were labelled weird or quirky but fit the aesthetic so well as to help mask the reason behind them, so it's been an interesting unravelling. I do a lot of unconscious mimicking, repeating words, songs, phrases. Thanks for these videos!!

[@ProudlyAutistic]

​@@artofmkdAs an AuDHDer, stimming is interesting to me because I wonder how much of it is stimming and how much of it is hyperactivity. Maybe a topic for a future video 🤷 I was also known as the art kid. For me, it was a great outlet because I could gain respect from my peers and bridge social barriers through being artistically inclined despite being extremely socially awkward. Social difficulties and relating to others has always been my biggest challenge.

[@lifetotheminimal1211]

My Lego collection 😂

[@ProudlyAutistic]

​@@lifetotheminimal1211🤣

[@PotatoWisdom]

Being too trusting of others.

[@heartsmyfaceforever8140]

High functioning. Means you’re spending much more energy trying to pass as normal. It doesn’t mean your life is easier

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Agree. Originally functioning terms were simply an over/under on IQ (I believe 80 if I remember correctly).

[@Catlily5]

​@@ProudlyAutistic Wasn't it an over 70 IQ?

[@lesliecarriere2672]

This!

[@erindoty9448]

Yes. This.

[@herojh]

That's a great way to put it. Thanks.

[@DensityMatrix1]

One thing to note about abnormal posture is that autism is linked to joint hyper mobility. A lot of the autistic people I know sit in a sorted of twisted manner. Namely, one of the suspected causes of autism is as essentially a connective tissue disorder affecting both neurons and other tissues eg tendons ligaments Yoga or strength training can be beneficial. Also POTS ( getting dizzy from standing )is common, talk to your provider about increasing salt intake if you experience this.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Yup! I have EDS. I haven't fully investigated the connection with autism though, that's interesting. Maybe I can cover it in the future, not sure how many people would be interested though.

[@alexlovesfungi]

I would be interested!!!

[@DensityMatrix1]

@@ProudlyAutistic The connection is not widely understood by most providers. It's fairly well supported in the literature. It will take time to disseminate. I'm betting you bruise easily as well.

[@CalebRussell1]

The posture and hypermobility topics aren't the same thing

[@DensityMatrix1]

@@CalebRussell1 EDS has a wide range of effects, but can affect posture due to pain and joint instability. This is fairly well established in the orthopedic and physical therapy literature. There is also a proprioceptive aspect as well.

[@kdcraft89]

Great presentation. A couple of things I've noticed. First, I can make eye contact and enjoy it as long as I'm LISTENING to the other person, which I can enjoy unless it's just chatter. I absolutely can't make eye contact and TALK, unless it is trivial well-practiced dialogue and even then I have to remember. My brain goes "scribble scrabble" if I try and I'm sorta nonverbal at that point. Second, I'm terrible at social cues. I'm excellent at reading emotional cues. This means I won't understand when to leave until the host gets irritated. It also means that regular flirting NEVER was perceivable to me but if someone is friendly, warm I notice it. I don't know whether its a cue to start a relationship/date or just be friends. I have evolved workarounds for some things, like with the when to leave problem, I can set a time ahead of time and adhere to it rigidly, but that's not the same as reading the cue. I learned this before I realized I'm autistic. Third, when explaining that there's not a continuum but a spectrum, it's helpful to note that there are different levels of support. These can fluctuate to some degree. This can also be because there are co morbid conditions that can accompany autism. Also, I wonder if you've ever looked at the Big Five or some other personality theory and how it interacts with autism and that people have all different personalities AND autism. (Can you tell this is one of my special interest?) 🤣

[@irmelinhart-xn9wj]

Very well explained..interesting points...

[@JAYSCHULBERG-b9u]

I was high in noise sensitivity.social difficulty.anxiety.tics and fidgets.In fixations I was at the outside rim of the wheel.I was low in aggression and depression.This is a really helpful illustration of the spectrum.I can see that this would be a great way of explaining autism to those who are unfamiliar with it.Thank you for the video.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Glad you liked it!

