Valedictorian Reveals He's Autistic During Speech
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- High School Valedictorian Andrew Dunham surprises his classmates and the audience when he mentions his autism during his Valedictorian Speech after keeping his diagnosis private for four years. Filmed May 15, 2019.
Lord if I was his mother I'd be bawling like a baby, how proud she must be
I’m not his mom but I’m bawling anyway. 🥲🥲🥲🥲 I have a nephews, a cousin, and many students- past and present - with autism. Like the parents on this thread are all agreeing, a commitment to Christ makes all the difference. Dedication to Him as Lord will determine the purposes for which any person was created.
Hi
I bet she is very proud😌
@@justthecousinoftheguywitho2337 hmmmmmm I have found you brother
@Jkword - I am his mom and YES, I was bawling. So proud of my son and his accomplishments. Thanks for your comment.
I went to school with him and he was nothing but kind to others
@ff ddd ... why?
@ff ddd Candice ?Candice who???
@ff ddd Who?
Literally everyone reading the replies: *wtf have I just read*
It's a troll
as a 16 year old person with Autism this warms my hearth :D
Disaster7317 heart*
BradyIsOk [GD] hey, shush
Penwoo hahah
@@gduntrain Meh...hearth is good too. :-)
vicky o'connor :)
He is such a cutie. So intelligent and well spoken too
Trueee
A “cutie”- he is a hs senior who just graduated... he is handsome, not “a cutie”. Tf?
Why are you infantalizing someone who's being recognized for an achievement?
Also, why the emphasis on their intelligence and ability to speak? The way you said it, it bets the question of how you expected an autistic person to be, namely someone with an intellectual disability who can't talk.
If they weren't a valedictorian or well spoken, would they have value in your eyes? Or do you feel people who are intelligent and can verbally communicate like you as superior?
@@UA-camperson1337 it’s just a compliment, not every valedictorian is THIS well spoken, very well mannered and polite, especially given that he said he was super nervous. Just chill
@@UA-camperson1337 hey man I don’t think it has anything to do with him being autistic. It was a compliment and not everyone is well-spoken regardless of them being autistic or not
My 3 year old daughter has just been diagnosed with autism, this speech gives me hope! Thank you!
Never give up, look for and accept all the help that the school system (they start before school age), and others have to help her. Also remember to take care of yourself so you can better care for her. Celebrate every small milestone achieved. From the mom of a son diagnosed with server autism, and global delay (totality nonverbal), who now is a very verbal (although still often speaks movie/cartoon lines) graduated HS, and works in his community (supervised) happy 24 yo man.
@@sharibigay4712 thank you so much!! Appreciate your kind words, yeah, I work with my daughter 3-4 hours per day do ABA and some play therapy. Also, she was accepted into special pre-k and will be starting in September! And we will also do some ABA and speech therapy privately!! Hopefully, things will get better, praying to God!
@@hk3967 I hope you and your daughter are doing well ! My sibling is autistic too ,although he has never done ABA ,,my parents still haven’t accepted that he is autistic despite him being diagnosed multiple times by different professionals , he’s 18 and he’s on his way to college this year!
He was only told that he was autistic last year, and he really struggled with accepting it due to stereotypes around being autistic , but nowadays he’s proud to be autistic , and he hoped that he had been told sooner .
Please do shower your daughter in love , and remind her to be proud .
Cause Autism is not something to be ashamed off .
( also huge note : Please please please be cautious of ABA therapy! A lot of my autistic friends have been traumatized due to ABA . I’m sure you want the best for your daughter , and I’m sure you’ve done your own research , but really some places who offer ABA are just plain cruel.
They try to stop the child from stimming and often times they try to mold the child Into what the world would see as neurotypical, as a child this may not be a huge problem , but through as they grow ,this may serve to be a problem . Everyone stims , even neurotypicals , though people who are autistic have more apparent stims ,and they do stim more than a neurotypical person would .
.It’s just how they function, how they calm themselves down and regulate . When the stimming is trained out of the child , they might have problems regulating themselves in the future.
Stimming brings a lot of joy to neurodivergent people and it’s hard to explain why it does at times , but it does help .
In ABA they often times train out the autistic traits and train the child to copy more socially acceptable , neurotypical traits .
And though I have never gone through Therapy , I have been forced to act neurotypical since I was a child (I’m also neurodivergent), as my peers grew up , and they changed , I notice myself getting more and more confused , the different personalities and different types of people made it hard for me to distinguish what I have to be like . It became mentally tiring to keep on masking myself . So please keep that in mind )
Of course , there are cases where ABA didn’t have any long lasting trauma , but it’s better safe than sorry you know? Watching little behavioral changes could help distinguish whether or not the child is okay , and try to not punish her for simply doing something that is an autistic trait a bit into therapy
. Usually in front of the therapists they’ll act perfectly happy and alright because of fear that if they acted any other way , they would be punished . If the their mannerisms change drastically as soon as they come home ( they start showing more autistic traits than when in therapy ) , than most likely the therapy is causing them a bit of distress .
