What Is the Autism Spectrum?

[@nenben8759]

as an autism, im just happy y'all didnt use the puzzle peice for the thumbnail

[@bjarkiengelsson]

'as an autism' for some reason made me giggle like a schoolboy lol

[@the-aphelion-archives]

AS AN AUTISM

[@jordyvandersluijs4484]

so true, autism speaks is terrible

[@armakitty1]

I am also an autism

[@michaelmccarthy4892]

I'm somewhat of an autism.

[@UsenameTakenWasTaken]

That is incorrect. The autism spectrum is actually what blasts out of my eyes whenever someone says, "You're not autistic, I know someone who is and they don't act like you." And then they go blind and grow hair on their palms.

[@Kleineganz]

🤣

[@starrywizdom]

Oh, so that's YOU doing that. Thank you!

[@TheKrispyfort]

My kids would agree with you

[@Somedude20282]

Real

[@hannescampidell]

I think I'm lucky, that never hapend to me (but most people don't even realize that I have autism)

[@LunDruid]

As a person on the spectrum, my favorite analogy is that autism is not a computer bug; it's a different operating system.

[@kalechips5972]

I mean, sure, but you can acknowledge some people CLEARLY have it worse, no?

[@NuclearAnNoahlation]

I am not autistic, I simply am a Linux Human

[@BentleyCreates]

​@@kalechips5972then the operating system is worse in some ways but better in others, like real operating systems.

[@coldlogic800]

As a 55 year old man on the spectrum, I agree with your analogy.

[@coldlogic800]

​@kalechips5972 you miss the point. Some alternate OS humans get equipped with will naturally share more or less with neurotypicals.

[@PrimataFalante]

I really loved the video. I would just add something to the critique of ABA, from the POV of a diagnosed autistic with sensory challenges: for many autistic individuals, is not just discomfort, but actual pain (it's my case). The extreme focus on behaviour caters to parents who want 'a normal child', ignoring the child's feelings and experience. Since alexithymia is very present on the spectrum, the child is not equipped to understand and express the pain of being conditioned to accept being constantly uncomfortable and suffering. So the behaviour may change (and that is seen as a 'positive result'), but at the cost of making the child get used to being in pain or discomfort for the rest of their life, resulting in a worse quality of life and, obviously, added trauma - just because the individual needs were treated as a problem, instead of a difference. A very commom term on autistic communities today is 'masking', and is exactly what ABA and similar treatments incentivize. Masking is the "skill" of pretending you are comfortable and not making extreme efforts to appeal acceptable for others. It's a very sad skill that many of us develop to a point where we start thinking we are just incompetent for being constantly exausted and depressed while everyone else is just "living life", all just to be looked at as a 'normal person'. Imagine being forced to burn your hand everyday until you learn to not express pain any longer, and being taught that the right answer is to pretend that pain is not present and you should continue your life ignoring it. That is what exposure therapy is, almost literally - the difference being your pain is not physically visible as it would be with a burn, but it is real and present, and not going away just because you learned to act as if you feel nothing. I dived into a deep depression in my late twenties/early thirties thanks, in part (because depression is multi-fatorial) , to ignoring all my sensory and social issues my whole life, leaning into the idea that I was being weak and that everyone faced the same issues as me and were capable of surpassing then, when in reality my issues were almost in a completely different world as the rest of the prople around me. That's an inhuman way of life to encourage, specially when it's done just to make someone 'look normal', instead of helping them have a more functioning and fulfilling life. And that is the actual problem with ABA, exposure therapy and others that focus on controlling behaviour instead of trying to help the individual understand their own needs and find creative ways of coping and functioning on their daily life. (I'm sorry if there are multiple spelling or grammatical errors, I'm Brazilian and writing in english is not something I do frequently)

[@myoopoo]

Your English was pretty much perfect, and I wholeheartedly agree with what you've said (except I unfortunately did not love the video lol)

[@Tlaloc89]

Thank you for sharing this. It's very cogent and helpful!

[@Deeply_Unhinged_Goblin]

A very nice summary of the criticisms of ABA. My therapy now focuses on pretty much the opposite of ABA: unlearning masking. People like me less, but I feel better.

[@urmommabear5monthsago]

ABA is a wonderful thing

[@spelcheak]

@@urmommabear5monthsago No

[@ollieburn4044]

Another reason for Autism being more common for people whos dads are older may be that their dads are also autistic and have taken longer to form relationships and have children because of this. This would therefore make them more likely to have autistic children as it is often inherited.

[@ashiningsoul449]

My dad would have been 40 when I was born so I dunno if it applies to me. But he is definitely autistic

[@MaRaMa-ARTZ]

Yup! My art teacher had 2 kids after 36 and then after 40, both autistic but he is as well as. For the longest time he didn't think he was because his sons were so different from him in their severity of needs but I just had to point out his obsession with superheroes and collecting figures and just generally being an eternal child even now in his 60s. (Then when *I* found out I was too, at 35 years old I told him there was a reason we're best friends and get along so damn well. lol)

[@sunte91]

Interesting though 🤔

[@mkatseal]

About half my family is autistic, all with young dads. I like your hypothesis. One has an older mother but otherwise all had young parents.

[@mindwarp42]

It could also be that the father's age has nothing to do with it. My dad was 37 when I was born, and 39 when my sister was. He was not autistic. My mom's side of the family is where my neurodiversity comes from, and thinking about it all of the NDs, including my autistic self, who are biologically related are female - I have an adopted male cousin with ADHD, but his sister/my aunt's biological daughter has an autistic daughter, my sister has ADHD, Mom is dyslexic, and she had a schizophrenic female cousin.

[@saizai]

Regarding ABA (applied behavioural analysis): you glossed over an important caveat to its "success" rate, which is that it measures "success" in terms of conformity to neurotypical behaviours - rather than in terms of improving the subjective experience of the autist, like by teaching them ways to reduce the effects of overstimulation, explicit emotion reading skills, explicit social scripts, differences between them and allists which help understand problems in interactions, etc. That is the crux of autistic criticism of ABA: that it looks at behavioural conformity (like operant conditioning) to improve life for allists around the autist, rather than at improving life for the autist (and as a byproduct giving them the skills needed to better integrate with allists).

[@RubelliteFae]

"How to mask more effectively."

[@the1jessebrown]

ABA helps teach kids the same things you taught your neurotypical kids. You sit when the teacher says to sit. We don’t hit friends, we use an inside voice when we’re in the classroom. Personally, I think it’s more ableist to give up and say they can’t do it or it’s too hard. I will provide every support they need to reach the goals they have. You can’t just scream in class or at work you can’t you won’t be successful. A life of depending on parents is not a life that’s being a pet. I give people tools to make great choices and help them understand how to succeed. If you want to pad the walls of the world you get started but I promise you my clients will be there walking with confidence on their own feet

[@saizai]

@@the1jessebrown I agree that it's important for people to be able to get along in the world. Not screaming in public and not hitting others are examples of that. So is being able to be independent, being able to manage one's needs, being able to ask for (& get) necessary accommodations, being able to communicate well, fixing things before the point of meltdowns, etc. However, that can't be entirely on the autist - not when improvements to the environment would help, or when the behaviour at issue is just atypical rather than actually harmful to others and should be accepted rather than repressed. Same as any other disabilities or atypicalities, like blindness (hi, that's me). Obedience and conformity are not self justifying objectives. Someone may need to stand in order to manage their physical & mental state. Screaming and hitting generally have causes, like overstimulation or failure to communicate, which should be the primary thing redressed - rather than just insisting that the autist suffer and hide it, or that they're unilaterally responsible for things that require cooperation.

[@anonanonanna]

@saizai There is another big issue with ABA for people with nonspeaking autism and severe apraxia. These are people fail ABA because they simply can't get their bodies to comply to the requests, even when they fully understand what they're being asked to do, because their bodies aren't under their volitional control. Ido Kedar describes his experience of being in ABA: "I was asked to demonstrate my understanding of basic concepts by pointing to flashcards arrayed in front of me during drills. My instructors took data regarding whether I pointed to the right card or not. They thought they were collecting data on my receptive understanding of language. They were not.... The data they were collecting, though they did not know it, actually measured my poor ability at that time to get my hand to touch with accuracy the card I wanted, and did not reflect an accurate measure of how much I understood. "My mind might be screaming, “Touch tree! Don’t touch house!” and I would watch, like a spectator, as my hand went to the card my hand, not my brain, wanted. And down in the data book it would be marked that I had not yet mastered the concept of tree. This is the neurological force that needs to be studied."

[@anonanonanna]

​@@the1jessebrown How do you help people with nonspeaking autism who have extreme difficulties controlling their bodies? For example they may not have volitional control over what words come out of their mouths, let alone the volume it comes out in. Why not help them regulate their nervous systems better to help them prevent their bodies lashing out in meltdowns. Why not help them to develop muscle strength and cooridnation so they can get better control of their bodies. For nonspeaking kids, why not help them develop purposeful motor skills needed to communicate their thoughts and feelings in depth. Agency gained from full communication access often helps to decrease "behaviours". Apraxia can mean having little feeling of where your body is in space and that can make it very difficult or impossible to just sit down and be still for some people. They may need to move around to get neurological feedback. Especially That doesn't mean they can't participate.

[@eliza3505]

Hi I’m an Indigenous woman and was not diagnosed until my late 20s. I’m usually nervous about watching videos about autism but this was very well done. Thank you.

[@poindextertunes]

i get so anxious when these videos pop up 😅

[@Newton-Reuther]

As an autistic white "guy" in my mid-20s, I understand your trepidation. If you are interested in videos about, by, and for autistic people, I highly suggest Orion Kelly, "Mom on the Spectrum," and "The Thought Spot." There's a lot of us out there and an increasing number of us are making videos. ❤

[@Rokegle135]

Why does your ethnicity matter?

[@Muskar2]

@@Rokegle135 Classic overshare, as many of us on the spectrum do. Probably matters because both "indigenous" and "woman" are (ASD) minorities that associate with more unreported cases, and thus it could be an indirect way to express that they typically feel even more misunderstood than if they hadn't belong to those categories. And since she wasn't misunderstood here, it would enhance the compliment further.

[@chey7691]

​@@Rokegle135 You seriously don't know about early autism research do you? Firstly for the longest time they only would use young white little boys from well off families in Europe... And that led to a very limited ability to diagnose any other group because of that. And the second one is that... Just look up Asperger's syndrome history and find out the BIG link to the original research bias was eugenics and THE WW2 political party of Germany. Long story short everyone else is usually left out of the discussion to this day due to a false bias.

[@OMFGZdance]

17:52 I appreciate that you didn't mention the name of the person who came up with ABA, because in my humble autistic opinion, he deserves to be so forgotten that the last memory of him crumbles into dust-- and soon. He said about us: "You see, you start pretty much from scratch when you work with an autistic child. You have a person in the physical sense - they have hair, a nose and a mouth - but they are not people in the psychological sense. One way to look at the job of helping autistic kids is to see it as a matter of constructing a person. You have the raw materials, but you have to build the person." He also worked on the "Feminine Boy Project," which has strong connections to what we call conversion therapy today, something which was built on his techniques and theories from ABA. That strong connection there should not be downplayed. Rhetorical question-- why would we find those techniques acceptable-- if not PREFERABLE-- for a difference in brain styles but unacceptable and cruel for another form of identity?

[@alleykitty4262]

As an autistic person, thank you for spreading the word :( ABA is just horrible

[@phoenixfritzinger9185]

That sort of thing wouldn’t even fly in the world of dog training

[@moartems5076]

You really think there isnt a significant overlap between those groups who find conversion/ABA acceptable? Its both about uniformity

[@paradoxical_taco]

@@phoenixfritzinger9185Nor should it. Before I heard of ABA - I didn't learn I was on the Autism Spectrum until I was 44 - I opposed electric fences/shock collars for dogs. That people do even worse things to Autistic children horrified me.

[@Raya-xw5ud]

+

[@ariananehrbass8983]

I lucked out growing up. My Mom picked out right away that I was Autistic and dove HARD into the research about how to raise me right. She informed me that I had Asbergers, and encouraged me to say that proudly; it was part of my personality. She taught me how to approximate eye contact ("Look at the bridge of their nose.") Whenever we went to parties, the first thing she did was ask the host about a quiet room, and showed me where to go if I ever felt "overstimulated." She was very attentive to routines and surprises. She made sure I always had earplugs on hand. I wore them with pride and would sass the other kids if they made comments. People called me "precocious" lol. Mom prepared me so well that we all assumed I'd outgrown my Asbergers. Then I graduated college and took on a socially-intense job traveling the country. For the first time, I was having regular public meltdowns. Massively embarrassing, completely uncontrollable. I would push myself until I broke. I wondered what the hell was wrong with me. Why couldnt I do things like my coworkers? Was was noise so loud, lights so bright? Things that bothered me did not bother them... And why did I have such a hard time connecting with people? My coworkers called me an odd bird (lovingly). I'd always been an odd bird. But now I could really, REALLY see it on full, unsheltered display. Theb I looked up Autism in adult women and.... holy cow, it was me. Just knowing that I wasn't alone, that the strange things I experienced were experienced by others... it cut my stress immensely. I realized all those "coping strategies" Mom taught me as a kid had a purpose. So I gave myself permission to use them again: Leaving social gatherings early; making space for alone time; bringing earplugs everywhere; and letting my coworkers know when I need a break or other accommodations; proudly claiming my differences and working with them.

[@LaurieAnnCurry]

Same

[@LilChuunosuke]

Your mom sounds awesome

[@kwingle]

too bad assburgers isnt a diagnosis anymore 🫡

[@mechanical_chaos]

What a beautiful story.

[@steggopotamus]

Seriously your mom sounds amazing and it seems like your story could be a good resource for others. It's a real success story in parenting and some perspective for autistic young adults. There's tons of experiences where the parenting goes awry this feels fairly unique and therefore useful.

[@auburngeekgirl]

The side camera for “it’s not vaccines” was gold

[@jamies853]

yesssssssss

[@reggiereggiesauce5755]

It’s so sad they felt it was required

[@cameronechols1810]

Although there isn't much data on vaccines as it correlates with autism, there is data on methyl mercury causing autism. This mercury is used in most vaccines in the modern-day. I'm not saying it's a dead ringer for autism cause. I'm just saying it's obvious why people would make the misconception popular.