[@kryssygee4814]

Oh gosh!!! Welcome to KZbin! 🎉Your information is so appreciated!! Level 1 disrespect!! You are so right!! Thank you! Pls Keep Presenting!!! I look forward to seeing and learning more from your way!! ❤

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Thank you 😊

[@KenBeller]

Who are Matt and Alex? New to your channel. Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Matt's my partner, Alex is my teenager. Both are autistic. Thanks for watching!

[@BoldWarrior78]

@@ProudlyAutistic An awesome autistic family!

[@jaseman]

Thanks - I did this test. For me Noise Sensitivity came out very high as was Social Difficulty and nothing for Tics and Fidgets and very low for Aggression. Depression, Fixations, Abnormal Flat Speech, Social Difficulty and Poor Eye Contact all quite high. Abnormal posture was quite low. It said 'My symptoms on the autism spectrum are high.'

[@desiree2086]

These questions were very much asked from a neurotypical perspective.. how am I supposed to know what others think of me? Many people don’t tell. And the only people I talk to are my husband and random folks online. Also I like loud noice like fireworks, when they are expected, but I can’t stomach the sound of people eating, whistling, dumb music, vacuuming etc. I think most of us would score higher if the questions were more logically asked.

[@O-Demi]

I think the test results also depend on how rested & optimistic you feel today. I feel that today I'm more tired than usual and I am more pessimistic with my answers... thus very high results across the board.

[@KayleenGnwmythr]

Great video - thank you. The questions on the test were actually quite helpful for me. (I always like a new online set of questions I can work through :) ) The comment about life cycle changes is something I can relate to. I retired last year: if I had done this test before then, I would have shown far more depression.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Yes, it's interesting how it can change over time and be influenced by external factors. Congrats on retirement! 💛

[@BoldWarrior78]

Another great video! Thank you Karen! Have you heared of the concept of autism being a constellation rather than a spectrum? If so, what do you think of that?

[@ProudlyAutistic]

I looked it up but didn't understand it very well. I'll need to take a deeper dive when I have more time. Thank you for the suggestion 💛

[@Michael_H_Nielsen]

Very good information. I however can clearly see your spikes are low. is that not the definition of low impact autism? I am autistic myself.

[@adoteq_]

I think autism is 4 dimensional thought processes that don't get wiped during life. So, autism is more like 4 dimensional instead of 3 I think...

[@peekaboo7424]

How do I share my IDR pie chart picture in the comments? Any help would be appreciated 🕊️

[@ProudlyAutistic]

I don't think you can here. I do have a Facebook page though. It might work there 😉

[@roberttravers7587]

Great video!😁

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Thanks! It was a fun one to create ☺️

[@prettyzen2]

interesting but I don't wish to fit into a box of labelled behaviours for the rest of my life

[@heatherwilliams3748]

I don't think anyone wants to force themselves into a box of labels but if the box fits 🤷‍♀

[@sunnyday6465]

Some of this might be diet related. I know no one wants to hear this. Vegetarian and particularly vegan diets will make things worse. I know by my own experience. Our brains and nervous systems need healthy animal fats. (not vegetable oils) My experience is that the positive traits of autism stay in place and the negative ones (like you show here) lessen or even disappear.

[@RambleMaven]

There are certain people that do a really great job at explaining things clearly concisely incomprehensively and you’re definitely one of them! Thank you so much for making your channel!

[@danielaspitz3052]

I don't like the term high functioning..Regarding the negative emotions I do believe that trauma makes them much worse and much more difficult to handle..I have Cptsd and I just realised (for the second time in my life) that I'm autistic. I have abusive (narcissistic)parents and additionally experienced another severe abuse while growing up.

[@GingerM-xu9nf]

Wow, this is really helpful. I'm new to your channel (via Orion Kelly. Cool NASA gifts btw!!). Thanks so much for all that you're doing. ❤

[@Waldemar_la_Tendresse]

I could never really explain to myself why sounds such as traffic noise, even if it is reasonably quiet, bother me so much, while at the same time music can be turned up "until my ears bleed". But once again you find the right, very plausible explanation: it's the predictability, or perhaps rather the order in the music and the chaos in the other noises. Perhaps you would like to write a book one day? I find your practical explanations (at least for me) extremely apt and helpful. Thanks for the test link, I prefer to keep my results to myself. 😅

[@peekaboo7424]

For me it’s the quiet sounds that I’m sensitive to. For example, nail biting, cuticle picking, chewing food, chewing gum, etc. All of these “quiet” noises are inexplicably LOUD to me.