Again just a word of caution!! You know your daughter best and I’m sure that you’ll choose whatever decision is best for her in particular ! I wish you all the best !
My brother was diagnosed with autism when he was 3, he was unable to respond to us trying to talk to him, nowadays he does everything as a "normal kid" he is almost 11 and he is just a bright sunshine... I will never change who he is, because even though autism doesn't define someone, autism brought that uniqueness to my family.
@@jeonjungkook6478 appreciate your advice, thank you! I will definitely consider it and do my research before enrolling her into an ABA program!
*Casually drops S-tier jokes*, a true savant
@Rye Bread yikes
Nobody knew that i am one of the special kid; i became a Therapist; worked well 1985-2011; but, when i told some therapist my secret; then, they became aloof. i cannot understand how therapists become therapist sometimes. But, i never been too much of an employee. I was the employer. But, i retired early; got sick. But, GOD is a Big Miracle; even with limited income. My only son is graduating at St. John's University next year.
wholesome :)
God Bless you, who cares about those therapists who became aloof of you, you do you, you are happy and contented and that's all that matters =)
i go to st. john’s! :))))
What people say about a diagnosis and a disorder simply isn’t true,
Everybody is a human, everybody fears something, everybody is normal.
For the minority that say autism is a burden and should be looked down upon.
What’s so bad about it, it’s a Social, and mental disorder.
It’s not like life or death.
Anyways, congratulations.You people are absolute bloody legends.
Such an amazing Dude. 😇😇😇
Thank you my middle grandson Evan is high functioning autistic he is very smart more than me he is never treated any different then anyone else he will go far.
Autism is a burden dude don’t act like it isn’t
@@Talantlass I dont mind our autism its v chill, except when people think youre very good at something but youre not. this developmental disability is not a burden its the depression and anxiety oof.
autism is a developmental disability not a mental disorder.
@@andreaswall6500at last someone who knows its not a mental disorder its a social It's a developmental condition that affects how you see the world and how you interact with other people. what you see on the outside is not whats on the outside.
I had an autistic student in my class this year. He had the best sense of humor and not many of his peers understood it. He was a joy to have.
Congratulations Andrew!! God bless you and your parents, you can do all things!!!!
Thank you so much Kelley! Nothing has stopped this boy yet and he has done everything he has put his mind to. Next stop ... college!
Congratulations Andrew. Well done. My son was finally diagnosed with autism at 15 1/2. He has auspbugers He is extremely high functioning. But he didn’t let it difine him either. He now works part time and is going to college to study photography. Way to go kid
Asperger's
@@aspergersgirl3386 i like their spelling better
@@nathanmccoy9188 I know but sometimes people doesn't spell it right
@@danielnelson9411GET OFF OR I'LL WILL CALLED THE COPS
@@aspergersgirl3386 *call
Excellent speech!! My son is almost 13 and was diagnosed with Aspergers in 4th grade. Along with other medical issues he was born with and he has the EXACT mindset as this young man. Positivity always wins. Congrats Andrew and many blessings on your future. You are sure to have a happy life in whatever you chose!
Andrew is our only son but I think I'd rather have an autistic son than a "normal" son. He's never caused us any trouble and is a delight to be around every day. If your son is like ours, I know that while you may have challenges you are extremely fortunate to have such a son!
@@jimdunham457 I am SO happy to see this comment. My son is 16 and has autism as well. Like your son, he's very high functioning, incredibly smart, funny, full of personality, has a wonderful outlook and disposition, and we are Christians as well.
When people would hear he was autistic, they'd say "Oh I'm so sorry".. I'd say why? He's great.. I wouldn't trade him for anything. Sure we had hard times and battles, but so do all kids. If not autism it would be something else. God forbid behavior or attitude probs. And I have learned SO much from him.. Keep up the great work Dad - God Bless you all!!
Ive been told by multiple people in my family that I may have aspergers. My mom and sister are both nurses and have said that I have certain traits that are common in people with aspergers (specifically I have an abnormal interest in statistics, dates, and history). Since i was a kid ive always been able to memorize things that are related to history and geography. It's not exactly useful knowledge but it was something that i love to do and am proud of. I was diagnosed with OCD but I am now thinking that I may have aspergers as well.
Such a blessing! Thank you for sharing, my son has autism and I believe he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him!!
Chelsea, thank you for your kind words. With Christ in these children's hearts, there's nothing that can stop them!
