The Neurotypicals are STILL NOT OKAY

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Remember, you can’t spell autism without UTI!! And is there are type of vehicle Autism Speaks don’t have? Every few months we find a new one 😂 If you missed the last time the neurotypicals weren’t okay: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWW0aYaEZbaInM0 Thank you so much for being here as always! 💛

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

My understanding is that "virtual autism" or perhaps "autismoid" has become more common in recent years due to the pandemic, social isolation and increased prevalence of socializing online. It's not actually autism, and those folks can, and really should, generally be treated and cured. But, it's one of those things where due to a lack of social contacts, there s something that has an autistic look to it, even though it's a completely different thing that has a known cause and can be reversed without changing who the person is as a person. EDIT: It's probably more accurate to say that people are becoming more apparently affected by Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder as I haven't heard anything to suggest that other elements of autism are more common than they used to be.

[@pro_154]

😂

[@Gentle_Stick]

can’t wait for the autism speaks plane (if they haven’t already made one)

[@phreakli]

They have an AS police car and an AS cement mixer but no trains? 🤔

[@Fullspectrumly]

It's like a failure to communicate 😅

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

The correlation between antidepressant use in pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of autism is very easily explained when you consider that a disproportionately large number of autistic people are on antidepressants for comorbid depression and anxiety and that autism runs in families...

[@ewanpakula2810]

Also age of pregnancy!

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

Also if you ARE on medication for antidepressants you may be someone who values mental health assessments and probably trying to figure out what's going on upstairs. If you have a child who is showing peculiar traits, you may be more likely to go have your child assessed, too. Correlation doesn't equal causation.

[@katzenbekloppt_mf]

👍🏽

[@katzenbekloppt_mf]

​@ewanpakula2810 how do You mean that? That autistic women get pregnant later in life more often? Never heard that🤔. Or something else?

[@vl4394]

It won't let me reply to your comment. Something you creeps are probably happy about.

[@Misharr86]

The irony that being touched by autism means I don't like to be touched.

[@katzenbekloppt_mf]

😂

[@jessalynne484]

Felt. Unless I am the one inviting it. Similar to a cat.

[@daffadilly]

I’m glad I’m not the only one that dislikes being touched. For the longest time I didn’t know I had autism but I would freak out if anyone touched me uninvited, like flail and run away type freak out 😂

[@reallyrealraven]

As a victim/survivor of SA I find it to be such triggering and downright degrading wording. Autism isn't a child predator! Wow

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

Me either. It doesn't hurt to ask for consent before touching someone.

[@Paula-dg1wu]

With empathy, I really CARE about how other people feel, I just struggle to detect it without being told explicitly.

[@consuelonavarrohidalgo5334]

The double empathy theory explains it very well.

[@extendoduck]

This is the most accurate comment

[@pemanilnoob]

I just straight up cry if someone shows any sort of emotion that could be seen as anger Or they’re just always lying to me saying “im not angry” when they literally hate my guts and want me dead and never once say “im sorry for making you cry”

[@dietotaku]

i am "burdened with an overabundance" of empathy. i have no problems picking up on how other people feel and i care about it to the point that it can be overwhelming. when my son has a meltdown, it immediately triggers a shutdown in me because i genuinely can't handle the severity of his emotions. i can't cope with people being extremely angry or extremely sad, even extreme happiness is overwhelming for me. plus i get really passionate about LGBT/BLM/migrant rights issues and i'm a cishet white woman so...

[@EmilyHudson5]

omg so true

[@Double0pi]

When my son was diagnosed (as a teen), the clinician said, "When I was a kid, he wouldn't have been called autistic. We used to call people like him 'little professors'." It would be another six years before I was diagnosed with autism (age 47). And as I talked with my dad about my diagnosis, he realized (at age ~80) that he was also autistic. It is definitely all about rates of diagnosis.

[@Double0pi]

P.S. I have watched one of the hosts of the Iced Coffee Hour for years (on a different channel), and I pegged him as possibly autistic years ago, so not shocked that he tested as somewhat autistic.

[@fanime1]

Exactly. It just seems so obvious to me

[@ErutaniaRose]

Exactly. Idk if it's because we see patterns more easily, but so much seems obvious and NT don't seem to understand it, when it feels SO OBVIOUS to me and many other autistics.

[@user-mp4dw8wp8l]

There's this book called Neurotribes, 100% recommend reading!

[@commarchinin]

"Little professors" is actually a pretty problematic term for anyone who didn't know - it seems to come to us translated from the work of one Hans Asperger. (not a negative comment on the original post, just eek red flag on that clinician)

[@CristinaGarcia-xx4gy]

People are out there really and honestly saying that autistic and neurodivergent people have less empathy and then you'll hear your neurotypical relatives and coleages saying the most prejudiced, inconsiderate, hurtful, and unempathetic things imaginable, that leaves you questioning if empathy really is something that does actually come by instinct to most people. They will treat people like they're less than human and be exhausting to be around, because they keep acting like everything about you isn't ever right, but also anything you have to say is never as valuable as what they have to say, and any consideration or accomodation you may need is "whinning" compared to any consideration and accomodation that they might need at any given time.

[@Crouteceleste]

I think empathy and compassion CAN be instinct for truly kind people, who are rare, for the rest, it's 100% learned behavior. it's a choice. Often it's conditioned by how you will serve them/be useful to them if they are empathic with you, even if it's an agenda hidden deep inside themselves.

[@spOOkytimes]

Agreed. Empathy is a skill and can be built up over time. Also it is something within Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. It's hard to be empathetic while homeless and needing to go to more extreme means to survive. The "Dark Triad" of personality disorders is the only ones that can be definitely characterized with severe lack empathy, but even people with any of those disorders can at least learn the concept of empathy and why it's important. Some people use this knowledge for the general good of society or mainly for their own benefit.

[@juliagoetia]

True!!!

[@Firegen1]

​@Crouteceleste Sadly this is it. Worst still to my utter sadness for humanity many people are taught empathy has conditions based on status and how much someone seems like you rather than as a tenement to ethical behaviour. What I mean is how quickly so many people create a barrier in their minds to how "human" someone is by how familar they feel and as Crouteceleste said - how useful that person might be. I hate the term "empath" (most who spout it are the absolute opposite) but being truly empathetic is about recognising that another human doesn't have to serve you in any way, nor even feel like someone you could like spending time with. They are still a human. They suffer when they people they love (including animals) die, they feel some form of pain inside and will be affected by the rubbish stuff that happened in their lives. I cannot for the life of me (this is where my justice autism comes in) understand why that is so hard for people to understand. Once one can get their brain around that, it doesn't matter if I know the "right" words to say or not. Life sucks for you right now. Can I help? Do you even want my help? Would you be comfortable asking for help? Are these too many questions? Cool, fine. I care. I might not be what you specifically need right now. But I care and that at least leaves me open to try and be kind to you in the few ways I know how. No hard feelings if that aint enough. It doesn't invalidate the fact that I care for me or for you. Yeah and as bad as I am at eye contact, not rambling, knowing pauses in conversation, not jumping ahead to problem solving and even sometimes laughing inappropriately when someone sayes somethintg that tickles my hyperlexia. Even with all that, cos of my chosen ethos above, I am the comfort person to (counts) 15 friends. I taught most my NT friends what having boundaries even means.

[@pennyforyourthots]

​@@Crouteceleste I would argue that empathy is something that almost everybody is born with to some degree, but it's something that has to be nurtured. Anybody can become that super empathetic and kind person given the right conditions in my opinion. I think the problem is that we live in a society that values a lack of empathy. Went to all the trouble of psychopathic traits are very useful when trying to climb things like a corporate ladder, and so are economic system I would argue incentivizes a lack of empathy. Put the least empathetic people on the planet in a different world with different incentives, and I would argue they would turn out completely differently. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say it's conditioned, because I think there's definitely some natural amount of empathy that almost everyone has, but it can definitely be conditioned out of you.

[@ChefStache]

CEMENT MIXER MATHS: An average cement mixing truck will carry about 7.5 cubic meters of cement per load. That was a canadian truck, so presumably they are donating in terms of CAD. So 7.50 CAD per truckload, which as of today is ~5.50 USD. I will go with the heuristic of an average of 1 truckload of cement per day, since they wont always be active, but may use more than one load on a day when in use. $5.50 per day means $1825 per year. Not insignificant, but chump change compared to profits for a construction company. Cement trucks are not my special interest. Im just a materials scientist

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Thank you!!!! 😁🎉

[@avanittersum2156]

I did a one week internship at a concrete factory. This sounds about right.

[@Ellalaa0]

Cool info :)

[@prestonhook9365]

went to the comments just for this

[@silentlyjudgingyou]

Just the comment I was looking for

[@-starrysunrise-2908]

As a hyperempathetic autistic person, I hate how much empathy is glorified and low-empathy is treated as synonymous with "evil"! It's not the same as compassion, it's not inherently better than sympathy, it's just an emotional response the same as any other. I'd probably be able to act _more_ ethically if I didn't always empathize with EVERYONE, as no matter how wicked their actions are my brain tries to find a way for me to relate. And that's not mentioning how exhausting it is to empathize with inanimate objects as if they were people Or the double empathy problem, where I upset allistics by treating them how _I'd_ like to be treated, bc that's how empathy works! It's just a feeling. That's all.

