Hidden Disabilities: Autism

Earlier on in the year, we put together a video to commemorate our very first Disabilities Awareness Week. This new video takes a more in-depth look at autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the importance of acceptance and the subjective experience of living with ASD.
We hope to help more people understand and make changes to better accommodate their autistic friends and peers.

[@darnella9602]

I’m crying so much right now, at work I get questioned why I just stand in a corner and don’t talk to anyone. This is so stressful and I hate having to always explain that I’m autistic and that it’s just how I am. I’m bubbly and everything but it’s so hard to also bring it out with people I haven’t known for many years face to face. I can’t even meet new people face to face as much as I want to because of how much I struggle to act the way I am inside and with my close friends. I get called not enthusiastic by a manager. Ever second I have to let every single person know I’m autistic when it should be written up for work to see and know that about me especially that I’m new. It’s just hard being judged wrongly when I know I’m such a fun person to talk to and be around…

[@FatigueBeast]

I completely know what you mean 😢. Its hard. So hard to fit in at work. I also am very anti-social at work and get written up

[@chief8559]

Oyalo verbs? Wrong​@@lilylaura6955

[@ronniecorbett6306]

I was recently at a TOOL concert with 17,000 other people and I felt completely alone in my own little bubble. I understand. Peace my Friend.

[@AndalusianIrish]

I am 42 and never been diagnosed but I relate to quite a lot of this.

[@AndalusianIrish]

@PRISTINE JOEL Which herbs?

[@drcardinalli]

That beautiful, extraordinary, courageous young man is my hero. He describes perfectly what so few people, through no fault of their own, can never understand.

[@higherground337]

The two people interviewed in this video look perfectly "fine" to me on the outside, and I look perfectly "fine" on the outside to the people I encounter every day. Yet I can relate to everything that was said here, and both my therapist and psychologist have told me that I'm likely autistic and encouraged me to seek an official diagnosis. I've never considered myself disabled but there are times when it seems to me that other people can handle certain tasks so much more easily than I can, like listening to someone in a noisy room without having to ask them to repeat themselves over and over again, or "winging it" when plans suddenly change. It takes me longer to learn to do certain tasks, and I often can't learn unless someone physically walks me through the steps. When I was a young adult I lost some jobs because I couldn't keep up. I've been diagnosed with anxiety but no one has any idea how anxious I feel on a daily basis because it doesn't show on my face. I was in "gifted" classes in school, and I did great academically. It's so hard for me to believe that I might be autistic; I keep asking myself things like, "doesn't everyone struggle with that?" But two separate mental health professionals think I have autism, and videos like this one featuring low-needs autistic people make me feel like seeking an official diagnosis wouldn't be a waste of time.

[@UnionSouthampton]

Thank you for sharing and we are glad you can relate to the video!

[@AutiSam1974]

As someone who was diagnosed 4 years ago (at age 45) I would encourage you to seek an assessment. It can be a long and bumpy journey to get diagnosed and then come to terms with it and figure out who you really are but it can also be very rewarding and validating. Also self-diagnosis is totally valid. Good luck!

[@higherground337]

@@AutiSam1974 Thanks for your encouragement. The screening I did with the psychologist pretty much confirmed it for me. She was really confident. At the same time, she also ruled out ADHD and mood disorders. I've already gone through much of that journey you described, and I feel I'm better able to take care of myself now. Still, I do want to seek an official diagnosis as soon as I'm able to.

[@thefuturist8864]

I was diagnosed at age 40. I had very similar experiences to the guy on the bench. I have a very narrow range of interests, none of which are particularly financially viable, and society considers commerce to be exclusively viable in this way. The idea of giving someone money to help them be who they want is seen as ridiculous because that person isn’t doing anything for society. I have never had a reasonably paying job; the closest I came was working for Lloyd’s TSB in their collections department but I left after two months because we were being paid to bully and harass people and I’ve always believed both to be morally unjustifiable. I will likely never have my own house or flat because there is nothing about me that is seen as useful to society.

[@therabbithat]

I relate so hard to the sleep thing. Back during lockdown i only needed 7-8 hours of sleep a night and now that I'm back at work I'm back to 9-11 hours and still tired after that.

[@michaelbyrne5507]

I was diagnosed at 51, four years ago. It helped me understand why I was different. I've had a difficult life.

[@ronniecorbett6306]

At work I am disliked because I won't take "On-Call", but On-Call is for 7 days and in those 7 days I will get no sleep out of fear of missing a phone call. I guess I'm a bit of an outcast. No one at work knows about my issues. Peace to you all.

