MY CHILDHOOD AUTISM TRAITS | traits I showed as an undiagnosed autistic child

Sharing some of my most notable childhood autistic traits. I talk about poor interoception, alexithymia, stimming, autistic masking and more! I also included some embarrassing pictures of baby Morgan lol so I hope you enjoyed that. As always if you have any specific questions about anything mentioned in the video comment them down bellow and I will do my best to try to answer everyone's questions either directly with a written response or cover it in a future video.
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ABOUT ME
Hello, for those of you that dont know me my name is Morgan. I am a 22 year old late diagnosed autistic ADHDer from Massachusetts. I am sharing my life on social media in an effort to advocate for autism awareness and break down the stigma surrounding autism and ADHD. I mostly talk about neurodivergent stuff but I also make lifestyle and travel content.

[@Joeprijsman]

As a fellow autistic and adhd person I love your videos! Very relatable stories you share and I love how you're able to express yourself about your neurodviergency so well, I wish I could do that!

[@morgaanfoley]

Thank you!! it took me a really long time to be able to articulate my words and be able to explain to people the things that were happening in my brain. It wasn't until i got diagnosed and was given the vocabulary of neurodivergent traits, trauma responses, and experiences.

[@sunnymist1198]

Hi, could you answer some of my questions about having both? A friend of mine said that he thinks I have both and I think I only have autism and I am now very confused. So do one of them show up “less” than the other, trait wise and do you struggle a lot with routines? Cause I can manage routines and I stop to function without them, I hate change and new things but I do struggle a lot with forgetting things unless I see them. Than I also relate to a lot of other autistic things both behavior wise and internally (especially internally)

[@thebladeybunch1820]

Before I did the research and learned more about autism and the varied way it can present, I had no idea that both my sister and I and all of our children are autistic. We were talking about it after this realization and about it's unbelievable that we didn't see it our kids ... We talked all the time about how we have really quirky kids..... Yup, we sure do ... I'm so glad there are people like you out her spreading awareness, the stereotypes are rampant and so destructive

[@morgaanfoley]

Totally agree on the stereotypes! theres nothing wrong with the steryotypical traits and while a lot of autistic people do present stereotypically, its harmful that society things that is the only presentation of autism.

[@JustMe_OhWell]

I was punished for a lot of those things. 😔

[@morgaanfoley]

Me too. It’s so hard growing up undiagnosed and having no one understand you and constantly be upset with you

[@wendycook6895]

Same and I have a neurotypical older sister who would tell me how to do things and what to do. I became a master at masking. Till I had kids... Then things went south.

[@Nico_DiAngelo]

Same

[@ylgn9561]

That's so sad to hear!😢Hope this doesn't happen to anyone anymore.

[@Nico_DiAngelo]

@@ylgn9561 it does really often, but thats what were fighting for. For people to be able to recognize if they think someone might be autistic or adhd of something like that. Because going undiagnosed sucks. Even if their wrong

[@annabellas2671]

"Hi this is our daughter morgan she acts completly like a nerodivergent person but shes nerotypical its fine" i was laughing for five mins straight😂

[@DeborahAnnsuperversatile]

That's probably what happened with my parents too. Someone important tried to tell them a few times about at least the ADHD, but my parents were worse because they did not even try to acknowledge it at all

[@jopgaard]

I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 56, 2 years ago. In looking at my childhood and adulthood I had so many of the autistic traits but no one put them together. I learned how to mask but when I hit burnout I was a mess. When I was a child, I was just seen as a weird kid. You had to be profoundly autistic before that was even considered.

[@the_rachel_sam]

When did you hit the burnout? When you were diagnosed or when you were younger? Sorry that I’m being nosy.

[@jopgaard]

@@the_rachel_sam I was diagnosed when I was 56. I'm 58 now. I had several times in my life when I hit burnout.

[@Caprabone]

60 year old here, not diagnosed but fit with a lot of the traits. And now I feel I actually understand the how's and why's of the things I do and feel. 😊

[@user-no2mz9hl4f]

The gullible thing gets me to this day! A little kid can say, “Look over there!” and I fall for it every time, even when I know it’s a trick. At 17/18, my uncle said, “The word gullible isn’t in the dictionary.” I looked it up, said, “yes it is, right there.” Then he had to explain the joke to me. When I was 4, my mother’s doctor said, “Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” For years, I was terrified to step on a crack.

[@jclyntoledo]

Honestly never understood why ppl said that bc I always thought small children could easily become traumatized bc all little kids take things literally. I'm sure it's worse if you're autistic bc taking everything literally lasts longer than the avg kid.

[@Nimona8]

I had a lot of these Autistic traits, and when my parents said that I made friends, easily it was because I just called everyone that I even slightly liked my friend, and then got yelled at for being "weird" or "wrong". ❤

[@jclyntoledo]

😂😭 Damn

[@BrainyGreenOtter]

Oh, Hello :) Edit :- I just learned about Alexithymia(when watching this video), and I don't know how to describe how I feel rn (no joke intended). It describes me so...PERFECTLY! Thank you :)

[@morgaanfoley]

Im so glad you were able to learn abut alexithymia! when i learned about it i had the same reaction. i was like ohhhh this explains a lot haha

[@nothingly]

same! i relate to it so much i think

[@ameliasanders9254]

This was such an interesting video!!! As a neurotypical I follow you to learn more about other people's experiences and your explanations are really clear!! Keep it up!

