Exploring Support Levels

There are many things to think about when choosing how much support you need for making decisions. The best approach is one step at a time. This website has a few different support levels, but keep in mind that you may use resources from more than one level.

Here, you will find four support levels. The first support level is for anyone under the age of 18. The remaining three levels are for adults and match the levels listed in the LifeCourse Exploring Decision-Making Supports Tool*.   Using that tool is a great place to start because it asks you questions and help you think about which types of decisions you want or need help making. These levels help you identify the best decision-making supports for your needs.

Keep an open mind about which levels will be right for you. Since needs change over time, stay open to changes. Needs can change depending on how much support we have from others and our own personal growth. To figure out which level or combination levels of support is the best for you, start with the LifeCourse Exploring Decision-Making Supports Tool*.

Even if you already have a good idea of how much support you need, explore each level. Everyone’s needs are unique. There is no right or wrong amount of support. To learn how others have used decision-making supports, read some of the stories on the Stories Page.

*The LifeCourse Exploring Decision-Making Supports Tool was developed by the Charting the LifeCourse Nexus (©2020 Curators of the University of Missouri, UMKC IHD, UCEDD).