I am trans masc, afab and was Diagnosed ASD and ADHD when I was 29, my brother (amab) was diagnosed when he was 3. The topic of AFAB ASD and delayed diagnoses neeeeds to be talked about.
Well it's important that "afab" autism isn't a real thing, "amab" people can have it too, what it's dependent on is how one was raised and people that were assigned female are more likely to be raised in a way that causes autism to present a certain way. I just don't like agab terms and how they're being used these days. I don't think the way ones autism presents should be tied to their genitals, it's just weird to me for people to be like "oh you have x trait? it's because you have a vagina" when instead we could be talking about the actual cause and not find more ways to tie people to their genitals/agabs. This isn't an attack on you or anything I don't mean to come across as mad at you if I do, it's just something on my mind. Agab terms have just been so incredibly harmful and haven't really done any good. You can identify with whatever terms you want but I think it's weird when other people (not you) force agab labels onto someone/some groups.
@@pissface7846 I'm not saying nor have I ever said autism presents differently because of genitals? Thats on you bud. It 100% has to do with social rules and expectations in regards to gender. Autism is autism regardless of whats going on down there. Thats what I want there to be conversations about. I literally only put afab because I am trans and I was letting people known I grew up as a girl with undiagnosed autism.
@@fatwoo2 You know the slight transphobia is showing when they put trans terms in quotation marks. "Afab" Like, no, it's just afab, no need for quotation marks. Also, I use agab terms because not everybody that walks into the doctors office is gonna be cishet people. And, if I'm a non-binary transfemme AMAB, and there's a non-binary AFAB that is just as feminine as I, we can't be treated for the same exact thing because of our biology. "Forcing the labels" Um, Ren here just brought it up and now you're claiming they're forcing this label? That doesn't make any logical sense. Yeah, I don't see the harm in using agab terms because not all women are cis women, and not all cis women are xx, but they were assigned female at birth based on genitals and outward appearance. Who knows, I might actually have xx chromosomes. But, only know I'm "male" based on genitalia and typical male voice range and body hair. I am also autistic. And, I don't believe in autism being determined by sex or genitals, but by the social expectations that make it harder to diagnose in AFAB people than AMAB people. Heck, according to my male biology, I was supposed to be diagnosed around 2 or something. I was diagnosed around 12 to 13 years old, which seems to be typical of AFAB autistic people. I think they should've put "afab autism" isn't a real thing rather than "afab" autism isn't a real thing, because it feels kind of like they're mocking the afab label itself rather than combining the two labels. "Forcing labels" Bitch, the label boy was forced on me the moment doctors saw my dick. Like, I'm just a pointlessly gendered product at this point. Come on, language changes all the time. I mean, trans women are women and cis women are women. Just different types of women. One was AFAB and the other one was AMAB. Sorry that my inclusion is your exclusion.(Not really sorry)
@@pissface7846 i don't understand what point you're trying to make here. if someone is afab, and that caused them to be raised a certain way, they're going to refer to being afab as the cause of that. you also seem to believe that "afab" is just a synonym for "person with vagina" which isn't true.
i’m also transmasc and afab. i’m sixteen and i was diagnosed recently. it doesn’t sound particularly late and i feel incredibly fortunate that i’m in a position where i could get diagnosed at this point. i think what irritates me is that i had a feeling for like five years prior to getting my diagnosis that i was autistic, but when i asked my former therapist about getting evaluated she said there was no way i had autism. lo and behold, i do, and i just know if i were amab i would’ve gotten that diagnosis earlier. if i’d gotten it even just a year ago i’d still be in school and i could’ve gotten an iep, but instead, i dropped out because of how little support i was given. a lot more research needs to be put into understanding the difference between, as you put it, afab and amab asd.
I have Autism, ADHD and I'm a trans man. High functioning labels bothered me as well. I do not function highly. I just function in a way that doesn't bother other people. The current diagnosis is Autism Level 1
@@olivia7212 Level refers to amount of supports needed. So even if former high functioning was meant to refer to support needed, the word itself automatically implied ‘not really any support needed’. I think levels is an improvement.
@@melphillips1608 It's still a functioning label though, even if it's 'better', the best thing would be to not use any type of functioning label and instead, if for some reason you need to explain your or your childs needs, to actually specify them.