[@imjustjules]

AuDHD too here! Loved the video :) I relate to the difficulty with hair brushing, wanting to play alone, and being gullible. I’m still super gullible! I have hypersensitive interoception so that is different for me. I have the opposite experience of alexithymia where all my emotions and bodily cues are so overwhelming and intense, it’s constantly distressing and I can get internal sensory / cognitive overload too. I loved your disclaimer at the beginning about how we are all so different. :) I’m sorry they missed it in you, they being the medical professionals. They missed it in me too but my parents always knew. I got my diagnosis September 2022. ❤

[@annelspurrier8828]

Fellow AuDHD’er here and I relate to the hyper interoception and overly intense emotions too. I almost don’t know what I’m feeling because I’m feeling too much sometimes

[@Ravii697]

Hi Morgan, my name is Ravi and I just wanted to say how much I love your content, I'm also a late diagnosed autistic person, currently 29, learned about my autism when I was 27. I relate to your experiences very much and I feel like your tiktoks and videos on here are the absolute exact thing I would've needed when I was a teen to understand myself better and not constantly feel like something's deeply wrong with me, but I'm so so glad today's youth may have you to have a better chance than we did. All my love and support goes to you

[@reneedittmer9625]

As an autistic person, I think I relate to most of these. When I was a baby I was pretty verbal so I would cry, and I did most things a baby would do. The only thing that I never did as a baby was touch or do things I wasn't supposed to, I was very cautious as a baby. When I learned how to speak I could talk but I apparently had problems with speaking sentences so I had to go to physical therapy and speech therapy. When I was a kid at daycare I would always play by myself, but if someone talked to me you could not shut me up once I was talking about something. I also struggle with hygiene so bad and it's related to my autism. I also was bullied when I was a kid, which happened in kindergarten. I was getting bullied because I would cry over every single thing so I would be called "crybaby". I have no idea why I would cry over every single thing that went wrong, but I think it's probably because I was just so upset that I couldn't handle it. I know that I was shy as a kid, but I was extremely talkative once people started to get me to talk or if they talked to me. My mom was amazing with me. However, the rest of my family didn't really accept who I was. When I was little most of my family was taught to act certain ways that the parents wanted them to. But me? Noooo, I did not. I acted how I wanted. If I were upset and you would try to take a picture of me I could just not make myself to force a smile. School was okay through kindergarten and 3rd grade, but when I got to 4th grade to 7th grade I was misunderstood A LOT. I was very misunderstood by teachers, especially in 5th, 6th and 7th grade. I'm in 8th grade now and I do homeschooling. But throughout 6th and 7th grade I didn't have any friends. 7th grade was especially the worst of them all. I was missing most of the school days cause I was so overwhelmed, that was also my first year of middle school. I honestly didn't trust anyone there and I didn't feel safe. Every morning I would have cried because I didn't want to go to school cause of how bad it overwhelmed me. The teachers weren't any better either, and the students weren't either. Because of my autism it has caused me to be misunderstood, and I hate it. All I live in is loneliness and I have grown to have trust issues because of so many people treating me like crap. I'll probably add in my comment on which ones in your video I related to.

[@reneedittmer9625]

Poor interception- I relate to this a little bit. The only thing I struggle with the most is not being able to tell when or if I'm thirsty, I don't know what that feels like. I'll drink something, sure, but I don't really feel anything in me telling me "Hey, you are thirsty get up and get a drink of water". But sickness and hunger I can feel very well. Being expressionless- I actually don't relate to this one. I had lots of expressions as a baby to even now. My face will mostly always show what emotion I'm feeling. Although, I don't ask for attention cause I don't mind not having attention. Lack of eye contact- Yup, I struggle with that. I don't even like people staring at me! I have a dog and you know, she's a dog she's going to stare at me if I have food or if she's bored but I don't like it, it intimidates me when people or if just anything stares at me. I can make eye contact but if I do it's only to people I know and trust or it's for a brief moment. Struggles with verbal communication- I didn't have a big issue with this, other than I did have problems with speaking my sentences. Although I don't have a problem with that now. But like, I actually did not talk to anyone I didn't know or didn't trust. But if they talked to me I would talk to them, so I didn't ignore people when they asked me something or said "hi" to me. Not responding to my name and delayed responses- I actually didn't have a problem with this at all. I was quiet and introverted, plus shy but I didn't ignore people if they asked me a question or if they said something to me. Sensory sensitivity- Yup, although it's more related to my natural senses. So sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell are very sensitive to me. Things that are too bright overwhelm me. Things that are too loud to me overwhelm me. I'm sensitive to touch such as grass, anything too hot feeling or anything too cold. I'm also sensitive to clothing that is too tight, I prefer comfortable and loose clothing cause I like to feel "free". I'm sensitive to any kind of food, so I'm very peculiar with my food and how I like/want it. And certain smells are also very sensitive to me because I have the nose like a blood hound. Like, I can smell multiple things at once whether if it's far away or close by. This is both cool, but at the same time since my sense of smell is so strong certain smells do overwhelm my nose and cause my really bad allergies to flare up. This goes along with perfume, smells of food, and etc. Inibility to engage in play with others- I didn't struggle too hard with this I don't think, but when I was little I would have a whole script planned out in my head so most of the time when I would play with my cousins I would make them have the toys say what I wanted the toys to say because I liked to have things planned out cause it made more sense for me that way. But that was only with super close friends and family, around others I never really played with them. I grew out of this though, but now I kinda struggle when I play with others for example online and people do rp's I don't know how to rp. Stimming behavior- I actually never did this. Sometimes though, and it's VERY rare, but if I'm super super overwhelmed or if I'm very very sad and I want to cry I will purposely rock back in forth to try and distract myself, but I do it purposely so it's not like I don't notice it. So yeah, I never did any of those. Although, I did play with my hair when I was super little and it was mainly during school but no one ever got mad at me for it. Being overly gullible- I don't think I was extremely gullible, but I do take sarcasm or when people joke I take it literally but I don't think that makes me gullible. So I don't think I'm gullible. Like, you know that stranger danger thing kids were taught? Well, unlike most kids who would be gullible enough to trust random strangers I did not. Like, if a stranger was trying to lure me in with candy but I didn't know them I wouldn't follow them. But, then again my father had some serious... Disgusting behavior when I was little to me, he would often spank me for "dominance" and "pleasure" so he would often do that and he would say "It's just a game to me" which apparently I believed, so maybe I was a little gullible as a kid. My father is also an undiagnosed autistic so what fun to have a terrible, autistic father and then have me look like a female copy version of him. Oh, and also I believed in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus for a very long time. I believe maybe I was 10 when I was told they weren't real. Although, apparently Santa Claus used to exist but not in the same way as we normalize it to be, but yeah he doesn't exist anymore he died. Echolallia and self scripting- Nope, I actually never did this. But sometimes me and my mom will copy things off from TV shows such as Big bang theory, if we were saying something that reminded us of what a character had said in the Big bang theory we would copy it lol. Mimicking my peers- No, I never did this. I never copied what anyone did. Although, I did know a boy who was autistic in school before and he did copy what people would say a lot. But yeah, like you said people did not like it when he copied or mimicked people. Personally, I don't care if he mocks me or someone else but the other people did care and he would often get made fun of or picked on a lot, they would purposely agitate him. When he was in one of my classes, which was in 4th grade I did start defending him but in 5th and the rest of the years he wasn't in my classes so I couldn't but yeah, he didn't have a great time in school at all. Although, I do ask questions a lot. For some autistics, they would have mimicking problems because they felt like they had to do it as well but I always felt the need to ask "why" about anything, I was a very curious kid about things I wanted to understand. Having alexthymia- I actually do relate to this a lot. I don't know what I feel a lot. The only emotions that I can ever identify on what I feel is sadness, fear, and anger. But even if I know what I'm feeling, sometimes I won't even know why I'm feeling this way. And my emotions also change every single day, and since I'm peculiar if someone asked me "How do you feel about this dress?" I wouldn't know how to respond because Im wondering what it feels like and if what it looks like matters as long as I'm being comfy. Most of the time I'll probably answer with "I like it" "I don't like it" "Meh" "maybe" "neutral" or "I don't know."