[@sabrinashelton1997]

Except you don't know that. No one does. Until you can say what it IS, you really can't know what it's NOT.

[@MachFiveFalcon]

@@reggiereggiesauce5755 I get so tired of people constantly having to debunk the "vaccines cause autism" myth, too, but until the US (and other countries) do more to improve education, I feel like it's necessary lol

[@thecodemachine]

I knew I was autistic as a kid, and I live independently now. It is not easy. There is so much discrimination. I've had people yell that I should have been left to rot in an institution. I've had people spray down my workplace with perfume because it overstimulates me. I've had to leave gyms because people see an autistic person walking weird and the owner tried to get rid of me. If you are autistic, you need to know your legal rights, it is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are part of a protected class and you can get help.

[@PLuMUK54]

As someone on the spectrum, your experience horrifies me. I've never experienced more than mild teasing from my only friend. It saddens me that people can be so nasty. Everyone who knows that I am on the spectrum has been so supportive, including strangers. I hope that things improve for you in the future.

[@thecodemachine]

@@SimuLord watch out. My last job, management tried to use my autism as an excuse to fire me, until I filed something with the eeoc.

[@michealwestfall8544]

I think the perfume spraying would count as harassment, especially if you told them to stop. Though honestly I would just do the same thing to them but with fart spray or something else gross.

[@WAbookworm]

​@@SimuLordI live in Seattle and work in a job with a largely ND staff, and I never want to leave. It's been amazing.

[@poindextertunes]

who yelled “You should’ve been left to rot in an institution”???

[@yeetyeet7070]

I love this new calm, sat down version of SciShow. The high energy shouting at the camera in front of a green screen was difficult to sit through at times.

[@mwater_moon2865]

YES! and the green screen edges were so distracting! I don't know if they just did it for this vid so it would be less distracting/ over stimulating, but I for one much prefer the real backgrounds and more equalized volume levels.

[@munchkinmeep]

I literally hesitated to watch because I needed to brace myself for the hype energy but was also pleasantly surprised

[@professorSib]

i love your icon

[@Kartoffelkamm]

Agreed. Depending on my mood, the old version sometimes felt like these hyper-active children's toy commercials where they just picked the person with the most jarring voice they could find, and let them scream about some plastic piece of crap that falls apart if you look at it wrong.

[@tomfromoz8527]

I think it may be an _accommodation_ for Hank. He has/had cancer recently and I have a memory that the drugs used can make the patient weak and tired. *Pam* {Tom's wife}

[@howdy4504]

reminds me of when my sister went to volunteer to help "high functioning" (that's what they called it back then) people with autism spectrum and was met with the existential crisis that the people she was volunteering to help were struggling with the exact same stuff she did! Not only that, she was with her classmates and they commented how similar her idiosyncrasies were to them. She got diagnosed shortly after. Goes to show how varied the autism spectrum can be that a person with it might have no clue!

[@PLuMUK54]

I didn't know until I was 58.

[@angeldude101]

Seeing autistic people with low support needs interact with autistic people with high support needs can be almost magical. I can also relate to an extent even though I didn't directly interact with the individual in question. They certainly had higher support needs than me, but when my class received a talk about them and autism, I couldn't help but feel like it was describing myself to an extent.

[@jackintosh]

​@@PLuMUK54I'm 37 and have recently begun thinking I may be on the spectrum after seeing others describe my experiences. I'm curious if you were officially diagnosed and if so why did you seek official diagnosis?

[@RamzaBeoulves]

@@jackintosh If I may offer my own perspective as a recently diagnosed 30 years old TL:DR; An official diagnosis may not do much that you wouldn't already be doing following a self-diagnosis, is expensive and can require months/years of trying to get an appointment I had always wondered why my experience didn't seem to fit the mold or why things that were hard for me were easy for others and vice versa. Mainly why people would effortlessly and and subconsciously perform tasks that I would need planning, tools and conscious effort to accomplish Initially I actively rejected the idea of autism but the more I learned about it and the more I listened to people sharing their experience, it became evident. I checked EVERY box. Naturally, in true autistic fashion, I hyperfixated on it and would spend months educating myself on the subject until exhaustion before spending my nights going through my entire life with the added perspective It made me angry [How could no one have noticed? How come nobody taught me about this?], it made me sad but it was beautiful. I had never felt so validated, so seen Thankfully my partner powered through me insufferably sharing every aspect of my journey with her, navigating skill regression and learning to love myself By the time I got an official diagnosis, I had already gone through the process of unmasking, seeking accommodation and minor life changes so it didn't do much for me. That being said, it is perfectly reasonable to seek professional assistance in this process Even if someone was to wrongly self-diagnose, the worst that could happen is them learning more about themselves and building tools to improve their QoL still Reading about sensory issues, [un]masking and neurodivergent burnout was literally life changing and made me feel like a part of me had been begging to be seen my entire life Your journey may very well be quite different but that's what makes life beautiful

[@annalea3026]

@@jackintosh I think if you are curious go get a diagnosis! I am autistic and was diagnosed in late elementary school. I am a very engaged part of the community on social media not only do many autistics support self diagnosis or identification but acknowledge it is extremely underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed if you don't fall into the typical "young white boy who loves trains"

[@Redoestimate1988]

I was diagnosed with “Asperger’s” as a young teenager and it took me years to recognize the ways I was belittled and harmed by my experiences with others and to embrace my own neurodiversity. One thing I think could be improved about this video is talking about the phenomenon of “masking,” which is a result of adapting to the fact that being visibly autistic is broadly unacceptable to society. Many autistic people develop ways to mimic neurotypical behaviors and responses, and that results in some autistic people who won’t meet the DSM criteria as adults even though they are absolutely still on the spectrum.

[@alex.g7317]

Assburgers

[@harmonicaveronica]

Yes! I wish it was noted in the section on diagnostic tests for adults - there's one that specifically asks a lot of questions about masking to help people get to a diagnosis who don't meet the criteria because they've gotten really good at masking

[@Willow4526]

Copy & paste of a comment I've already on the topic. "Masking is a tool that can be seen outside of just autism & isn't used by all of us, so it probably wasn't seen as worth going into for this over everything else."

[@watermylove4530]

Not to mention that masking results in increased stress and depression.

[@Lord_LindaThePhilosopher]

​@@alex.g7317EXACTLY THATS WHAT I THINK. I DONT HAVE A BURGER IN MY ASS LIKE WHAT?!

[@Codexionyx101]

As someone on the spectrum, I'm pretty happy to see this. I look and act more-or-less like a normal introvert. But socializing for me feels a lot like playing darts blindfolded. You know what you're supposed to do, and your score after, but actually playing ends up being a matter of trial and error to figure out what specific throws get you a good score. You then just blindly repeat those throws to get the outcome you want. Also, as others have pointed out, I'm extremely happy that you didn't use _The Puzzle Piece_ An icon that strikes variously fear and rage into the heart of those on the spectrum everywhere. EDIT: Thanks to you commenters, I have come to the understanding that many people on the spectrum do not connote The Puzzle Piece as strongly as I do and are not bothered by it. I would like to apologize for this generalization. However, I would also like to say thank you to those who appreciate my darts analogy and hope that it helps you understand and explain your condition.

[@SwiftTelly20]

I have no clue what you’re talking about and I have ASD (diagnosed at 30 years old, I’m 33 this summer). Why are people happy to not see or hear about a puzzle piece?🤨🤷‍♀️I don’t get it.

[@pokemonmusiclover5]

Its typically used to signify that people with autism have "missing puzzle peices " like we somehow arent whole people​@SwiftTelly20

[@Codexionyx101]

@SwiftTelly20 Good for you! Since you're wondering, _The Puzzle Piece_ is the logo used by the organization Autism Speaks, the largest autism advocacy group in the US. To find out why its logo is so reviled, one need only place Autism Speaks into Google and look at the autocomplete results.

[@napajwolf13]

@@SwiftTelly20it’s also from the organization Autism Speaks whose goal is to find a “cure” for autism. Differences of birth shouldn’t be eradicated or cured.

[@noneofyourconcern3622]

I'm autistic and didn't know what the issue is with the puzzle piece and now that I know what it means I hate it 😐

[@dorathyfoster1459]

I've been reading about psilocybin mushrooms and their potential for treating mental health disorders, has anyone explored it?

[@Joe-bh7pf]

Yes! Psilocybin mushrooms have shown promise in reducing symptoms.

[@morgancr1993]

I Just tried shrooms for the first time last night, I've done acid and dippers, but shrooms was great, had me happy and let me almost create my reality in and unatural way if you know what I mean.

[@mavahenderson7757]

The hardest part is trying to find where to buy them, how did you get yours?

[@morgancr1993]

medicgael

[@morgancr1993]

ᵒⁿ ᵗⁱᵏᵒᵏ ᵃⁿᵈ

[@mars7304]

The complicated history of autism and mental health in general makes it extremely important to VET YOUR CHARITIES! Many autism-related orgs have outdated beliefs related to the therapies or thought-processes related to treating Autism. Many treat it as something to be suppressed, while others may even still reference beliefs of Autism popularized decades ago. Please do your research on Autism, and any orgs that claim to represent Autistic people. Ones like Autism Speaks do not have any Austistic people involved in the company itself, and fall under many of the flaws mentioned earlier in this comment due to that.

[@derekstein6193]

Yeah, Autism Speaks is the equivalent of somebody reaching out a helping hand, but that hand happens to be wrapped in an iron gauntlet with spikes on the palm.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Excellent point. The first thing I do to vet any charity purporting to benefit Autistic people is to check their board of directors to see if they are majority-Autistic-led. I've never come across one yet that is majority-allistic-led and doesn't try to speak over us or support harmful practices, such as ABA. A$ is the 800-pound gorilla in the room, but there are countless others that are just as toxic (the Autism Society of America and the National Council on Severe Autism being just two other examples).

[@obliviouz]

@@mars7304 That's a self-defeating thought process though - all those beliefs you believe are outdated were considered modern and correct in their time, just as your beliefs and current modern thinking on the topic is today - there is no guarantee they will not be considered just as outdated (and harmful) in the future.

[@TheKrispyfort]

The worst part of ASD is the way other people treat us, because they think the difference in communication is us disrespectibg them because that's what they've been taught.

[@marieugorek5917]

Which is dangerous when the person who thinks we are disrespecting us has a badge and a gun and responds to that perceived lack of respect by emotionally escalating the situation... Yes. this really happened.

[@Varadiio]

Oh man I've been dealing with this a lot recently. I have other issues that I have been seeing professionals for, but nothing in the ASD realm has been suggested. I'll be asking about eye contact next, because a course on public speaking has been very hard on my way of speaking and listening. Like, mostly A+ delivery except that I cannot concentrate when I focus on looking at people. Likewise, if someone is speaking, I am a far better listener if I am not looking at anything interesting. But they expect literally the opposite. It's not serious enough right now for me to fail that course, so I'm not going to make any complaints, but there's clearly something there that will make future career paths complicated. Edit: I should also mention that this seems to have a knock-on effect to the overall performance of speech-giving for me. Due to my desire not to look at someone, I really don't care much about body language. I am also told that I am either too stiff or too distracting, and can't find this mythical state of "good body language."

[@mrrookie]

Ugh... I hate nothing more than stating a fact or observation for this to be taken as a value judgement of their person... like, I am just making an observation. It's not supposed to be either good or bad.

[@marieugorek5917]

@@Varadiio 1) You may want to consider asking about pragmatic speech therapy. SLPs are all taught some amount of this, but some specialize in it. it is often used for those with developmental disabilities (autism counts, as our developmental differences are made disabling by this society's expectations), people with TBI or strokes who have difficulty regaining their ability to communicate with conventional nonverbals or verbal cues after injury, etc. 2) One of the reasons that public speaking is easier for me than casual speech is that -- and they won't tell you this -- YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PEOPLE! Most of the time, you will be able to focus right above people's heads, moving your eyes from just above the heads of the people on one side of the room to just above the heads of the people on the other side of the room. If they say, "make more eye contact," translate it into your brain as, "let your eyes rest on people's hairdos more often." 3) I have found that people I have frequent reason to communicate with respond really well to being told, "I find it difficult to listen well while looking at your eyes/face. So if I am looking away from you, it probably means I am very interested in what you are saying and value your opinion, and I am trying really hard to concentrate on your voice." This seems to work equally well with people who know I am an AuDHDer and those who don't know I have neurodivergent diagnoses. So I concentrate on orienting my feet toward the person and giving verbal feedback (oh. yes. I see. uh-huh, etc.)

[@TheKrispyfort]

@@Varadiio my son mentioned that he has trouble with eye contact because the vocal sound mismatches the facial expressions, and it is distracting because his brain is now busy trying to figure out why the speaker sounds one way but looks another.

[@spicybaguette7706]

To me, ABA is more about teaching kids to hide their symptoms rather than embrace who they are. I really am quite sceptical about ABA, because it encouraging masking, i.e. hiding your autistic traits. I wonder if any studies done on ABA take this into account. Mathur et al, (2024) highlights common criticisms of ABA. While I never have experienced ABA as far as I know (some of the principles of ABA might have been used in the training I got), I can definitely say that I adopted the sentiment that my autism made me fundamentally less worth than other people, to the point that nowadays, I still cope with depressive symptoms and feelings of low self-worth. So to me, this sentiment that underlines ABA is incredibly toxic and potent in damaging autistic peoples self-images. When you give negative reinforcement on children's natural behaviour, it could come across as if their natural behaviour is wrong, and therefore their natural state of being is wrong. Mathur, S.K., Renz, E. & Tarbox, J. Affirming Neurodiversity within Applied Behavior Analysis. Behav Analysis Practice (2024).

[@vm1776]

I've heard some who went through ABA compare it to training a dog with a shock collar. Both of my kids have been in a program with ABA therapy and loved going to the program, but where they went, there is never punishment but there is reward to achieving the desired result. My younger child is considering ABA therapy as a future career. My eldest explains autism as, "It's a different way of viewing things, and everyone views things differently so every's a little autistic." Society views autism as if it's something to fear, which is a shame. Autism does create social challenges but we all have different challenges in our lives that we deal with and there shouldn't be shame in that. ABA can be a positive experience, but like many trainings, not all locations are equal unfortunately.

