What's so HARD About Being Autistic? Autism & Society Explained

Autism is misunderstood. That's a given, but few people realise how difficult being autistic in a non-autistic world can be. There are barriers most neurotypical people don't even realise they are putting in our way. If you don't yet know how society - people - actively make life for autistic people MUCH harder than it need be, you need to watch this.
You can buy the T-shirt worn in this video here:
www.teepublic.com/en-gb/t-shi...
Find more at
autistamatic.com
Support Autistamatic on Patreon
/ autistamatic
Made with Shotcut, open source video editing software
www.shotcut.org/
Images, stock video, sound effects and music not created by the channel have been obtained from KZbin creator resources or from the following sources:
www.rgbstock.com/
www.videvo.net/ (author - Videvo)
pixabay.com/
filmmusic.io/
freesound.org/
Every effort has been made to ensure that copyrights are respected and that material used is in the public domain. Where copyrighted material is used it is under the terms of "fair use" for educational purposes. All copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.

[@Autistamatic]

Add a comment if there's anything else you think should have been included in this film. There may be a part 2 👍

[@why2goatdagame]

Autistic gatekeeping should also be included. Not only the gatekeepers from outside the Autism community bt from within as well. We can’t use the biased diagnostic system that those from the outside have used to define us. I think this trend is already changing within the community but we need to make people aware that we could unintentionally be gatekeeping.

[@why2goatdagame]

For example: I have never ever been good at talking tests. Especially a personality test! I have never passed one for a job. However, the AQ is an Autistic Quotient test AKA an autism personality test. In order to be diagnosed as being Autistics it doesn’t work if the test is extremely narrow minded & biased to what it means to be Autistic. I have read into the AQ questions & I wouldn’t pass due to these narratives that are being pushed. I am on a different part of the spectrum. It’s bias & I think that’s why a lot of females don’t get diagnosed. How do I pass a test that undermines the spectrum concept? Especially because I don’t want to lie! It’s frustrating. I am very good at reading people’s body language & Facials expressions. However, my issue is I don’t know what to do with it from there. I understand what is being given to me I can read people but their expectations is where I lose the process and I cannot comply. I get social ques but I don’t know what to do with them. Just because I understand your upset doesn’t mean I don’t empathize I just don’t know where u want me to go with it. Expectations aren’t emotions. I understand emotions.I don’t understand why people think that’s a direct line to what you want from me or why you want it! Explain what you want & why. I’m a people reader not a mind reader. Autistics feel empathy!!!!!!!!!!! We just don’t know what you want & why! Plus if what you want is contradicting to what you are actually asking I’m fucking lost. I can read between the lines when it’s language but when your language contradicts what you actually wanted then I’m confused AF afterwards. Why didn’t you just tell me what you want? I see that it’s bothering you but I don’t know how to fix it if you tell me something different an expected me to know part of it was bullshit. I know when people lie but I don’t know what u want from me after I figure it out! Like wtf? This goes along with questioning. I always ask why! I do this because I need to know. I’m very good at putting puzzles together but puzzles have actual solid pieces. Hence, if people keep changing the pieces how do you expect me to put it together? Your saying this but your body is telling me something completely different. I don’t know why, but I understand that the two aren’t meeting in the middle. However, when I question this it’s me who gets in trouble. That doesn’t make since..... Why can’t I ask questions? Additionally, I actually hate routines. My routine is not having one. I can’t adjust to some given me one. That is my routine! Not having one! I can not uphold someone else routine! How do I pass a biased test that undermines the spectrum ideology?

[@UnapologeticFranchfries]

WhyUgot2doThat ? I get exactly what you mean, and it’s hard to explain it with words it’s more like a case by case situation, I am more of a deep thinker so many times I don’t come up with an answer right away because I think of all the posibles answers. Ppl are complicated but this channel doesn’t a great job of describing & explaining the logic behind neurotypicals common behaviors, us Autistics we’re just wired different & the bottom line here is that ppl need to understand that not everyone is going to react the same, just how different countries have different cultures & we have to respect, appreciate & be understanding of their differences, the same goes with the human brain. We just need to respect everyone. I’ll be bringing good personal experience stories on all these topics on my channel of you are ever interested in learning more. 😉

[@Autistamatic]

@@UnapologeticFranchfries Thanks again for your confidence in my work Francesca and I would suggest anyone that watches Autistamatic gives your channel a go. We work in very different styles but the content is just as valuable & deserves more views.

[@UnapologeticFranchfries]

Autistamatic agree, I definitely look up to your knowledge & ability to use such intelligent wording & you put so much work on your content it’s mind blowing to say the least, hope to be at your level one day. I focus more on personal experiences because I got quite the few interesting stories & I love telling true stories or watching them as well. Plus thats def my area of expertise so thought of starting there 1st, lol. But I would love to hear more of your personal experiences as well! 😊 Cheers 🙌

[@artfulaspie9775]

Having neurotypicals assuming we are like them, it turns my stomach. Even people who know I am ASD will never give me any slack, insensitivity is rampant. I am sensitive to noise, angry voices, & the most annoying is that people believe I can read their minds. I actually do not believe anyone can. I also have speech problems. Thanks for your video - Be safe

[@SuperChimcham]

You need to fix your gut health- maybe to much mucoid plaque

[@SuperChimcham]

You need to fix your gut health- maybe to much mucoid plaque

[@katielykens2328]

Yes no adjustments made for those that know. That hurts so much!!

[@hufficag]

I'm sensitive to honking, feeling electricity in my whole body when I'm walking and a car honks at me

[@artfulaspie9775]

Because it is like a form of bullying which we are too used to.@@hufficag

[@catguy4996]

For me the hardest part about having autism is getting easily embarrassed. Whenever I'm chatting with someone, I always feel awkward inside because I keep thinking I've said something I shouldn't have or that I seem rude. I care too much about what other people think of me- and my autism has always affected my ability to maintain relationships of any kind.

[@robokill387]

I have a problem that when someone accuses me of something, I get really flustered, smile out of discomfort, start shaking and find it even harder to maintain eye contact that usual. This makes me look guilty.

[@MaeRose26]

i get the same way. i talk so much with my therapist and even though ik im supposed to, i get worried that im annoying her and i end up apologizing for rambling. she's such a sweetheart though she just smiles and tells me i did nothing wrong

[@New-ye2fl]

How is you getting embarrassed autism?

[@dreamdiction]

If you can theorize about what is in another persons' mind and you are sensitive about what they think of you, then you are not autistic, you should look into Schizoid PD or Avoidant PD.

[@fdevlin5932]

@@dreamdiction it’s called social anxiety and it’s a common symptom of autism

[@delilahhart4398]

The main problem is that we live in a world that excessively values conformity and is fearful and intolerant of differences, be they great or small.

[@babsstrijkert5365]

I hate 'tell me about yourself', it's not even a question it's a vague command.