[@user-xe5yy1xy6x]

I had so many jobs like that and it was awful. I needed routine. The stress made me sick. I would be constantly nervous of whether I would have to work or not and also would loose sleep over it. I would get brain fog and make mistakes at work because I was so tired and then after a mistake I would feel nervous of making more mistakes and getting fired. It was hell. I have a routine now and am much healthier. I bet there are autistic people who are on disability because after working terrible conditions they fell apart physically (think fibromyalgia, autoimmune, ibs etc). If they had had quiet, not too bright routine work places without being expected to make witty banter and joke around with colleagues they would have been able to keep working. A few accommodations would save the government a lot of money.

[@EphemeralProductions]

Hugs to everyone in the video! From one autistic to another. I can relate much much to you. It’s a tough and rough life as an autistic, no matter what anyone says. We all need support , at least from other autistics.

[@SigMaQuint]

Considering a society suited for everyone, I think this is important insight. I know I have been around autism, probably so much that I have been taken for being undiagnosed. Knowing what can help is important, I think.

[@soylilly]

This made me cry so hard. I've been trying to understand why I've always felt so different my whole life, and recently have been doing more and more research into autism. I'm trying to get a diagnosis but its so hard because there is a stigma that girls don't have it still, especially since I'm now 25, and most drs won't take me seriously. Thank you for sharing these stories; it's so comforting to know I'm not alone.

[@UnionSouthampton]

Thank you so much for sharing your story! ♥

[@Loveandpeace20244]

I feel you!!! I’m a 24 girl and I’ve just found it out as you. It’s been a nightmare my entire life and knowing this at this point is SOOOOO liberating. Trying to get the diagnosis but it’s not easy.

[@jonnysinclair2186]

Brother, sister; the struggle is real. I appreciate this.

[@KittyCatSpartan117]

Same! I needed to hear my life out loud again and hear as to what I need to do to not obsess as to why everything is so hard right now 😪

[@turtleanton6539]

Indeed😊

[@-AnonymousUser]

I have a hidden disability! And I look normal and talk normal! Similar situation from grade 5 - grade 12 and From high school.! Even after I know I was born with a hidden disability! But I lean how to learn to deal with myself for most of my life throughout the years!

[@bonwrentaylor2743]

As someone with autism, this is all totally relatable and a very welcome video to accurately raise awareness !

[@Krista-388]

I hope to see more of these videos done through universities and other institutions. Glad I found this

[@bmxt939]

Can relate to 1st guy 100%. Our cities are shitholes in terms of noises, movement, smells, lights and unnecessary verbal input. It's like being firehosed with bullshit 24/7. One day I will hapilly move to rural area and find my peace. And most people don't have boundaries, like at all. It makes it almost impossible to socialize. They either treat you like some weird bug or try to shape you into their norm.

[@EliW95]

i don't like to frame autism as a disability per se, rather the *real* problem is the fact that we have monocultured society that try to coerce conformity rather than a polyculture that accommodates people just simply being different

[@davezad]

I think it's something Temple Grandin touched on in her quote. The idea of not just being different to them, but rather seen as having less worth. If you take a room of 10 people, 9 of them being average size and one who is significantly bigger and stronger than the others. He's also "different," and even if none of them like him, he's not getting picked on. That only happens when the recipient is seen as being lesser than the group somehow. Then all social morals are deemed inapplicable to them because the lesser person either deserves to be mistreated or is implicitly understood to be unable to defend themselves from it. It isn't only the neurodivergent who are bullied. Contrasted to my first example, smaller sized people are especially picked on because they are also seen as being of lesser worth. The true problem is a lack of social decency as often expressed by the dominant social group, simply because they fear no reciprocal bad behavior from their targets.

[@EliW95]

@@davezad that's actually probably a better of putting it if i'm being honest

[@davezad]

Thank you! Although, I was not intending to improve on what you said. You are not incorrect. There are not enough advocates from the perspective of those outside the social majority. @@EliW95

[@theamziss]

I disagree, it's very much a disability and we require support regardless of how well the outside world caters to us. Comments like yours are part of a trend that is causing it to be harder for Autistic people to receive (medical) support and get on gouverment benefits. Right now there's a huge 'push' to get Autistic people in the workfield, while the vast majority are entirely unable to work (again, regardless of gow much a comlany caters to their needs.)