[@AnnabethOwl]

⁠​⁠I relate to a lot of this and the don’t feel thirsty lead me to get heat exhaustion because I was at soccer practice and didn’t feel the thirsty cues. Exspressions are interesting since I don’t remember A lot of my childhood but I’m noticing now that I have to consciously think about what facial expression is appropriate before I do anything. I also hate making eye contact it’s so uncomfortable and idk how people do it. I also had struggle speaking in sentences and for a while there were words that I just couldn’t say. I have/had delayed responses and I hate it. I’m mostly sensitive to noise and smell and textures(in particular JEANS IDK HOW ANYONE WEAR JEANS). I’d play with others even make believe but it was always initiated by the other person and I just went also with it. I used to stim by chewing on shirts. I used chewing toys up until 4th grade were after being bullied I started to stim by bouncing my leg, playing with my fingers oh and biting the inside of my mouth. I’m gullible just at because I don’t see the reason why anyone would lie. I can tell sarcasm pretty easily but jokes are really hard for me to get. I did self script in fact I’m realizing now that the entire personality I use in public is completely a mix of traits and talking things from my parents or friends. I would mimic copy peer which always came off as annoying. Yep I have alexithymia I never can figure out what I’m feeling in the moment I thought that was normal and didn’t have a word for it. I’m not diagnosed with autism but lately KZbin is giving me autism content and I realize how much I relate…

[@mr.waterbucket]

Sometimes I gaslight myself into thinking that I've gaslighted myself into thinking I have autism because I don't have every single autistic trait, even though I have an official diagnosis 😂

[@morgaanfoley]

I also gaslight myself into thinking I’m not autistic and I also have a formal diagnosis

[@bec7666]

We are in the process of having our son diagnosed and he is a soft clothing loving, head touch hating, specific way of playing awesome little guy. He loves his little routine and it is more and more apparent how much he relies on routine.

[@Kimberly34584]

As someone who’s going to have their autism assessment in one month, I’ve been trying to stay away from knowledge about the process of the assessment but still watch videos about symptoms. I’ve been in serious mental health treatment for 4 years and knowing that a symptom is alexatxymia is so useful. It’s taken charts and so much more, I still remember how confused I was the first few years where I couldn’t quite put into words how unconnected I was to what people said were internal emotions. I went deep into learning mental health treatment resources and now feel like I better understand my emotions, or at least I have the tools to do so when I take the time to focus on my feelings and thoughts

[@tonipensiero1800]

Spot on..my daughter would just sit in a therapists seat and not talk. So many professionals missed it... she self diagnosed herself at 24 then got a professional assessment

[@paularoth4915]

I'm not autistic, but I feel so seen when you say that you didn't know if you were hungry or full. I don't struggle with that on a severe level like you did (being underweight, never eating on my own, etc) but it happens to me extremely often and I get so frustrated with myself and my body. So glad I'm not the only one, seriously, because it's such a weird experience. Same with with not knowing how my day was, unless something significant happened or I was in a REALLY good or bad mood. Like, what do you want to hear, mom, it was just a normal school day 😭

[@amy-avnas]

I am not diagnosed as autistic, but all the tests I have been taking say I am... with that said I also dealt with a lot of the same issues as you did. But I was very chatty, and smiley as a baby but I became more a d more withdrawn and quiet as I got older because I was shamed and punished for voicing my issues, meltdowns and such do to my sensory and socializing issues as a kid. I became extremely independant because I was forced too so I got myself dressed all the time. But I also would lose my shit if my clothes were too tight, or itchy or just sit weird on me. I hated wearing underwear too because I found everything about them to be so uncomfortable. Socks and shoes caused a lot of issues as well when getting me out the door.