[@hugh261]

I've been confused about interactions with some folks, and I have speculated about some sort of narcissism. Your explanations have brought more clarity for me. Thank you.

[@danielaspitz3052]

i grew up with narcissists-my whole family consists of them and most of my partners were Narcissists..I only learned about 2 years ago that this is the reason why I have Cptsd additional to being (undiagnosed) an Autist

[@user95395]

I literally do a finger drum session on my body 24/7

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Sounds like Matt 😆

[@KimberlyCox-TheNeuroCircus]

I am sooo glad I found your channel. I took the test with everyone in our family and goodness it is so wild to see the variations in everyone. Thanks so much for sharing this!

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Isn't it neat! It's interesting to see how we each experience it and helps improve understanding. Thank you for your support 💛

[@rainbownebula102]

When you think about it, many deficiencies are also a spectrum, and we all suffer from accusations of faking it or wanting attention, from ignorant people that know nothing about it. Society should be educated about this. For example, there are many types of blindness, from seeing absolutely nothing, to only being able to see in a tiny window of you eye, to being able to see only shapes and colors, etc etc. All of them are incredibly debilitating, but someone who can see in a small window, stills is able to see something, and might be able to do stuff that someone completely blind couldn't. It doesn't mean that they aren't blind, or just a little blind. They still are as blind as the others. Now let's go to people who need a wheelchair. Some of them have completely imobile legs and couldn't stand up for nothing, some still have mobile legs, but also can't stand and walk. Others have the capability to stand and walk, but only for a very short while. They are still all debilitated by this, and completely dependent on having a wheelchair. But still, people are fast to throw accusations when people are able to do something that should be impossible (in their minds), because of the condition that they have. And instead of questioning their own word view, they jut accuse them of faking. "You were able to see this? You can't be truly blind, you are faking it", "you just stood up from you wheelchair? You are faking it!", "you don't act like my 6yo autistic cousin, you are faking it!" etc etc It's amazing how everyone must be faking it for attention in this people's mind. Like, dude, I don't care a bit for your attention, I hate to call attention for myself. Do you really think that you are so special for me to want to fake stuff for your attention?

[@ProudlyAutistic]

I agree that many experiences are on a spectrum and that ignorance is not isolated to this topic. However, I suspect that in most of your examples, many if those respective communities understand the spectrum aspect of it. It's those outside who view it more black or white, yes or no. In autism, we deal with those both outside and inside the community. I really wish we would come together and stop arguing with each other over who's experiences are valid or dismissing others because they have higher/lower support needs.

[@lifetotheminimal1211]

Great video, nice editing!

[@Catlily5]

This is a good way to show the autism spectrum. I disagree with the test's rating of anxiety though. I have extreme anxiety and the test showed low medium.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Yeah, I was surprised by some of mine too. I wonder if it's question quality or if we're subconsciously compensating on our responses.

[@janeb2958]

I found many of the questions to be quite problematic or to assume that the expression was outwards rather than inwards...

[@Catlily5]

@@janeb2958 That is a good point too.

[@saranavarro1880]

Wonderful autistic way of explaining a complex matter: I love that it’s visual and that you give specific examples. I always miss this in people’s explanations… I usually get the idea but I feel I need the specific case ir example to fully understand or to be sure…

[@HenrikBergpianorganist]

I was like "I don't have a weird posture" and then you went on talking about t-rexing and I was like "oooops, guilty of that"😅 But I realised it looks silly, so I've been practising not to do it...!