[@IshtarNike]

Low empathy is only a problem when you pair it with narcissistic or vindictive traits I suppose. My ex was a very narcissistic and emotionally abusive person. Over time it became clear that she had low empathy. But the problem wasn't just that. It was that she also felt entitled to my time and my empathy. Which I couldn't give infinite amounts of. Especially considering that she never had time or empathy for my struggles. She had me pouring from an empty cup. But low empathy on its own isn't necessarily nasty. I think people get mixed up.

[@vl4394]

Normies like "empathy" because it's another game they can play. It may well be that autistics are more like an imitative pattern matching AI, ie something just using a human body and simulating a persona, but with normies they're doing this and worse because they're not even aware of it. Give them a game to play, they submerge on reflex and play it. All so they can feel seen, feel like they know who and where they are, and feel like they have status and attention. Essentially they're herd animals. Group security and fitting in drives them. It's how their unconscious mind is wired. They're closer to human livestock in that sense, if you ever watch chickens, cows, pigs, etc. This is why they love to talk about "empathy" the same way a blind man loves to dream and talk about sight.

[@thesincitymama]

Love the way you explained this! I’m also very bothered by feeling empathy for people who don’t deserve it. For example, when my husband was killed by a drunk driver, I forgave the killer very quickly. It wasn’t until years into the process of raising our son all by myself, then I finally got angry with the guy.

[@YetiGirl]

If I give one of my dogs a treat and the other one is outside in the yard, I have to go give them a treat because I feel SO SAD imagining them finding out they didn't get one. I apologized to a bunch of bugs yesterday because I replaced a misplaced stepping stone that had been moved when doing lawn work weeks ago. After a few minutes, I put it back how it was because I felt so guilty for disrupting their lives and didn't want to be the cause of discomfort for them. And no one else sees it, so who really cares? Why not just let the bugs have their home? It was just a few seconds of thought, but that's energy I spent. That's energy other people don't spend. Those are both living things examples, but I totally have empathy for inanimate things in a way that is so hard to explain. I don't anthropomorphize, but I do feel empathy for things. I still do everything else I'm supposed to. I work really hard and have excelled in my career. These things don't make it so that I can't also look like I live a normal life, but OH MY GOD IT'S EXHAUSTING! I just realized that's where some of my energy goes! It's like reading your comment just made me find a tiny leak in my air mattress! Thank you!

[@winnethecat]

Also super high empathy to the point I can literally feel people’s emotions around me to the point where I am severely affected by them. Hate crowds, get very tired around new people, and can be anxious. I also tend to forgive people who don’t deserve it way to easily and try to save abusers (love mixing empathy with toxic christrain indoctrination) and it sucks when other people are so blatantly uncaring of others situations and call me sensitive. Well yeah I’m sensitive someone’s gotta care about these people and that’s clearly not you.

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

I'm an autistic person who grew up before all this tech like mobile phones and laptops. I find that texting made social life much easier. It even made it a little easier in real life, too. Web search anywhere, showing pictures to people, those little QR codes. I had someone attempt small talk with me, we ended up talking about our pets and projects and stuff instead. I showed him photos of my chickens, he showed me a cool paintjob his son did on his car. We did not HAVE to talk about how windy it is outside! Yay

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

Modern tech makes it easier for socially awkward or anxious people to meet new friends. I wouldn't have more than half the friends I have today if I didn't have this option. A friendship formed this way is no less legitimate than a friend you've met in person.

[@aaronfleisher4694]

How many chickens do you have?

[@KattoDoggo]

I wouldn't have any friends at this point if it wasn't for the internet and tech.

[@juliagoetia]

@@FrozEnbyWolf150 Same

[@howcomeitsbeeping]

If someone wants to talk about the weather, they should have to show me their collection of antique meteorological equipment ❤

[@onceuponamelody]

Touched by an Angel❌ Touched by Autism✅

[@OkayIn2024]

Came looking for this comment. 😂

[@theuncalledfor]

Show me on the doll where the angel touched you.

[@YourQueerGreatAuntie]

@@theuncalledfor My brain was just shouting "Show me on the doll where the autism touched you"!!!

[@WhizPill]

down with the sickness

[@theuncalledfor]

@@WhizPill Neurotypicality is already going down.

[@Peter_S_]

It is no measure of mental health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

Love your pfp!😊

[@Peter_S_]

@@ZhovtoBlakytniy 💙💛 I love your pfp too! The Crimea Beach Party will be glorious. Україна обов'язково переможе! Разом до перемоги ! 💙💛🔱🌻

[@rongike]

the truest thing I've read in a while.

[@wej0w]

Yes it is truly sick, the fact people with less empathy are bound to be more succesfull.

[@KittenIzza]

This is based on a quote* from Jiddu Krishnamurti for anybody curious

[@timtheasianinc]

Touched by an Autism sounds like a Hallmark movie. She had a special interest in cement mixers. He really liked typewriters from the 40s. Coming to the Hallmark Channel this Christmas, watch the heartwarming tale of two kids in the big city, as they tackle everyday tasks like speaking to the mailman and ordering a Chinese. Premiering December 25th at 8/7 central. 🎄🎄🎄🎄

[@MC-kz2sk]

😂😂

[@spOOkytimes]

Don't forget the childhood backstories of one of the parents crying from the Kid A's diagnosis as if it's a deadly disease and the parent of Kid B being perplexed at their diagnosis because it sounds oddly similar to their own experience.

[@flyygurl18]

😂💀🤣

[@purpleflower77612]

😅😅😅😅

[@Pfhorrest]

"Ordering a Chinese"? Are these people railroad owners from the 1860s?

[@hayuseen6683]

NTs have difficulty with empathy too - they misconstrue what someone is feeling and expressing on a regular basis. The ability to guess doesn't mean the guesses are accurate all the time.

[@aellalee4767]

I agree, I often feel that NTs are bad with empathy. They're less adept at self judgement and more likely to judge NDs. So, while certain types of empathy can be difficult for some NDs, it really depends and doesn't need to be a broad definition, but I think that's still one of those symptoms they're working on defining how it works in things like the 'tism.

[@metalgearsenshi]

I am SO glad to see someone say this. I've been thinking similar for some months now. NTs have difficulty with empathy (clearly, with how many NTs can dismiss anyone's situation and health that is not the same as their own) but this trait gets associated the most with autism. I think it's time that association gets challenged and talked about more.

[@EeeKitties]

While I am aware of the theory that autistic & neurotypical empathy looks different but I've met in person or spoken online to both neurotypical & autistic people who appear to lack empathy, and the opposite, with too much empathy. I feel like my own personal empathy is both, I feel too strongly in some ways and I'm not so aware in other ways, like it's own spectrum, and that's different to another autistic person and sometimes more similar to a neurotypical person, even though I have problems with eye contact. For instance the thinking of "neurodiverse stick together", I do think it happens because of similar traits & life experience but some of the worst people I've met/spoken to have been fellow autistic people, but of course most (I assume) are neurotypical because of my problems, and some of the best people I've met have been neurotypical even though I do probably socialise much more with neurodiverse people. I feel like I've experienced & noticed the double empathy problem between different autistic (and other neurodiverse) people and separately, amongst neurotypicals (take the 'love languages' theory for an example & other personality tests). Like maybe it's wrong to associate empathy with a specific autistic problem in itself even taking the double empathy theory into account. I don't know what studies currently show but perhaps it's an independent spectrum of itself? Basically I've been trying to work out why I seem to just get along with some neurotypicals more so than some fellow neurotypicals and the other way around, without masking, like if the double empathy thing was black & white *and not it's own spectrum* that wouldn't happen, surely? My dad has suspected he is autistic (we are currently no contact for other reasons & also my non-binary half-sibling from him is ADD/autistic) but he opposite to me, whereas I feel like I have more similar empathy with my mum who is very much neurotypical, for instance if someone hurts themselves, I feel their pain & can't watch, whereas my dad would laugh at situations sometimes not realising the severity (when growing up, it was his house, not my mum's, with the TV shows on that I could not stand at all, especially the home video ones but also soap operas, reality tv, daytime talk shows, I cannot stand seeing other people upset! At all! even if I don't know how to talk to people & I don't cry much. yet my dad definitely has other neurodiverse traits, I don't know if some lack of empathy comes from a raised lack of empathy towards him as many things were not diagnosed when he (boomer) was growing up, even his bad dyslexia). I personally was horrified when I first got my autism diagnosis in my mid/late 20s (in my 30s now & it was a suggestion of a private psychiatrist my gran paid for, to help a longterm depression, I went on to get a NHS diagnosis after & I have very stereotypical meltdowns, odd speech patterns etc, but no special interest however I've since had a ADHD diagnosis) as my only experience was some cruel internet bullies (4channers & the classic redditor stereotype) but have since ended up accidentally finding other late-diagnosed autistic or ADHD friends (so many I met through Twitch have gone on to get late diagnosis of themselves). I hope this makes sense? also I don't normally write on KZbin comments, pls be gentle D: maybe no one will read this anyway lol sorry

[@liriodendronlasianthus]

Oh yeah definitely, they always perceive someone as being lazy or disinterested when maybe they're just tired or in pain.

[@TheWaross]

Damn, very autistic comment 😂

[@bcpr9812]

IIRC, Dr. K has ADHD. If he has any misconceptions, I think he'd be open to changing his mind. He's done collaborations with KZbinrs before, perhaps you can contact him and suggest doing one together.

[@YoussefIbrahim-dc3jt]

Yesssss

[@jessalynne484]

Oh definitely. He'd collaborate with her I think. They are both willing to listen. I expect it would be an enlightening conversation, hopefully.