[@maryguokas8018]

the emotion wheel that relates physcial responses to emotions os really helpful Ie . increased heartrate, sweaty hands stomach pain nausea. then links those back to an emotion. Thank you for sharing your stories. It will help the younger generation even more. 😊

[@Josie-ux5wd]

I use to know this boy that was very autistic and I went to a pretty expensive Catholic school and he left my class in 5th grade but he would have to go to the hospital constantly he was missing school constantly I felt bad for him and I found out that he wouldn't. Eat at all at lunch or home I knew he wouldn't eat at school but it got so bad that his mom had to come to our school to feed him eventually he had to leave P.S. Ily Morgan!❤

[@madisonmalek7223]

Me over here like what do you mean it’s not normal to play alone? Bro I was having arguments with teachers over not wanting to play since preschool 😅

[@morgaanfoley]

Same!! I would beg to stay inside during recess

[@catofaviation4281]

I am Autistic and literally EVEY SINGLE THING that you said in this video is exactly on my spectrum of autism. I feel more understood now i watched your video, thank you :)

[@putridname]

Morgan I love you thank you for even making videos in the first place you help me so much

[@wolfgangbudde2737]

This was really fun to watch, yet I recognize the massive disconnect between you and your environment. Lucky that you can look back with a smile! 😃 It also shows a lot of strength in you, telling this so openly 💪

[@oddikakthemisfit]

Thank you for sharing your experiences, traits and symptoms! Your anecdotes help me understand my own traits that I overlooked or misunderstood. ❤

[@Cr4zyLady]

Thank you for sharing these stories and perspectives! I'm late diagnosed and actually didn't have any of these traits as a kid. However, I can somehow completely relate and understand your perspective. I had a very similar internal experience, but was not allowed any outbursts, so my masking and anxiety overshadowed everything else by about age 6. As a result (I think) I struggle to know myself, and hearing experiences like yours allow me a glimpse into things I may have done/wanted/enjoyed had I not been suppressing anything that may garner attention/judgement/punishment. I can see your journey has not been easy, but it seems your parents offered you safety and grace, and that maybe helps you be more aware and accepting of yourself. This is a gift, and I'm grateful you are so willing to share 🤗

[@_stev_n]

I relate so much to this, was diagnosed last year aged 22 and looking through the years there are so many traits which are clearly obvious yet never picked up! Seen many doctors and specialists yet none of them seemed to ever come across the idea it's autism, even had assistance from a special educational needs assistant at school (something which is often at schools here in England)! Showed signs of having tics on and off for a period of time as a child, a dysfunctional vestibular system which means I walk on my tip-toes, saw a speech therapist as a child and even through close to six years of still ongoing treatment for depression did it click to specialists that it could be autism. Makes me question them sometimes but thank you for making videos and speaking out about your experience with autism!

[@AgnesBalla9602]

I am so grateful for my parents that even though they did not know I was autistic they accepted me with every traits and ‘problems’

[@Talklesssmilemore.]

I really appreciate you making these videos I really enjoy psychology and especially like learning about autism and ADHD and you have so much info about autism ❤

[@averycarlson3445]

You are such an amazing person. I love watching your vids because I relate to them a lot. Thank you!!

[@nathenewendzel7806]

I remember going through a time I would purposefully avoid answering questions or responding to questions I didn't have an answer to and my parents would yell at me for it. Especially my mother and she emphasized that it was something identified as an Autism trait and other nonsense that made me so angry and honestly it was only my parents with the issue. All these habits that were potentially linked to my Autism they tried to force me to break so I wouldn't be looked at as if something was wrong with me weren't issues normal people were looking for. Mom was especially obvious to the fact that normal people couldn't tell I had something unless I told them and people weren't being just polite and that my none responsiveness was often the healthest thing I could have done in the circumstance.....Maybe that's why I feel a need to respond to everything now a days.

[@samueloneworldproductions6520]

amazing video my friend, i am also autistic and i definitely experience some of these growing up with the eye contact, occansional death staring and expressionless, unresponsiveness at times, i had sensory issues involving tickling and if i was writing not wanting anyone to read or look at it, i would also go back and forth with being very talkative and suddenly shockingly quiet, my stimming would be tapping my teeth and i remember i used to believe my mom was actually santa, i also did the same things with minicing characters, a lot of times i would even act out the entire movie (The Spongebob Squarepants Movie being the biggest example) i sometimes would also had trouble making friends to where some would run from me when i just try to talk to them, my family did know that i was autistic from a very young age but i didn't found out i was till 7th or 8th grade, definitely relate to a lot of what you said, anyways amazing video and been loving your content, keep up the amazing work :}

[@wihmsikat]

I relate to so many of these traits but it's also interesting to see some of the differences especially if they're the polar opposite of what I might experience! Love this video

[@jasminvomwalde7497]

Thank you for the video. You are very knowledgeable and well spoken. Keep up the good work 👍🏾