[@strictnonconformist7369]

@@vm1776it still teaches compliance is more important than their needs, no matter how “gentle” it seems to be. Teaching that masking is correct and not masking is wrong, even “gently” has long-term negative impacts. Masking is truly destructive when forced by whatever reason, and leads to autistic burnout sooner or later, or all the time: autistic burnout is very unpleasant and destructive, in my experience.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@strictnonconformist7369 it kills your quality of life in my experience, because of burnout and other health issues out of my control college is no longer a possibility i can’t get a job and i am exhausted all the time. because of this i rely on disability welfare so i am barely above the poverty line i’ve almost dropped out of school twice and live like hikkikomori now. and it was mostly entirely avoidable if people just listened to me and my mom and accommodated me properly in the education system.

[@Renisanxious]

The fact that you, a random person on the internet, actually cited your sources makes me SO APPRECIATIVE

[@chickensalad3535]

@@strictnonconformist7369I mostly agree, but some behaviors NEED to be masked, such as biting and screeching.

[@michaelwintermantel9127]

As an Austistic Biologist, ABA is scientifically problematic, and is not the only scientifically supported method for helping with autism, and its flawed in its goals. Rather than measuring success based on the well-being of an individual, it really emphasizes things like masking. And theres a lot of evidence that perpetual masking is extremely harmful.

[@Samantha-vlly]

These comments made relief that my mom never delve with me not being able to talk until 2 years old. I’m glad with it but it still didn’t change that fact that I had hard time understanding myself.

[@ViviFuchs]

@@Samantha-vlly that's extremely valid. I think there should be a large focus on helping individuals on the spectrum learn to understand themselves. I wish that I had more support as a kid. You could say it's a blessing or a curse but one of my special interests involves learning how things work. Lol, I took apart so many toys and put them back together. I even bought broken toys from the farmers market so I could take them apart and see how they work and then see if I can fix it. Anyway, that also extended to people. I remember being about 5 years old and having the adults around me describe me as weird or quirky. The kids at church and at preschool weren't really close to me so I basically wanted to figure out how people worked and that led me to learn how to mask that young just to fit in and I think that's what delayed me getting diagnosed because outside of a few times when I experienced a severe burnout or (slightly more frequently) what I now recognize as a meltdown.

[@wilville3752]

My parents made me do peers and I hated it. It was like social skills I knew as a toddler. The only reason it “works” is from my understanding it only targets social problems people who are intellectually disabled. For someone on the higher functioning end of the spectrum at least with me the advice was so basic and useless that all it did was piss me off.

[@truhartwood3170]

I watched ABA sessions. At least a bit. I had to shut it off it was driving me so crazy. It's abuse, plain and simple. It's not done with the best interests of the autistic person in mind, it's done to make them conform and be easier to manage. It's sick. The people who do it are sick. I can't imagine anyone supporting it who isn't discustingly sociopathic and maniacly controlling.

[@NatalieNox600]

This isn't even slightly true, and the fact you'd make such a stupid claim leads me to suspect you aren't a biologist. ABA doesn't emphasize or teach masking. It hasn't in a decade. It literally teaches coping skills and can help redirect destructive stims into non-destructive. You people are so unwilling to learn that ABA isn't at all the original concept. It shares very little in common with the original barbaric version. It works when done right. The kids are happy. The kids learn coping and life skills. They are not taught to mask.

[@dannnyc93]

I have family on the spectrum and in my experience the most difficult part of autism is NOT the fact that you are on the spectrum, but when you can’t understand why you are so different than others and think there is something wrong (or even superior) about yourself because of your neurodivergence. In my honest opinion, even though autism often is not nearly as compatible with our society as neuro-“normality”, we are much richer for the fact that neurodivergent people exist as they offer perspectives which others might not be capable of conceiving, and thus they enrich our ability to perceive the world and improve society.

[@divergentdreamer]

Thanks for sharing! As a note, the accepted term for people who are not neurodivergent is "neurotypical". "Normal" often has positive/negative connotations, whereas "typical" does not. :)

[@jussayinmipeece1069]

Seems to me that the idea of autism is normal and the people who are not autistic are tje abnormal ones. They have essentially git an evolutionary brick wall so to speak

[@melody3741]

It sort of reminds me of how ai can give a radically different perspective on a task because it doesn’t come with all the biases that humans do. Because a lot of the stuff neurotypical people absorb and internalize automatically (language being one) can be viewed differently for autistic people, or must be understood and parsed manually which gives you a totally different set of biases.

[@Jukajobs]

Yeah, the thing about realizing there's something that makes you different from other people is really true, it sucks. i was only diagnosed as a young adult (20ish) and i spent a lot of time, especially during my teenage years, feeling, at best, like everyone else had taken some class i was unaware of where they learned certain things, or, at worst, like there was a part of my brain was missing somehow, some part that handles certain things that everyone else just seemed to know how to do instinctively, mostly related to socialization. And it's hard to ask for help with things you struggle with when everyone around you doesn't even understand how you struggle with certain aspects of those things because they just cannot imagine not getting it. I was relatively good at masking and I know that there are people who have cases that are more difficult to deal with than mine, but it still felt awful. I still feel like some kind of alien a lot.

[@anywallsocket]

A well natured but completely ambiguous logic

[@samelis6546]

10:43 "and there's a mutual lack of understanding when we're trying to communicate with people outside of our group". This is what I wanted to express all these years. That's all I've ever wanted to tell anyone. I feel like I've come full circle. Thank you, Hank and Scishow!

[@MontgomeryWenis]

That line is every failed relationship, every burned bridge, every lost connection. It hit very hard. I like to explain that I've had to learn the love languages of everyone I've been close with so that they feel more comfortable, but no one ever seems care to learn to speak _ME._

[@coda3223]

Damian Milton is the author of the 2012 landmark study that discovered the "Double Empathy Problem" (the mutual lack of understanding) that has shifted a lot of the discourse around autism away from pathologizing. He's an autistic autism researcher with an autistic son and a general badass.

[@samelis6546]

@@coda3223 thanks for the background!

[@Kartoffelkamm]

Yep. What they say: "Autistic people can't communicate." What they mean: "Autistic people struggle to communicate with non-autistic people (and we refuse to meet them halfway no matter how much effort they put in)."

[@ChrissyCrum-e5o]

Yes that study created what's called the Empathy Theory.

[@PLuMUK54]

I was diagnosed aged 58, 12 years ago, and it simply explained so much in my life. Looking back to my childhood, I recognise so many traits that today are markers for autism, but at the time, I was just considered to be a strange child. Thankfully, my parents were not bothered, played up my strengths, and gave me the confidence to ignore other people's opinions about me. I went on to a successful career in teaching, where I was able to get the best out of my pupils, yet with my colleagues, I was a social mess. I do wonder whether my life might have been different if I had been "labelled" as a child. Receiving a late diagnosis, it was more of a lightbulb moment. I finally understood why I was often overwhelmed by lights, sudden noises, and even someone touching my hair. Since my diagnosis, I decided not to put myself through the trauma of haircuts, and now my hair is well down my back. If someone thinks that the Gandolf look doesn't suit me, it's not my problem. I actually like my autism. It has given me a great deal, and I have avoided the majority of negativity. I do find that I will tend to tell people that I am autistic rather than have them wonder about my social inadequacy. I have autism, and yet I am not an autistic person. There are many aspects to who I am. Autism is important, it has affected my character, but it is, as far as I am concerned, just an indication that my brain is slightly different. It does not define me.

[@deathandcats]

You are the first person I've found who also hates people touching their hair! I've always hated when anyone touches my head or hair, so now I cut my own hair if I need to - it's long enough so I can do it very easily.

[@Lemonnitenite]

Oh the gandalf look sounds very cool !!

[@felesnocis]

I also struggle with people touching me and I’ve finally decided I don’t need to get my hair cut more than once a year. It’s been a relief. What’s harder is explaining to people who think that getting a massage for my back pain is a great idea that for me,that level of touch would make me physically sick. I’m sure you rock the Gandalf look!!!

[@WAbookworm]

Whereas mine, although undiagnosed in childhood and most of adulthood, absolutely has defined my life. There aren't any experiences I've had in 45 years that haven't been colored or shaped by the fact that my brain works very differently than that of many people. Having said that, because I was AFAB in a time when, by and large, AFAB people didn't get autism (or ADHD) diagnoses, I heard from just about everyone in my life that I was lazy, sloppy, careless, too loud, too quiet, too talkative, too energetic, too boring, too aloof, too withdrawn, underachieving, weird, nuts, crazy, psycho, lying, unreliable... I can keep going. All I knew was that I'd somehow missed the day they passed out the "how to be like everyone else" book and yet I was tested and graded every day on it and found wanting. Not only did that trauma follow me into adulthood, but there are some "how to human" things I never got any better at, and those are still hurdles I deal with every day of my life. I am never not autistic.

[@Knowledge_Seeker64]

You are one of the few people on the spectrum I’ve met that doesn’t align with the “autistic person” label. I’m personally indifferent to person-first and disability-first language, so I’m good with being called a person with autism or an autistic person (just don’t call me the R-word).

[@charlottekylin4169]

NO! ABA is not meant to address the whole autistic kid, just the parts that make them 'different' from 'normal' people. This is done by ignoring - and teaching parents to ignore - signals sent by the austist that something's not right. I was born before autism was really understood, and before there was any kind of treatment. I was subjected to my parent's form of what would become known as ABA - sit down, be quiet, stop running/laughing/making noise, eat what's put in front of you, be like your sister/brother. They weren't trying to be mean, they just had no idea what was 'wrong' with me. So I grew up knowing something was wrong with me, and at 71 I realized there wasn't, I'm 'just' autistic. It took me many years of pain and sadness, with bright spots when I connected with people like me, to find out I was OK after all. Maybe you should talk to some actually autistic people who went through ABA and were able to leave it. You'll hear a very different story. Just making people seem to function in society doesn't mean they are happy or fulfilled.

[@LittleGrayMouse]

It's really not. This is just what social media is pushing.

[@FerralVideo]

Yep.... I wince a bit with each line you wrote, because - desite being vastly younger than you - that basically mirrors exactly how I grew up at first. It wasn't until a fair bit later, ironically during the big AD(H)D boon, that they threw Ritalin at me and my mom said "This isn't f@#$%ing working, it's making my boy into a robot". That led to my ACTUAL diagnosis of at-the-time Asperger's. My mom thankfully didn't send me off to ABA or those shock-torture facilities or anything, but she did start her long, slow, slippery slide down towards the terrible misinformation and quackery that she's now WHOLE HOG invested into. She never did any actual treatments, instead trying remedies she found on the early Internet. She also didn't do enough to try to understand me, and I was far from being able to help for many reasons. And my stepdad? .... less said about him the better, holy s@#$%.... Given that I myself struggled (and kinda still do) to understand my own needs and situations, I could never really voice or speak up about what was bothering me. Therefore it would just keep bothering me until I either broke down crying or had a full scale meltdown. These were met with derision, punishment, and "Just stop crying, just stop freaking out, take deep breaths and calm down", which by the way DOES NOT @#$%ING WORK ON MELTDOWNS.... I still never learned a healthy solution to them even in my adulthood at 37.... Thank you for sharing your story.

[@NatalieNox600]

Not true in the slightest. I'm autistic and my wife performed ABA. This sounds like old ABA which was horrible. New ABA is entirely designed around teaching the child to be able to be self-sufficient. This includes teaching children coping strategies. Yes, it does sometimes involve learning social rules. Everyone does that. Autism doesn't make us exempt. Most autistic kids that go through modern ABA enjoy it. They think of the therapist as their special friend.

[@obliviouz]

Being able to function in society is pretty important to most people's well-being. And ignoring signals that something isn't right, when those signals aren't right? That's completely correct.

[@filipeflower]

@@NatalieNox600 Any evidence to back that up?

[@Chaotic_Pixie]

The part about “you don’t grow out of Autism” and that not all autism is the same are really important points to make & I wish more would drive those points home in the therapy community. As someone with an ADHD diagnosis who also expresses many features of autism outside the overlapping ones, it’s so hard to get any therapist to even consider taking my concerns seriously because “how could an articulate, empathetic, grown woman with degrees have autism?” And well, the truth is, I’m an adult and I’ve grown a lot since I was a socially isolated & painfully awkward gifted & talented kid who preferred the company of adults and struggled SO HARD to articulate emotion while also struggling so hard to regulate emotional expression (crying, anger outbursts, exuberant displays of joy… you name it). But now I’m a socially conditioned adult who knows that if you express happiness you get told “someone’s a little manic today” but if you’re angry or sad, “someone’s hormonal today” and 30+ years of observing social interactions & their consequences really help teach one how to be less socially awkward… plus 20+ years of therapy. It’s called masking folks. We all do it. Autistic… ADHD… functionally depressed… We’ve all learned how to put on the face the NTs want to see… and it’s not for them, it’s for our own safety… emotionally and sometimes physically.

[@peacockcrowe2718]

I outgrew my diagnosis. “Masking “ is literally just functioning in society,

[@andy2641]

Masking can make you function in society better, but it is not being yourself and letting your real personality shine.

[@OlgaAndreyeva]

yes

[@sandrastreifel6452]

@@peacockcrowe2718Maybe in a society that doesn’t accept neurodivergent individuals. Living in a closet is a miserable existence.

[@peacockcrowe2718]

@@sandrastreifel6452 “neurodivergent” is literally a western concept. Bitching about “masking” would not fly in Asia or South America

[@autiejedi5857]

The guy who came up with ABA originally used it for "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ people. It's disgusting and causes PTSD in us autistics. Hoping one day insurance companies will cover therapies that actually work without harming us - and there are others out there. Thanks for covering this Hank, and loved the anti-vax side-eye! 💜

[@7of9123]

+

[@MachFiveFalcon]

And it's interesting that a higher percentage of people on the autism spectrum are LGBTQ as well. It kind of reinforces how much of therapy used to be just trying to force marginalized people to repress their identities and assimilate. Even more so for people like this in families/communities of fundamentalists.

[@theshadowking3198]

@@MachFiveFalconi want to see the stats on that

[@nBasedAce]

​@@theshadowking3198I know about something that might help you with that, it's called Google.

[@MonsieurBooyah]

flaps all around!

[@celestegross6622]

My favorite saying about autism is “If you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person.” Also, every person I’ve talked to who went through ABA has trauma from it. You wouldn’t train your dog that way.