[@MagdalenaRay61]

I have high functioning autism and I was abused by my 4th grade teachers. They locked me in a closet, and pinned me on the ground and choked me. I had a black and blue hand coming home that day. That’s when my parents finally believed me that something was up at school.

[@goldenbro439]

dark

[@MagdalenaRay61]

@@goldenbro439 I think I’m still messed up from it.

[@goldenbro439]

@@MagdalenaRay61 damn,I hope your parents filed a lawsuit

[@MagdalenaRay61]

@@goldenbro439 they did, but Ohio child state detectives are horrible. The school lied the stupidest lies like to explain my bruised hand they said it was because I was banging on the door, and the detectives believed it! What actually happened with my hand was that I tried to escape the room and they closed my hand in the door! We lost the lawsuit. This was in 2013. I was only 10

[@goldenbro439]

@@MagdalenaRay61 your joking right

[@delilahhart4398]

I wasn't diagnosed with autism until I was 44. I'm glad I got the diagnosis, because I always knew I was different from most other people, and I was always mystified about why I almost invariably got negative feedback from others. Now that I have been diagnosed, I am better at coping with rejection from others, mainly because the diagnosis takes the mystery out of it.

[@robertjmccabe]

I’ve always internalized these issues and thought it was my fault. I’ve tried so hard to learn how to act “correctly” - so many anxiety attacks and depressions. I have so much compassion for everyone and desperately wanted to fix myself so to make others feel more comfortable. But no one cares about my feelings. Since being diagnosed I am pissed, I want to scream it from the rooftops how evil everyone is. The problem is I don’t have the political sway to get any help - the social majority don’t want to hear it because it makes them uncomfortable. BUT I AM UNCOMFORTABLE. I hate it and I hate humanity :(

[@howardlanus8467]

I'm much the same way. I have a lot of empathy for others, but it's hard for me to pick up the social cues that others miss. And when I make a mistake for that, I get told off as though I did it deliberately. But when I misunderstand people, or I get hurt by others, even by accident, I'm told to do better or grow a thicker skin. So no matter what I can't win. I'm always the problem. I'm supposed to fix myself to make everyone else feel comfortable, instead of people working on their ends to meet me in the middle. As such, I'm terrified of social interactions and gatherings because for me these are minefields, and the people are landmines. You know that something will set them off, but you NEVER know what or when. And even if you do everything right, sometimes they're having a bad time and they blow up in your face due to bad timing. I've had a few people blow up in my face while phone banking for the elections, just because I called the wrong person at the wrong time. I get it that people have bad days but does that excuse them going off at me specifically? The end result is that I don't trust humans, so I keep to the shadows and try to disappear.

[@tracik1277]

That is exactly how I feel.

[@themorningstar8122]

Speaking as an autistic person I have to disagree with you not understanding something doesn't make neurotypical people evil just uneducated ignorant at worst

[@robertjmccabe]

@@themorningstar8122 Yeah, I wrote this when I was in the beginning stages of getting divorced from a toxic marriage. I was pretty much out of my head with grief. I now realize that the world is very complicated and no-one is fully "good" nor "evil"; lots of people do things out of habit that result from their own insecurities. My problem is that I thought that everyone thought the same way that I did; and I felt that I was "wrong" for not understanding. Now I realize that I am just a flawed person as everyone else is.

[@LilChuunosuke]

Same here. Embracing my autism brought my inner child to the forefront. Decades of crying myself to sleep, struggling to fit in, and feeling like an alien and I FINALLY was assured it was not my fault. That poor little girl did not do anything to deserve the way she was treated. I have no malice towards the people who tried their best but either did harm or were useless, but the ones that called me a monsterous child while exploiting my younger self for her naivity and vulnerability are truly evil and I wish them the worst. I try to advocate in any way I can to protect current and future children from this pain.

[@siginotmylastname3969]

For those of us who have sensory issues and are abused, if we develop ptsd our senses can get even more extreme. I have auditory processing issues, and I also have hypervigilance/hyperarousal. The combination makes our loud society inherently harmful to me.

[@taras3702]

I am exposed to a great deal of noise on the job, but few things get through my skin more easily than loud mouthed people who can blast my eardrums out of my skull. Loud rap music and other things people neurotypicals do intensely irritate me, sometimes to the point it enrages me. I wake easily at night, and I too can be hypervigalant. I have been through PTSD, and you are right. Even with my hearing loss there are certain sounds I hear better than a wolf despite the tinnitus I have.

[@delilahhart4398]

I hate the fact that we're dealing with a global pandemic right now, but as an autistic person, I have been presented with opportunities I didn't have before COVID. There are now more opportunities to work from home, and I'm now flourishing in my career. Since I work from home, I'm better able to control the input of stimuli. Not only that, but since I communicate mainly by phone or through writing, I'm not being judged by my physical appearance, facial expressions, or body language.

[@delsingray5923]

All this reasonable accommodation that should've been here all along

[@JohnDoe-ef3wo]

Wish I could do something from home. But I have 0 skills.

[@felixoupopote]

I thought I hit the jackpot with a work-from-home job... but then the boss insisted on starting every day with a NON VIDEO ZOOM CALL where he would rapid-fire quiz us, and I could never understand a damn word he was mumbling. He started to think I wasn't really reading things, or that I was an idiot, I wasn't sure which. He also let the most manipulative people get away with monkey wrenching and blaming it on me.

[@delilahhart4398]

@@felixoupopote I'm sorry that happened to you.

[@aubriethegreat8175]

I get that. During the pandemic I was in high school. At first I was lonely because I didn't have any friends and didn't have the opportunity to make any at home. But after I adjusted to that part, I started to LOVE doing school from home. I didn't have to get up as early and drive to school 40 minutes away sleep deprived, my environment was more quiet and less populated so I could focus better, I didn't have to worry about being judged for flat facial expressions or disrupting others with my stimming, my schedule was more flexible, etc. I had a routine I liked. I sat at the kitchen table every day on my computer listening to my classes, drinking tea, and watching my dad play Zelda on the TV when he took a break from his mainly WFH freelance job. I was still a little bit lonely, but the other stuff was SOO much better, I was happier and less stressed out than I'd been in years. Then we had to go back. Overwhelm, burnout, depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, a consistently jerky sibling I had to drive home everyday, masking. I barely graduated and still didn't make any friends. The effects of that trauma still affect me daily, 2 years after graduation. I know the pandemic was horrible, but there was a significant silver lining for me. I'm sure some other autistic people feel the same.

[@DrumWild]

When I told my cousin about my ASD-1 diagnosis, she said, "We're ALL a little Autistic." I replied, telling her that if this were true, then there would be WAY more empathy at play and I'd not be having the issues that I am experiencing.

[@autiejedi5857]

Righteous indignation can be a good thing. All disabled people need to be treated with the same respect as the rest of the world. Disabled and neurodivergent shouldn't be dirty words!