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Yeah..... 😂

[@desiree2086]

I have no idea what t-rexing is and I’m very confused by it 😬

[@HenrikBergpianorganist]

@@desiree2086 With your elbows hanging by your sides, lift your wrists. Let your hand hang free from your wrists while you do this. You will look like a t-Rex.🦖 🙂

[@phail_trail]

OMG I do the t rex arms too! I thought i was alone lol

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Oh no, this is a major autism thing lol 😂

[@phail_trail]

@@ProudlyAutistic thank you for sharing. Your content has been very affirming for me on my journey! My partner and I think your stuff is really great, real and down to earth :)

[@haikuoflife]

Hehee. I did t-Rex plus tip-toed walking when I was young.

[@sarahferrell5458]

I had a guy with a PhD in applied science say he didn’t see autism in me. Meanwhile he trapped me from being able to leave the situation that was really upsetting me. This was MONDAY of this week. He’s a very singular person… but it was very disappointing.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

I'm sorry that happened. It's frustrating having to constantly argue with armchair experts over the validity of our lived experiences.

[@jesusfollower5588]

Thank you! I took the test. And I look different also to the ones you showed.

[@1ReikiFloW]

thank you again, this is very helpful information and i will make sure to ingegrate with my content so I can serve the autistic community better. I will promote your channel forever, this is amazing.

[@T-Mary76]

Thank you very much that was very interesting and helpful x

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Glad you liked it, thanks for watching!

[@user95395]

dude, are these your real scores? I score higher than you guys on everything...

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Lol, yes, real scores and I think we're all pretty obviously autistic. It just highlights that it's a spectrum and can be experienced in many different ways.

[@user95395]

@@ProudlyAutistic for sure, i'm just surprised, i must be so much weirder to other people than i think pffffff

[@thuggie1]

i just done this test and i am very high in all these categories, the fixations part i can totally see the same with noise sensitivity and social situations i always been bad at that along with my speech its why i like typing out things even though i am dyslexic.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

I am horrible with social settings. Primarily I have a hard time organizing my thoughts, they are so jumbled. Writing is somehow more tortuous for me though....

[@janeb2958]

my boss said recently that autism isn't always a disability or a reason for adjustments.. sigh

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Um, yes it is. It classifies as a disability per the ADA (not sure your country). If you need an accommodation, it should be provided.

[@janeb2958]

I'm in the UK, and I THINK it is actually also classified as a disability, but... sadly my current boss has always been pretty ableist. I work in education and we've clashed over support for students with neurodivergence and mental health needs for over a decade, well before I even thought I MIGHT be neurodivergent myself (Diagnosed last week as AuDHD). It's... a challenge (I'm currently signed off with "stress" which I am interpreting as burnout from what I've read, and she's NOT interested in accommodations because I have coped this far).

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Ugh that's one of the worst things about late diagnosis.....the assumption that you can't "really" have a disability because you lived so long not knowing. In regards to disability rights, the ADA doesn't specifically mention autism. It uses broad language relating to impacts on performing critical tasks. UK is probably similar. A doctor note mirroring whatever language is in your ADA equivalent to confirm disability "should" be sufficient. I'm sorry you're dealing with that.

[@joannesmith6819]

Mine is a bit more colorful, except depression and aggression. I've had a difficult life, but have never felt traumatized (meaning, many things have happened to me that would normally traumatize someone). I have always been good at shrugging off what I can't control. I honestly do not believe it's healthy giving too much voice to past trauma. I was diagnosed in my mid-40s, but my oldest was diagnosed when he was younger. He'll be 31 this year. We are so different from each other in many ways, so I guess that's why I didn't realize I was autistic, too. I needed help raising my oldest once he hit teenage years (single mom), and the man that took over raising him was the one that told me I was autistic, too. That surprised me, but once I looked at things with me in mind and learned more about "spectrum", suddenly my entire life made sense. I did decide to seek out an official diagnosis; the doctor doing the evaluating told me afterwards that it was obvious right from the first time we visited together. As for my biggest issue... I tend to shut down and also get catatonic (can't talk, can't communicate, can't understand others, can't walk, need help in the bathroom, slobber, cannot chew or swallow, etc). The catatonia was leading neurologists to believe I had Primary Progessive Multiple Sclerosis - I was seeing top MS doctors. My son, on the other hand, tends to melt down and rarely shuts down. He can work a crowd with a smile, whereas I have to have everything planned out - who I'll talk to, what we'll talk about. Everybody loves my son. I tend to turn most people off with my bluntness or lack of desire to chit chat. Etc. Once I learned I was autistic, it was very helpful to talk to the doctor about ways to help myself NOT slip into a shut down or, much worse, catatonic state. The term, high functioning, irks me. There is A LOT of propping up that must be done to appear somewhat "normal" to others. That takes a lot of energy and is exhausting.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