[@Comicatt]

hey! i uhh i have a question (directed at anyone at all!) about autism diagnostic situations i really related to the short about taking the autism assessment, and generally every video you make (without a few ofc), but mainly i'm asking about diagnostic processes, i was told that i don't have autism because my responses weren't what they would expect, but i still do think that i have autism they asked me if i would prefer to go to the museum or a party for example, and i said what kind of party and what kind of museum, because i don't like art museums at all but i'd go nuts for a marine life museum or a dinosaur museum. if it was a party with my friend there then i'd pick that over most museums, especially since my friend isn't very social so i know that if they were going then it must be something enjoyable so despite sensory issues i would go as well i've related to all the shorts you've posted so far (i thought seeing animals in abstract tile patterns was normal lol) and i'm just confused honestly, because i got told i'm not autistic but it seems that anything i see that is autism related i relate to and the symptoms do describe me the diagnostic session i had was very strange, it lasted only 20 minutes and i wasn't allowed to see the results, it was just one multiple choice thing and the worst part is she changed some of my answers she asked me if i have any obsessions or if i collect information, i said yeah i collect pokemon and i collect sylvanian families dolls and she was like no, information not objects, and i said okay, marine life, and she said no i meant trains or birds and put me down as not having any she also told me that my love for pokemon was a video game addiction 🗿 🗿 is it okay to still identify as autistic and to aim to get a reevaluation?

[@nia.213]

If you think doctors aren't properly listening to you, keep fighting until you find one who will ❤

[@N0T_R3L-lb2kg]

Love your vids ❤ and I have ADHD and my parents just said I have attention issues 😮

[@ItzAna662]

Hi! So I'm a 15 year old female and I'm not diagnosed with Autism or Adhd bit my cousin recently asked me if I was Autistic and I said no. She said that noticed a lot of traits in me that pointed to Autism and Adhd. I don't know what to think because I do know that I have odd behaviors that I thought was normal but when I ask and people say no I feel like I'm weird and something is wrong with me. This video made me try to think if I had any Autistic traits during childhood but it's hard for me to remember because I was an abusive household and I was isolated from people a lot. The only thing that I know is that I never really cried or made noises as I baby, even if I was hungry or needed a diaper change. But now idk. Ever since my cousin asked me it feels it feels like I'm having a mental crisis and I'm questioning my whole life. I feel like I'm just being an attention seeker and maybe I'm just weird. Sorry for such a long comment

[@SteamyPMcGee]

Do you go to school and if yes I think a good first step would be if you ask to speak to your school counsellor, theyll be able to help with your anxiety and help you find resources and pathways to other support if you need it . Colleges also have student counsellors, or there might be someone in the community like at church.

[@AnnabethOwl]

This is me rn I was recently asked by a family member if I thought about autism. I don’t remember any of my child hood either.

[@Cr4zyLady]

I had the same imposter syndrome experience. Doing the assessments on the 'embrace autism' website helped make my thoughts more solid, and served as a great stepping stone to formal assessment. Understanding yourself is powerful 🤗

[@jclyntoledo]

The thing is you said it was an abusive household so you might have also been neglected which is why you stopped bidding for attention or affection bc no one was going to come for you. I do think you should try therapy bc it might be complex ptsd and maybe after you're in therapy for a but you can ask about getting tested for autism.

[@wesityweswes]

my parents would also get mad when i said that i didn’t know how my day went so i just started saying “good” to avoid that lol

[@lauraaguilar2094]

Wow!! So insightful. Thank you for sharing. Wish more teachers and therapists received more information on autism

[@jenniferblomme8551]

you are an amazing ambassador, TYSM

[@FeyLionheart]

My psychiatrist refuses to diagnose me with autism still because I had childhood trauma and he I quote said “Autistic kids live normal lives and don’t have trauma.” I know I’m on the spectrum.

[@TigerEgan]

Loved this video, thank you Morgan for the excellent information. My daughter and myself are very similar

[@philija2584]

You made me cry 😢 this could be my childhood, but without so supportive parents. I haven't been diagnosed yet

[@jeffreymorgan8687]

You do an amazing job with facial expressions. I would never know you had to work so hard learning how to do it.

[@Yurki9472]

I find it a tiny bit reassuring to being able to relate to some of the things you mentioned in the video. It makes me realize that I was wayyy more autistic than I thought. It wasn't just me bein weird or anti social, I was just autistic!

[@Sam88---------88-]

I relate to basically every one and autism runs in my family yet my parents still think I’m just looking for attention! I HATE HAVING ATTENTION ON ME!!!!

[@nehagupta8283]

Loved this video could relate to so many traits 😁😁😁

[@chocmint]

i relate to a lot of these. thank you for sharing your childhood traits.

[@TheAwesomeYouTuber1]

Thanks for sharing your story I can relate to the Some of what you’re talking about.

[@francinesanchez5402]

I loved this video! I worked in the field of Autism 20 years ago and it was so different. Neurodivergence and neurotypical weren’t commonly used words…. I never heard them back then. Same with masking or interoception. Asperger’s was still a diagnosis and if people didn’t have communication delay, that is what would be looked at. People didn’t define themself as Autistic, instead being labeled an “individual with autism.” And it was still looked at something that needed a cure. Very very different. We’ve come a long way. It’s really in the last 5-10 years that I feel it’s been recognized that someone may be Autistic, but not noticeably so. I had what’s so so similar to Autistic burnout and am unsure if I’m autistic. After realizing, I watched my kids at gymnastics class. They are the only ones of all the kids flapping their hands with excitement. (Hmmmm). My sister thinks her and her husband may be too (and I wouldn’t be surprised at all). My uncle fits so much of the criteria. It’s like we are in the Wild West of ASD diagnosis still.