This young man is a powerful inspiration for anyone on the autism spectrum. His Bible based faith is commendable. God bless you. 🙏🏼
He really is an inspiration! I'm on the spectrum but didn't get diagnosed until I was in my teens. So this is seriously very inspiring to me.
UA-cam is about to start recommending this to everyone
He reminds me of a cute boy I knew in high school that sat in the back of the class, who didn't have many friends, and loved books better than people. I asked him out and he is still my boyfriend after 5 years. He's such a gentleman and so caring, just like this dude
I'm almost 10 years older than him (also on the spectrum) and I feel so inspired by him!
I want to be like him when I grow up! 😂
You are a true inspiration. My son has ADHD, Aspergers and Depression. Covid-19 has had him regress. I know what it took you to do what I’m watching. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter.
You too
7:07 I love that❤️ he really is an inspiration
He gave me so much hope for my son. Wow how inspirational he is
His speech was so awesome. He’s a wise man, and he’s adorable!!!
Congrats! You must be so proud. What a great young man!
I've never been more proud of anything or anyone ever! Thank you Laura!
@@jimdunham457 e
Great speech Andrew! As someone with autism, I hope that if I gave my own speech, I would be able to deliver it so well. It must have took many weeks of practice and rewriting. It turned out perfect.
Congratulations Andrew, I can honestly say that I know how proud your Mum must feel as I am the Mother of a Son with Autism who graduated from High School in 2017.
Thank you for sharing this and gives me hope for my son who also has Autism 💜
I have 2 boys under spectrum. My oldest is same like Andrew. As a Christ follower, I always tried to direct him to LORD and make him to surrender to Him. He started realizing his troubles and started praying, " Jesus, help me with my meltdowns". Only Jesus can restores our souls.I have been telling him, no matter whatever you both are, you are fearfully and wonderfully made by God.I am so glad to see this video. God bless Andrew and all kids under spectrum.
You’re sending him down a horrible path. The creator of our planet left us a long time ago, and we have been forgotten. You are going to force him into a church with the most judgmental people in the world. Christianity is nothing but spreading lies and hatred.
Very relatable. My son (6) and I are autistic. High functioning. It runs in the family on my father's side. Finding success is a matter of honing in on what works for you so you can thrive.
I graduated highschool ten years ago. This is the speech I wish I would've heard.
@@meer1120 great, no one asked
I LOVE this kid. What an inspiration to his fellow students. Kudos to his parents who helped him get to this point. It’s not easy to raise a kid on the spectrum.
I can ALMOST imagine how proud Andrew's parents are. And what coincident that this guy Jim has the same last name as Andrew. (Hat tip to the whole family)
Congrats Thanks for Sharing He looks like a Leader in the Making. Great strategy with the use of humor in his speech and the power of embracing his Autism. Thanks again. A true inspiration. Glad to have received this link via FB support group. Well wishes for Andrew, an inspiration to be followed.
Awesome speech, Andrew! Congratulations!
Thank you Joy! His mother and I are VERY proud of what he's accomplished!
@@jimdunham457 --I'm sure you are both proud of your son. That's sure one awesome boy! Great job to you both for raising him to be such a smart and caring person. My kids will be graduating high school next year. Boy, how time flies by!
If he thought that crowd was big, wait 'till he finds out he has another crowd of 147k on youtube
What a smart kid. You parents must be so proud.
Sounds like a cool dude, hope homie finds success for himself fr
I dont know this guy but I feel so proud of him. God bless him
He’s a beautiful soul.
God Bless you Andrew 🙏🏾🙏🏾 I know you will succeed in everything you do. What great parents you have.
Smart young man. Proud of him. Religious ideologies aside.
What does ideal mean
@@abraham7414 chicken
@@abraham7414 chicken
Does ideal mean chicken
@@abraham7414 chicken
Congratulations Andrew now go out there and get that college degree you are amazing.
It's not our disability, but our ability to excel, blessings over flow
Let’s be honest the teachers cry the most when we graduate they’ve seen us grow
2 years later I was recommended this, I'm not disappointed ❤
Thanks for watching!
People need to look and see they have a condition they are not the condition ( my psycholist would be proud of me saying that)
I know this is well intentioned but I disagree. ASD is a huge part of who I am - my strengths and interests as well as my weaknesses. To say that one "shouldn't let autism define them" is to trivialise an integral part of one's identity. Phrases like this reinforce the idea that autism is like an illness to be overcome, rather than what it really is: a natural part of human diversity. Embrace the entire person you are and work with , not against, your nature.
This was such a beautiful and inspiring speech!