[@juliancalero8012]

Justifed anger isn't sociatally allowed if you're not seen as fully human

[@barbaramoran8690]

I was born in 1951 and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and i spent years in mental hospital .I was shamed a lot for not acting normal and the only things i could do to cope they tried to take away .I have sensory issues and they were not recognized . I was told People wont accept you unless I stopped doing what I had to do to cope .Personifying objects meant i “wasn’t in reality “

[@mudotter]

Its the whole, 'You are too muchness', that gets to me. Why do I have to be quieter, softer, silenter, shyer, sweeter, calmer, because my autism has me experiencing everything in a greater way, so I respond with greater energetic output? Why is it such a condemnable inconvenience to need more time to accept change, or make a shift in my schedule, habits, or thinking because I simply need that extra time to avoid overwhelm and meltdowns? yet, I see neurotypicals throwing a lot of energetic and sometimes physical weight around and getting away with it. People yelling at kids or dogs, people getting mad at perceived slights with strangers, laughing louder than others, making insults into jokes that don't make sense, and in general don't seem to be experiencing any second guessing of their self expression. I find them quite loud, confusing, and disruptive to my system, but they are totally loved and accepted by the people around them. I say one random observed taboo truth out loud, or speak an innocent verbal faux pas, and I have rubbed someoen the wrong way for life, and I don't even know what aspects of myself triggered their innate distrust of my beingness. It's weird, they're weird. Now I find out I have to fear ending up in an old age home to face being ostracized and bullied all over again. Why are people not talking about this potential insult to the injury after surviving decades and decades of neurotypical society?! Elderly autistics more than anyone need to not be institutionalized again in their lifetime.

[@MichaelaDelaney]

Talking about communication made me think of when i was in a two person kayak with my sister, and a big boat went past, she wasn't looking that way so she didn't see the big waves coming our way. I said calmly, "we need to turn," and she kept talking about whatever she was talking about before and calmly again I said, "we need to turn or we'll flip," and she still didn't respond. Next when I said her name and said it again she turned and panicked and turned the boat, and she said, "you were so calm i didn't think it was urgent!"

[@howardlanus8467]

I get that myself. I'm torn in how I communicate with others. I try to keep calm and professional at all times, even when I'm angry, stressed, or anxious, so people don't take me seriously. When I do get emotional I get criticized for being over-dramatic or aggressive or childish. Meanwhile I'm supposed to be caring and sensitive about others, even when those others are hurting me. When I'm hurt by others I'm told to grow a thicker skin; when I hurt others, even by accident or mistake, I'm criticized even by people who KNOW I'm on the spectrum. It's not an excuse, but it DOES make things harder for me, and people forget that communication is a two-way street, but it's always me that's faulty, whether as transmitter or receiver. So I'm basically being told to be perfect at all times, which is impossible for anyone, NT or otherwise.

[@unassailable6138]

They mistake our flat affect for calmness

[@juguerin]

To be distrusted because you're honest and straightforward. It doesn't make any sense, however it is my everyday life.

[@lauren-qb9cf]

one of the most disturbing things about being Autistic. is that people don't treat you like a human being with feelings. and don't treat Autistics how everyone else like to be treated. Good video.

[@Petertwohig1948]

Thanks, Quinn. I've been bullied and even arrested and locked up by police on several occasions without ever (to this day - and I'm 75) knowing why, even when I was the victim of a crime.. It's terrifying. Don't EVER call the police.

[@turtleanton6539]

Indeed they think u r on drugs

[@ReginaDailey]

I am neurotypical and an introvert and so is my husband. I can remember a time when serial killers were all thought to be introverts. I can relate to not getting social cues, struggling in job interviews, being misunderstood when I'm being direct, I could go on. I agree that society needs to accept and accommodate everyone one who differs from the norm. I think you video is great! Please continue addressing this issue. I'm definitely in the cheering section!

[@denisescotland]

I'm recently diagnosed and love this video. I've spent my whole life trying to fit into other people's worlds and trying to be the person they want to me and I'm now finding the freedom to be more like me. I'm in the process of coming out which has not been going too well! Any coming out resources would be welcomed.

[@Autistamatic]

Hi Denise. Obviously I presume that by "coming out" you're referring to disclosing being autistic to people given the context 👍 There's a playlist linked below about events & feelings following diagnosis which covers many of the considerations around disclosure & one specifically about disclosure in the workplace. Whether to & how to disclose is different for everyone. It's very much dependent not only on the surrounding culture but on the personalities and relationship dynamics of the people involved so isolating general principles is not as straightforward as we might like. If you would like to share more info privately then I can be contacted via email or social media DM. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaPSgmttorWYnNU

[@drbarney1000]

I have lost my respect for PhD programs in many subjects such as those which claim to know as much about autism than those who live it. I did my PhD in math and physics, subjects safe from politics.

[@ladyvoreva2754]

Absolutely agree with you. I disrespect almost every AS "specialist", because of their biases, prejudices, ignorance.

[@MaeRose26]

im losing more respect for scientists and am losing more faith in humanity because on facebook i keep seeing articles saying "heavy metals in jarred baby food linked to autism" as well as "mothers taking tylenol while pregnant linked to autism". its bull crap. autism is genetic. food and tylenol didnt cause it. and then in the comments u got people going "its the vaccines!" even though thats been debunked years ago

[@mikehunt3205]

Used to be safe from politics. Any science that can be warped to fit the agenda is subject to politics.

[@GlitterRat]

This really helps me. I've been dealing with this since I graduated from college. I graduated summa cum laude and had the expectation that I would be valued in the work environment as I was in school- and while every job ive had has gone well and my colleagues like me alot, I've been unable to find employment at my skill level and I am unable to move up in the jobs I get. In fact, I find that they love me but treat me like a child and not as an adult and as a result over look me for many things and talk down to me when discussing business related topics.

[@fabiennemarquis9155]

Geez that is horrible, I'm sorry you have experienced that, some people can be right arseholes

[@sarahodom7091]

I am always treated like a child! It's the story of my life, and I'm 54 now, and still my life. I'm learning to stand my ground finally and people back off (thanks to Dr Ramani's videos) and learning not to care. I see it for what it is - messed up people liking to put others down so they can feel good. That's messed up.

[@desertdarlene]

That's one reason why I'm on the fence about getting a diagnosis. I've told my supervisor and a few other people, but I don't have anything on paper. I'm concerned they will think I can't do the job or that I'm stupid. I, also, am at a low level in my job simply because I don't feel I have the people skills to move up in management. I used to be a semi-manager, but I demoted so I could work more hours and get benefits.

[@allenbaird6118]

Thank you, for this. Recently self-identified, not diagnosed. Up until now, I was aware of my struggles but not the reason why. Once I had a name for it, I shifted from a person that was getting by, to a basket case with no hope. A huge part of my journey is getting past all of the fear mongering. Every divergent thinker needs to see this video.