[@digestivecookie7026]

⁠@@foolishlyfoolhardy6004Well, I guess I’m glad it’s good for animals, but the guy who came up with ABA described autistic people as “less than human”. So I’m not really thrilled by the comparisons in all honesty. I’ve never been in ABA, but I’ve never heard an autistic person describe a good experience with it (though I guess I would be glad if it did help someone). It’s not hard to see how it could turn poorly - deeming a behavior as unacceptable and in need of correcting is one thing when it comes to self-harm, and entirely another when it comes to a safe but perceived as odd way of self-stimulating when overwhelmed. The misunderstanding of the intent of autistic behavior is still very common, as is it the other way around - Hank even mentions a statistically common breakdown of communication between nonautistic and autistic people in the video - so again, it’s not difficult to see how ABA can be, at least, misapplied heavily.

[@digestivecookie7026]

@@foolishlyfoolhardy6004something I would like to ask you is that if you have ever been in ABA, you as a person. If it’s helped you, that’s great - if you haven’t, I feel it was very rude of you to talk about the autistic experience with ABA this way when you don’t understand it. It would not be your place to decide if ABA is harmful for people or not, and it’s disrespectful to those who have gone through trauma and abuse simply for being a little different.

[@the1jessebrown]

I practice ABA as a therapist. I’m with my clients in school and in home, the progress is incredible but it takes a diligent and compassionate practitioner. I encourage parents to sit in and watch and be with us anytime they want. I’m covered in bites and bruises but after a few days we become best friends, aggression is diverted into more healthy avenues. ABA is always growing with scientific evidence. I assure you, all scientific history is horrific. No human discoveries of medicine were ever found ethically in history. But I assure you, the ABA code of ethics is thick it’s growing every day, and nobody loves you’re kiddos more than their therapists

[@digestivecookie7026]

@@foolishlyfoolhardy6004 that makes sense. Most of what I’ve been told about ABA is that extreme you mentioned, where emotions aren’t considered and harmless behaviors are ‘corrected’ (and it makes sense; people who have been hurt can sometimes be the loudest, for usually good reason - it is a problem, for one) The way you describe it being used sounds a lot better and is what I would hope would come out of ABA ideally. Actually listening (in the capacity possible. I don’t just mean auditorily hearing - paying attention to what they need) to the autistic kids involved seems like one of the biggest differences between what you’re describing and the extreme. Still, I haven’t personally met anyone who has had a positive experience undergoing ABA. But if it can be something positive for people, like how you describe, I hope that it continues to be and become more of a positive experience.

[@anonanonanna]

@@the1jessebrown In ABA, how do you help people with severe apraxia, aka mind-body disconnect, to get better control of their bodies? People like Damon Kirsebom (on youtube) or Ido Kedar?

[@michaelwintermantel9127]

Autistic biologist here. Im glad yall are trying to cover this, but as you put it, the science is still very early in terms of understanding. Id encourage you guys to look into the research beyond the largely problematic approach taken by the DSM5. Id recommend a part two looking at the research and evidence produced by trying to understand what the autistic experience is, rather than trying to study it from a neurotypical perspective, the latter of which is what the majority of historic research has consisted of. Some good educational channels on youtube, like Autism from the inside and yosamdysam have a lot of good info, and i can soeak from experience that the information they give can be extremely useful to help learn to live with autism. Much better than ABA in some (likely many) cases.

[@Samantha-vlly]

I’m going to pursue Biology course too(conservation field) How is it to be in this spectrum while dealing with your every day job?

[@michaelwintermantel9127]

@@Samantha-vlly I'm marine biology specifically- focused on pollution effects, so perhaps similar to what you want to do. Some other context is that I'm currently a PhD student, so I can't speak to full professorship. In general, I think it's highly dependent on your colleagues, and whether you're introverted or extroverted. I'm extroverted (but awkward), and I definitely struggled to make friends in the new culture of my grad school. That was hard. There are plenty of neurodiverse individuals here, but also a surprisingly high number of neurotypicals, many of whom love making assumptions and gossiping- not my vibe. The nice thing is that academia is one of the most open places with regards to making accommodations, and the ability to set my schedule means as long as I'm getting my work done, I'm free to do things at a pace that's comfortable ( with the notable exception of experiments that require specific time blocks). So I'd say a mixed bag, but probably better than industry.

[@michaelwintermantel9127]

@@Samantha-vlly where are you in your education?

[@Samantha-vlly]

@@michaelwintermantel9127 I’m going to enter college this year I’m still worried about my unstable sanity I carried since my highschool day(lack of confidence, communication skills, trust to myself) and I feel I have anxiety with all of these experiences. I have an optimistic mindset every time it hits me but it’s still a push-pull and uncertainty that freezes me. I’m certain with my decision but still worried with my future performance(I’m in freeze mode for months and it’s not helping me) Also, if I get a diagnose(if anxiety or asd related) it makes me skeptical because where I live in rn, it’s going to be hard. All of this, I’m being hyper aware with my future and it suffocates me a lot.

[@QueerCoral]

THANK YOU ❤ -an autistic person

[@NameIsAce]

I opened to a loved one that I might be autistic, and they responded, "No you're not, you're not disabled." It hurt, and made me struggle with my identity as I'm viewing myself with a new perspective. This video fully brought me around to the fact that I am neurodivergent. Thank you for the quality and respect in this video.

[@spindash64]

"I didn't say I'm disabled, I said I'm autistic"

[@fotnite_]

A lot of neurotypical people have a hard time understanding this, and it really shows how the communication deficit is mutual rather than one-sided in many instances. When they tell us that "everyone's a little autistic", that we're "not disabled, but differently abled", and so on, it very often comes off as saying our struggles aren't real. Sometimes they really do mean to say that, but a lot of the time they're just repeating these phrases without knowing what they really mean.

[@yurisei6732]

Get a diagnosis then, the world doesn't need anymore amateur pathologising.

[@Michael-vp9gs]

You should listen to your loved one.

[@coda3223]

​​@@yurisei6732 As a person with an official diagnosis: I don't gatekeep, self-diagnosis is valid. The harm caused by self-dx is insignificant compared to the harm of gatekeeping dx. Also, I agree that we don't need more pathologizing, that's why I advocate for and operate from the neurodiversity paradigm (which is an alternative to the pathology paradigm).

[@Acnorix]

I'd love a more focused follow up video on what life for an autistic adult would look like. As someone who got a diagnosis at 28 I feel woefully behind my peers in a lot of respects.

[@emilyholewka8784]

There are a lot of great autistic KZbinrs out there that do videos like these that you may want to check out. Yo Samdy Sam, Chloe Hayden, and Catieosaurus are a few that I can think of.

[@LauraPalay]

Try being diagnosed at 35 (totally waiting for the one-upping to begin now) - so many things that would have been helpful to know as a kid, or in college, or when I was trying (and failing) to get a job, etc.

[@Acnorix]

@@LauraPalay It sucks :( I've spent the last 15 years trying to get into job-life and this new years i applied for 100% disability. All I wanted was a job :(

[@divergentdreamer]

Check out Paige Layle too!

[@LauraPalay]

@StuffIDo-ih7su I guess it depends on what you mean by "accept(ing)" the past - there's nothing to be done about it now and lingering on it is just painful so it's better to try and accept/move past it. Knowing that though doesn't mean I'm not still haunted by it - being kept up by memories and reliving events differently in my head over and over trying to find what would have made it better or how I'd explain now.

[@jackmosher7561]

As someone with ASD, THANK YOU for treating this topic with the respect and technical clarity it deserves. We appreciate you, Hank.

[@memejeff]

Hank. Imagine if someone zapped you everytime you failed to do something that your body wasnt designed to be able to do as a child with no escape until you were tortured into doing it to avoid being zapped again. That is ABA therapy.

[@phoenixharper3910]

My husband is on the spectrum and was subjected to this as a child. He described it as literal phycological torture

[@corenisveryconfused]

YES

[@corenisveryconfused]

@urmommabear5monthsago The JRC is still open and shocking people. And the ABA industry has in no way held them accountable for that.

[@memejeff]

@@urmommabear5monthsago Just saw your comment history. You are the problem.

[@filipeflower]

@@urmommabear5monthsago Actually, no , it still happens.

[@teresakelch7269]

I remember every report card from elementary school said, "Doesn't play well with others" and I clearly remember feeling like everyone else got a manual on "how to people and friend" and I didn't get my copy. Nothing they did made any sense, and no one could tell me why (this was in the late 80s and 90s). At that time, girls "couldn't be autistic". Yet I was in the gifted programs, 4.0 student and so hyper-focused on my hobbies that I couldn't function without them. Finding out a diagnosis in my late 30s was enlightening.

[@vidal9747]

That is exactly how it worked with me. Every time I felt like I understood the rules I messed up. I don't know, but there must be something about me that makes people think I am uncanny. Even when I try and do the exact same thing I seen they do I miss the context or some random weird rule. I fell disconnected from everyone. I don't know if I am Autistic or just weird. Also, I tend to focus in textures when I am anxious.

[@RubelliteFae]

Not only could they not say why, they'd get annoyed by the questions. It would typically go like this: I do/say X, which annoys people. I realize it's a problem, so I try to learn how I can do better by asking. People get annoyed that I'm still harping on about X and disengage. No, I've moved on from X and am now on the topic of communicating and socializing better. It feels like people don't want me to learn, they just want to complain and I "should just know." I'm literally asking the info I need to not annoy people in future-to accommodate them-but asking is too much of an annoyance??

[@fios4528]

​@@RubelliteFae this rings so true! I understand that children and honestly most people lack the tact or understanding to properly give the advice as its probably unconcious on their end, but it has felt so isolating throughout my life. I will say that the nice thing about the internet is that its been easier to meet other people who understand my lived experience

[@Samantha-vlly]

I didn’t understand the manual thing fully until now(lol) It really feels isolating

[@JMAssainatorz]

One other little quirk is that autism is usually asociated with social akwardness / lack of empathy. Other autistics like my self are HYPER sensitive Empaths but we have a hard time distinguishing between our own emotions and those of others so it can lead to issues. (fx I cant be in the same room as someone getting embarased be it TV or IRL. The cringe physically hurts)

[@pickyyeeter]

Oh God, I relate so hard to the secondhand feelings. When two of my coworkers have a disagreement, I want to jump out of my skin, because it feels like I'm in a conflict myself and it makes me super uncomfortable.

[@zackw00]

I also really relate to this! Other people’s emotions (or at least perceived emotions) have such a large effect on the way I feel. Strangely I felt this a lot more when I was a kid. When someone smiled, I couldn’t help but do the same; when someone cried, I also felt like crying. I used to cringe so hard at awkward situations on behalf of other people, to the point that I often had to remove myself. Seems like I’ve grown out of certain autistic traits, like extreme sensitivity to loud sounds. Psychology is so interesting, I just wish I understood myself more!

[@PLuMUK54]

I am social inept, but very empathic. During my successful teaching career could never cope with my colleagues en masse, yet my pupils often thought that I was the only teacher who understood them.

[@chattychatotchannel]

I can’t read the faces of others and what emotions they are feeling or what their voices are saying in terms of emotions and it gets stressful.

[@soph7167]

Definitely feel that, I can't watch others in pain or hurt badly on TV even if I know they're acting. I almost threw up one time because someone else was watching a medical drama and a chandelier fell on a guy and they showed him getting rushed to the hospital, in lots of pain.

[@MKisFeelinSpicy]

Man, this video really only scratches the surface on what autism looks like, but of course it would take a lot of time to do otherwise. It's nice to see more awareness, education, and myth-busting.

[@mayaenglish5424]

So you're saying it's something of a *_Crash Course?_* Theme music plays in the background.

[@bekkaanneee]

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again- i ADORE the new video style! the new green screen, standing background, the SITTING background, the multi camera set up with ASIDES!!! i really appreciate this change- not that it was necessary, but that it’s to provide a mild refresh to the channel. i love it. thanks scishow.

[@elisebrown5157]

I actually had the opposite response - it felt jarring to have such quick cuts and scene and position changes.

[@jamies853]

As an autistic, this was really nice to see. It feels comprehensive but also sensitive. I've never felt like I had a 'disease' or that I was necessarily 'disabled', Just different. It's really interesting to hear that verbal autistics are being found not to communicate badly, just differently, which has been my lived experience. My friends all tend to be neurodiverse, and normies tend to be really, really boring to talk to. I don't care about stocks, I don't care about the news, I don't want to talk politics, tell me about your hobbies. Talk to me about something you like to do or are interested in, ffs

[@Coryn02]

You mean the news or work or politics being boring isn't just a fluke? Is this why I can't hold a conversation with my allistic family members over dinner?

[@essneyallen6777]

​@@Coryn02 I never thought about it like that but oh my are you right... I think it has happened at least twice in my life that I actually popped off and said "can we please talk about something interesting now?"

[@efficiencygaming3494]

I'm on the spectrum. I was diagnosed at the age of 7, so I knew early on I was different from everyone else. When I'm in public, I try to act like a neurotypical person ("masking") and I'm pretty good at it, but I wish I could express myself the way I want to. For a world that is increasingly focused on inclusivity, the stigma attached to autism still lives on. It's still considered socially acceptable to make fun of people who have it. The ableist slurs people used against me are still in wide use. It very much seems like an unconquered frontier in the fight for inclusivity, which is just unfortunate...

[@coda3223]

Very true. Also particularly distressing considering the long-term health effects of masking. It sucks that we sometimes have to mask to be safe in public. I like the idea of 'stim-in's where folks (autistic, allistic, anyone) organize a time and place to meet in public and naturally stim for a designated time.

[@RaptorFactor-x7v]

everybody masks in someway or another. You obviously talk differently if you're talking to your best friend than you do to your parents. When you are in public you're not the only one. everybody acts and talks different depending on where they are or who they're with.

[@coda3223]

@@RaptorFactor-x7v Even if the kind of masking that you are referring to is comparable to autistic masking (it's not the same), the negative effects of autistic masking on autistic people is much more detrimental than the impacts of the masking that "everyone" does.

[@efficiencygaming3494]

@@RaptorFactor-x7v It goes a bit deeper than that. I learned the hard way that the way I speak at home isn't nearly as well-tolerated by some others. In my case, masking is a skill I learned to perfect over many years of awkward moments and people telling me to shut up. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, then, that one of my passions happens to be acting. I'm part of a college theatre company and some of the people I work with there did not know I had autism until I told them.