Im 19 and I have aspergers. this made me so happy to see😊
Tissues please!! Hey that's MY life verse too!!🤗 What an awesome young man!! 🙏GOD has truly bless ya sweetie!! What a great personality & sense of humor😂
What an incredible young man. God bless ! What an inspiration to so many. Congratulations! All the very best in your future endeavors.
Thank you Sandy! He truly is an inspiration to everyone who knows him.
You're welcome Jim. You and your wife must be beaming with pride :) Congratulations!
What an impressive young man! Beyond his academic accomplishments and social accomplishments I was absolutely amazed at his ability to tolerate those tassels! I had a difficult time with them from my end and I'm certain I would not have done nearly so well had I been in his shoes! He's just amazing! I wish him the very best wherever he goes in life!
I absolutely LOVE that he included the Bible!! Way to go !! What an intelligent young man
Congratulations Andrew and God bless you. God bless everyone who helped you. Stay strong and you will go far. Keep God by your side.
How wonderful!!!
Thank you again Elizabeth!
I own my autism, my autism doesn't own me. Love it!
Me too
What a PRECIOUS young man! CONGRATULATIONS
What an amazing young man. May God bless him, guide him, and protect him and his family always! In Jesus' name!
I also have autism, and this speech is so moving!
So well spoken, and a great speech! What a beautiful example and idol for others on the Spectrum.
I have a very good friend who is also autistic and I was so happy for her to be the only valedictorian in her high school class of 2016. She was an amazingly hard working woman and she definitely earned it!
This video needs to be shared. VERY FUNNY AND AMAZING SPEECH
What if no one laughed at him saying “this is the largest crowd I’ve spoken to”? Then he would go “the only crowd” and all you can hear is crickets. That will happen for my speech.
It depends how you say it. Your tone in speech can determine how an audience will react.
My son is also asd and as I keep telling him there's a can in cant. Regardless of what disability you have you can if you want. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I wish you well with the next part of your journey and have no doubt you will be a huge success your a credit to your parents young man. Much love from England in the uk xxx
I feel like such a proud parent
Andrew you are a winner!!! Congratulations on your huge achievement!!! You will go very far in life. 😀🙌👏
Congratulations young man. You can and will do well not because of your faith but because of yourself.
Absolutely an amazing speaker!
I hope my son will be like him one day this gives me hope as a mother of an ASD boy!
i thought this video was going to be a joke but it ended up wholesome
Congratulations.
Thank you! We're so proud!
This kid is Awesome!!!! And he's funnier than heck!!!!!
Congratulation sir u did amazing
Best speech ever! Congratulations!
Thank you Dotty! As his Dad, I can see how nervous he is at first but as the applause and laughter kept coming he became more and more relaxed until he turned into a ham!
Andrew you are an exceptional young man, & you're correct, You Can do All Things Through Christ, Who Strengthens you, God Bless and Protect You All The Days of Your precious life. Congratulations!,& Greetings from GB 🇬🇧💂♂️ Amen!
I dont know who recorded this graduation, but it is so beautiful.
SO AWESOME! I love this kid!
Thank you Kelly! I've grown pretty fond of him myself over the years!
Great job, young man. You will do WONDERFUL THINGS. 🙏🏽🙏🏽
You can't argue with success.
I mean how could nobody tell the kid is autistic it’s so obvious in how he talks and how he moves his arms
Your username is pretty fitting lol
Onya mate you are such a inspirational person
Congratulations Andrew. Great speech.
Magnificent young man!
WELL DONE MATE you are an exceptional guy congratulations
THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL LIFE LESSON! & CONGRATULATIONS!
this kid is going places
Oh my, i love his story, he really brought me to tears becuase first i remember my nephew who is autistic. His speech is very inspiring. Congrats and thanks
He’s sounds like he’s about to make a joke around time he speaks
Funny smart & courageous. Kids gonna go far.
Thanks for sharing man. I have going through tough times and uncertainty. Hearing your story really helped me focus and rely on God again. Thanks bro!
I searched up DDG’s valedictorian speech and now I’m getting valedictorian speech’s recommended.
Oh boy, this young man had me in tears laughing! Thanks for showing us your fabulous son!!
That guy rocks
This guy made my day !!!😂
People with challenges are the best ❤️
Awesome young man!
Great speech Champ...
He is very intelligent.
So inspirational
Oh my!! How can anyone top that speech?!😂😂
In my personal experience, people that I've met with autism such as Asperger's Syndrome have been some of the most intelligent and rationally thinking people I've ever met in my life.
You are an amazing person very inspirational speech, you remind me of my sister who also has autism. I literally started tearing up when listening to this speech, because my sister also graduated highschool this year and is going off to college! To this day she says the same thing that autism does not stop her from chasing her dreams and is majoring in computer science.
I really wish this dude was our school’s valedictorian!!