[@fdevlin5932]

I’m older than you and only realized about a month ago that these struggles I’ve had all of my life are because I have autism. I’ll go for an assessment but I don’t need the diagnosis to know. I’ve learned enough to diagnose myself accurately. But anyway my point is, now instead of seeing myself as a low functioning normal person, I see myself as a high functioning autistic person. I know some of the younger people have quibbles with language like that but I don’t care. All my life I’ve wondered why am I like this? What is wrong with me? It’s good to have an answer. Now I can forgive myself and get to work.

[@HappyHoney41]

In some business seminars they have an activity where you are posed a problem. It's that your plane crashes in the mountains. You and other survivors have a limited supply of items and have to decide what steps to take... You answer the problem questions alone, and then again with the group. It's supposed to show you that going along with group is better... I've gone through this several times... I always survived better with my own choices, than with the group choices. That usually annoys the presenter. Even I could tell.

[@lukeshirley8496]

Neurotypical people (especially bosses and close family members) please soak this in! I have but not much else to add to this you have hit it 100%. Thanks Quinn.👍

[@Gemini4Life21]

Diagnosed as a kid. Getting it 'updated' as an adult. I have to do so much behind the scenes just to have a "normal" day in society. It's exhausting!! I live alone, not bc I don't want to connect with people, but bc it is so difficult for me to have and maintain a relationship. I channel all the negative that I experience in life toward running. I'm training for my 5th marathon. But I am emotionally and mentally EXHAUSTED!!

[@RTDuellist]

It upsets me when I see people only look at autistic people as a bad thing. There was a problem with a autistic a while back and need the police help, but they wouldn't give it because they think it's a autistic thing. Nope! It only until they learned it was life threatening they actually help. If people can only except the difference between people and learn from them, this world world would be better. But instead people fear the different and the disability for living our lives

[@Autistamatic]

Fear of the unknown is one of the greatest factors limiting human growth and creativity. Thanks for commenting 👍

[@aaronbrown8377]

I don't think saying someons is autistic or gay ( I'm both) when acting in some weird way is the issue. In fact, I would place it at the bottom of a list. The constant rejection, resentment, and cruelty is a far greater grievance. I hate trying to be a normal person only to be iced out of a group. I'm tired of being by default lesser than everyone around me.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes indeed 😮

[@howardlanus8467]

I'm on the spectrum myself, and for me the hardest part was communication. One challenge is trying to communicate with others, only for them to misunderstand my meaning, or infer things that were never there. Another is constantly worrying about whether I am missing something in someone's words, or whether I am being paranoid. A third is wondering how to balance emotion and logic; I start off trying to be calm and professional even when I am angry, stressed, or anxious, but people don't take me seriously. If I do display the emotional side of things, I am criticized as being overly emotional or aggressive. Where's the middle ground? What does it take to get people to take me seriously? Or am I expected to just sit there and take it like a pinata? Perhaps the greatest challenge is my omnipresent social anxiety about whether what I say will trigger someone, even though when I am hurt by others I am told to grow a thicker skin or toughen up while being told over and over again that I need to watch my words. In other words, I have to walk on eggshells for others while they can break my bones with sledgehammers if they want. Making all this worse is that I can remember all the times communication and social issues have caused me trouble, even if it was decades ago. And when I try to explain my behavior as part of my diagnosis, I am told that's no excuse, as though I can choose to be neurotypical, like a blind man can choose to be blind or not. I understand that I need help and I can learn to handle it better, but no matter what I cannot change my neurology. This is just my personal experiences, but much of what you were describing in this video really spoke to me. You're doing a great job, and please keep it up.

[@Autistamatic]

Thanks for commenting. You're far from alone. Communication with non-autistic people is one of the biggest barriers we face and key to most of the myths and misconceptions about us. So much of this channel, especially the "Autism & Relationships" and the "Verbal Spectrum" series, are about communication as a result.

[@ladyalicent705]

I was diagnosed with autism at 1 year old, so even though my parents didn’t tell me about it until I was ten (they thought I wouldn’t understand), I have no perception of what it’s like to not be diagnosed or to struggle to get a diagnosis (since I’ve had it basically my whole life). Hearing you say that getting diagnosed is so horrible that it’s enough to wish you never did it broke my heart, there have been times I wished they never diagnosed me, but I’ve never really known anything different, these people have, and it destroyed them… that shattered my soul…

[@katielykens2328]

Thank you, you put words to an experience that I wasn't able to and certainly suppressed because "Hey, just get over it".

[@jusroc6353]

Growing up, my older brother always told people I was very "autistic" as an insult, when explaining that I was into creating art. Obviously using it as an insult. Ironically, I did get a diagnosis at the age of 44. My brother died about 14 years ago. (I am now 47). Little did he know, his ridicule was actually true. Although he probably would have found a different way to insult me if he had realised.

[@halcyonzenith4411]

Guess he who laughs last, laughs best.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yuup

[@barbaramoran8690]

I was told by a therapist when I was 18 that “I chose to be mentally ill “

[@martinkaczynski8526]

THERAPISTS OFTEN MAKE THINGS MUCH, MUCH WORSE, WITH THEIR IGNORANCE.

[@PurpleGold.]

This is the best and most important message from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. Autism has become a profitable industry. No wonder we’re unhappy.

[@gonnfishy2987]

i feel like i have a home when i sit down and watch your videos

[@Autistamatic]

What a lovely comment. I think it deserves to be pinned 💜

[@gonnfishy2987]

@@Autistamatic wow. your reply has made my night. i have been working through immense trauma and struggles in my life, just this past week. i find solace in your videos and your approach to the subjects 🌟

[@gonnfishy2987]

@@Autistamatic are you asking me if you can pin it?

[@simikatra3434]

This, all of this has been playing on my mind for months, in tears because I feel validated. Thank you Kieran.

[@Autistamatic]

Thank you Simi - glad it made a difference to you 💜 I'm Quinn by the way, not Kieran 😉

[@simikatra3434]

Thank you for letting me know Quinn. 💖

[@ms.reeree1960]

Omg my life in a nutshell I can't stop crying. It's 8am an im crying. God put these on my heart. I was misdiagnosed as a kid and I was told that it was dyslexia but as I got older Asperger's started showing signs

[@cherhaffen-ut1xb]

God ty ty Humiliated throughout childhood and then police violations getting beaten several times in my life by police And CPS traumatizing the hell out of my child by fabricated diagnosis and familiar scapegoating/ lies

[@thatanimatorguy599]

I'll give you 6 answers to this question. 1. We are seen as lesser then then our Neurotypical peers. 2. Neurotypicals put those negative stereotypes on us so they can feel superior. 3. We are always seen as stupid because of our different way of thinking. 4. We are talk down too like children and aren't taken seriously. 5. They put us in Special education to segregate us from the general public. 6. They don't challenge us like they do with our Neurotypical peers.