[@determineddaaf3]

Yeah that could be cool.

[@pedroff_1]

Yeah, Dr. K is pretty comprehebsive and would probably be up for a collab, and certainly is well-meaning. I'm glad she saw the video with full context and ir was indeed something closer to what I expect from him

[@averagegenzguy2751]

That would genuinely be great

[@thatotherted3555]

I have a problem with empathy in the sense that if someone is acting empathetic towards me, I can't always tell if they're being sincere.

[@jazzzmo7]

I can never tell if they're being sincere. I usually default to "no, they're performing. They want to seem like they care, but they really don't".

[@joycebrewer4150]

@@jazzzmo7 That was where I landed as a seriously depressed teen. I thought my parents cared more about what the neighbors thought of them than they cared what I thought. That was the mental imbalance doing my thinking.

[@jazzzmo7]

Mine came/comes from growing up with a whole side of my family thinking I was selfish and didn't care about them because I didn't SHOW care the way they did. I had very little if any support from them. Every "gift" or show of concern was followed by an expectation that I bend over backwards for them. (It's also why I don't like or trust receiving gifts). I no longer talk to that side of the family. I JUST got diagnosed with ASD, so it makes sense why they treated me the way they did.

[@alpachinko9154]

​@@jazzzmo7 Sounds like my family fr. Sorry you had to go through that. I, unfortunately, still live with them, and since they don't "believe" in autism or ADHD (despite the majority of them being dyslexic/autistic/epileptic/schizophrenic) I have zero support.

[@DingleFlop]

THIS IS SO RELATABLE! I have recently become interested in someone after a really difficult heartbreak, and I've found myself hyper vigilant about whether or not they're "just pretending" and stuff, even though it's been literal months and nobody can keep up an act that long... It's hard to just accept sometimes that people ARE being genuine..!

[@TheLexikitty]

My favorite thing about these people saying all this stuff about facial expressions is they don’t consider people with visual impairments. I can’t see peoples facial expressions from more than a foot away but that has nothing to do with how confusing NTs are.

[@thatstockin]

hello lexi from emkay

[@audreydoyle5268]

Lexi! 💖

[@joycebrewer4150]

My sight is not great, but better than yours. I remember before I got glasses, I couldn't read expressions from 12 feet away.

[@sober667]

It's not only facial expression it tone too

[@EeeKitties]

That's a good point, and there are physical disabilities where people can't make the expressions either.

[@Norinia]

Just love how they’re essentially tying autism to exclusively social situations. It’s not ‘just a little anxiety’ when I’m melting down. My head is overloaded, it feels like white noise pressuring down, and my thoughts become garbled or can’t exist during the meltdown. That’s not ‘just a little anxiety’, that’s a full on failure to process. These people are literally saying “i LiKeD yOu MoRe WhEn YoU wErE mAsKiNg!” And they have no idea the damage we suffered while masking, or that these issues were *still there,* just hidden until their breaking points.

[@spOOkytimes]

Agreed. It's almost as if they are saying that we pick and choose what autistic characteristics we do and do not have or as if we can practice them away. Sure, you can practice different things, including social skills, but where does trying to be genuine while communicating effectively to others just become masking again? Many NT people can't truly empathize so they minimize and assert their points of view over others.

[@joycebrewer4150]

@@spOOkytimes Yeah, and when I went to church this am, I spent the whole praise songs begining of service out in the lobby area, because the sanctuary was just way too loud!

[@alpachinko9154]

But they're not talking about meltdowns etc, because that's not the topic they were discussing. They were talking about the prevalence of autism and online autism tests. For like 5 mins. Out of the entire podcast. That's it.

[@Iamjustafrogdontlookatme]

Autism rates rising? 🤔 NAH Neurotypical rates declining👍🏻

[@imautisticnowwhat]

😂

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

Soon WE will be the normal ones and take over the world! Muahahahaha! 😈

[@user-yv6xw7ns3o]

Exactly what hegemonic privileged groups in general tend to be the most afraid of, too.

[@alejandroreyes8878]

Maybe we are nature and evolution's response to a self destructive species I mean, probably not, I just read a lot of X Men stuff and it feels... Similar to the neurotypical argument of "curing" or "antinatural/artificial" origin of Autism

[@OrafuDa]

Autism apocalypse mwuahahahahahaaa 😈

[@jacklandismusic]

I think that where Dr. K is messing up is that he’s seeing instances of autism-like symptoms in people who are overly reliant on technology or who spend more time inside on tech than in the world socializing, and he’s attributing that to diagnosable autism. Sometimes separate symptoms are just separate. If I have a headache, body aches and fatigue, and sinus congestion, that may seem like the flu. But maybe I just have chronic migraines, EDS, and allergies. Knowing people’s individual life contexts is important to figuring out what’s up with their brains. Nobody exists in a vacuum, and we need to know how a person interacts with and is affected by the world around them in order to understand exactly what’s happening. We can’t just say that over-reliance on tech causes autism-like symptoms, so tech causes autism. That’s kind of ridiculous.

[@MC-kz2sk]

Back when I thought I was just socially anxious, texting and internet socializing were a godsend, a way for me to get human interaction without all the anxiety. Now I know I’m autistic and that explains a lot of my social anxiety.

[@Sierra358]

It's also hard when it's just a small clip and maybe he just didn't word his argument very well in the moment. Plus we all agree people can have symptoms of autism but still not be autistic. CPTSD for example can look a lot like autism, but people with autism can also be more prone to being traumatized. It sometimes feels like the chicken and the egg conundrum. It's all very complicated and confusing at times. It's good to question these types of statements though, as I agree it can come off as fear-mongering.

[@user-yv6xw7ns3o]

​@@Sierra358From what I've seen of his discussions, he does generalize much more then I think it's rational to do and ends up making medicalized or broad statements that seem to miss the depth/nuance in understanding of the subject he's discussing.

[@laurelgardner]

​@@user-yv6xw7ns3o Agreed. He's very much a pop psychologist, makes his money on quippy answers and being a bit more provacative and unnuanced than a real therapist or psychology expert probably should. Not that he never has good ideas but worth taking with a grain of salt.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I don't think he's messing up, I think folks have misunderstood a bit. I think it would be more accurate to say that what NTs are like has been converging a bit with what Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder is. Which is probably true, what with the phenomenon of "virtual autism" which is essentially a lack of proper social development due to a lack of adequate social interactions. Something that can and should be treated as this is not normal for those folks. Those folks are also unlikely to really need to stim or have sensory processing differences.

[@emilphant]

There's a reason that an autism diagnosis includes childhood history... Socially anxious people probably weren't walking around the playground while talking to themselves and flapping their arms like so many of us did or spitting out sensory trigger foods while lunch ladies watched in horror 😂

[@Agnes_B96]

Yes. I just sat in the corner by myself in kindergarten pretending that I am eating peanuts one by one.. no one throught that was weird at all … 😅

[@ilikebeingsmart]

So I had a Truman Show-esque scenario as a kid where I thought there were cameras everywhere and people would watch me who liked me because I didn’t understand the kids and felt left out. So one day in kindergarten I went behind the coat rack to tell them about my day, and the teacher didn’t understand why I was talking to the wall. I remember her yelling my name trying to get my attention, but I was kind of half ignoring it like Meg has shown in some of her home video clips. I wouldn’t be surprised if i tried to explain to them what was happening in an attempt to make connections with anyone. It’s actually kinda sad to think about looking back, because that was the only way I could think of to make friends. I didn’t understand how the real kids worked, but maybe there were other kids out there I couldn’t see who would understand. This was the early 90’s, to be fair, but I wish someone would have spent less time looking at how my grades were okay and how I behaviorally didn’t know what was happening. I know I started teaching myself how to mask when I was 10, but I must have been a god tier masker before then if all the teachers thought I was okay.

[@alisonmercer5946]

​@@ilikebeingsmartif you arent noisy or disruptive nobody is going to think you need any help. If you were quiet and got good grades you were a model

[@cheesebatto]

@@alisonmercer5946 some of my teachers got mad at me for not playing with the other kids weird NTs are everywhere

[@dragletsofmakara1120]

@@ilikebeingsmartThis feels so familiar. I used to imagine my favorite tv characters following me around. They would discuss amongst themselves my actions. Seeing everything I experienced, understanding why I reacted in certain ways. Lasted through my high school years. It was the only time I felt others empathized with me. But it was all imaginary. Twenty years later, it hits me why I may have done that.

[@The.problem.child00]

*walks up to person* Says I AM AUTISM *pokes them* Whispers, you have been touched by autism 😂😂

[@TheDuckClock]

Hi Megan I'm one of the moderators for aretheNTokay and I'd like to thank you for showcasing our subreddit. Extra special thanks for showing the extra context around Dr K, that video garnered quite a bit of controversy when it came out, so thank you for bringing up the full video as well as studies to refute his claims. We do what we can to highlight some of the wildest ableism out there on the web. Most recently highlighting one of the most absurd KZbin drama videos from a "Dhar Mann clone" that might be one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life. Love your videos by the way, they're such a joy to see each week.

[@alpachinko9154]

What claims were refuted though? What he said in the clips from the full video, within this video, align with what Meg herself was saying. I will watch/listen to the full podcast and reply if I find anything to contradict what I'm saying here.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Love your username!