[@francinesanchez5402]

To be clear, I don’t know if I am Autistic, I know I have ADHD. I have issues with interoception, as well as being able to to tell my feelings. As an adult, I have sensory issues. I have trouble adjusting to change of plans. I don’t like being watched when doing things and struggle with PDA, even if the task benefits me. I’m so glad all this information exists. I just wish I knew how to better structure my life. I feel I can’t do it the neurotypical way. But I don’t know new ways to make it work. And it’s very difficult.

[@dylanssinging1695]

Loved this video!

[@isabellammusic]

Hi Morgan! I know you from TikTok. I recently started my own YT channel about my experiences. I discovered that I'm Autistic at the age of 37 (in the end of last year). I try to follow as many Autistic/Neurodivergent content creators as possible because I wanna learn and understand more about it. This video is really interesting! Thank you for talking about your childhood. I don't get why people didn't notice that I'm different. This is why we need to talk about ourselves. / Isabella

[@emmamichaelson8979]

I’m pretty sure I’m autistic and watching your videos is showing me things that I see happening to myself. so thank you ❤

[@viviandagostino642]

The baby fro though was so cute ☺️

[@urbloxburggirly]

Hi Morgan! I believe that I have autism but don’t know how to approach my parents with it. Any tips? I also fear i won’t be taken seriously because when you google “autistic traits in girls” it mainly says ‘emotionless’ or ‘social anxiety’ but I am the complete opposite! I never don’t have a smile on my face and will talk to anyone and everyone. I LOVE UR VIDS BTW

[@thegracklepeck]

Poor interoception. I wouldn't pick up on that I needed to pee until I really needed to pee. This resulted in lots of accidents and narrowly making it to the bathroom even as a 9 year old. Verbal communication was complicated for me too. I wouldn't know how to do social interaction or pick up on inflection or if an adult or another child was teasing me or joking. Sensory issues. Oh my lord yes. Tags, itchy clothes, sock seems, they were all awful. And brushing or combing my hair was torture. I remember getting a gift for my birthday one year and being super excited about it and all the other kids going outside to play without me while I sat by myself. Echolalia and scripting, ditto. And embodying tv and movie characters.

[@kyubeyo]

Have you ever had the problem where your body wouldn’t wake you up when you needed to pee? Bc as embarrassing as it is, I wet my bed often as a kid bc of this

[@kyubeyo]

Like, to put it into perspective, it ended once I was like 12. I still have the problem periodically

[@wendycook6895]

I use to also play with my hands as friends. And my stimming was usually making sounds like rolling R. Because it felt so weird and made my vision bounce

[@garyjaycat]

I pick at my split ends and this is the first time I've heard of someone else picking at their split ends too! I had joined the trichotillomania subreddit, but I didn't see any posts focusing on split ends, so this is kinda refreshing to hear. I'm 28 and I haven't been diagnosed with autism but I wouldn't be surprised if I was (I relate to other traits too, not just the hair pulling)

[@anniefarrell9907]

You brought back a long forgotten memory to me. The whole conversing fingers. XD I did that. One was a boy the other girl..i forgot which hand was which tho. But omg! You just helped me realise so much more about myself and the possibility of me having autism.

[@sammythestrawberryofficial]

4:44 I STILL AM LIKE THIS like this literally me omgggggg😭

[@PotatoesAreBeautiful]

omg i was the 100th like! also, i love seeing videos like this because i do most of these things and it just gives me a sense of not normalness, but knowing why. basically tysm for existing and making these videos! 🩷

[@Zombotron5678]

Currently studying to be a therapist/counselor and honestly hearing your story here I hope makes me more aware so I can help spot this in others rather than how yours made assumptions about you

[@grahamelliott9506]

im 40 and I still am having trouble making and keeping friends , its arguable that I don't really have any friends except maybe one or two that I send an online message to once week or less and people have repeatedly said i'm 'in my own little world' over the years... which I am, but am also hyper attuned/hypervigilant around other people , I just hide it well so I guess I am familiar with , at least somewhat, some of things you said here! in my own way maybe. Or maybe I can relate more than I think I do :) Its refreshing though to hear people describe their experiences, and recognize or identify with some of those things. We're not alone even though life can be so painfully isolating and lonely.

[@hannahk1306]

I realised recently that I made friends at school by just waiting for people to come and make friends with me! I was often described as shy, but like you very chatty at home - after parents' evenings my parents would often jokingly say "I think they got the wrong child", because the teachers would always describe me as being very quiet. Also, you're the only other person I've heard say that they didn't always have feelings about something; I would experience things, but I didn't always have the strong emotions attached to that experience that others seemed to expect me to have. I would basically give the answer I they were expecting. Especially if someone asked, "Are you feeling excited/nervous/etc?" I'd just agree with them or if it was a choice, then I'd say "a bit of both".

[@karenbutcher1240]

So many people had the idea of autism to be like Rain Man, although you may be too young for that reference. The other problem that happens in schools is if the kid is quiet and leaving people alone there is less of an effort to get to the bottom of the behavior. Wild and loud get the attention. Sadly, expectations for girls still seems to be lower. A girl could be labelled as a dreamer or simply not too bright, but if you were flipping desks or punching out kids on the ice, people probably would have worked harder to help you.