[@jeremyfisher8512]

I disagree, the percentage of people with autism that cannot hold down a job even with a college degree is up to 85%. I would classify that as a disability because it makes it so much more difficult to support yourself. That and a lot of cases in autism it makes basic tasks like just eating a massive chore.

[@AutiSam1974]

Excellent video, well done to everyone involved for commissioning, creating and publishing this. As a late diagnosed autistic person I wish that this kind of insightful info had existed when I was at Uni in the 90s. I'm very glad young people can have access to it now, its great to see how understanding of neurodiversity is improving all the time.

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

Autistic from the north and with an active metabolism and a strong sensory issue for shorts. I was in Southampton on Nov 24-5 and 9 Dec 2023, at each end of a cruise. Bright days with springlike weather in the pre-Christmas period with all the market running. Weather that never used to be possible Nov-Mar in Britain of my 70s-80s childhood, but Dec 9 had a nippy windiness too. There were loads of folks wearing shorts. Not just one in a day. Not a few one-off sensory issue outriders like is often how you would see me. No. There were many! Still a minority, but steady stream of them everywhere and all through the day. Like just as casually ordinary to do then as in summer. So that for Dec 9 I could even predict it from the earlier memory, and that prediction was right! A very nice shift in society, in a world with precious few of those, hekping the sensory issue to be asserted and get less resustance for firmal situations.

[@ThroughTheLensOfAutism]

For about a decade people have said I have autism, but no one will test me, apparently it is a childhood disability.

[@UranusMcVitieFish-yd7oq]

PIn the UK you should be able to go through the process of assessment and diagnosis simply by asking your GP.

[@ThroughTheLensOfAutism]

@@UranusMcVitieFish-yd7oq I live in the USA, and it’s not so easy here.

[@audreydoyle5268]

Autistic children become autistic adults. We don't disappear

[@recoveringsoul755]

It might have more to do with maybe there aren't many resources available to help autistic adults. But of course, autistic children will all become autistic adults. We don't grow out of it The medical community may think why bother diagnosing an adult, because then what? If there isn't any treatment or insurance doesn't cover anything for adults, and the US medical system is profit driven...they have no incentive

[@shoelacedonkey]

@@UranusMcVitieFish-yd7oq Apparently it's not that easy in the UK either. The waiting lists are enormous and in some places can take months if not years to get an actual test & diagnosis.

[@tomralfe5428]

This dude is awesome.

[@nav6545]

Thank you for making this beautiful video.

[@jamesdean0885]

Thank you for sharing, especially the gent, as it really helped me appericate that even my small steps ARE strengthening.

[@UnionSouthampton]

That is so great to hear!

[@callanmacandie]

I generally cannot believe this. It’s amazing to learn more about autism from this video ❤🙏🏻

[@DatDude04]

There already has been awareness for asd. The real question is can these people have autism acceptance?

[@jeannettemolina5348]

I would like to know if people with autism have to take medication 💊 like antipsychotics, my son stopped taking his “cold turkey “ and now he is not doing well, PLEASE ANSWER big thanks

[@dt7843]

I just watched the video and I’m not autistic

[@johnrainsman6650]

Why don't we just leave it alone, a person's ASD? Who cares? They're fine the way they are. Let me guess. You guys don't agree. You think ASD is worthy of attention, concern, and "Oh, no, we gotta help this person."

[@reviewchan9806]

Yes, we do.

[@johnrainsman6650]

@@reviewchan9806That's prejudice

[@reviewchan9806]

@@johnrainsman6650 good.

[@audreydoyle5268]

It's worthy of compassion, just as every other facet of the human condition.

[@johnrainsman6650]

@@audreydoyle5268Not true. We get singled out. We need the attention and concern because we don't count as _normal_ human beings. I can read between the lines. It's belittling and labeling

[@Michala82Martin]

Disabilities is an awful word for having inconvenient quirks that help us cope with the super processing system that is our brains. The brilliance we offer comes with a few harmless quirks.... Deal with it!!!

[@Sw1rl_st4rz]

I don't think crying for hours because I didnt like something is an inconvenient quirk :)

[@Michala82Martin]

@@Sw1rl_st4rz I meant inconvenient to others.

[@audreydoyle5268]

I was born half blind. That makes me a disabled person. Because I cannot see through my left eye. I am also autistic. That makes me a disabled person also. Because it prevents me from social inclusion. We are a social species, we need community. And disability is NOT a dirty word.

[@myhumansuit]

Newly preliminarily diagnosed last year while I work on getting the official which is a process here in my state. My whole life makes sense and courageous stories like this have saved my life. 🩵