[@RaptorFactor-x7v]

​@@efficiencygaming3494 ok. I didn't mean to insinuate that as neuro-typical people have it as bad autistic people

[@deuterium_oxide7382]

one thing that wasn't mentioned in the video and i haven't seen mentioned in the comments (someone could've pointed this out and i just didnt notice it), one of the main reasons why autism symptoms seems to reduce with age isn't necessarily that there are actually less severe symptoms, just that when your older youve had more time to learn to hide the symptoms better to avoid criticism

[@TricksterModeEngaged]

Yes, sometimes with an additional caveat that, if you get ill or injured or are dealing with some significant life changes later on (or are just stressed out or need to think hard about something) suddenly you might find yourself unable to maintain the conscious effort of keeping up the act For instance, if "normal" body language, inflection/tone of voice, facial expressions or eye contact don't come naturally to you, that becomes a thing you have to constantly, consciously think about when interacting with others. My husband says I look like an android rebooting if this concentration is disrupted and I temporarily have to stop, and then restart, acting "normal". Apparently it's a bit disturbing to watch the first couple of times. I've been working at it for years and I still mess up sometimes. Weirdly, getting back into D&D helped, I think?

[@DynamixWarePro]

I am 35 and have Autism, Dyspraxia, mild OCD and possibly ADHD (waiting to be tested for that). I wasn't diagnosed with Autism until I was 31 after I watched a TV show where two teens were interviewed who had Autism and I saw similarities to myself and researched what Autism was, then asked my doctor to refer me for a diagnosis. As a child I had lots of issues and myself nor my parents knew what was causing them except for being diagnosed with dyspraxia when I was 12. I had issues with social interaction, found it hard to talk to people and had speech problems, I was nervous in crowds, hated loud noises and was a very picky eater. These issues lasted into my 20s then started to get less severe. After my diagnosis, I learned all about Autism and what was causing many of the issues I had. Once I knew that, it was the first step in the right direction. I started to relax more and became less stressed about my issues as I finally knew what was causing much of them and I was able to get help to manage my issues and improve them to some extent. I also have vastly improved my speech so I can talk better and over the years have joined various groups to help my social interaction skills and reduce my anxiety with social interaction which has really helped. Now, on the surface at least, to some people it might look like my symptoms have reduced or that I might not have Autism anymore, but that isn't the case, I can just deal with my symptoms better than I used to so some of the issues I had are not as big of a problem or as noticeable as they once were years ago.

[@apatheiajane4863]

⁠@@TricksterModeEngaged 100% this. I know so many people who self diagnosed as asd or adhd during pandemic lockdowns (in my case both), because a) stressful time b) routine based life hacks were disrupted c) the sensory environment we operate in massively changed. It became obvious it wasn’t just social anxiety that made me hate coffee catchups, when suddenly (australian) cafes had hard density limits and all of a sudden I wasn’t trying to socialise while navigating acoustic overwhelm and people brushing past me, and it became something I could enjoy. It’s taken me years to get diagnosis and adhd meds though, because psychs specialising in adhd and asd have been utterly swamped by so many new patients that had managed their neurodivergence all their life until lockdowns, but all needed help simultaneously when they simultaneously went through a rough time.

[@melissawalsh8760]

You can also control your environment more when you're older so you avoid meltdowns.

[@starrywizdom]

Can confirm. I've spent most of my life trying to figure out how to learn not to freak other people out with my differentness. I'm more successful now than ever, & I'm sure it's from my decades of struggling...

[@piratepartyftw]

@SciShow I'd like to see a pinned comment addressing the issues with ABA, as discussed in many comments on this video.

[@piratepartyftw]

The fundamental issue is that ABA is NOT designed to help autistic kids (or adults). It's really designed to help the *parents* of autistic kids, at the expense of the kid. It amounts to putting autistic kids in a negative Skinner Box and forcing them to hide their autistic traits for the comfort of nonautistic people arounds them. That's all it is. A "success" in ABA just means the nonautistic people stop noticing the problems, while the autistic person continues to suffer, now with the added complication of trauma from the ABA "treatment."

[@Raya-xw5ud]

+

[@taylorfrink1182]

I'm so glad to see autistic women being recognized more and more; when I was a kid I was so classically autistic it was plain to see yet my pediatrician never even considered it a possibility for me; it wasn't until moving onto different medical professionals and taking a subsequent in-depth psychiatric evaluation that my autism and adhd was FINALLY diagnosed and I cannot emphasize enough how much it made my whole life finally make sense. When I was a kid, I actually considered that possibly I was dropped here by aliens and just being watched like some kind of Truman Show (hadn't seen that at the time yet either) because I felt like I was so different and didn't understand why. I wish I had known sooner, because I think I would have been able to get the appropriate distress tolerance skills and other much needed skills as an autistic person through the right therapies and treatments (obviously there is no "treatment" for autism in the sense of curing, but I mean the supportive stuff learning how to adapt a little better to changes which we handle HORRIBLY more often than not and things like that)

[@Ms_Cheesecake]

Same! Had all these classic symptoms that were plainly visible by the time I was two and, later, had my freaking dad and younger brother diagnosed with ASD, but..."GiRLs dOnT hAvE aUtiSm YoU'rE jUsT eMoTiOnAL." :( Got diagnosed with bipolar disorder (at age 21) instead, and the meds have definitely messed me up. Didn't get diagnosed properly until last year (age 32). Working with a new psychiatrist here in a couple weeks to try to get me proper treatment for better coping strategies and stuff. :(

[@misspat7555]

My signs of autism were also far from subtle and even somewhat stereotypically “masculine” (I was interested in vehicles, and Legos, and outer space, and medicine, and good at math; I even played more with the boys than with the girls and was overall “tomboyish”), but my intelligence meant any language delay was fairly mild and overlooked. I couldn’t have even been diagnosed “Aspie” until I was 12, though I could have been diagnosed “ADHD-PI” at 5, and that probably would have helped, since I respond well to methylphenidate, but that was never considered, also probably because I was a bright girl. I couldn’t have been diagnosed autistic until I was *31*! I would imagine more white boys get diagnosed because it’s actually quite hard to get your kid in front of someone qualified to diagnose; I had to take my daughter to a child psychologist completely outside the school system recommended by her pediatrician! I must have filled out a half-dozen autism screens, and they just kept not diagnosing her, I now realize probably because they weren’t qualified to, and cheerfully offering her speech and occupational therapies, which, I mean, were good and helpful, but weren’t a diagnosis! 🤦‍♀️

[@Samantha-vlly]

I realized now that I missed the part where my mom said that she took me to pediatrician, and also said that I don’t have any problem. They stopped there and now, I’m here searching many evidences of me being in this spectrum. I’m also a bit relief that my parents didn’t took deeper into it because here in my country, ABA is one of the main therapy they have here, which many people have been against here in comments.

[@joshw.2739]

I know the research is still pending but I have a feeling that at least a sizable portion of the male-female imbalance in autism diagnosis is because the societal expectations for girls and women may have a side-effect of training them to mask their symptoms.

[@Bugmanc]

gosh i love it when people talk about autism without being a eugenicist about it. thank you for this!

[@nickpang4630]

Is it weird that I am autistic and want to have a vasectomy so nobody else has to deal with this BS of being a different equally good type of person but only being 1% of the population so nothing supports me

[@FirstnameLastname-jd4uq]

@@nickpang4630 well I don't think so

[@TerrariaGolem]

I love it when Psychology is covered by Sci-Show's main child! I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS as a kid, then Asperger's, and now ASD! As someone who is autistic (and more) this is reassuring.

[@Andreopimentel]

Lots of promotions! Keep at it, someday you might become the CEO of autism

[@spicybaguette7706]

Bruuh my diagnoses were literally the same, PDD-NOS -> Aspergers -> ASD XD

[@TerrariaGolem]

@@spicybaguette7706 fr. The ironic part is I also have bipolar 1 with psychotic features and DID. Among other things. Life ain't easy 😭

[@spicybaguette7706]

@@TerrariaGolem Damn, you collecting diagnoses like Pokémon cards😳

[@TerrariaGolem]

@spicybaguette7706 my collection is vintage. Worth a lot of money in insurance premiums

[@JamesJJ-y4p]

Yes Psychedelics offer new hope for mental health treatment.

[@NoahLucas-j3p]

I overcame mine with the help of mushrooms.

[@OliverJames-h2y]

Where to get em?

[@Arthur_james-cx5rv]

doctormashrooms is your guy, got all kinds of psychedelics.-:(

[@SitaramThakur-l1c]

Where do I reach this dude? If possible telegram or TikTok

[@Arthur_james-cx5rv]

Yes he's doctormaxshrooms. I know few friends who no longer suffer ptsd and anxiety with the help of shrooms.

[@TheAIKnowledgeHub]

Something to note is many doctors don't agree with what is autism, how to deal with it, and some judges when the person applies for given disabilities don't count it as a disability. Like there is a number of stories where some doctors say the person couldn't be autistic because the person had a job. Even after being verified by 3 doctors. One said I couldn't be because I didn't religiously follow rules and was ok with bending some rules. They never counted how my life was and how in poverty it is impossible to live a life of hard rules. Even more if you look at many rule makers and why they made given rules. Also funny thing is before Asperger's was included in the group. I was diagnosed as both. Oh and one big thing he missed is how adults are treated. There is a ton of help and understanding in kids. But world wide, there is virtually no to no resources for adults. Workplace harassment, discrimination, and so on is a real thing. One study shows one of our leading ways of death is by taking our own life. There is no shortage of stories of where people got messed over as an adult. And what is worse, many who "advocate" for us points at someone successful or just someone they know that can work. But they overlook the real numbers, real stories, and real personal life events. Like they say if x can hold down a job, so can you. But that person is less than 1% of 1% of 1%. And many studies show the vast majority of us (80% some studies, 60% others. But they are all high) we are unemployed or underemploy. And many studies show the bulk of us isn't employed. And then it gets worse when you look at other thingd. There is many who report they are basically used as slave labor from their family under constant threat of being homeless, there is a high abuse in romantic relationship a high percentage of time but not always, the majority not having any romantic relationship, and so on. I highly recommend going on autistic ADULT forums. You will find most of the post about longing for death or other problems. Where the autistic forums that are meant for adults tend to hyper focus on kids, memes, and they tend to not engage with adult problems. Many who are atustic by the time they become adults end up having GAD and CPSTD. The same stuff war victims have.

[@rosestormwolf]

My psychiatrist said I can’t be autistic because I have close friends lmao Also agreed, there is a reason why ASD has so many comorbid disorders like GAD, major depressive disorder, and CPTSD. So much of those are direct results of expressing microaggression due to autistic traits.

[@iota-09]

yeah i recall my following doctor for therapy actually didn't believe i was autistic, yet the clinic head(can't remember what that poistion is called rn) had vehement disagreement with that person, eventually i ended up just getting medication because there wasn't an easy solution for therapy for me in that case, and while that somewhat worked, the side effe ts were grave and so with time i just learned to deal with it on my own. in the end i became more mentally stable but at the cost of being much more useless to society as my mindset and condition don't really allow me to work i just about any form of job.

[@NotMeButAnother]

This video strongly undersells the negative reputation of ABA in the autism community. It is widely regarded as abusive, unresponsive to the needs of the child and mostly focused on making the child easier to handle for the caregivers. Especially when encouraging people to seek out intervention for their children, it seems irresponsible to not place a stronger focus on the criticisms and opinions of the people most affected by the method.

[@22lostservice]

It was possibly done to avoid seeming like theybare attacking it because I have been told off many times by parents of Autistic kids that ABA is the only thing that "helped them manage their kid " and they didn't like being told they are bad parents for it.

[@jamiek8123]

ABA has in fact been recognized as torture and banned in any country with some decent sense to them

[@tubebrocoli]

This should be the top voted comment.

[@lisanorwoodtreefarm]

yes, i thought the video was generally really good and had been nervous about clicking, but that segment was the main piece of feedback for how they need to improve it

[@Howtheheckarehandleswit]

+

[@Imbalto]

Y’all have been hammering out the content that will pop up when parents search these types of terms (like the cancer stages explained vid) Love this type of work!

[@BanthaWorship]

As an autistic adult diagnosed as a child, I was very nervous about this video but you've in fact done a stellar job. Even the part re: ABA. I went through it as a child in the 80's and was reintroduced to it as an adult in 2017 and the ways in which it has changed are night and day. Punishment has been banned entirely, it's positive reinforcement only now and the whole thing is patient lead, rather than caregiver lead or therapist lead. The focus was to provide alternative coping skills to ones which are dangerous (cause physical harm to self or others) or disruptive (screaming in excess, knocking things over) and ways to communicate verbally or otherwise what you need -- including to leave overstimulating situations rather than melting down or eloping. At least if you live in an area where you have access to up to date, quality care (which isn't many parts of the US, to be fair). There are a lot of helpful interventions however, and ABA should really be more of a "nothing else has helped" option because it is a really big time investment especially for a child. Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Feeding Therapy and the like depending on need help a lot, as well as making sure you or your child are placed in an ASD specific learning environment. Almost all early diagnosed children on the spectrum now are eligible for free preschool programs. It is vital you actually follow through with supports offered to you/yourr child because I cannot properly convey how much faster skills are gained when you can see everyone around you using them (compared to just your parents). For the longest time, as a kid, I thought smiling was just something my parents did. I didn't realize I was supposed to also smile when happy until I was sent to school and didn't know how or when to do so. Do not want for a "normal" child. Your autistic child is already normal.

[@TheFirstTrynyti]

As a brother of a 70s non-verbal autistic child and now a parent to an autistic daughter, I totally agree that ABA has completely changed. I specifically told the ABA therapists I interviewed for my daughter that if they treated my daughter the way my brother was treated, I'd call the police and press charges. They completely understood and agreed that they would never treat my daughter that way. We've had such great experience with our daughter's ABA therapists. Thanks for your perspective and for sharing your experience. I think more people need to see this.

[@SunnyTheGentleFox]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I've noticed a lot of anti-science and anti-treatment sentiment these days, and it's important for people to not be afraid of doctors/institutions, if/when they can help them. Important to include the caveat that some doctors/practitioners are better than others. Hence, it is important to have a strong advocate, and to recognize when something isn't working and to move on.