[@m4rt_]

1. I feel hunger, though I don't often feel it (and I'm not sure if I don't feel it unless I'm really hungry, or it's just the fact that I am fortunate enough to be able to eat enough food), but I have issues figuring out when I am full. So I have to either eat until I feel like I can't eat anything more, which is way too much food, or try to guess when I am full. 2. I most of the time have the same neutral facial expression, which some interpret as me being annoyed/mad. Also, I struggle with eye contact, I'm able to make eye contact when it's with a family member or someone who I am close to, also when it's on a screen, but when it's face to face with coworkers, or just random strangers, I struggle with eye contact. 3. I'm not sure that I have many sensory issues, but I experience a lot more pain than my peers, and there are some specific sounds that are just awful. Also, sometimes I hate some food just because of the texture it has. 4. I spent a lot of my childhood being by myself, though I did play with others, but that was mostly when they shared an interest with me. 5. I did a lot of stuff as a kid that I now think may have been stimming, and some of them are a bit embarrassing, so I'll not share them, but some of the ones I'm willing to share is that I used to tap on my desk in school a lot, and I would often draw on and poke the eraser. 6. I was also very gullible as a kid, so now I have issues trusting people, though I am still gullible. 7. I don't think I would quote people from movies in conversation, but I would often imagine that I was in the movie I just watched for a while after the movie was over.

[@mantybat]

Omg, you described my child almost to the T, I always thought my child was perfect as a baby too, like ideal baby. We are still trying to process this late diagnosis ourselves too

[@kas4mi]

Hi Morgan, thank you so much for making these videos! I have a child, who's diagnosed and I find your videos very, very comforting as they helped me confirm, process and gave some reassurance about their possible future. Do you have any advice on what you might've liked from your parents as child?

[@Dani.P.F.]

I actually experience a lot of imposter syndrome because of my childhood. I don't remember a lot, my mother and siblings don't either, my school reports are completely fine until I switched schools. I was officially diagnosed over a year ago. But then there are those memories that come up whenever I hear people talk about their experiences and suddenly it's so clear to me that the diagnosis is correct and I'm not making it up or that it's something different. I wonder if this will ever go away.

[@beethers]

My mom: he's shy Me: cries when you make too much eye contact

[@KH-rt3ef]

Everybody is always smiling in my old family photos, except me, I’m always straight-faced. Adults would consistently create a scene about it, which was so embarrassing! Yet I never learned. Instead, I associated cameras with unwanted attention and would cry about posing for photos.. I was eventually trained to contort my face to standard, via that negative reinforcement. But it took way too long, lol. I would suggest training such children with positive reinforcement instead, in the form of bribes. That would’ve been so much easier to process. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

[@nathenewendzel7806]

Shy around strangers is a very common trait for a lot of children. I personally wouldn't consider it an Autism trait as it seems just as likely to hit somebody with Autism or something else as somebody that doesn't. It's a very hit miss trait of children. Yes I heard the disclosure and I'm glad you emphasized that because a lot of people would probably draw a lot of conclusions if you didn't. My mother started suspecting when I was three and I was diagnosed at the age of eight and then had to go my whole life knowing I had something society deemed wrong about me (my attitude towards it for many years).

[@SHALALAING]

As a late diagnosed autistic person, I had this friend who I would follow around everywhere because everyone liked her, she was kind and cute, and everybody thought that I was super weird because I always wanted to be with her, but now I know that it was just me trying to mask and fit in. It was a problem for me bc I wanted friends, I wanted to be liked, and I didn't had a real friend until 20 (it's been 10 years since we're best friends). I was super bullied, picked on and ab*sed, and all of this could've been avoided if I had a diagnosis...

[@phoenixastra4429]

Sometimes I feel like we are from another planet!! xD My goodness. Especially the mimicking thing. Us trying to learn so much about other humans!! It's so weird feeling so foreign from everyone else.

[@strictnonconformist7369]

I was amused by the finger talking behavior, a funny creative conversation with yourself. I don't know how old I was when I stopped it (I don't remember much from before I was 2) but before I could walk, I had a transparent sphere with a toy horse inside that I'd put on my feet and balance it above my head. They were worried I'd drop it on my head, but I never did.

[@jay.theoutsider]

I'm not sure if I'm neurodivergent or not but I love watching these types of videos because 1. They're really interesting and relatable and 2. I write neurodivergent characters and this helps me with "research" in a way. :) I've also never heard someone else who mimicked characters like I did until this video!! When I was little I had tons of "phases" when I was "obsessed" with a certain movie or game and it changed every few months or so. Some huge things I did this with were Cars (Mater and Finn McMissile) The Incredibles (Dash), Wreck-It-Ralph (Felix), and Minecraft: Story Mode (Jesse and Radar). I copied characters' mannerisms, quotes, outfits, everything! I still do this to some extent. My current "obsession" is The Outsiders (book and movie) and I've been into it for like 5 years now! I still mimic the characters by dressing like them and acting sort of like them! (especially Ponyboy and Johnny). I love The Outsiders so so much!! I've also started doing the same thing with Elvis Presley, as he's my favorite musician, and also some of my other favorite 50's rockabilly artists. I also have an incredibly hard time with communication. I never know how to interact with my peers and I'm scared to go out on my own in the world as I am eighteen now. I really wish I knew why. I know it could be neurodivergence, but if it's not, then that's okay! I'll just go on with my life if it turns out I'm not autistic. Either way (if I ever find out) it will be a learning experience. Wow, I always seem to ramble on and on! Sorry for the long comment!

[@katie1353]

My mum has always said what an easy baby I was, never cried etc. On the flip side, she also likes to remind me how I would only ever let her feed me my bottle, that she went out with my sister once leaving my Dad with me and my bottle and we were still there when they got home and I'd cried and refused the milk until she gave it to me. She says I was a good sleeper but skims over my need to have my duvet tucked in REALLY tight over my legs each night and I would ask her to move an ornament 2mm so it was in the right place, or the door had to be exactly so far open for me to sleep. Not to mention the fact that I had learned from a young age that crying out wasn't allowed (thanks health visitors) so I often lay in bed for hours unable to sleep but eventually cried myself to sleep from frustration. I was finally diagnosed ADHD aged 36 and Autistic aged 38.