[@fanime1]

​@@alpachinko9154 she mentioned how a lack of empathy is not a sign of autism. It's not even a sign of neurodivergence and even neurotypical people can lack empathy. It's a big misconception about autism and empathy can vary within individuals, autistic or not.

[@alpachinko9154]

@@fanime1 yes, I acknowledged that in my comment above. Meg and Dr K weren't saying different things, he just used a word that people aren't happy with, although he never said autistic people lack empathy.

[@quinn0517]

​@@alpachinko9154 I believe the OP was referring to all of the studies linked right there in the description. Regarding 'empathy" I don't see where you addressed it but perhaps I missed it. But the upshot is that Dr K cited "difficulty with empathy" as one of the "features of autism". So, that's a great deal more than using a word we disagreed with. It relies on an outdated def of autism and, possibly, a skewed understanding of it. Then continues to conflate difficulty with reading social signals with this "difficulty with empathy" , which are two different things. That could be something from the editing of the clip that Meg originally responded to. With regards to the empathy crap, Dr K has a lot of work with which I'm unfamiliar so, like Meg, I'm not going to assume he is going old school...(rather, I think he is unlearning some stuff about autism and if I'm right about that, I appreciate it) What I'm saying is thst it was much more than just "a word with disagree with" or some such. Much more.

[@ek4676]

I didn’t have a cell phone so I was 15, and didn’t have a smart phone until I was 17. Even without technology, my social skills were atrocious. Never knew why until I found out I was autistic.

[@isabeld.paredes4923]

Which makes one wonder: what about undiagnosed autistic people in times pre-technology (or at least, before even the first cellular phones existed)?

[@carolinejames7257]

​@@isabeld.paredes4923I was in my 40s when mobile phones started to become prevalent. That was when I got my first PC, too. The internet didn't yet exist. I was 8 when we got our first TV - with all of 2 channels, that only operated so many hours per day - the rest of the time, you just got the test pattern. Amazingly, I still had autistic traits, and was dead set useless at socialising, anxious as sh*t, etc ad infinitum. Of course, I wasn't diagnosed with autism despite all that because although I'm white, I wasn't middle class or male, nor was I good at mathematics - and my grades were ok, and I was 'quiet and shy'.

[@jimwilliams3816]

@isabeld lol, yes, I had traits well before smart phones, cell phones or, for that matter, personal computers. My father, who I am sure was undiagnosed autistic, found his niche working on early microcomputers (meaning, mainframes that used transistors and did not fill up an entire room). True story, some of my father’s later software is still being used in the food industry. His father and grandfather didn’t even have that, so they found themselves designing industrial machinery or doing wood and metal shopwork. Tech did not so much create autistic people as vice versa.

[@isabeld.paredes4923]

@@jimwilliams3816 Thanks for your reply. That is so good to know

[@emmap6866]

So for anyone not familiar with antinatalism: it’s basically the belief that it’s better not to have children, not to have too many children, and sometimes the implication that it would be better for humans to go extinct because of how bad the world is (interpretation of the definition differs). Personally I can appreciate some of the arguments there, I do think it’s important to consider what kind of situation your children will be born into and not to just have children for no reason/with no regard to them as actual people. HOWEVER the antinatalism subreddit in particular is an absolute ableist, classist, racist etc cesspool that has very little to do with actual moral arguments or philosophical considerations… it’s pretty much just there for people to be hateful. I’ve seen some pretty ugly stuff there with people being absolutely vile, so if you want to learn about antinatalism I definitely wouldn’t go there.

[@kadenjantz2180]

I'm an antinatalist but I avoid that subreddit. There are some better ones like r/antinatalism2 and r/veganantinatalists. I personally approach antinatalism from a deontological perspective, as I think that existence is fundamentally something someone cannot consent to, so it is preferable to not take the risk of forcing someone to exist who does not want to. I think that a lot of antinatalists on the main sub use more of a utilitarian approach, which can often lead to bigoted ideas like viewing the life of someone with a disability as worth less, which I do not support.

[@spOOkytimes]

I think that sub can be downright hateful to people who decide to have children and even babies and children that already exist. No problem with having these values because they aren't inherently hurting anyone, but to force them on other and take them to an extreme is not okay.

[@WishGender]

Honestly it sounds like they'd be better off calling the sub r/misanthropy

[@inkbloodart]

yeah i'd say i've noticed a lot of eugenics commonality between certain utilitarian, environmentalist circles. i guess antinatalism can just be another form of eco fascism. so from that poster's perspective, their friends went to a lot of trouble and expense ("obsessed with biological children") to have children who are "useless people" ; three more burdens on society, because a disabled person has no contribution to humanity, in the eugenics' mind. Quite a horrible thing to casually admit in public, especially about one's friends' children!!

[@juliagoetia]

As an antinatalist, yeah it's really bad. I've seen people in there unironically advocating for eugenics specifically against ND people. And being upvoted for it. I've also run into transphobia and other assorted horrors.

[@ruthhorowitz7625]

I was diagnosed in 2022 at age 57. Late diagnosis is the reason for the 'rise' in autism.

[@IntelligentDiscussion]

In 10:13, that ggamer psychologist dude was talking to a couple of other streamers and they asked him if all their friends are autistic, but he's actually explaining to them that they are not. But explains how neurotypical individuals are beginning to show characteristics or traits that are normally attributed to those with autism. That video may have just been edited incorrectly, because if you watch the long video he is actually saying they shouldn't be thinking just because they have some traits, think they are now autistic, or that those characteristics mean someone is autistic.

[@nightvision999]

Thanks for the context, that was terribly needed, and as so often conveniently left out of the clip.

[@andriuhee2710]

I dunno, he always kinda rubbed me the wrong way. He's gotten a whole bunch of stuff wrong in his "primer on autism" video, even calling meltdowns temper tantrums and talking over autistic people during livestreams when he got information wrong.

[@YoussefIbrahim-dc3jt]

There's an interesting bit, where he said "Difficulty with empathy." He didn't say lack of empathy, so I don't want to assume that was what he meant right away. I have autistic friends who lack empathy, and I myself have too much empathy, so I'd say the best way to phrase it would be "difficulty dealing with empathy" (?). Maybe he was wrong, or he didn't phrase it well.

[@LangkeeLongkee]

That's fair but if that's a known stereotype, and if you're going to talk about autism you should know enough to at least be aware of that, and thus be clear. If something is a common stereotype about a group, do your best not to lean into it when talking about that group. Even if that's not what he mean he should have chosen his words more carefully, period.

[@hayuseen6683]

What does a lack of empathy mean for your friends?

[@YoussefIbrahim-dc3jt]

​@LangkeeLongkee that's fair. Maybe I don't realize it's much of a stereotype because I didn't experience anything from it myself and just learned about it being a stereotype, today, from this video, but I do agree that he should've chosen his words better either way

[@LangkeeLongkee]

@@YoussefIbrahim-dc3jt oh well it is quite common a belief that autistic people have no empathy.

[@alpachinko9154]

I don't know where you're from, but "difficulties with empathy" isn't the autistic - empathy stereotype associated in my part of the UK. If anything, the stereotype is "lacks empathy", which is not what he said.

[@RayScheelhaase-nd9rw]

NTs seem scared we are going to replace them.

[@whitedragonzerureusu4480]

Yep looks like irrational fear to me when you say that

[@Pfhorrest]

We should.

[@meme6335]

I hate this Us vs Them kind of stuff

[@mousebreaker1000]

We got the autism cement mixer before gta6

[@imautisticnowwhat]

😂

[@vlc-cosplayer]

MASSIVE W for the cement mixer community 🔥

[@V0idFace]

Your PFP is amazing.

[@Xacris]

So many people come at the "rising rate of autism" from completely the wrong direction. There isn't some nefarious thing going on where "normal people" are being transformed into autistics, autism has always been here and it's just one of the many normal ways that humans can be. The rate of autism has always been much higher than it was thought to be, turns out doctors aren't all-knowing about everything.

[@dreamscape405]

Agreed ❤ and those of us who are super late diagnosed, have had children and grandchildren, and autism being genetic, yeah, that's why the number looks higher. I think the higher number is just the more accurate number. Where before, it was too low.

[@acoustic_indigo]

My favorite example to give people is "the rates of left handed people went up significantly when the stigma surrounding being left handed was reduced." It's a bit of an overly simplistic comparison, of course; autism diagnoses increasing also has to do with a better understanding of how autism presents, and more awareness in general. But it's an easy one to lob at folks who seem to have not realized that "line go up" doesn't automatically mean "more of thing is spontaneously coming into existence." And as an aside, it's interesting how we seem to care less about the "cause" of something that we accept as "normal." Makes me wonder how left handedness would be treated if people still saw it as "wrong." I can just imagine the ads lamenting how devastating it is to have to buy special scissors, or how inappropriate left handed people are for having the side of their hand get smudgy when writing, lol.

[@AlejandroMéndez-j6j]

Dr. K has very nice videos. His approach is not standard but he seems to care about doing a good job and putting effort. It's sad how people randomly clip others to make them sound bad. I'm glad you checked the whole section to clarify.

[@bb-3653]

Its usually better the shorts are geared to get as much info in as possible. It can also be used to make misleading content.

[@CatalogK9]

The shorts the HealthyGamerGG team makes are great. Iirc, these were made by the other creators’ teams/independently, which explains a lot.