[@faerietattoosnapdragon5429]

The removal of autistic children from their families is a huge issue for me. LA's act unlawfully with regard to S17 assessment - Fii investigation is horrific but standard malpractice, LA's commit perjury and the damage done to families is beyond trauma. My right to breed was questioned in court by the Judge in my case and to me she questioned my child's right to exist more than my right to breed which I struggle to process. The struggle to process has turned me into a monster though, the anger and self hatred that I allowed this to happen is consuming me and I don't know if there's enough therapy in the world to fix me. I am just one - there are thousands of us. This is how it has always been - I don't see it getting better anytime soon.

[@Autistamatic]

Thanks for raising this. This is a topic for a report of it's own. Subjects like this require a lot of additional research so they take a while to put together but it is slated for the future. If you have anything you wish to share about your own experiences then please don't hesitate to get in touch. The email address is on the "about" page.

[@dwfav]

best video yet. Actually feel this has made me more aware of myself due to the context the info is being given. Thanks!

[@Autistamatic]

Thank you. I'm always happy to hear that Autistamatic content has helped people understand themselves or those they care about 👍

[@dwfav]

@@Autistamatic absolutely. bought a tshirt too! look forward to more content!

[@user-ti5hk4go9m]

I believe I will have to live by myself for rest of my life inside of my house. My goal is to make money passively so I can live away for rest of my life without much people.

[@shannonlyons887]

Thank you very much for this, I did at 52 find myself on the divergent side of the story, though I've never understood the violence of exclusion. You've helped me with this video to explain things more clearly to some people important to me.

[@Autistamatic]

Glad you found it helpful Shannon. There's a lot more that could have been said but as said in the video - I think (hope) it's enough to make the point. All Autistamatic videos are intended to enlighten neurotypical people as much as to help fellow autists make sense of their lives and find common ground. Thanks so much for commenting.

[@nataliesirota2611]

Thank you for this video. For all these reasons, I have kept my very late diagnosis, personal from most of my relationships.

[@Uatemysoul]

My wife was undergoing treatment at a big hospital for a year or so and I hear the electrical buzz. There are two lobbies in the hospital that this is a major problem. But one day I was pleasantly surprised when a receptionist called IT out because it was bothering me. She said I shouldn't have to put up with that and that they should find out where it's coming from. Nothing came of it but it was very nice to know someone cared. There was another room that I think was the CT lobby. And there is a box on the wall that makes this sound and I just can't be in that waiting room. So I leave and told my wife where I was gonna be in the hall but people give me looks when I say anything about it. Most of the prejudice I have faced in my life has been more or less from well meaning people not really knowing any better. And my own emotions getting the better of me being in a situation I'm perfectly safe in. Not stepping out of what I find comfortable. I've never really had a paying job. I tried to apply for multiple jobs but not knowing any better. Disclosed in application or lasted training and was dismissed for made up reasons. I tried working for family because I thought at least they would be willing to help me support myself but I was told I didn't work hard enough or that I wasn't worth paying.

[@mikehunt3205]

Much of which can produce PTSD, further compounding the problems. Even with higher I.Q.'s, success is not guaranteed, actually making it worse, as normie/NPC/average and below average intelligence world is too much to bear.

[@danielimmortuos666]

This is one of my favourite channels on ASD ive found! Thank u so much

[@Polytunnel]

You could do many more, but that would throw you off schedule! Hmm, I could write pages & pages, but perhaps I should keep it "brief" for "Comments." This was an excellent video. Yes, many of us have been "tormented" at school and hoped that would be the end of it, but that bubble bursts! When you're late diagnosed, you don't even recognise that you have need of special accommodation. I think my parents were aware that there was something "peculiar" about me and later on I was recognised, (but not officially diagnosed), with a "co-morbid" condition - "dyspraxia" which has cross-overs with "autistic spectrum condition"/"aspergers"/"asd" etc. - Definitions have been updated and not to everyone's pleasure. From our POV, the teachers seemed to "encourage" the bullies; rather than put a stop to them. "Humiliation" tactics were made use of. Surprisingly, very little was done about my "communication", beyond enrolling me in Youth Organisations and ensuring I had "play dates" from time to time. I soon worked out that I was "happiest" on my own, doing private activities, which my parents didn't object to. Some peers were more tolerant than others; some teachers were more tolerant than others. (Which I can recognise in hindsight.) I was never popular, but I didn't want to be in the "In Crowd", so in the end, I ended up isolated, but "happy" and that was fine until I reached adulthood and was expected to participate in what is called "the Real World". Cue further humiliation, from university to job interviews to on/off employment to "forced" participation in courses designed to "help" the "special" cases. I don't like to talk about it much. Pain is PAIN! When that long-term PAIN fails to be appropriately addressed, over and over again, you find yourself *ironically* punished by being "ostracised" by the "BIG SOCIETY", we early on recognised as a "BIG LIE", but if we DARED to claim that we were being UNFAIRLY treated - well, the cycle continued. I eventually got referred to an adult diagnostic society and from there I found the "KZbin" community. (Plus it also makes us empathise with other "outcast" groups.) Finding this channel has proved a "godsend" as it is FAIR to both sides and that is UNUSUAL. By sharing experiences, we become stronger than we were, but it takes time and this crisis has not helped matters. Thank you for encouraging us all, whether we be autistic or neurotypical. Autistics can be extraordinarily patient about some matters, but when it comes to our dream of a better world, we can try to run before we can walk and then we want to fly before we can run. There is much HURT and MISUNDERSTANDING on both sides and you are slowly helping us inch ever closer to the goal, tough as it may be.

[@Autistamatic]

Rowena that is one of the most heartwarming and constructive comments I've received on any platform. Thank you so much. I always look forward to your comments but this one has really made me smile. Making this content takes a long time & is sometimes emotionally challenging but you've just made it feel worthwhile in one comment. As always the experiences you describe resonate with me and will with many others. 😃👍💜

[@paavohirn3728]

Thank you Rowena for sharing this :) I have to say I was intimidated because of the length of your comment. Using paragraphs would be really helpful. But I'm glad I read it with a little help from of a piece of paper to help me follow each line. Take care :)

[@HappyHoney41]

Being diagnosed as a child, but never told; meant I was different but not knowing why. I was mainstreamed and had 0 accomodations. Ever. I was not labeled, but I was still autistic. I didn't know, so I struggled to try to figure everything out. I've felt lost, less, and different my whole life.

[@AutisticAwakeActivist]

School was appalling. But I did well in a military re education. As it was disciplined. Totally agree with you on this.

[@AutisticAwakeActivist]

@@richardscathouse deffo love cats and hated school

[@gavinwaterman5456]

Knowing neurotypical rules from being a neurodivergent person can really anger neurotypical people. The thing is, we can easily switch personality and that breeds fear into them.

[@nellyefron]

So incredibly well explained! I want every neurotypical watch this. It’s so heartbreaking that we’re struggling so much mostly just because of the stigma and misunderstanding from the society that’s unwilling to accept us.

[@desertdarlene]

I live and work in a diverse community. I've been told over and over about how privileged I am and how I will never experience harassment and discrimination because I'm white. Even when I explain some of my experiences, I'm told it's not the same experience as theirs because I'm advantaged by my skin color. I have to out myself as autistic to get my point across, which I cannot and will not do.