@@olivia7212 that's where the terms "low masking" and "high masking" come in. from an external perspective one could call me "high functioning" because when around others i'm able to mask my neurodivergency very well, to the point where if i disclose being autistic i get told "well you must be high functioning, you're not REALLY autistic" at the nicest to meaner things at the worst, but the one time someone called me "high functioning" in front of my partner he burst out laughing because my support needs are so incredibly high, meanwhile one of my (non-speaking) autistic friends has fairly low support needs (minus the need for AAC) and is able to live entirely independently. He was diagnosed as a really young child so he was called "low functioning" when in reality he's just low masking with low-moderate support needs, while i was diagnosed at 23 because i'm high masking this was long and rambly but tl;dr redoing functioning labels as opposed to abolishing them entirely is a better option because they can help a person to "actually specify" their needs as you put it while also pointing out that the immediate impression an outsider gets isn't indicative of those support needs but of the ability (or desire) to mask
I'm Autistic and ADHD (not diagnosed until my mid thirties) and I'm so relieved this episode wasn't a nightmare to watch (which is a lot of other autism content!)!
I think autism is only a disability because we're expected to function as neurotypicals, and we can't do that. If there wasn't an expectation placed on us to function as neurotypicals, then it wouldn't be a disability. The problem isn't in us, it's in society expecting/demanding us to be different than we are. If society was majority autistic, I wouldn't struggle to fit in or function as expected, and it would be neurotypicals who would be considered disabled for not being able to function autistically. So yes, in this society, it is a disability. But then I guess you could make the same argument about most other things that are considered disabilities. The 'autism makes you special' things boils my blood too though.
There’s actually a name for what you’re describing! It’s called “the social model of disability”. It’s the idea that disabilities are created by the society we live in, and the way society is structured to accommodate the needs to particular brains and bodies. For example, if the whole world was designed for people who don’t walk as their primary mode of getting around (like wheelchairs users, for example) people who get around by walking might find ourselves heavily inconvenienced and even marginalized in that world.
@@saggguy7 I knew that, but you're right that I probably should have just said that terminology in case someone reading it didn't know, so thanks for recapping :)
I am autistic and think this was a great podcast on the topic and Laura was a great guest that explained a lot of important parts of being autistic and what often comes with being autistic in the world. In another podcast I would love to hear autistic-and-autistic communication discussed, because a lot of autistic people including me find it much easier to communicate with other autistic people than non-autistics. I would also love to hear autism and the education system discussed because there is lots to say in that direction in terms of autistic people having a terrible time in school.
YES! I would absolutely LOVE more discussion on autistic-autistic vs autistic-allistic communication! I'm autistic too and I find communicating with other autistic people so much easier/natural than with non-autistic people. A lot of times, I just feel like there's some sort of unspoken mutual understanding between me and another autistic person, that tends to be absent when interacting with non-autistics. I think this may be the result of a combination of many factors including similar brain/neural processes and shared experience, among other things. There have actually been studies on this - the double empathy theory/problem explains it quite well!
I have just finished a thesis on bias against neurodiversity and I used a paper called 'Neurodivergent intersubjectivity: Distinctive features of how autistic people create shared understanding' as a source. It is super interesting, it observes autistic-autistic communication in a setting of playing video games (yes, science can be fun hehe) and concludes that there are certain patterns in the way autistic people naturally communicate. When an autistic person is put in a context of social norms based on neurotypical communication, these helpful patterns are completely lost and the autistic person is then disabled in their communication. But when talking to another autistic person, these patterns can allow the communication to really flourish, even if the conversation would be labeled as ineffective from a neurotypical perspective. I don't know if you guys have access to this paper somehow, if not let me know and I will elaborate on the autistic communication patterns :)
@@whathappenedtomyyoutubehandle I was able to find the paper - it was very interesting! I really liked how they analyzed some of the conversations and then explained the different patterns and meanings behind each interaction. Definitely saving this one for future reference! Thanks for sharing :)
I've noticed that while people often share their individual experiences with autism, sometimes they inadvertently present 'this is autism' when they're actually sharing 'this is my autism,' overlooking the broader diversity within the spectrum. If society were more accepting of differences in humans, the 'disorder' part of autism would likely diminish for many of us with ASD.