[@dreambrush7251]

yeah, when I saw the thumbnail I was like "uh oh... he's always ok, what did he do?" but then I found out it was clickbait and I was relieved lol

[@adamrutherford8523]

Nah. Dr k is a clout chasing psycho who shouldn't be online

[@almondthefurret6818]

As an autistic, texting is SO MUCH better than speaking in person

[@sonicfan82]

That may work for you, but for me, I like being in person and being able to give a phone call, because speaking is my most clearest way of communication.

[@marlyd]

I need verbal queues and facial expressions to get through an important conversation but my bf is like you and seems to do better by text so I tell him in short what I want to talk about through text, we then have the conversation face-to-face and then we debrief like a day later through text again so he has had time to process again and we can reanalyse with his points of view after processing. It's funny and takes a long time but it works

[@smolmoru]

I have a history of not getting the emotional hints via texting and it being used against me. so now I prefer just in person conversation. doesn't mean I'll not turn around and do something else or looking past someone while answering or talking to them. one of the few times I'll look at someone is .. well I'm equipped with the empth staring-right-through-you stare + head tilted/increasing uncanny smile and I'm really good at it. so I use it to mess with my friends and close coworkers sometimes. tho when texting, you can just leave the conversation w/o a word. which I do for weeks or months sometimes. ofc letting everyone know how asocial I am when not in person. also I have a very distinct dislike of my phone showing notifications. I feel better having none, or clearing them asap

[@melanieg.9092]

​@@marlyd oh wow! Never thought about combining those communication styles! Great idea❤

[@Mani_Silva]

Oh dear that comment about the IVF triplets and the part about adoption really hit me hard😤. I was "adopted" and had adoptive parents who punished the autism out of me as much as possible and refused to believe the professionals and their advice denying me a proper diagnosis and help. They brainwashed me into believing I was like everybody else causing me to get stuck in a cycle of trail and error for at least 35 years (not sure of my birthday, because the adoption turned out to be child trafficking with falsified papers). Now I finally have my ASS diagnosis. I have to get rid of the brainwashed part, learn to live with my brain and its challenges and all this without a family or friends as I failed big time keeping friends and family (except for one very busy adoptive cousin). So no, adoption is not a solution and definitely doesnt prevent you from having a child without autism. Also I know for 100% I would have been an awesome child with my autism to adoptive parents with their heart and brains in the right place!

[@sqiddy2372]

Congrats on your diagnosis! I keep seeing people saying things like "I don't want to pass down my 'issues' to any biological children so I want to adopt instead" and it just doesn't make any sense because an adopted child can still be nerodivergent or have mental health issues inherited from their parents. If they're your biological children then at least you have some idea of what they might be like and how to support them, but if they're adopted and you don't know the parents then you're just in the dark.

[@ShintogaDeathAngel]

I was also adopted, taken to a psychologist under false pretences at 17, who diagnosed me with autism (still Asperger’s back then), but I wasn’t told for another 10 years. Even then the parting shot was basically “it’s just part of who you are” and that’s one of the reasons it wasn’t brought up for so long. It might be “just another part of me” but I spent the majority of my life struggling to understand myself and other people, and while I was lucky to have a handful of best friends over the years, socialising was still a horrible struggle much of the time and left me feeling like there was something really wrong with me.

[@Mani_Silva]

@@sqiddy2372 thank you! 🙌🏾💗💕Exactly and besides not knowing the parents, many professionals wouldn't diagnose me simply for the absence of medical and psychological records from my biological family.

[@Mani_Silva]

@@ShintogaDeathAngel oh dear I'm so sorry you had to go through that not knowing what's up while parental figures knew. The false pretences sounds very familiar! I'm glad someone told you eventually. I hope you can see and embrace how strong you are for surviving all these years not knowing! Much respect for you 🙏🏾💕

[@DJ_Black_Tourmaline]

cannot stand secondhand embarrassment! a lot of comedy films & tv shows present scenes of people in these types of situations that are obviously meant to be perceived comedically but it literally makes my skin crawl and i feel very uncomfortable.

[@juliagoetia]

Same!!! It's awful, even just mildly embarrassing things set me off and I have to walk away or turn off the volume or just curl up into a ball and cringe myself into oblivion. And I'm just like ... people enjoy watching this??? Why? I legit don't understand lol.

[@jonm4206]

@@juliagoetia Curl into a ball and cringe myself into oblivion, how did you see into my soul like that lol.

[@jonm4206]

I had the hardest time explaining this to people, but the closest I have gotten is this: Most sitcoms/romcoms want you too laugh at other people's pain, and thats the only "funny" thing in them. Very few will actually do anything clever or homorous or satyrical, its all just haha isnt it funny how that awful thing happened to that person. I always try to push for a Ryan Reynolds type movie where someone actually funny had a part in writing or acting in it.

[@loveeevee396]

I relate so hard. Even one minor moment of secondhand embarrassment often makes me stop watching a show altogether because I can just tell it’s gonna happen again. I tried watching The Office once. Didn’t make it through the first episode

[@DJ_Black_Tourmaline]

@@jonm4206 for reals. even in real life the more i suffer the more people laugh at me. sometimes it feels like NTs have a special interest in insulting & degrading everyone they meet lol. they even insult their friends recreationally. i don't know much about Ryan Reynolds, he was the one from Deadpool. i only saw the trailer but it seemed too vulgar for me personally (i don't like swearing or graphic sex & violence). i like funny shows that are also cute and full of love. Non Non Biyori was really wholesome and funny and the art direction is wonderfull. it's my favorite.

[@unicorpse_]

i feel like gen z has the most welcoming people and spaces cuz being neurodivergent never even crossed my mind untill i met all these great ppl at my school many who are neurodivergent and rlly have each other with liek lgbtq thinks and mental health and disorders and things like that edit:not trying to sound insentive if i used any words wrong or said smthing insensitive i’m very sorry

[@drewberriesandcream]

i think the most frustrating thing about hearing “autism is on the rise” as an autistic person, is the fact that we can clearly see patterns, and this is A VERY OBVIOUS PATTERN. they said the same thing about left handed people. they said the same thing about LGBT people. as soon as ACCEPTANCE is on the rise, people act like whatever’s being accepted at the time is just multiplying out of nowhere. like not to be that autistic person but why do allistic people have to be so BRAIN DEAD

[@kyokazuto]

Well it's usually a certain kind of people that like to peddle this kind of fear mongering and I guess those are definitely brain dead

[@scurvofpcp]

One thing is that the more awareness raises of a condition the more that people are going to be diagnosed. I can think of 3 times where I've had an adult friend find out that they were ADHD after their kids got diagnosed. ... although that came as no shock to anyone else who found out. Seriously as someone with ADHD it can be scary as fuck to watch ADHDers in industrial settings.

[@wcjerky]

The graph of the percentage of the population of left-handed people vs time comes to mind on this topic.

[@scurvofpcp]

@@wcjerky Yeah, I've got a story about being left handed and school abuse. Ask me sometime how I broke 4 fingers in a door on 'accident' on my left hand. FU Mr Rohn of Dillsburg Pa Elementary School

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@wcjerky It's worth noting that much of the handedness of people isn't genetic, it's more environmental and social. As people age, they tend more towards being either ambidextrours or having mixed handedness. A lot of the reason for the change is probably just that we're not hammering lefties as much and that there are more depictions of people being left handed, so they don't just reach for things with the right hand, because other people are doing so.

[@wcjerky]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade That's the point: with the stigma disappearing, more were identifying as left-handed. @scurvofpcp Don't need to tell me twice. I was ambidextrous as a child until the fundamentalist/Calvinist school I was forced into forced me to pick a hand...with coersion. I'm right-handed now due to a bad football break and skiing, but it's utterly infuriating.

[@zephyrias]

@@SmallSpoonBrigadehuh interesting… i say as a leftie with mix-handedness.. 😂cries never knowing how a left handed school chair was like until i sat it once and almost fell off due to always leaning on my right arm for support.

[@thomasfogarty7190]

Man, I saw Dr K and I was like “nooo, I love his content-“ while simultaneously being like “KZbin crossover event- HECK YEA!” I’m glad he didn’t say anything terrible, though it could have been more tuned. He hasn’t made any autism focused content on his channel yet but on the ADHD side of the spectrum (where I live), he has been really helpful. I’ve been waiting for him to do some autism content (since my wife and a lot of other people I know are autistic)- but alas, it hasn’t happened yet. Side note, thank you for making content! I’ve been watching your channel for maybe under year and it’s been really entertaining and informative! 😄 I’ve enjoyed showing your channel to my friends and family who also hyperfixate on psychology. 😄✌🏻

[@Indi_Waffle_Girl]

I felt the same way!!!

[@jegaevi7371]

I think he has a video about dating on the spectrum where he talks with an autistic man. I have not watched it yet though, so I don't know how useful it is.

[@mtsanri]

Dr K knows a lot about ADHD, but his knowledge about autism seems a bit lackluster. He has made some kinda ignorant remarks, so maybe it's better if he just sticks to his territory at least until he learns more. There was a stream where the quest/patient expressed several autistic traits, and Dr K came up with many explanations but missed autism completely.

[@keep-learning-student-of-life]

Well, I think Dr. K doesn't specialize in Autism, and he focuses more on video game addiction, adhd, and men's issues. Basically issues he has lived through himself. He's not somebody I would go to learn more about Autism, but definitely for adhd though.