[@mantisfilms7821]

Or never BORN! My own mother actively hated me for it and I had no father present.

[@kyleethekelt]

Please let me hasten to reassure you that those of us who are blind or deaf don't sense the world in the same way as one another either. Being blind or deaf makes us no less individual than being diagnosed autistic. Being both sensorily different and blind is certainly a challenge. It either gets dismissed as 'blindisms' (though how anyone can do that is beyond me, since if it was blindism then surely all blind people would have the same dificulties) or gets ignored completely. i'm only just discovering, after 57 years and with some help, how the intersectionality of my blindness and neurodivergence may have prevented me ever conforming to what this postbox toy world expects.

[@Handle_Is_Not_Necessary]

Such a great video, Quinn. It always feels like I'm missing information or understanding but that can't be why processing time is such an issue for me. Despite all the changes over the last 3 years since this was published, I still agree with your points, at least in large part. Your channel has played such a significant part in my journey of discovery, and I think this video (or at least the most important parts) needs to be seen by many more people to vastly improve the general understanding of autistic life.

[@Autistamatic]

Thank you😊

[@user-qb8qm4mp5n]

It's the system that needs to change. I believe my mom who was born in 1932 and has since passed was autistic but went undiagnosed. Linking autism to vaccines makes it seem like it's a new phenomenon but I think people with autism (it's just a word) have always been with us. A word to the wise, the grass is not greener for neurotypicals.

[@LotusAuer]

It's the same phenomenon we're seeing with the LGBTQI+ community - its not like all of a sudden everyone is just deciding to be queer, it's just better understood and more accepted/less stigmatized than it uses to be so people are open about it. Add the internet and connecting the whole world essentially and you're gonna notice a huge "spike" in the number of cases, but that's not because of something outside of us, it's from us understanding ourselves and other humans better than we used to. Imagine not recording murders for all known time, one year we decide to keep track of all the murders the whole year and publish that, but instead of starting our graph where we started recording, we start it a few decades back. Now the graph looks like there was no murder for decades, then all of a sudden, one year, everyone just went insane and started killing left and right. In reality, its probably about the same number each year around that one, but without historical data to compare to, it looks drastic.

[@victoryamartin9773]

Fight back? Are we fighters? I'm not. I back down way too easily, allowing others to bully and take advantage of me. I've never been accepted, and I can't imagine fighting back as a means of gaining acceptance, let alone appreciation. That's what neurotypicals do. That is not who we are. I've tried, and I've only been punished for it. Twice I threw a punch to protect myself when attacked; the first time got me put in jail, the second, in the hospital. I'm just not cut out for fighting.

[@user-cl9kb2vn8i]

Man, what you say is so true. I was diagnosed with aspergers as a kid and would not put autistic experience into words better. I am happy to listen to somebody talk about having the same experiences, while not being outright toxic or resentful like many outistic people are. . Happy to listen to you, cheers from Czech republic.

[@martinpetersson4350]

I was severely abused by my caregiver and others my entire childhood and despite openly telling what I was subjected to all of society only ignored me and victim blamed me.

[@sarahodom7091]

Dr Ramani's videos have helped me a lot. She educates people on narcissism and how to handle narcissists and set boundaries. Last summer I kept asking myself, at age 53, why do people treat me like this. I realized "because they can". Her videos are good for autists too, and of course narcissists target autists.

[@felixoupopote]

She is so simplistic. Try Sam Vaknin instead. He has helped me immensely in understanding these troubled souls; Ramani just helps you feel sorry for yourself, which I find unhelpful.

[@user-yz2ue8mr8i]

I understood alot of stuff in 2013 , baby steps to continue on.

[@delsingray5923]

05:30 ~ this 05:48 ~ T h i s! 08:15 to 08:20 ~ THIS! 09:11 ~ T H I S !! 12:38 ~ °•`☆'°• !! I really like that shirt. :)

[@lordblazer]

I wish there was a channel like this for people with celiac disease.

[@trolloftheyear7963]

I was accidentally double vaxxed for a trip to ethiopia at 8 years old. Within a week i was not me anymore. Later diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia. Couldnt communicate like i was able to before the vax damage. Now see that ive had mild autism all along.

[@LotusAuer]

You're obviously trolling, Lelouch dying was the best part of Code Geass

[@nathansullivan5812]

I can relate to a lot of this on a personal level. I got diagnosed when I was 10, and since then I've put a profound amount of effort into fighting against this stereotype of autistic people not being capable individuals. Currently living on my own with a full time job and a girlfriend who loves me very much. There is hope for people still trapped under the thumb of these asinine ignorant societal views. Don't give up.

[@rolflaprete1849]

Thankyou Quinn.... Your voice is irreplaceable....you are a beautiful person....!!!💕🐑

[@Dirkschneider]

Very well put! Clear, explanatory and concise.

[@Autistamatic]

Thank you 👍

[@SMotaal]

Thank you so much, those words are on the tip of the tongue of so so many of us, and we are certainly going to go the distance, if that is all we get to do with the remainder of our otherwise painful days, there is no stopping us now ✊

[@UnapologeticFranchfries]

This is by far my favorite channel, I can’t wait to do my 1st commentary video on this channel, I am so glad this channel exists cuz otherwise I would losing my mind questioning my own sanity when I read so much mixed up information on social media from ppl who swear understand the whole concept because they read a couple of articles and they just bring more confusion than anything else with their terms. But this channel sure explains everything to the T! How many ppl are collaborating in this channel btw? & how long has the planning of this project has taken? This is an outstanding work! 🙌

[@Autistamatic]

Thank you. So far Autistamatic has always been a "one-man-band". Other than discussion over scripts and a little help with research it's all been just me. If the channel grows significantly that might change in the future but we're a long way from that point as yet 😂

[@UnapologeticFranchfries]

Autistamatic thank you Quinn!! 🙏🏼 I thought it was just you but in your channel description you make it sound like its a collaboration of ppl coming together and that you are the host? 😅 ... Honestly the 1st 1k subs I think are the hardest, it you be about time before it’s starts duplicating. Maybe it won’t be crazy famous right away because most ppl in KZbin look for trendy stuff and the want ppl that will say what they wanna hear, instead this KZbin is real & well researched! I see it in a similar genre of iiluminaughtii or James Jani , those are more documentaries type channels but they got mad respect in less than a year they go hundreds of thousands of subs, mainly cuz they cover all kinds of topics, Autism its still a pretty taboo subject among most ppl. Most ppl are not even aware that Aspergers is an outdated term and most ppl think that Autism is a topic that only concerns those in the community which it count be farther from the truth!😓 BTW you should make a special on the History of Autism & Aspergers & why so many ppl hate him. After being portrayed as a heroic contributor why is now the bad guy? Was he really that bad or under the stressful command of the Nazis? 🤔

[@ladyvoreva2754]

@@UnapologeticFranchfries Hans Asperger was, indeed, a nazi collaborating with the Nazi regime. He sent many "severe" autistic children to death. There are many investigations about his role on that historical time. Although some actually autistics deny these facts, for instance, Steve Silberman.