[@KenikoB]

I had the same issue with food but it presented as the opposite problem. I didn't feel my fullness cues, so once I latched onto food I started interpreting boredom as hunger and would eat too much because unless my stomach was so full it hurt I didn't feel like stopping.

[@A-Pinecone]

My problem was I was in a constant state of depression until I was... well 19. Created one hell of a mask I guess. I feel similar to you though. Looking back with all I know now, to me everything was glaringly obvious. And my family would also pat themselves on the back. "Oh you're always so quiet and respectful, never act out... or talk to anyone" meanwhile they never knew that internally I was in a near constant state of distress 😅

[@roberttravers7587]

Great video

[@scottmoot2969]

58 undiagnosed. My diagnosed childhood friend was drugged. He didn't make it. Nobody understood it back then. Learning more from TikTok. Rock On

[@is2269]

💜 wow... listening to these traits has made my wierd childhood make so much more sense now... the gullible thing really hit home... some people took advantage of that thinking i was dumb or stupid then bullying me about it... but i was just a very literal... autistic... little girl 💜

[@JustMe_OhWell]

💚

[@nathenewendzel7806]

The not recognizing hunger thing and just eating when I was given food was something I experienced until I was about 12 about when I started the puberty growth spurt phase and my recognition got even stronger when Mom started locking the fridge to discourage my cousins from over eating. I never thought the not feeling hungry or full most of the time was linked to my Autism. The one time I brought it up, my mother told my sister I was messing with her. I never mentioned it again.

[@jonahp1127]

Even now that I’m in college (I commute from home) I’ll come home and my parents will say “How was your day?” and I’ll think for a couple seconds and just say “I learned __”. My base emotional state is ambivalent and it takes something pretty drastic for me to start talking about my emotional state.

[@Maddiisonn]

I would get really bad meltdowns and I wouldnt really say what was wrong I would cry and scream and break things and just used my hands. I would have meltdowns over small things. Usually when I felt my feelings werent being understood and when no one could figure out why I was so upset. People hated me for it. And they thought I was a little bratty monster. And it hurt and i ended up taking it out on myself

[@juliaschoo]

You told me about my own childhood! I recognise myself, I've supposed that I am autistic recently. Now I am sure it is true

[@karens8633]

I was diagnosed at forty, my difficulties were attributed to having congenital Hypothyroidism that wasn’t diagnosed until I was three months old.

[@strawberryfields81]

I don‘t know whether I am autistic or not. My parents told me I was the easiest baby- I was lying in my crib and rotating my hands and just watching them for ages. I also love the copying- to this day (I’m 43) I’m imitating people I find interesting and I’m also citing movie characters or I‘m singing like all the time when I feel safe.

[@jacepawplayz]

As a diagnosed autistic person, sounds like some things I do. I’ve heard an autistic trait is copying characters/people you admire

[@giusigurl7971]

I think it's obvious to us now because we know what autism is and how it presents in girls.. but 20 years ago it wasn't obvious. I'm 45 and just finding out.. and looking back, I see all the traits and it was SO obvious.. but it really wasn't. People didn't have knowledge of those things or an understanding. Especially for us "high functioning" (aka. high masking) individuals. I think that now that we know more and because of avenues like tikitok and IG reels, etc, that weren't around back then, but are now.. there is far more information available to us easily, and it WILL be more obvious for people now. Thankfully. I hope that means that more people will have community and be able to have their needs met instead of going their entire life wondering what is wrong with them and why they don't belong.

[@stephanieblahbiddyblah]

I was told by an Englishman the reason lettuce isn't in their cuisine is bc the climate is too cold to grow it. I'm a horticulturist and anglophile, I adamantly stood by this for years. Unrelated, I'm no longer friends w that guy

[@ElizabethRodriguez-ed5rv]

Thank you so much for sharing this great video. I suspect my 2 1/2 year old is borderline autistic. Her twin sister is not. My daughter has a delayed response to answering to her name, doesn’t hold eye contact, laughing randomly, throws toys when upset, and has a problem and doesn’t like getting her wet hair combed. She copies but doesn’t initiate certain normal behaviors. It’s weird, but I see it. I just want to help her learn better and help her meet milestones. I’m going to talk with her pediatrician. Thank you ❤

[@XXthelivingdead]

the last part about the therapists though. i had my gaurdians take me to them alot as a foster kid and i never understood why i was ever there and would just sit there and go 'idk' and then infodump about my current special interest to them. i never resaw these therpists ever as they were different every time but like. i feel like looking back this was a major sign. i got a minor sugery at 7 and had to be put under and i brought all my favourite toys in a backpack and wouldn't shut up to the nurse about how much i loved garfield and how many garfield things i had at home and in my backpack that i brought with me. dont even get me started on lining my toys up. 😅

[@skylawebb7537]

I’m 14 your videos help me a lot so thank you ❤ I’ve been trying to get a diagnosis for autism and adhd for ages but my school and doctors don’t believe my struggles ❤😅

[@soulnudgeevolution211]

Ughhh, 48 years here girl!!!

[@heedmydemands]

❤

[@thetonytaye]

Oh god… the death stare thing was so me. I still feel horrible about that. When I was like 7-8 I would do that to random people and I have no idea why.

[@jaypaint4855]

Oh wow I did the exact same ey rolling thing as a kid

[@wendycook6895]

I never knew when I was sick. And also forgot to use the bathroom a lot.

[@zeliha8113]

I need to know more about the hand playing because I used to do that A LOT as a kid and I thought it was normal…is there something behind it?