[@kahgegwagebow]

He did a video about autism and gender identity which was good

[@jam901]

I'm overwhelmed as hell rn so this notification came just in time😭 i watch your videos to block out the outside world and to think about things ((that you're saying))

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Hope you feel better soon 💛

[@jam901]

@@imautisticnowwhat thank you so much :))💛 I think I'll take a walk after this video and I should he okay I've just been around too many people, i need some woods

[@LunarNookazon]

same!

[@rainbowkittycat627]

About the anti-natalism thing: Anti-natalism as a philosophy says that by bringing a new person into the world, you are committing a moral wrongdoing, because suffering is always worse than having nothing being done to you, and you are going to bring suffering upon that person by bringing them into the world, therefore procreation is morally wrong. So, when they said “risking their existence” they are talking about doing the moral wrong of bringing them into existence. As just a core moral philosophy, it’s very interesting to think about and I personally think is useful in broader moral discussions. That said, from my view, a lot of anti-natalist communities tend to be very toxic, and like to shame people for being normal parents, which is something I fundamentally disagree with. Additionally, there often tends to be ableist/homophobic/ eugenics/pessimism/doomerism underpinnings to a lot of the community, which is obviously not great.

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

Yeah, I used to watch a childfree KZbinr until she said that children are the reason couples get divorced, which is absolutely horrible to say, not to mention untrue.

[@oliviafaye8846]

I have an Autistic Cement Truck story. I was having work done on my house, and a cement truck showed up to add to the foundation. The truck driver and contractor asked me if it was okay for the truck to come up the driveway. I wondered why they were asking me that, I mean, driveways are for driving and that cement truck could drive! To avoid embarrassment I didn’t clarify, said « Of course! » and watched as the weight of the cement truck crushed my entire driveway into a million pieces. THAT’S why they were asking 😭

[@DeathnoteBB]

“Why did you say it was okay?!” “I thought you were asking if I thought it was proper usage of a driveway!!” “WHY WOULD WE ASK THAT?!” “I DIDN’T KNOW AND WAS TOO AFRAID TO ASK”

[@miahan8988]

As someone with adhd I gotta ask: HOW WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW THOUGH? 😭

[@oliviafaye8846]

@@DeathnoteBB Yes to all of this. Le sigh

[@tan89284]

hahaha damn sucks to be you. That would have been expensive to fix.

[@SeanHartnett-t8c]

I mean i feel like most average people like my non autistic dad, wouldn’t put the two together.

[@LynIsALilADHD]

Ive had many a neurologist tell me how little we really know about the brain, righ? I dont think more people are "becoming" divergent from the "norm".....i dont know that the "norm" ever existed, but we're just uncovering more knowledge about how our (very) complicated brains work. (Edit: had to come back and finish a thought.🤷‍♀️)

[@MarkBelain]

I am actually really into watching you call out Dr. K’s knowledge as outdated. I subscribe deeply to both of you, and I gotta admit I eat most of what you both say right up. Seeing what label the other as outdated definitely helps me keep more aware of the context in everything I’m learning.

[@LucarioBoricua]

In all fairness, Dr. K has expressed multiple times that he does not feel prepared to produce content specific for autism spectrum disorder, out of fear of generalizing a condition that's really heterogeneous in presentation and severity. What does worry me is that I'm sure a significant portion of his audience is autistic, but he's not directing them towards reputable content creators who do specialize on ASD.

[@rhondawest6838]

"Touched by an Autism;" Wasn't that show in the 80's or 90's where a magical autistic woman went around fixing people's problems?

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Sounds about right, I'm not sure who else would care so much about there being order in the universe.

[@soyevquirsefron990]

Part of my masking was because I was too empathetic and I’d end up helping everybody even when I didn’t want to and I’d get duped by any sob story so I started acting less approachable so people wouldn’t even ask.

[@dreamscape405]

Me too❤

[@liriodendronlasianthus]

Same

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

At least they're saying touched by autism. I can only imagine how it would sound with David Attenborough narrating it like a National Geographic nature documentary.

[@BubSodaPop]

Funny thing since one of my hyperfixations is animals!

[@TheCimbrianBull]

"Here we see the autistic in its natural habitat scavenging for food..."

[@katlinath]

Yeeesss!! I LOVE your videos!! 🥰 I went to a restaurant with my autistic bestie yesterday and they graciously handed me their noise cancelling thingy AND OMG best creation I NEED ONE hehe ❤️ neurotypicals were giving looks but I didnt care: the world was suddenly quieter, the lights less violent, the smell less nausciating and i got to enjoy my noodles!!!! 💕💕 You look beautiful as always btw LOVE the earrings omg You look like a gorgeous Sim with tons of Custom Content ✨✨

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Thank you this lovely comment 🥰 Your Sims compliment might just be my favourite ever 😂💛 It's so crazy how much of a difference seemingly small accommodations can make for us!

[@katlinath]

@@imautisticnowwhat might be ADHD (diagnosed), might be autism (not diagnosed), might be both, might be something else, all I know is I loved it ! Have a lovely day!! 🥰

[@katzenbekloppt_mf]

​@@imautisticnowwhatYes, isn't it? I was feeling exited and same moment jelous reading it I didn't have had that wonderful idea😅 Props to her. And the inventors of the SIMS😂

[@materia2633]

I found it hilarious that his normal and Autistic people diagram was labeled as social anxiety and Autism.

[@OdinsSage]

I know, right! 😆 I don't think that diagram represents what he's claiming it represents

[@jg9425]

that's not his diagram, but the editors of the podcast...

[@RikB251087]

I overall love Dr. K's work. He knows a lot about ADHD, anxiety, depression, addiction and such and I learned so much from watching his videos on YT and watching his Twitch streams. However, ASD is clearly not his expertise. Still, I don't think his take was that bad. Only the outdated view about lacking empathy is clearly wrong, the rest was fine (in my opinion). But still, it shows once again that a lot of doctors still have a quite outdated view of ASD even Dr. K apparently, which is quite unfortunate. A different point, Dr. K is not neurotypical by the way, he has ADHD.

[@twylenb]

The problem with his take is that it isn't backed by current research. He has stated a hypothesis and tried to use logic puzzles as means of proving it. That is not how psychology works in the modern era. We use create studies and use statistics as a means to determine correlation and association. Rationalism is a fine way to find a hypothesis, but is no means ethical to state as a fact.

[@thiswave499]

Nope, he often says he has sub-clinical adhd and has never been diagnosed adhd, even though he is genetically predisposed to it. If you’ve watched his content on the doshas he explains that if his vata imbalance is worse then he tends to have more pronounced adhd symptoms.

[@deretti347]

@@twylenb I didn't watch the interview but he said "I think the reason why you guys tested high..." he is not stating anything and is talking about having more autistic points in a specific group in the context

[@blobby883]

Tbf, he said difficulty with empathy, not a lack of empathy. Difficulty can encompass a lack of empathy, "too much" empathy or struggles with expressing empathy

[@alpachinko9154]

As a fellow autist, I can't abide by the lack of people checking what Dr K actually said 😂

[@natashasullivan4559]

Again with the whole.. Autism is genetic... My uncle had twins. And shocker, they're both autistic.. As am, and my dad.. and my aunt.. and likely my grandmother.. and probably many in my family. Wow, genetics

[@katzenbekloppt_mf]

🤯

[@SomeoneSomewhere42069]

Natasha, I'm glad to hear that your family is getting diagnosed, and thusly, (hopefully) you're all able to better understand each other and co-exist easier, but I just wanted to say you're very beautiful, and I hope you have a great day/night/life 🥰

[@natashasullivan4559]

@@SomeoneSomewhere42069 lol no, my dad was diagnosed when he was like 8 and has no paperwork for it. And I'm the only one with paperwork. But it's easy for us to see the ones in our family who are also autistic. Actually that's a lie. The twins are diagnosed. But they're twin boys with selective mutism. So that was gonna be easier to get diagnosed. Nobody else technically is (other than me. After 3 tries). It's just easy to know at this point

[@SomeoneSomewhere42069]

@@natashasullivan4559 Either way, it's good to hear that your dad is one of us, in that he's autistic, but also that he isn't an autistic, autism denier like my mom used to be 😂 She actually, just last night, told me that she for the first time thought "Wow.. I might be autistic" after a few years at this point of me telling her that it's genetic 🤣 better late than never, I suppose lmao

[@SomeoneSomewhere42069]

@@natashasullivan4559 Also, I couldn't hslp my curiousity, and opened your channel, and I don't play RL (would love to learn, I just need someone patient because I WILL suck, for a LONG TIME 🤣), but I did notice you mission statement (your channel description), and I love it 🥰 pop off queeen

[@Qbe_Root]

Alternate title for Michelangelo's Creation of Adam: "me being touched by autism"

[@katzenbekloppt_mf]

😂😂😂

[@zephyrias]

That “touched by autism” had sent me rolling 😂

[@heatheradams3576]

Note about my experiences with autism and empathy: I can not function at a funeral properly. I see the close relations of the deceased, and my mind is filled with the crushing thoughts of what it would be like to lose your deepest human connection. It makes me cry immediately, and it's hard to control. When I say, "I'm so very sorry for your loss." I really really really mean it. It hurts me physically, and I'm usually more of a mess than the person I'm supposed to be giving my condolences to. So I try not to go to funerals if I can help it. I didn't even go see my mom after she passed away at the hospital with my siblings because I knew my empathy towards them would overpower my own grief and I wouldn't be able to process my own emotions in a healthy way. Family saw me as selfish 😔

[@Avipoppy]

‘Reward them with a smile when they look up’ NOOOO DONT DO THAT IF I CATCH ON ITLL MAKE ME SO MUCH MORE STRESSED AAAUGH

[@WaywardTidesCollective]

"You're not autistic, you're just annoying and white" "Actually i'm all three" me fr 😂

[@ThomasSpikes-sg3ye]

Can we all just agree there we are human

[@Sing_A_Rebel_Song]

Apparently that’s too hard for some people 🙄

[@alicebthegachaweirdo8378]

Of course!