[@UnapologeticFranchfries]

@@ladyvoreva2754 those are biased facts, have you done your research correctly or are you just repeating what other ppl tell you? Have you read Neurotribes by Steve Silverman? There was so many good things Hans did it would make cero sense that he would just turn into a monster all of the sudden. None if the other arguments have been able to paint a realistic picture of the reasons why Has did what he did. He changed the concept that ppl had about autism regardless, no one is perfect or 100% good. it’s really easy to judge ppl when you’re not in their shoes, unfortunately Hans was under the Nazi regimen & had no choice. You either did what they said or died! That book explains how insane things were in those times. He can’t defend himself anymore & I find it very unethical to criticize a person that lived in a completely different time than you & ruin their character when they are not even alive.

[@ladyvoreva2754]

@@UnapologeticFranchfries 1) I'm a brainwashed zombie, who cannot think or read. 2) Hans Asperger did have different choices, for instance, leaving the country if he didn't agree with the Nazi regime. Or fight against it, even knowing that he could be killed. As my greatgrandfather did. It is pretty sad to read what you think. You are justifying the horrible deaths of so many innocent children and adults. I can clearly understand why so many people think that we lack of empathy. Wish you a good, peaceful, healthy life, @Neurodivergent Franchfries.

[@walkingthroughghosts]

I'm beginning to realize that I'm like this at 36.

[@felixoupopote]

Wait... some people can't hear electrical resistance? Seriously?! They can't hear that?! And I'M the freak!!

[@why2goatdagame]

4:05 More pronounced in adulthood. We can hear the mums of electricity 😫😭 I almost cried...

[@Autistamatic]

I take it you hear electrical resistance too?

[@faerietattoosnapdragon5429]

I thought it was normal to hear electricity - that's why I thought I was broken because I was the only one who couldn't handle it. I can't imagine not being able to hear it - it must be bliss!

[@Autistamatic]

@@faerietattoosnapdragon5429 Some non-autistic people can hear the hum too but it's far more common in autistic people & SPD. Most people that can hear it find it distracting at the very least to unbearable at the worst.

[@why2goatdagame]

Autistamatic Every waking moment of every day. When I can’t hear it I get freaked out a bit, but it’s more calming in a certain situations. I can tell when it changes frequency, ohms, or when I go somewhere else & the pitch or pattern is different. Louder or more quiet. It’s like my ears are being flooded by contrast pattern waves I can’t explain. Sometimes I can see waves a bit if I really focus, but it’s an overload. Especially if I hear several at once with loud crickets. Sometimes I can focus it out but the vibrations from other more powerful devices makes it impossible to ignore. I can feel it more than I can see it. As if Im listen to bass guitar cranked all the way up til it vibrates the floor. If there’s a sudden flux in energy my ears kinda pop. Then a high pitched whining sound makes me go deaf to everything else for a few seconds til they stabilize. Always makes my head feel like scrambled eggs that just keeps being whisked. Gets worse when I’m tired. I feel it from people too. Different frequencies. Someone told me it’s because I was an Empath & that was the reason I was feeling all these things. Hearing all these things vibrations. It made the most sense at the time & I cried a lot. I thought I found the resolution to why I always felt different. However, I started finding catch loops of inconsistencies. Like putting a puzzle together. Stuff was missing or didn’t fit. I bought into it for awhile but not everything made enough sense for me. I do know I’m highly empathetic & Empaths feel people’s pain but they don’t have problems focusing because of sound & patterns. I can feel & see patterns through my ears. I don’t see people’s colored Oras through my eyes. Empaths don’t have problems with people not understanding them when they’re trying to explain themselves. They don’t have issues with people simply because they want to understand why & ask questions like I do! Empaths don’t have have social problems due to questions the logical reason why someone is inconsistent with the morals that all of us learned as a kid! We’re not supposed to lie! Empaths don’t have so much hyper sensitivity going on that they just don’t & can’t be touched. It’s all about protecting their Ora. It’s not a damn Ora! Its literally electricity! It’s a physical thing. It’s electrical absorption. I don’t want to feel the other person’s patterns that close! I don’t want extra positive or negative ions! Get away from me! Ur hurting me! Stay over there 👉 However, through Empaths I discovered SPD from HSP. Then I started researching more. My whole world just made sense. I didn’t want it to because I didn’t want to hear people’s shittieness. I didn’t want to lug around extra social baggage, but... this has always been my baggage. I just didn’t have a name for it. I always hated categorizing myself or others. I know in society they stick u in on & leave you there. However, this is where I always belonged. Not dumped. These are my people. I understand them to the core. They understand me even if we get messed up sometimes or overwhelmed. We get the process. This is my home. I use to think I was from outer space, but I was just from a different inner space. I’m from this place. I don’t have to hide in the out field anymore. Autism is home base. After 35 years, I finally made it 2 the plate! 😭And the crowd Gooooesss Willldddd!!! ❤️🤣 Now a diagnosis 😳😞 Well ...shit! =Too much pre celebration? Ahhhh fuccc it 😁😁😃😄🤣🥳🥳🤩

[@why2goatdagame]

Faerietattoo Snapdragon Same my friend. I thought others heard it at least a little bit or if they didn’t there had to be something wrong with them. 🤣 Then I realized it was me & no one believed me. 😳 So I started keeping quiet tell I noticed a collective on the horizon. ❤️

[@ladyvoreva2754]

Very well expressed, Quinn. Thank you, again, for your clarity.

[@stuartchapman5171]

These are some of best videos describing ND I've seen. We have so much to offer, If we are fortunate enough to find somewhere we fit in. This requires a lot of fight, most of us have that kicked out of us before we get to the workplace, and it continues once we've arrived there. The desire to be one of the crowd also means our unique input is ignored or overlooked, because it came from the weirdo, not matter how good it is, no one wants to be seen agreeing with the freak. That very idea will be held up as exciting, innovative and the next big thing, further down the line, once its suggested by a NT colleague. You just have to roll with it, as you well know, because as an unpopular marginalised employee, you can't be seen to upset the status quo too much. All that effort, all that unique experience, which was so hard earned, going to waste. Except it isn't really, it gets picked up, only it isn't you getting the credit. I'm fortunate enough to have an understanding boss now that my physical limitations mean I can't work in my chosen field any longer. I only have to work Limited hours. I'm "lucky" but it shouldn't be that way. We all should have the respect to be given a reasonable place in society.

[@raafjansen8488]

Great video, thanks!

[@anjachan2]

That was powerful. Nice!

[@sydtopia]

Very nice video. Hope u get a lot more views.

[@myworldautistic670]

Fantastic video!! Thank you!!!