Yes, it's amazing how we all experience autism so differently. I've also noticed a big difference between those who are autistic and those who are AuDHD. That's interesting with the catatonia. Have you looked into functional neurological disorders? I have one. It's a result of not properly addressing trauma. Everything was fine until it wasn't. My unresolved trauma now exhibits as a movement disorder. At it's most serious it looks like a seizure. Each person experiences FND's differently.

[@joannesmith6819]

@@ProudlyAutistic no, I haven't... thanks for mentioning that. :) I'll look into it.

[@joannesmith6819]

@ProudlyAutistic I looked it up real quick, and that's so fascinating. I wonder why none of the neurologists I've seen mentioned this? I have several mentioned on the website I found. My oldest had the seizures when he was younger. Thanks again. ❤️

[@Elianalivinglife]

I am level 1 autistic too and my chart is looking similar to Alex's. And I am ADHD too.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

All three of us are AuDHD too. I hope you're getting the support you need 💛

[@sarahferrell5458]

Thank you!!

[@hockeyhacker97]

9:10 ... Are you sure he makes good eye contact or is it what you perceive as eye contact? I never realized just how bad my eye contact was, I thought I was making eye contact but apparently I only look in the vague direction of peoples faces but not actual eyes, so in my perception I made great eye contact but in everyone else's eyes I am horrible at it, maybe you are misperceiving that looking around the face area as eye contact and his isn't as good as you think because you see eye contact in a similar way as I see eye contact where we think eye contact is being made but everyone else sees it as looking slightly to the side much like how almost every child will do when they know they are lying to their parents where it looks like an attempt to look like eye contact is being made while at the same time avoiding eye contact. 10:14... could be that you just pick up on it more because it is a focal point of yours to notice every small detail when it comes to that where as the test isn't as hyper focused on the tiny stuff that everyone does.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

You could be right on both points. Funny story, I've always thought I had decent eye contact although I do find myself looking away when deep in thought. I asked my therapist if I made good eye contact. She said "you have good eye contact....for an autistic person." When I asked if that meant I have good eye contact, she just repeated herself. Oh well 🤷

[@hockeyhacker97]

@@ProudlyAutistic Yeah, when I am trying to think hard about something I definitely look away as well, I don't know why I do, maybe just subconscious knowing I can't be both trying hard to think about something while at the same time intaking people's body language and so if I need to think hard on something I break looking at people's body language entirely, same way if I am trying to think or read something I can not be listening to music at all. As to the "good eye contact for an autistic person" comment I am guessing that they probably mean you are able to tolerate eye contact for longer periods of time than the average for autistic people but still fall way short of the 50-60% that non autistic people tend to do. So maybe you do something like a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio of eye contact compared to the 1:2 ratio non autistic people do. Personally I have no clue what I do because the first time someone was comfortable telling me I am shit at eye contact was my psychiatry appointment I was required to go to after my reaction to a hate crime committed against me. They were the 3rd person who could diagnose me who told me I have autism (first time I got diagnosed as a kid but parents never let me know, leading into the second time the BMed doctor had high suspicions but was not qualified to diagnose, a few days later my therapist mid conversation about the SI totally shifted the conversation and then asked me what I thought about autism and that I should look it up, they then told me that they have high suspicions that I have autism, a week later they did come to the conclusion I definitely do, then a few days later the psychiatrist also came to the same conclusion after also doing a major shift in conversation mid conversation and when I said my therapist thought the same thing they stated that they had their suspicions right away due to terrible eye contact but then were certain of it during the appointment. A few weeks later I talked to my transphobic dad for the first time in like 4 months to update him on the hate crime and autism diagnosis and his reaction was "yeah about the autism, we actually had you diagnosed as a young kid we just never told you because there was nothing we could do about it so we just ignored it". Explains why a lot of my friends all thought I hated them when I met them but they realized that my actions were just me after getting to know me and that I didn't actually hate them.