[@BiggestBigBoy]

... That's exactly what a Reptilian would say!

[@powerrangerfan121]

Nahhhh man I'm more human than those other humans so give me 300 dollars and a quickie and give them a second hand CD copy of Justin Bieber s my world 2.0 album and AIDS

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

No, I'm not even convinced that I'm a person thanks to the floating periods of depersonalization that often comes with dissociation.

[@hedenistpluto]

0:05 that is anything but a ''reassuring'' smile, like I'd run in the other direaction and live in woods if someone were to do that to me. It is surely a violation of the Geneva Convention or something because in a world where that isn't a war crime of some kind is a world of destitute and suffering. Wait...

[@blondequijote]

The only war crime that gets punished is losing the war.

[@keygenMayor]

She's giving sus jerma

[@NotAFanOfHandles]

On the topic of autistic people having "trouble with empathy," Jeremy Andrew Davis had put out a video titled *"Did you know there are 4 Types of Empathy?"* While neurotypicals are more likely to experience (and expect) cognitive and responsive empathy, autistic people are more likely to experience both affective and somatic empathy. You can experience all four in varying degrees, from a lot to not at all. None of them are better or worse than any other, but NTs prefer the more demonstrative types of empathy.

[@pinkzaism]

"the venn diagram between a normal person and a person with autism is overlapping more" maybe it's because autistic people are normal people idk

[@tonycardone990]

The concrete trucks make total sense. I used to do masonry and loved when the mixer trucks showed up. I thought it was because it meant I didn't have to mix it all by hand, but it's really because it's an alternative train 😂

[@writinggamer8059]

As a person born in the 1980s who was missed for ADHD and very likely autism due to being a girl, and it being the 1980s, I can say that tech is not the reason I’ve struggled with communication, being “weird” and awkward, not fitting in, struggling with my executive dysfunction, yet still was missed. I think if all the people who got missed in the past 40 years were to get diagnosed, and they did a chart of who had autism when they were born vs kids being diagnosed in the past 10-15 years, it wouldn’t be “on the rise” and more similar. Sadly, it’s hard for people my age to get diagnosed due to many obstacles. But that’s another thing to consider with “on the rise,” it’s not just all kids bring diagnosed, it’s adults who were missed. Which is why we need a chart comparison to show age of person, not just year of diagnoses.

[@dreamscape405]

Agreed ❤ I'm a super late diagnosed woman too, age 50, and Totally agree the reason we're seeing a supposed "rise" in diagnosis now, is because of ALL of us who have been missed this whole time. Plus most of us have had children, and since it's genetic, that would increase that number too. Then add grandchildren on top of that, and yeah, it looks like a "rise", but it's just showing a more accurate number now.

[@writinggamer8059]

@@dreamscape405 Yes, exactly. I figured out I was ADHD because my kid was diagnosed, and all my struggles in school suddenly made sense. But in the 90s in high school was just “smart but doesn’t live up to potential,” and in elementary school in the 80s, I had to sit alone by the chalkboard because I couldn’t stop talking. But people say these things didn’t exist, it’s so annoying.

[@Redmage913]

Touched By An Autism… our hero driving around in a steam-powered converted train, saving souls being affected by the NTs…

[@WASDLeftClick]

Dr. K interview when?

[@scoopscop9849]

2:56-12:26

[@Fuzy2K]

@@scoopscop9849 I think they were suggesting that she should interview Dr. K , not asking where the segment was :P

[@WASDLeftClick]

@@Fuzy2K Correct :). Or the other way around, but really I guess having a conversation doesn't need to be labeled like that. I've watched a lot of Dr. K's videos and I think he usually knows what he's talking about in regards to mental health. He comes across as genuinely very kind and eager to help people, the type of person who doesn't mind be corrected on something and is willing to learn. If his understanding of autism is bad he'd be very willing to listen and learn.

[@scoopscop9849]

@@Fuzy2K OH! Lmao that makes so much sense 😭

[@pbxvirtual4026]

This would be interesting

[@JonBrase]

RE: Tech and autism, the Aspergers stereotype is basically identical to the classic techie stereotype, we built the industry, we've tended to be the earliest adopters of whatever it puts out, and we tend to be the most chronically online. The people who have the very most trouble with staying off their phone/computer are likely to be the legitimate autists.

[@therealzahyra]

Usually Dr. K has great views and explanations, I would watch the full episode. Just fyi: he would accept if you asked to do an episode with him! I'd love to watch an episode with you and him having a discussion!!

[@iammotanz]

"Left-handedness is on the rise!" claimed the doctor. I have lots of respect for Dr. K, he has a lot of valuable insights, but yet again I feel frustrated because if someone like him doesn't have all the information up to date, then what can I expect from my immediate caregivers?

[@Knowledge_Seeker64]

I remember watching a video from Kanika Batra’s channel about her ASPD. She describes herself as having cognitive empathy, not emotional empathy. She knows cognitively what other people are feeling when she observes them, but she doesn’t feel it herself. That’s part of what allows her to manipulate people without feeling bad for it (granted, she chooses not to unless it’s a business decision). Compare that to us autistic people without ASPD, who struggle to understand social cues or what facial expressions mean. We lack cognitive empathy much of the time, but when we’re made aware of what’s going on in a person’s head, or when we actually do understand specific emotional cues, we usually feel all of it. We don’t lack emotional empathy (unless we have co-occurring ASPD of course!)

[@shawngoral3987]

I'm neurotypical as far as I know. My son is Autistic ADHD. I've learned so much about people, psychology, and all this brain stuff because of him. There is way too much for one person to be an expert on. We are all prone to error. God job going to the full video. It shows the short video format is not good for learning for sure. It can lead to misinformation. I like Dr K, so far he's been doing good. That video might have been done during his book promotion Canadian here. The construction industry is booming here. It doesn't surprise me that they did that to a mixer. This Christmas it will be in the Santa Claus Parade for sure. Also being in Ontario the corruption does not surprise me either within the organization. Best of buds with good old Dougie our Premier of Ontario?

[@kirbirbstomp]

i liked dr. k’s videos on depression. they helped me a lot when i was struggling. but it’s true that when it comes to a lot of other subjects (like autism) he often misses the mark. thank you for pointing out his outdated remark on empathy. i personally struggle with empathy sometimes, but it doesn’t affect my ability to be compassionate. and it certainly doesn’t make me less human. love your content!

[@mschrisfrank2420]

I grew up before the smartphones and internet were ubiquitous-still fucking AuDHD.

[@StudioHannah]

About autistic empathy: I might be autistic, not formally diagnosed but I meet most of the criteria so I deeply relate, if nothing else. As a kid I cared DEEPLY about how others felt but felt so unaware of how to help them that I’d outwardly ignore their feelings and try to do everything I could to distract them with humor or an unrelated question to make it seem like I hadn’t noticed their feelings, because I didn’t know what else to do. I thought they’d feel worse if I acknowledged their emotion. I’d often default to talking about our shared interests because that was a cozy place for me when I didn’t know what else to do. Other people’s emotions can be overwhelming. I probably looked like I didn’t care at all. I imagine a lot of autistic people feel this way. I did learn how to respond better with time. It’s still a big confusion to me tho haha

[@-starrysunrise-2908]

"Can you show me on the doll where the 'tism touched you?" (That was meant as a joke, if it bothers you I will take it down)

[@pro_154]

"Where Is the ego organ"

[@lydialuvsthejacks4618]

😂😂😂😂

[@dreamscape405]

😅😅😅 this comment is 🏆Gold 🏆

[@philija2584]

3:38 Children used to be beaten if they didn't behave normally (my parents generation). Of course, that way you saw fewer autistic people. They would be punished for it. Therefore, there weren't fewer autistic people, they just had to make themselves invisible

[@Jack93885]

"autism is on the rise" could mean - current society is exaccerbating autistic people's difficulties to meet the level of diagnosis for disorder (where they might not have in the past). Dave of Dave's Garage (a KZbin channel) wrote a book called "The Nonvisible Part of the Autism Spectrum" where he speaks about the idea of being "a little bit autistic" as in - having the traits of autism but not to a significant enough degree to merit diagnosis. It doesn't seem that wild to me to suggest that as socialisation becomes more and more virtualised/abstract - or the unique terrors of navigating the school social enviroment through your portal to it in your pocket, not even getting a break in your own home - are playing a role in creating/exaccerbating disorders in otherwise "somewhat" autistic people

[@hannahwade3300]

What gets me about online doctors like this guy, is that they say everything like its fact. I love how Dr Mike is pretty good at adding scientific qualifiers to statements, so it helps the lamens watching to understand that it isnt fact, its an evergrowing and evolving world that we are constantly changing how we understand it, and that almost nothing in science is 100% totally understood and is a hard fact He may be a good doctor its just how he presents his knowledge ✌️💜

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

"touched by autism" makes it sound like it is contagious.

[@greatesteva7343]

IMO having too much empathy is still having difficulty with empathy.