[@CrystalMouse1]

I'm an award - winning singer but have been denied solos for "lacking stage presence" whatever THAT means 🙄

[@healinghaven2011]

Thank you... ive shared this to my page.

[@gamezswinger]

Wonderful videos. Keep them coming.❤

[@greatmeatball2978]

Man, this is the best such channel I've ever stumbled on. You happen to be miles ahead of many other autism advocates and explainers on KZbin. For me, at least. And they're not even so bad! Thank you so much! I'm binge watching your vids.

[@humanistastv]

It is very unfair and It has to change urgently!!

[@axelborgvall1648]

I can hear the hum of electrical resistance, in some objects. I guess you mean hear a higher frequency?

[@butternutsquash6984]

Thank you for including the wider group of neurospicy people. I'm autistic and i am a professional caregiver for those with significantly limiting cognitive conditions. The therapeutic goals of all the offered programs end up being so ableist because thats what funders are willing to pay for. The benefits of ongoing social emotional development that these folk won't get sitting isolated at home should really be sufficient but that rant is too long for YT. Doing my best to counteract that ableist presumptions by training staff to think and respond in new ways but damn its exhausting to model. All thatvto say, can you talk more specifically about how the systems for getting help for those who are autistic or, more broadly not neurotypical, encourage othering as well as condescension? I

[@zackslabs]

Great talk. Can you touch on autism and siblings?

[@user-uo8ny1kj4c]

Honestly, its not the kids that make me hate myself for being autistic, its the teachers in school, they chastise me for my meltdowns and mental breakdowns when I feel overwhelmed. Nobody gives me a break anymore and I just feel like suicide is the only way to get it through everyones skull that I was not okay.

[@sarahodom7091]

Suicide isn't an option. Hang in there. It takes time but with age you'll realize they are the ones with the problem. And seriously there is something very wrong with our society (which is well articulated in Cardinal Robert Sarah's book The Power of Silence, boy is our society messed up). Maybe find other so called "outcasts" to be friends with. Jesus was a social outcast in a way. Just hang in there. You have value independent of the herd's social expectations and you aren't answerable to them. Dr Ramani's videos have helped me a lot, on how to hold my ground with people.

[@MemeLordCthulhu]

The thing I hate that regular people do is giving me a whole story with background and stuff that just ends with "greg the destroyer of worlds almost fell and knocked over a trashcan at work." Like is that supposed to be interesting or funny, because at this point I'm just pissed off after 10 minutes of nothing

[@HOUROFPOW3R]

Worst is that all the things laid out--the casual discriminations, the 'not a good fit' stuff--as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I've experienced this in the queer spaces as well. Trouble connecting and getting along well with others in an already small minority group and getting to experience social exclusion (or even paranoid character assassination by grown adults [like, mid 20s to mid 30s]--wtf?) is harrowing to say the least. The more I look back at my 20s the more I realise that being autistic was a much harder, lonelier element of my experience than being (extremely and openly) queer.

[@AnnaBananaRepublic]

Thank you. (hug)

[@MrRobergeandre]

Awesome video, where can I get a shirt like yours ?

[@Autistamatic]

Thank you 😃 There's a link to the t-shirt (or hoodie, mug, notebook, sticker etc.) in the description.

[@josephmartin1540]

Love your work very much, technically, for content, explanation and so on. And heart. Would we agree 100% in person on everything. Of course not. But, brother! Lord knows, the things you said here! YES!!! Think this is like totally brilliant, man... but, then, again, I have NEVER in almost 66 years been called "normal." [Insert smiley face here.}

[@why2goatdagame]

All of this!!!!

[@jacquelinerouse9752]

It;s a lonely life unfortunately

[@user-ov6zy2dh4d]

Here is my story related to this.... my family, mom, dad, and brother (alcoholics all of them) me because principle I won't but because rebellion against drinking problem----solution to this problem hospitalize me for trying to point this out as stressful; my father should go to A.A. meetings (during adolescence) ; my mother's drinking problems---though she had periods of sobriety---10,000 times worse than my father's drinking problem; her sister, my aunt drank herself to death by being drunk..... Now in adulthood, my mother goes on a bender and drinks herself under the table, and I am forced to go to jail---then do probation and enter adult mental health; and now because these autism situations being a challenge for other people to understand I am labeled "mental illness" rather than high functioning autism which was assigned to me at 20. Two decades later, idiots all over the place call me insulting words like "mentally ill" In my life of asymmetric warfare I did what I had to do survive.... so who cares if I rebell against 2 drunk parents at war with each other when I was a minor if I did not rebell, this inability to listen to my cues, concerns and everything else would have killed me; I was diagnoses at 20 and then my mother starts drinking herself under the table. The one with the dead sister, by being drunk; forces me to leave and then I am homeless for a while. A benevolent God saves me, but I am called "mentally ill" because I have had such soul-crushing shit to deal with all my life.... and still it get discrimination from crass sadists. And by the way, my mother was probably a narcissist. I am a dead-ringer for all 8 qualities a child of narcissistic parents would have now as an adult; and to other people, these criteria do not count as issues I must deal with when applying for jobs----my life has been incredibly hard; but nothing is certain in life but death and taxes

[@mrmukura]

So.. Autistic = Manuel, Neurotypical = Basil Fawlty 😉 this is why Clesse is a genius 🤷‍♂️

[@turtleanton6539]

Agreed 😊😊

[@Thisnoneofyourbuisness]

True 100% accurate

[@suzannebryant3107]

If someone could help me comprehend...my grandson has Autism, he's 3 yrs old with a very high IQ, & is a very happy baby, I don't know how to say this without sounding critical...he doesn't get if he goes into the lake without his life jacket that he could drown, to cross the road, not realizing he could get hit by a car..is there a way that I could help him in a way for him to understand/comprehend❤️

[@LotusAuer]

For starters, he's 3 years old, very few 3 year olds have the comprehension of vehicles and drowning or death in general. You don't have to understand autism to understand you're already putting some pretty heavy expectations on this child. Were your children safe enough at 3 years old to know to put on a life jacket before going near a body of water, or did you remind them/put them in one? I can't help you comprehend something if I don't know your baseline understanding of the topic (at least not well) and from what you're saying here, it seems like you don't really understand any of it- so my only advice would be keep looking into autistic content creators who explain a firsthand experience, and then try to relate that to your grandchild- preferably once they're a bit older. I also don't get why I'm seeing this so much recently, but a lot of people online are throwing out having "very high IQ" with little to no explanation of this or comprehension of it. To start, IQ isn't the end all be all of intellectual comprehension, so it really means very little when push comes to shove, moreover on this instance - how TF do you give a 3 year old an IQ test ffs? Most are barely understanding language and forming words for the first time, let alone reading, mathematics, this screams BS, and I'm sorry maybe I'm misinformed and they have toddler or infant IQ tests now, but that only invalidates IQ that much more imo. Sorry for my Ted talk, I hope you're able to understand your grandchild, and most importantly, treat them nicely - nobody with autism wants to be treated different, just well.