[@KarenCro]

I'm curious as to what you think of autism being categorised in terms of level 1,2 and 3? I don't see autism in levels because autism is autism. I understand that it makes it easier (mostly I assume from a neurotypical point of view) to discern a persons needs perhaps by creating "levels" but I find it's the same thing then as saying someone is "high or low functioning" in that it doesn't help the autistic person in on a day to day basis when their needs vary on a day to day basis, if thay makes sense? I find it actually to be more damaging because it denigrates the autistic persons day to day living experience. I'm Irish and here in Ireland they came up with what's called the "Green Paper" which in essence is categorising all people with disabilities (of every type) into level 1,2 and 3 and your social welfare payment (this is the equivalent to your social security) will be paid in different amounts, according to your level of disability! To me this is absolutely insane (if it passes through which I've no doubt it will) because I cannot understand how a person is meant to ascertain what one disability level looks like to the next. It varies so much according to what it going on in your life, what additional needs to you may acquire and your age, in terms of getting older. So someone basically who is level one autistic will most likely be deemed fit to work, even if that isn't the case for that person because of how their autism presents and their difficulties with this. Which means also, essentially, despite having a formal diagnosis from a Psychiatrist or Psychologist and your doctor backing you up, a medical assessor from the social welfare department (without any knowledge of what autism is or any other disability, in depth) can basically trump your diagnosis and make a different informed decision on your behalf. This hasn't been pushed through yet and I know there's many people pushing back on this but it makes my blood boil!! It takes away any and all autonomy from the disabled persons lived experience.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

I don't like levels either, however, it's in the DSM 5. They're medically adopted terms. I mentioned it to demonstrate that even though many of us are clinically labeled as having low support needs, we can still require support. Our experiences are still valid. You are correct that levels are the new functioning labels. I was trying to challenge the levels concept by showing how differently three "low support" people can experience autism.

[@KarenCro]

@@ProudlyAutistic Your charts display very accurately what I was saying on my first comment. There's no linear line as to what level an autistic person works from. I just find it very frustrating at times that levels or labels at all regarding how functioning an autistic person is, is used to describe that person's day to day life experiences. I guess I'm feeling quite heightened lately about this because I'm still waiting for my assessment and there's a lot of anxiety, frustration and anger at times coming up in me because day to day I don't see levels, I just know what difficulties I'm experiencing, regardless of whether someone sees me as "high functioning" or not. It's just an exhausting process.

[@ProudlyAutistic]

I'm agreeing with you. Hopefully your assessment will give you clarity. Just keep in mind that your experiences are valid, regardless of how others might perceive it. You know yourself best 💛

[@KarenCro]

@@ProudlyAutistic I really appreciate your kind words. I'm having a rough time lately navigating the range of emotions I'm feeling (or not managing to connect to either in the way I want to or need to). Some days the reality of it all hits harder than others, more specifically at the moment what my life path is supposed to look like or where I stand with motherhood. I'm in a flux state of grieving and anger at the moment. Mostly I know I need to practice more kindness to myself and less hardship towards what I'm not doing. Not an easy task! This community honestly makes me feel less insane and a lot more comforted and for that I'm very grateful. Thank you as always for your wonderful insights. I'm looking forward to what you have to say, as always and I appreciate you relpying to my comment ☺️🩷

[@Catlily5]

Low support needs do not equal no support needs. I agree with the support needs levels. Some people will need more help than others. I know one autistic woman who can't talk a lot and who has a low IQ. She has an almost full time caregiver. I have medium support needs and have 7 hours of help a week. There has to be some way to figure out the ballpark of support needs people might have. Also, people's support level can change over time. So even if you are level 1 now if you have more problems in the future your level could change to a lower level. So support levels are not set in stone.