[@HoboAhle]

I love how you stay so seemingly calm during your reactions lol... I would be YELLING 😂😂😂

[@pinkzaism]

The thing about having more "autistic traits" is that although what he's saying makes sense, it would probably cause more people social anxiety and not autism? Like many autistic people have social anxiety as well, but these allistic people struggling with social interaction probably have social anxiety and not autism itself

[@laurenelizabeth596]

I found out yesterday that my coworker thinks autism is caused by vaccines and would not listen to any of my reasoning. Her big argument was how do you explain so many kids going non verbal then. Someone tell me how I'm supposed to continue working with this woman because although I try I cannot hide my annoyance!

[@aaronfleisher4694]

Pretend she’s a very strange looking puppy. Pretend all the awful things she says are just yipping. Get some of her favorite cookies, and reward good behavior. Occasionally pet her and give her flank a gentle pat.

[@kaye_dee_did]

I think you should give it a second thought. It is very possible that although the vaccine itself doesn't cause it, it may be some kind of bizarre immune reaction that we do not understand. We absolutely do not fully understand how the body and mind works yet..

[@laurenelizabeth596]

@@aaronfleisher4694 that’s brilliant thanks 😂

[@whitedragonzerureusu4480]

Point out to her that the kids just don't like her and that's why they don't talk to her. Also throw in that kids aren't stupid and know when they are taking to an unintelligent and dumb person and just don't want to waste their breath on her

[@eubique]

As long as "they" believe it's not real we can proceed unimpeded with our plan to replace the norms.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

😂

[@GoyslopGladiator]

About the second hand embarrassment, it's literally impossible for me to watch certain shows. It's physically painful to experience emotions some may refer to as "cringe" or "embarrassing". I also remember being told that Autism wasn't genetic, my mother has Autism. As for special interests, that Cement Mixer will have had either a CAT 3126 Inline 6 Diesel engine or a Cummins 8.3L Inline 6 Diesel, the most commonly used form factor of motor in commercial applications is going to be an Inline 6, which means all 6 cylinders are in a row. Reason being, inline 6's have thicker cranks and cams than a V shaped motor would, they have greater harmonic balancing, and they are less complicated, with all of the valves being actuated by a single overhead cam, and i6 engines have an easier time lubricating themselves. Overall, I find V shaped diesel engines to be far more interesting, but that's simply because A:) I've heard way more bad things about V shape motors (6.4 PSD, 6.0 PSD, 6.5 DD, 5.0 CSB) so this B:) Makes me more interested out of "it's a worthy challenge" mindset. Sorry about the long comment, I love diesel engines, and I'll take any opportunity to talk about them, especially when the 'autism' cement truck is involved :D

[@EWeatherwax]

Yeah, I just can’t handle most sitcoms. I get embarrassed for every stupid thing the characters do.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I thought that was just me. The '80s was absolute hell for that reason. I can watch the shows, but I have to keep reminding myself that these are just actors reading through a script, it's the writers I should be angry at for hurting me.

[@thistlecreek1]

I have an uncle who is undiagnosed is in his 70's im not sure what other diagnosis he received over his lifetime, but he was never diagnosed with autism. He did live at home with my Grandparents until they passed, he had tons of support for the time. I expect there are other undiagnosed family members. It's good to have diagnoses, to have access to knowledge and support.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

9:08 yes but the difference is that NTs can relearn those social skills and change that. Autistics cannot. We can just mask. And that was a big part of me realizing that it was more than just Cptsd because I wasn’t picking up on nonverbal cues and I wasn’t picking up on sarcasm and jokes and all of that social stuff. And even after moving out of my abusive home situation and getting out into the world more, it never changed. I never learnt those social skills.

[@marieugorek5917]

In a lot of cases, perceived lack of empathy is actually just a difficulty in taking the perspective of allistic people. Or affective empathy so strong that just dealing with the feelings of others and one's own reactions to them is taking so much that there is no bandwidth to do perspective taking.

[@RPGLover87]

Cement Mixers are the absolute worst machine that could possibly break down. Anything else that stops working you can just empty it/turn it off and wait for a repair person but if a cement mixer stops turning, the mixture inside starts to set. either you have to pour out the slurry and ruin the batch, or it'll set inside the mixer and basically brick the entire machine because how the hell would you clean that out?

[@SeanHartnett-t8c]

Didn’t the mythbusters find a way to clean it.

[@Logic44]

To answer your question: Probably jackhammers, chisels, and a fuckton of hours...

[@mishkabig]

Omg, ma'am you went to the full video for context. 10/10 for exploring his argument as a whole! Love your work!

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

I'm autistic and I struggle with empathy.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

I think it differs so much from person to person - there are many different types of empathy too! I definitely want to talk more about it in the future 😊

[@billymcdonald1870]

Sometimes the empathy issue can be mistaken for being able to communicate empathy. autism can cause communication problems due to social, sensory and variety of other difficulties. Not saying you don't struggle with empathy just it can be mistaken for lacking empathy

[@schizoorreality]

the grand struggle with empathy is not knowing who's emotions you are processing, your emotions or another person or even people their emotions. I have problems with this, learning to observe and filter out, staying grounded within yourself during socializing is key. Otherwise you go home overwhelmed and stuck in time, or get overwhelmed processing others their emotions and you literally don't even know who you are after a while if you don't stay within yourself, you end up walking others their path without knowing deepdown you are doing it because of another person, and not out of free will. In the end, empathy is a trendy new wording for normal human behaviour to begin with, you really have to narrow down your struggles, because having greater amount of empathy is pretty amazing, it creates great relationships, you gotta just adapt, it'll all be okay, takes time.

[@alchemlemnis]

@@billymcdonald1870 Yeah, everyone says I lack empathy but I actually have a lot of it I just don't know how to communicate it

[@katzenbekloppt_mf]

...not to forget the term of the "double empathy problem"...

[@trustmaker1014]

Your outro music is the best. It's so calming and makes me smile when I hear it. A total vibe.

[@AlejandroMéndez-j6j]

Empathy on autism could be like focus on ADHD: there is a very big variation but you can find moments of high and moments of low empathy. So it could be more about not having it regulated the same way as NT than not having it.

[@nettiezdolls6742]

I don’t agree with everything you present but I truly appreciate that you present information with an open mind. You are bright, inquisitive, and make this world a better place because you exist. (And you have the coolest earrings ever!) Keep doing what you’re doing and being your beautiful autistic self.

[@LettiKiss]

When NT people say "You're not empathic" they mean "You didn't say 'Oh you poor soul' and comfortingly rubbed my back". Yeah no shit Jessica, I was so emotionally shocked by what you told me that my brain stopped functioning!

[@iris1568]

My twin brother was diagnosed autistic at 4 years old, and I got diagnosed autistic 2 years later. We're a boy-girl twin pair. I always wondered if it was a coincidence that we are both autistic lol

[@trwortham]

People with autism being people with autism, and autism being a condition, there are lifestyle factors that improve or worsen autism symptoms. It is a sensitive subject, especially when neurotypicals are the ones commenting from the outside-in, how fundamental autism is to self, and past frustrations we've all had in making "self-improvements" to please neurotypical society. Sometimes the woes we experience are caused by autism, sometimes the woes we experience are caused by not "going outside and touching grass" for days or weeks. They're not mutually exclusive. We should aim to be as healthy as we can whether neurodivergent or neurotypical.

[@brucemangan3807]

It’s weird… I have problems with empathy. I can put myself in the shoes of others and rationally see their situation .. but can’t feel it. HOWEVER, I can read people with their expression and speech patterns .. but I can’t emulate that to mask very well.

[@alleykittycat]

Same

[@alleykittycat]

I agree I can put myself in someone’s shoes rationally but not emotionally unless I have experienced it myself and actually know what they’re going through.

[@crazyknitter22]

But we saw these issues during the pandemic with toddlers and children. But that doesn't make those NTs suddenly autistic. They still have the same brain as before but they just struggle with social interactions. They don't have all the other sensitivities we have. Some professionals need to switch their brains on before they come up with ideas like this. For example actually talking to autistic people.

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

Honestly "woke ableism" is something Ive been seeing more and more of, sad truth is a lot of people are merely performative in their online activism.

[@juliagoetia]

Truth. Which just ends up hurting the cause a lot, because they're only using these words as a weapon and a shield for their own self centered cruel purposes. No real intention of broadening their horizons or taking accountability for themselves. And they definitely don't care about intersectionality unless they can use it to benefit themselves. I doubt they even understand what they're saying half the time.

[@alpachinko9154]

How would you define "woke ableism"? Genuine question. I wanna know what to look out for

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

6:42 find empathy betweem myself and other NTs is often "out of synch", our respective levels are too different to mesh well (cited at 7:01).

[@maxnihil604]

13:59 the average ready-mix truck holds about 7.6 cubic meters of concrete when full

[@NekoChanSenpai]

"show me on the doll where autism touched you" (sorry if this is too dark, im a csa survivor and my brain immediately went there)

[@miahan8988]

As an fellow csa survivor I’m CACKLING

[@samslam5925]

This is everything I’ve ever wanted in a video. It builds the storyline perfectly. And I feel very heard and seen from all of this because the people around me say some pretty ableist things and I always feel like poo poo because I cannot for the life of me explain why that is and this is a great starting introductory video that helps me understand what’s really going on inside myself when these situations occur. Thank you :D you’re awesome!!