[@Nai-qk4vp]

​@@TheFirstTrynyti"Your autistic child is already good enough" is better. Normalcy has nothing to do with good.

[@BraxtonHoward]

"low social reciprocity" is a fun way to describe being rejected by peers. Wonder if that's on one of my charts somewhere.

[@Kawaiitwo]

Man, I love low social reciprocity! Being treated as that “one weird kid that people should bark and meow at while passing by in the halls” was so fun in high school. Not.

[@piquantement]

That's not what it means. It means people with autism often aren't reciprocating behaviors that neurotypical people expect and interpret as social engagement, like eye contact, or mirroring.

[@nobody.of.importance]

@@piquantement Doesn't make it any less insulting as worded.

[@piquantement]

@@nobody.of.importance I really don't think it's insulting. It's quite literal.

[@TheKrispyfort]

Difference in communication is too often interpreted by Typical persons as deliberate disrespect towards them.

[@ProfessorRainman]

I’m neurospicy (autistic and ADHD) and a long time fan, Hank! Thank you for helping me feel seen in my and of our vast diversity across the non-linear spectrum!

[@sleekoduck]

I like that!

[@calebs4887]

As a fellow ASD+ADHD haver, I will be stealing this term now, thanks.

[@BoxOfToasters]

Mmm, neurospices...

[@christaverduren690]

I have ADHD and autism... I wasn't diagnosed until I was 49 (2019) Before that I was diagnosed (at age 22) with depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and CPTSD. While I do have PTSD and CPTSD, once I got off ALL 13 psychiatric medications that I'd been on for nearly 30 YEARS, I started to wake up and realize that I'm just fine! I'm quirky, and weird, and fun, and a deep thinker, and an overthinking. But I'm also a writer, a photographer, a mother and wife, as well as a great cook and baker, a fantastic gardener, awesome with all animals, an avid reader, a world traveler..... I'm so much more. I've learned over the past few years from of all places.... Pinterest! More about who I am as an older adult WOMAN with ADHD and Autism. I'm 54 now, and am happier than I've ever been in my entire life.

[@FreeManFreeThought]

The change over the past decade in autism awareness is amazing. Was joking with some air force friends a few weeks ago that 20 years ago 1/2 of military people had a drinking problem, and now 1/2 the military has an autism or ADHD diagnosis, and 5 years ago some of the few people who were open about it commonly joked "they want all the symptoms, but not the diagnosis". Having hid my diagnosis when I joined in 2011, and having suffered from people's misunderstanding for years; it is nice to see things finally changing. When I was diagnosed as a kid; after that fateful dr's appointment I was sat on the seat of my grandfather's truck between him and my mom and made to swear that I would never mention the diagnosis again; and that I was to never "tell anyone, or use the diagnosis as a crutch". My mom only told me this past year that she was diagnosed too a couple years before that (mid 1990's), but she kept it a secret. I struggled through school, drank too much and smoked a ton of weed (Oh, and almost all of my highschool friends are some form of ND, funny how all the "nerds" of the school turned out that way.); and joined the air force as a tech because I thought I wasn't smart enough for university. Now I am in my early 30's, with the support I need, an additional ADHD diagnosis (so common that in the back of my head I wonder if they are even different conditions), and advancing quickly in my career in a way that never would have seemed possible a decade ago. All because who I am is taken seriously and actually supported. Also, something that I have seen proposed; and have some feeling may be correct, is the evolutionary benefits theory. In the millions of years of human evolution, someone with autism was a better tracker. The person who is hyper aware of their environment, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the environment, ensures the survival of the overall group, Whether strictly speaking genes or methylation, it doesn't matter, the selective pressures still selected for it because of the benefits.

[@Gingerbreadley]

As someone who works in the field this is a pretty good video. Although you said ABA is the only effective behavioral intervention which is just not true. Occupational therapists for example have their own behavioral programs.

[@piratepartyftw]

Also ABA isnt effective. It doesnt help autistic people. It just forces them to mask for the comfort of the allistic people around them. That's what a "success" looks like in ABA: masking. And usually also trauma, because ABA is abusive

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

ABA is also not effective at all; it's just abusive compliance training, which is something they neglected to mention in the video.

[@emilysmith2784]

Thank you for this video. I actually got my diagnosis in 2009 as I volunteered to be in an autism study as a control but during the initial testing I was told I couldn’t be in the control as I was clearly on the spectrum. I was given my results and told to take them to my doctor to make my diagnosis official and to rejoin the study on the autism side. I have to admit I was very shocked by this turn of events and it took me 10 years to actually do something about it, but I think the world has come a long way since 2009 and I wear my autism badge with pride now.

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

Hell yeah for joining the war on autism.... on the side of the autism!! (joke)

[@LilChuunosuke]

Thats such a wild way of finding out you're autistic. And, i hope you dont mind me saying, absolutely hilarious

[@malkiyyah2693]

Being the parent of an autistic child has been a hell of a ride, that's for certain. We got my son's diagnosis at age 2, and the number of doors and amount of support it opens up is fantastic, especially compared to what families had to go through even ten years ago. The level of assistance for autistic children and adults continues to improve, and I'm glad that more and more programs are looking at support rather than conversion or "normalization." I can't wait to see where we're at in 5 years, let alone 10.

[@watermylove4530]

Yeah there's support for YOU. Parents. Not actual autistic people. That's the sad part, not to mention that a lot of the "treatments" are actually just abuse training your child like a dog to act "normal".

[@Prismaticlysm]

@@watermylove4530 So basically all school (even for normal kids) is abuse since that's literally what they make kids do (sit down and no running around and no outlet and plz focus for 8 hours kthnx)

[@watermylove4530]

@@Prismaticlysm I mean, school is abusive lol. Even for normal kids it's hell and in the end doesn't really achieve the intended goal of "teaching". It puts stress onto little kids. That stress caused me to become severely depressed and I haven't left my house in a long while. I literally get into a panic attack every time I have to do my lessons, so I can't force myself to.

[@Prismaticlysm]

@@watermylove4530 I'm just saying that we all suffer to some extent. Parents, especially those who have no idea what they are dealing with need help. Should things be better for kids? Absolutely! But parents need support in order to support their kids, so don't put down the OP for praising the help they get to help their kids.

[@watermylove4530]

@@Prismaticlysm I'm sorry if it came out that way. I just wanted to mention that parents of autistic children have more support than actual autistic people. It's great if they want to help their kids, but please please don't put kids in conversion therapy for autistics.

[@kindlequeen8593]

My brother was diagnosed at age 2 (I was 5) and it was back when they had the weird scale from 1-16, and he was put at a 13, and his prognosis was that he would be nonverbal and need a lot of support. 17 years later he’s doing great! Verbal, absolutely loves trains, and volunteers at a local museum. He graduated high school, which was something my parents weren’t sure he would be able to. I (21 F) never presented the way that was “typical,” I made eye contact, was very talkative, and pretty outgoing. The hyperfixations on different topics that would change week to week, along with the need for adherence to routine were some of the early signs, but I still went all through my childhood without a diagnosis, even though I have a sibling who was diagnosed so early. It was likely because of the fact that, at the time, it wasn’t really seen that AFAB individuals could be autistic. I’m doing a lot better now, and am able to get the support I need and will be finishing a bachelors this spring!

[@dawsie]

3 years ago I discovered quite by accident that I am autistic, my Mom had been so fixated on my brother who was diagnosed at an early age, that they missed all of the same tells in myself. For decades I thought something was wrong with me but I could never figure it all out until 3 years ago when KZbin for some very strange reason recommended a young woman’s video on female autism. For about a month I kept ignoring the video as it kept popping up, then it started popping up in every recommended listing regardless of my doing fixed searches on craft subjects that I finally clicked on it. To say it was life changing is an understatement. I had totally forgotten about the fact my brother who was sent to a special school as a child, I was never told why other than the fact he went to school with others like him. It was only after watching the video that I asked my Dad about my brother and why he went to the special school, that’s when he told me that my brother was autistic and the school he went to was to help modify his behaviour to function in society better. The video talked about how autism runs in siblings and in family lines. I have cousins who had children just like my brother who were more pronounced autistic and all of them were the boys in the group. Since then my cousins had their daughters tested because I told them that one of the magic tricks girls have is masking the symptoms of autism. They have all come back as autistic at varying levels but are better at coupling than their male counterparts. The very first sign that was never picked up for me was I hated being cuddled ever, my Mom use to joke about it as I grew up that even as a baby I hated being held. This was put down to the fact I was born 5 weeks early and as such premie babies are never held much due to the varies reasons related to the fact they always looked very fragile. Whereas in truth it was in fact the very first sign of autism but being the 60’s they never knew that then. It’s funny really I showed all of the signs of being autistic along side my brother but they were completely overlooked at the time. As I got older I got better at masking. The savant aspects I have only just figured out. I have always just gotten on with the job regardless of the task a just seemed to know what had to be done without being shown or told. I just knew I could do it. It’s just difficult to explain lol. I have never read a manual on any software programme that has been introduced to helping office work, like MS Word or any of their programs I just went in and used them. I have done this with so many programmes over the years. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have had to refer to a manual for any programme that I have used in my life. I was 9 years old the first time I started driving out on the farm and I had not been shown how to do it. It was simple as I had seen it done so many times when I had gone out with my uncle on the tractor I noticed what he was doing so I just mimicked what he had done. After that Dad would take me out to the abandoned airfield so I could drive the car. I never understood who so many of my class mates could never grasp the most basic things in woodwork class or metal work shop when it came to the tools that we had in class. The teacher would show us once and I got it. I could watch a cooking show and then produce that very same meal the next day for my parents. I did not know that this was part of what being a savant meant back in the 60’s - 70’s I was labeled as gifted. I can be driven somewhere and months even years later if I am in that area I could retrace the rout taken. It’s like I have been driving the same road to my Drs every 2 weeks for the past 10 years now and I notice when a tree has come down after a storm has gone through. Dad finds it funny as it all looks the same to him, it was like when there had been road works done, there is this huge boulder and it had gotten moved by a few metres but I noticed it, but Dad recons it had not moved. I pulled over to it and showed him where it use to be to where it is now, it was the only reason he believed me because he saw the actual changes in the ground. I can remember every book I have read but not word for word just the stories and because of this I will sit and read the books again because the story gets stuck in my head but somehow it’s a little mixed up, once I have re-read the book the story goes back into the corner of my memories all nicely in the correct order and leaves me alone. It’s the same with movies, in the past I would have to wait for them to make it back on TV in the old days before videos and DVD’s now I can buy the DVD and when the movie starts getting mixed up in my memories I sit and watch it again. The more I understand the spectrum of autism the more my past life suddenly becomes clearer and I finely understand myself so much better. Especially when it came to trying to show someone else how to do my job. I never realised how much more I had been doing in one of my jobs until the day I quite so I could travel. When I came back from my travels my old boss wanted me to come back lol, turned out he had to hire 2 people to do the work I had been doing on my own, because the one person they hired to replace me quite a month later because she could not coupe. I had asked him so many times when I had been working there that I needed help, they all thought I had been joking. For females with autism we tend to take on more than we should, we never complain. It’s one of the things noticed between boys and girls with autism, they can be given the same task as each other, but it’s handled differently and the girls tend to finish faster than the boys. Girls tend to mask from birth is one of the things I was told and that’s why girls have been over looked when they have a brother who is autistic. Many of the girls with brothers if diagnosed tend to be more pronounced than their brothers. Boys have to learn how to mask their autism that’s why my brother was sent to the special needs children’s school before high school so that when he did get to high school he would be able to coupe better with his autism. As you said they are learning so much more about the spectrums of autism especially when it runs in families. Between my brother and I it’s confusing I was born 5 weeks early but my brother was born 5 weeks over due. He was very pronounced autistic whereas I one year older was autistic but had already learnt to mask by the time he was diagnosed at the age of 5. Looking back to that time (yep my life I can see as clear today as if it was just yesterday) I was hiding and controlling what my brother could not or would not do at the same time. His constant crying drove me up the wall so much so I would find any reason to stay in my own room. The act of being able to look back at my life now that I’m 61 I can see so many of the red flags that are now finally being picked up in children now specially girls. At least they will not have to grow up thinking something was so very wrong with them but never being able to put a finger onto the very reasons as to why. I was labeled as very gifted but very shy and withdrawn. Even the past 3 years they have learnt so much more about autism in girls than they have ever known in the past 60 years. One of the best results is knowing that if one child has autism then the chances are that all of their siblings are also on the spectrum for autism and that’s why there are more girls diagnosed today. It also means that one of their parents are also autistic because they now know that it is genetically linked within their DNA in my family it’s through my GrandMother she was a savant musically, she could play any tune after hearing it once, she could play it on the flute. She was also one of Scotland’s top 10 Dux award winners when she finished school at 16. It has only been in her children and grand children that have the autism showing up there has not been anything on GrandPa’s side of the family, except for those who’s partner has it in their line. The Best part of having 80% of your family still living back in the Shetlands it’s easy to find family traits.

[@yurisei6732]

I love that your searches were so autistic that even youtube's terrible algorithm had absolutely no doubt that you needed to see that video.

[@jdenmark1287]

Well if anyone had any doubts your very complete comment would eliminate them. 😊

[@vjr5261]

Thank you for sharing your story. You would make a good peer support person. I can tell. I do the same working with autistic kids as a BIS. I see many things apply to me, but have always been considered neuro-typical.

[@simonederobert1612]

I am not sure, but I think I may be on the spectrum. I have suspected it for a while, as I have 2 sons, both in the genius range, and in looking at the 3 grandchildren they have given me, all three are probably on the spectrum. Only one (male) of the three has actually been diagnosed. The other two (female) have been diagnosed with ADD. So my question is: what is the genetic line? Personally, my strong suspicion is through the female line.

[@elyaaraly]

A communication difference 👏 I liked that. I don’t like that ABA is considered training. People on the spectrum don’t need training, they need compassion and accommodations. 💕

[@coda3223]

It's also incredibly unethical to train anyone without consent / assent. Some autistic people were still having aversives that included electric skin shocks done to them legally without consent as recent as 2022 as a part of their ABA "training".

[@iota-09]

compassion? sure. accomodations? eh... sort of? i guess comprehension and tools would be better, but favoritism often is, at least for my personal experience pushing it just that nudge bit too far. help is needed but not to an extent where others should pay the price in my stead.

[@anonanonanna]

What about people with severe apraxia behind their nonspeaking autism? Accomodations are essential, of course. But there are some forms of training that can also help those people. Like physical strength and muscle training to help a person's ability to control their body and develop purposeful movements, including those needed to communicate using a letter board. They have behaviours, body movements and speech that they can't control For example, they can have repetitive speech that doesn't match what they want to say (e.g. an adult reciting lines from a children's show they are no longer interested in, and otherwise unable to speak with their mouth), and need particular help to develop purposeful motor patterns and get them into muscle memory, to perform the tasks they want to perform, whether that be communicating by pointing to letters on a letter board, one finger typing on ipad, washing their hands, riding a bike, putting on a tshirt, pouring a glass of milk.

[@elyaaraly]

@@anonanonanna Training on how to “be normal” and mask is what I should have specified. A lot of the times, people are ignored when they display an autistic trait such as stimming. That just creates isolation and low self worth for young kids going through that sort of therapy. I completely agree with your points though.

[@anonanonanna]

@@elyaaraly Fully agree. Planned ignoring is a horrible practice.

[@BlueHawkPictures17]

Somehow, that telephone game study explains so much more woth my experience in video game communities with presumably large amounts of autistic players.

[@btbesquire5]

As someone on the spectrum, back when "Aspergers" was used in diagnosis. i thank you, SciShow. This is so meaningful and i am grateful for this video, in so many ways.

[@MontgomeryWenis]

31 year old white male here. Just FINALLY got my diagnosis a few months ago after years of work. Some of my symptoms got better with age, some got much worse. Thank you for making me feel seen and heard. #dftba

[@thend4427]

Same

[@ScaerieTale]

It's also important for parents of autistic children to realize thyat it's a spectrum. One famous example coming to my mind is a mom who broke down in tears yelling at "those kids on TikTok claiming they're Autistic" because her child displays more extreme symptoms, therefore only her child, and not anyone else who isn't as severe, could possibly be on the autism spectrum. Whic his not how spectrums work. Anyway, thanks to the entire SciShow team for this amazing, comprehensive video. I have diagnosed severe ADHJD and share enough ASD traits to be considered strongly borderline if not outright Aspie territory, and I'm still figuring out what that means. Seeing videos like this from a reputable group like SciShow is really heartening for me. For example, I recently realized that my verbal communication is not great, but I can write you a novel inside a week if the topic interests me (and my ADHD hyperfocus takes hold). And in fact, I JUST caught myself about to apologize for "posting yet another long winded comment" eek!

[@clairet5636]

I know it's a spectrum. But be kind to "autism moms," we get a lot of frustration due to Aspies stealing the show and then directing much undeserved hate towards us when most of the time we're just trying to survive.

[@PrtyNeal]

As an autistic person it's time for us to take over Autism research, diagnosis and treatment. The world is failing us.

[@ironlion45]

Then go do it!

[@QueenofPutrescence]

​@ironlion45 we're seen as less than, we need acceptance first. Otherwise, we need to be seen as having "savant syndrome " to be taken seriously. Getting a degree to perform these studies is often unaccomodating (due to lack of acceptance) and many of us burnout before getting said degree. But yes, we need to do it! So accept us, believe us when we say we need a certain accommodation and allow us time to rest when we need. And then there will be loads of autists flooding the field 😊

[@Nekotaku_TV]

No. That's horrible. Anyone should be able to research anything and if anything having it only or in majority done by autistic people is for sure gonna lead to a bias.

[@retrogradevector]

@@Nekotaku_TV Anyone can do research on autism (the more the better, frankly). All we're asking is that they check with an actually autistic person who can inform them of any biases or misconceptions. What they do with that is up to the researcher.

[@kaitlinhillier]

Nothing about us without us!

[@MrEnziteBob]

Overall great video! Love to see these kind of topics covered. I've worked in the developmental disabilities field for almost 8 years now and it's really really hard for some of these folks to find the care that they need just because of targeting down what actually helps them communicate with people and the world is so difficult. And I get that you're generalizing but mentioning group homes. Group homes are the scourge of autism and developmental disabilities world. They are nothing but negative connotations when it comes to these people. Almost every single client I have ever worked with that's ever came out of a group home has said nothing but horrible things to say. They always talk as though they've been in prison. Makes me happy that I'm able to work in an Independent Supportive living situation with my clients. We are really really champion Day programs. They do so much for the clients that aren't able to go to 24-hour staffing, but they do so well and get so much enjoyment being around folks that are like them.

[@M00atah]

As an autistic person, I'm pretty happy with this video. I agree with others that it undersells the harms of ABA, but its far and away better than most videos regarding autism that I've seen produced by non-autistic people. Would love a follow up looking into the evolution of autism as a diagnosis more deeply. There are so many people out there that, if they know anything about autism at all, are functioning on scientific understandings 15 to 20 years out of date.

[@comradeinternet467]

Its sad that a video that glosses over ableist torture regimes is what passes as "good coverage", but its not like the global north is capable of civilization, so its understandable that that is seen as the "ceiling" of what can be hoped for as it were.

[@roisinrowan1341]

@@comradeinternet467 yeah, i like hank, and sci-show, but while this video is scientifically sound, it very very clearly was not made with any consultation from the autistic community.

[@VariantAEC]

ABA is used to correct OCD. How is that different?

[@GuerillaBunny]

@@VariantAECBased on my own limited research, using ABA for autism might be akin to training a dog; it rewards for desired behavior. It doesn't really consider a person's individual needs. The reason it can be really harmful in autism cases is that a lot of us are lonely, and will engage in behaviors actively harmful to ourselves (ie. neglect our own needs) to gain the approval of a community, especially when such behaviors are rewarded. So we're taught not only how to mask better, but also that our mask is better than who we really are. Someone's told me that it's not always like that, but having checked that person's sources, I'm still not convinced.

[@VariantAEC]

@@GuerillaBunny I don't know. I would argue that I had OCD as a child, and I had to train myself out of it because no one else would. That took me more than a decade. I can't imagine ABA would be worse than that. I know ABA is used to treat OCD and that OCD is a more crippling disorder than ASD in some very different ways.

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

I am so blown away from this video. It's concise, informative, summarizes many different complicated and controversial aspects in a respectful way and ACCURATE. There are so many videos out there from a non-autistic view point that gets things wrong or is insensitive and biased. As an autistic person and a scishow/Hank Greene fan, I am so pleased with this video. I'm not sure if you fine folks understand what kind of impact and importance this has but this makes me feel seen and heard while also encompassing the current and past understanding and research. It takes the autistic experience into account and that is truly rare to find. Thank you so so so much!

[@ProffesionalZombie12]

Adult female Autistic here, and you're absolutely right about community. I was diagnosed with almost everything under the sun, moon and stars before I finally self-advocated and got myself screened. I initially did it to try and circumvent my seemingly undiagnosable, extremely disruptive nerve pain to get disability. But the community I've found after my diagnosis has completely changed my world for the better. I no longer have the perpetual feeling of being homesick. I finally belong somewhere.

[@TeaIngyer]

Thank you for using the infinity sign not a puzzle piece. We appreciate that.

[@BenjaminCronce]

The most important part is that autism is an experience. Even if someone doesn't show any "symptoms" doesn't mean they're not struggling. I'm self diagnosed and my main issue is when I run out of "spoons", I get slammed with general anxiety. Feels like a mortal threat against my life and I just need to get away from everyone. It's much less of a struggle now with better coping mechanisms. Sometimes I even forget that I have a limit. But when I reach that limit, it's like slamming into a wall. And none of this is external to anyone. They just seem me being quiet, when inside I'm screaming. My mind is racing, I can't stop it, goes into a catastrophic thinking mode that can't be stopped. My pulse will shoot up above 130, I'll get dizzy, start to lose feeling in my limbs. Mind will be racing so fast I have multiple overlapping thoughts. I can left exhausted from social interactions for months. On the outside, I'm calm, and people wonder why I'm not social anymore. They just think I'm a "normal" person, but an avoidant and that I "don't want to be" with others. That is not the case. I *can't* be around others too much.

[@LilChuunosuke]

I was and still am often told that i can't be autistic because I appear normal & like I'm not struggling. But i didn't even know how to do things like wash the dishes, brush my teeth, use a gas pump, etc. until my early 20s. I don't understand these seemingly straightforward tasks unless they're spelled out to me in a painfully detailed manner. Just because I mask heavily & effectively doesn't mean I don't struggle. Heck, I'm sure if these people paid closer attention, they'd notice that most of the things I say to them are scripted lines that I repeat verbatim in the same tone of voice on a regular basis.

[@MusiicRoolz]

do you blame that more on the social anxiety aspect or the physical stimulation?

[@marquistf1996]

Relatable. I grew up with explosive abusers and I very quickly internalized the message that me expressing myself was unacceptable. My meltdowns are almost ENTIRELY internal. Because the consequences for me breaking down externally are SEVERE. I often need some time alone to express my thoughts out loud and to feel my feelings in a safe controlled way. Thanks for sharing your story and reading mine.

[@Samantha-vlly]

@@LilChuunosuke A struggle I face too. I have undiagnosed anxiety(yes I can really say this) and sometimes I had doubts when I’m researching about this spectrum just because I feel different(my mind is crazy doing twisted thoughts fr) The layer of my personality is so deep and it’s hard to find that light that will make me have that “ohh that’s why I do this” in real life scenario. This is one of my reason why I became an optimistic(-pessimistic sometimes). Life is just hard rn and I’m a young adult, the harder things in my are unfolding.

[@BenjaminCronce]

@@MusiicRoolz I have general anxiety, not social. I can feel anxious for no real reason. While physical stimulus can eventually overwhelm me, I mostly have a "spoon" limit. As long as I have the mental energy to cope, I'm "fine".

[@ubtpixielox]

Appreciate the choice of referring to it as an “experience”.

[@JohnFoley1701]

I really appreciate how this channel, and complexly in general, is not afraid to take on complex or challenging subjects. A lot of so called science youtubers just go for the clickiest of clickbaity material. You guys are truly fostered curiosity and i love it. Thank you.

[@Erik-pu4mj]

Tactful, well-researched, and squeezed into a twenty minute script. I applaud the SciShow writers for this video.

[@graciedenzel8649]

I am a female with autism. But females very under diagnosed. Doctors didn't believe I was autistic because "I am smart", whatever that means.

[@KWAKZ5]

Well, (from my personal experience) women with autism often are more quite and shy then ”normal” women, so it is hard to disgnose it.

[@Kris-vb9uz]

​@KWAKZ5 it's primarily due to social norms like if your male it's more excusable to be loud and obnoxious

[@Nekotaku_TV]

That's just a bad doctor and not connected to you being female. But I wonder why females would be underdiagnosed.

[@Nekotaku_TV]

@@KWAKZ5 *than. Well if you fail you shouldn't diagnose it so that is a bad doctor coming to a conclusion without enough data.

[@Nekotaku_TV]

@@Kris-vb9uz *you're. That has no effect on an evaluation unless the doctor is stupid.

[@chattychatotchannel]

I feel very frustrated by these comments as someone with level 2 autism spectrum disorder who say it’s not a disorder or a disability when it significantly impedes my life and I can’t function without my team of support workers. Please remember not to speak over people with medium and high support needs.

[@kerycktotebag8164]

I'm diagnosed Level 2, and until i have proof that other people aren't disabling me & overly‐enabling allistic ppl, it's too risky to call it a disorder. I stick with "disability" bc that leaves room for both being disabled by the reactions of others & poor accommodations, and being disabled inherently.

[@skycloud4802]

I've read that only 21.7% of autistic people are in employment. In one study, just 32.1 percent of people with autism had had a partner, and only 9 percent were married. These are very sad figures.

[@collyernicholasjohn]

Thank you! Wonderful comment. It is frustrating.

[@sylvanticx]

I’m autistic (and ADHD), and this video was great! Thank you, Hank!!! I was diagnosed at age 14, after my therapists recommended I be assessed and referred me to a psychiatrist with more experience with neurodivergency, and she referred me to an assessment. My diagnosis has helped me understand myself much better. I’m not a defective person, I’m just autistic. Tbh, I’m shocked I wasn’t diagnosed earlier, as there were some obvious signs (I just learned from this video that not looking where someone is pointing is an indicator, and I definitely remember being confused as a small child by people pointing to direct me because I wasn’t sure where to look). My symptoms have changed with time- as a kid, I would often have big screaming meltdowns (I had no idea what I was feeling and how to explain that to others, so if I was overstimulated or anxious I would just fall apart), and now I mostly have internal shutdowns, where I’m still overwhelmed, but I’m not also blowing up at everyone. Instead, I just avoid all the stimuli and stop reacting, and often I’m unable to speak (I am ordinarily very verbal) or my words/syntax aren’t coming to me. Still bad, but not as bad, and I am more able to recognize when I’m getting overwhelmed and take a break before I shut down. I do disagree that it’s “a difference not a disability”. Yes, I am different… and being different disables me! A donkey is different than an electric eel, AND if you tossed a donkey into the ocean and told it to hunt for food with electric signals, it wouldn’t be able to do that. The differences are disabling.

[@TeeganPlayz_8903]

I was diagnosed at a young age Because l speech delay

[@key1526]

Hello!!! I'm autistic and very much in love with psychology! I got diagnosed just last year at 18 years old, and since then I've become a staunch believer in bettering access to diagnosis for autism, and making autism interventions less harmful and more useful. I think ABA has a while to go before I can say I fully support it, and I certainly don't agree with the actions of some autism-centered organizations (such as autism speaks and the Judge Rotenberg center). I appreciate how this video delves into the history of autism diagnosis and treatment and acknowledges (however briefly) its faults. It is never a bad thing to spread correct and destigmatizing information about autism, and I think lots of this information would be useful to a lot of people.

[@yaypilled]

Thank you all so much for the shoutout ❤️

[@artsymarxist]

My audhd (adhd and autism) self checking in for this video! Wish there were more resources out there to help us, adult autistic ppl have basically zero safety net and only 17% of us are employed bc no one is willing to accommodate us.

[@pedrosso0]

Haha. I (diagnosed with ASD) think I may have AuDHD as well but I don't know how to find out without spending resources on a diagnosis for ADHD as well

[@CarloRossiTheGreat]

Instead of looking for accommodations how about you learn how to adapt into your environment? The world won't change for you no matter how many problems you have. If you're not helping yourself nobody is going to help you.

[@Blaineworld]

@@CarloRossiTheGreat adapting the environment to their own needs rather than the other way around is humanity’s whole “thing” you silly goose

[@Willow4526]

​@@CarloRossiTheGreat That's like saying let's not fix racism bcos racists won't change... Like come on.

[@artsymarxist]

@@CarloRossiTheGreat Sure let me go ahead and get myself a new brain real quick, since abled people arent willing to make accommodations for the disabled. Do you hear yourself rn?

[@AdrianHereToHelp]

I am someone who's on the spectrum, very fortunately as someone who can perform quite well on my own, and I can definitely say that one of the biggest things for me in getting that diagnosis is, like was said in the video, just having that understanding and explanation for what's going on. It really does mean a lot, and makes a hell of a difference when it comes to some of the more frustrating situations I might find myself in.

[@TheNeo349]

what has your diagnosis helped you understand about yourself? I ask because the experiences of people on ASD spectrum who are high-functioning are rare and I'd like to understand it better.

[@PeterDragonPPG]

same here, I used to waste so much of my life trying to figure out why I continuously screw things up and inevitably think negatively of myself every time. My diagnosis has allowed me to recognize my struggles extremely fast now and spend moments on working out a solution instead of days/weeks it used to take. A diagnosis is a better understanding of ones self than anything else in this world can provide. It's impossible to make good decisions and find good solutions when you never understand the problem; I have to think twice as much usually, not only for how I think, but also how other people think and integrate both sometimes completely conflicting ideas in the moment... socializing is still exhausting, but I like it and I will talk your ear off now

[@AdrianHereToHelp]

@@TheNeo349 It's hard to really quantify concretely, but it would be stuff like being able to pin down feelings that I'm being treated differently from other people, or I'm not good at certain stuff that everyone else seems to do effortlessly, or that I'm not on the same page that everyone else is, or other stuff that when I was young really messed with me and made me feel like something was somehow deeply wrong with me. By being able to actually understand what's going on, I can confront those issues and give them a name, and know that it's not some broken part of me or whatever and I just happen to be different in some ways. There's a world of difference between "this is something I struggle with as part of ASD, and something I can work to get better at or accept as part of myself" and "things aren't going the way I want them to, and I have no idea why, and I'm pretty sure I'm the problem". It's also incredibly comforting and helpful to just know that other people have similar experiences, and to be able to talk about it and learn about it more as part of who I am.

[@PLuMUK54]

​@TheNeo349 I was diagnosed aged 58. It was a lightbulb moment. I suddenly understood why I hate social situations, loud noises, bright lights, and even someone touching my hair. I no longer had to wonder why I was different. I gained the power to say, "OK, haircuts are traumatic, so no more haircuts!" Now my hair is down my back, and I no longer suffer trauma several times a year. Diagnosis hasn't changed who I am, just explained why some aspects of my life have been different. I actually like my autism.

[@sadmac356]

That's been my experience too! That I *wasn't* broken or dumb for trying to join in a conversation that I *genuinely thought I was included in*

[@kei_otake]

I just sent this video to my parents because I’ve never come across a more concise and accessible explainer for how complex this issue can be. Thank you!!!

[@PoliticsInCars]

I've been misdiagnosed for a variety of things for yrs but 3yrs ago I was diagnosed as on the autism spectrum. When I tell people who know me best, the first response is "that makes sense"...

[@PLuMUK54]

My diagnosis aged 58 was a lightbulb moment to me.

[@rosegolden5455]

have to say i usually steer clear of more mainstream videos explaining autism, because most of the time they're quite bad but this was pretty solid. (I do wish you were more critical of aba therapy but overall great vid!)

[@Autotrope]

I had the same gut reaction. Because it's hank I gave it a go and - well to say this is well researched is an understatement, this goes really deep

[@happygolucky1005]

This is a great summary. I am a speech language pathologist working with young children in schools. I was struggling recently to explain to teacher why diagnoses is so complicated. Its tough to say if a young child isn't talking because they have a specific language disorder, cognitive impairment, selective mutism, ASD, or a myriad of other ultimate diagnoses, when all we know is they don't talk yet. Parents and even medical professions can be quick to suggest ASD when anything is "atypical." The approach to each treatment can overlap but be very different as we all learn differently, especially when our world view is so different.

[@salustianoberrios405]

I wrote a sci-fi thriller about a father struggling to accept his son's autism diagnosis.

[@sodaaccount]

@@salustianoberrios405 Not the place to advertise your shitty novel…

[@WAbookworm]

Whereas my son's autism kept getting missed because everyone (birth to 3, multiple SLPs, pediatrician, two different psychologists) blamed his CAS. I'd been telling them since before he was two that I thought it was more, but they refused to officially dx CAS until after 5 and he was almost 7 before we finally got his autism dx.

[@WAbookworm]

My point being, and sometimes those people are correct.

[@happygolucky1005]

@@WAbookwormI’m so sorry it took so many years! Especially when it seemed clear to you. Yeah! Either way we can be wrong and have to correct Dx’s. I hope your son has all the support he needs now

[@kdkorz10211]

When I was 27, my dad made an offhand comment that he’d long suspected that I’m on the spectrum. I’d never considered it before, and launched into a year of reading about specifically autistic women’s experiences (I am non-binary but was assigned female at birth). I was also able to find several self-report indices online, some created by autistic adults and one that is literally one of the empirically-validated indices used in professional diagnosis. The results were unambiguously positive. I repeatedly came across traits and behaviors that I’d always displayed and had no idea were associated with autism. I found that autism explained and connected so many diverse facets of my experience from toe-walking to my hypersensitivity to food textures to my intense and obsessive interests to my instinctual need to repeat sounds. To say this was absolutely revolutionary in my self-understanding is an understatement. Currently I am only self-diagnosed, and it’s likely to stay that way as an adult autism assessment isn’t covered by insurance in the US and costs upwards of $5,000.

[@JonBrase]

I was able to find a provider that only charged $2k. Still, that made a dent in my pocketbook.

[@seaweedkelp_]

i didnt realize i was autistic until my late twenties, and my biggest struggle was undoing years of repressing my natural tendencies that i thought were socially unacceptable. i think the most important thing that can be done for autistic people is pushing back against ableism, and judgment against behaviors that aren't harming anybody. everybody has strengths and weaknesses, and i think it's important to highlight ways autistic brains can be really well suited to some tasks. i'd also recommend looking into the theory of monotropism, this explanation made the most sense to me as an internal driver for a lot of the seemingly disconnected external autistic traits

[@Nekotaku_TV]

Realize? You cannot realize it unless you talk retroactively as in you found out and then you knew your belief was right.

[@owenking1499]

​@@Nekotaku_TVGoogle the definition of "realise"

[@Nekotaku_TV]

@@owenking1499 No need, I know what the word means. Instead you could tell me your point. Are you allistic?

[@LauraPalay]

As one of the (probably many) people who requested a video on this topic, thank you very much for covering it!

[@pedroff_1]

Got diagnosed last year with ASD, at age 22. Already suspected it ever since I was a teen, but only sought a siagnosis when people not recognizing it and respecting my peculiarities caused me issues in college. Loved the video; found it super comprehensive and on par with the quality I expect from Sci show

[@GameAcademic]

Such a complex and difficult topic to talk about... Yet they absolutely nailed it. Amazing work, well done.

[@xemiii]

As an autistic person, I appreciate how thorough and informed this video is. The only thing regarding autism I get hung up on is autism as a diagnosis; it feels so disperate and arbitrary. Sounds like there are some common causes for the diversity of symptoms, but I really struggle to see autism as anything but another part of the human condition. I agree that it provides community (not for me personally) and it provides a helpful way for those on the spectrum to understand themselves, but I still find it weird that we diagnose people for essentially being to eccentric. I do think there's merit to recognizing autism as something different, I'm just not sure that our current terminology is accurate or satisfactory. Great video though. Just wanna emphasize I don't dislike it and how proud I am that autism communication has improved so much since I was a kid.

[@imtehkilla24567]

Thank you Hank and Scishow Team for taking the time to make a well researched video that focused on the real science of the condition. Long time viewer, but this video is particularly impactful.

[@SPUDog]

I didn't expect this video to cover so many different topics within the discussion of Autism- so glad that it does! It's such a huge thing and Hank and the writing team have done a great job to not make light of that, and even tackle some of the more uncomfortable sides of how history has treated autism in a really good way. Thank you for the video

[@chrisbennett9555]

my wife and I have an autistic 4 year old son and so much of this video rang true to our experience with him. It's been a challenging journey to say the least, but the important thing is he's happy, he laughs and plays - he just does so in his own way.

[@TylerDollarhide]

There is an odd paradox among those with high functioning autism. Those with more severe symptoms (ie. worse social skills) are actually better at making friends, and even dating, than those with mild symptoms. This is due to the fact that, because those with more severe symptoms are less self-aware when socializing, they have more confidence. Whereas those with mild symptoms are more self-conscious and are more likely to not even try socializing in fear of making a fool of themselves.

[@ashiiu12]

this was very well put

[@napajwolf13]

Oh hey, do you know me? I’m “high-functioning” myself, and am riddled with anxieties about socializing and dating. 27 and never been on a date, i worry about being hurt and rejected for things about myself I can’t control, or hurting people because I missed a social cue (which has happened before).

[@deuterium_oxide7382]

very true, id also like to add that with milder symptoms it's harder to explain away misunderstandings and such with the explanation of being autistic because with the milder symptoms nobody believes you're autistic because "you don't seem autistic", and that along with what you said are definitely the 2 main reasons i struggle immensely with socializing

[@gordianplot9347]

this is very true. what helped me was when i realized normi people are more comfortable if you play an expected role. i can play a nerdy computer programmer, or a derpy jock, or an eccentric artsy type. look at secondary characters in movies and practice the role in front of a mirror. then let people learn there is more to you slowly. if i think there is misunderstanding i directly tell people i am clueless when it comes to social cues. i accept "normal" is not an option.

[@waxwinged_hound]

That's true... people have accused me of lying about my symptoms because I 'seem so normal,' and I haven't had a relationship that lasted longer than a year before... well, until a few years ago, but I'm sure they'll leave me any moment now.

[@davidlewis8640]

I was just recently diagnosed with autism at age 48 and I feel like I might be able to start understanding myself. It is so tough to get through life when your brain works differently. I was able to "fit in" so we'll that people were shocked by my diagnosis. Thank you for this, I might have gotten help earlier if you were around when I was young!!

[@t3hsis324]

Welcome to the club! I was DXed at 37, so slightly earlier than you. I try to remind us that sadly it is very commonplace, BUT the good news is they are catching us much earlier and it is getting better. I have often thought how much different things could have been given the right environment, but it's complicated as I also grew up in what most would see as a toxic nuclear family. And while I see that I'm no angel, sadly they are not able to own their side of things and I have to radically accept things as they are. There are definitely things to be thankful for, but it's been a ****** ride... 😅

[@Molmanorte]

It's been quite the ride trying to understand myself, I had ADHD too, I knew for a while I was somewhat on the spectrum but I couldnt believe it. You're right, it's getting caught earlier, I've become a master at masquing and now I'm 29 and I feel like my life only just begun.

[@frozencreed]

My son (3yo) is autistic. My wife has a psychology degree with early childhood development classes so she caught it about as soon as we possibly could (at about 16-18 months) and got him into some OT and speech therapy as soon as possible. It made a huge difference, he went from regressing the few words he had learned and being completely mute to becoming a total chatterbox in a matter of months. Something you mentioned that we've never considered was the link to autoimmune diseases with the mother having a link to autism. My wife has EDS but we've always suspected there was an underlying autoimmune problem as well with some of the medical problems we've been through. This video was awesome! Keep it up!

[@pedrova8058]

"There is a small but growing body of literature highlighting the overlap between autism and EDS/HSD. Early research includes mainly case studies, but later research has provided population-level evidence of a relationship [24]. There has also been a number of studies investigating joint hypermobility (irrespective of HCTD) and its relationship to neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD " www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7711487/

[@ryanmackenzie6109]

Pssssst.. between your son being Autistic (genetic) your wife having EDS (common comorbidity) and potentially an autoimmune disorder, she might also be Autistic 😅

[@coda3223]

The EDS - autism link is very strong. - An autistic zebra

[@anonanonanna]

EDS and HSD (hypermobile spectrum disorder) are very common amongst autistics

[@sabrinawise7938]

Hank, SciShow team, everyone involved in this....thank you. I understand autism myself and I have it (self diagnosed and struggling to get a doctor to take me seriously). It's a constant struggle because masking for years and not actually learning how to live with my disability has been a disservice for me. You explained autism so well, though. I want to cry at how simplified you made it. It's beautiful. This video is officially my favorite.

[@like90]

I'm autistic and this was absolutely spot on data. Also you didn't use a puzzle piece or talk about autism speaks. Thanks for talking about autism and busting those stereotypes/myths.

[@stephaniec3022]

Currently seeking diagnosis as an adult and really appreciate this video! It covers a lot, though not perfect, is a decent video on the topic. I do feel it's missing some things about comorbities with other disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, and OCD. And it's missing how Masking affects people's experience on the spectrum and in getting a diagnosis.

[@evolancer211]

I gotta keep in routine not because of Autism but because of kicking opiate addiction. I try to keep on a strict daily schedule just because it helps me stay focused on being sober lol. Been clean for eight months, haven't wanted to use or thought about using, I'd say the routine helps

[@JustAnotherBuckyLover]

A lot of the routine thing for autistic people like myself is down to managing anxiety and preventing overwhelm from sensory overload etc. Plus, a lot of us struggle a lot with autistic inertia (so once we start something we don't want to stop or change, and if we aren't doing something, we don't want to start) plus executive dysfunction and so on. Add in the stress of social interactions and being dragged away from the special interests and stims that make our lives moe comfortable, and there are a LOT of reasons why routine is helpful to manage our lives... and I can imagine there are a lot of crossovers with someone in recovery. Congratulations on your sobriety. Wishing you continued success.

[@Nekotaku_TV]

Hopefully your autism assessment isn't depending on that trait because with all diagnoses the trait or symptom must not be able to be explained by for example drugs.

[@AlexandraUtschig]

I was diagnosed in the last year, I'm almost 40. When I started researching, I was crying all the time because I finally found information and other people that made my life make sense.