Laura's comment about her innate coping strategies being hijacked by heavy handed therapies, formative experiences and internalised ableism felt very important for me to hear. Thank you for this fantastic conversation. More please!
I'm going to have "Thatcher Thatcher autism snatcher" stuck in my head now, thank you. Also this was great timing for me because I'm recently diagnosed autistic and struggling.
I know you've touched on it before but you should make an episode on medical bias in getting a diagnosis. Eg. "You can't be dyslexic, you're just depressed/lazy/stupid", "Only men can be autistic". Legit no one believed me on either of those pre T
I (autistic diagnosed) find the overlap/difference between adhd and autism to be like, for example with focus: I can’t focus because there are too many things for me to process at the same time whereas people with adhd can’t focus because their focus is switching individually between distractions
Honestly, this helps a lot. I have both so the experiences kinda blend together for me. Sometimes I can't focus cause my nails aren't smooth and I NEED to file them or I can feel hairs on my chin and I NEED to pluck them but also sometimes I forget to put discord into do not disturb, get a notification, and then start chatting with people or look for background music/ASMR on youtube and get distracted by youtube shorts or a recommended video.
it’s also super ableist for any of us autistics trying to separate themselves from the label of disability and not being “like those other people.” my partner and I face this a lot in the deaf community as well. there’s a famous quote “a deaf person can do anything a hearing person can do, except hear,” which is only true for otherwise able bodied and neurotypical deaf people. it’s that deep need to NOT be considered disabled I’d like us to think more about.
I'm neurotypical (as far as I know) and I found this episode really interesting. It crumbled the conception of autism that I had and now I find it even more complicated and confusing haha. I can't believe that there is so much misinformation about it out there. I'm looking forward to the next episodes on this topic, I'm really excited!
Thank you so much for doing this episode. I was raised to be quiet, stop being myself, and stop embarrassing myself/my family. I internalized it so deeply that even as an adult, it's very hard for me to do things in public that help me stay calm (rocking, humming a song, tapping my fingers, jiggling a leg). I've been trying to get over my internalized ableism for the last year, as I've been going through the long, difficult, and expensive process of being formally diagnosed as autistic...but it is still SO hard. I am FULLY aware that I am "that weird girl/woman" and I have to embrace that to be able to exist in the world, because I had a complete autistic burnout a little over a year ago. I literally masked so much and tried to be NT so hard that I broke myself. And I'm having to crawl back out of that by embracing who I actually am... and it isn't easy. So it was nice to hear this episode speak so positively/supportively of autistic folx.
Currently waiting to get diagnosed with ADHD and ASD (autism). Passed the test to get onto the list then got a letter saying "Ya, you probably have autism but you're going to have to wait 3 and a half years to get the piece of paper or any help to get you through life" I'm 20 next week. I'm a girl. I didn't renew my contract for my first ever job because I kept having panic attacks at work in front of customers and was getting bullied by my supervisor. She even went on a rant about how her uncle has dyslexia but he's an English teacher so if he could get over it, why can't I? Then she blew up at me when I said she'd been bullying me and I wanted her to stop. Bear in mind, I'm 19F and at this point ALL of my anxiety and depression had come back with a vengeance. I went travelling the year before, on my own around the UK perimeter for charity and slept in my tent. (Bag weighed 18kg, violin weighed 3kg, I was busking for money and food) I got all the way from Norfolk to North Yorkshire before I nearly fell off a cliff and tore a ligament in my ankle and got sent home. I was so happy and confident back then and I knew who I was. Now, I have no idea.
I'm an autistic non-binaray person. I've been diagnosed at 32, meanwhile my brother has been diagnosed since he was 2 years old. By the way, I'm playing minecraft while listening to this ; I love that game too !
My father was diagnosed with asperger's back in the 70's and when both his children started exhibiting autistic traits he held off on getting us diagnosed because his experience wasn't great. My brother decided to go get diagnosed when he was 18, but my dad wanted us to choose whether or not we thought it would help us go through life. It's so good to hear about autism being talked about like this.
Interestingly I went to a school for nuerodivergent children and teenagers. The school had around 75 males out of 100 students. I also remember a lot pupils would claim they “just had anger issues” or “I’m high functioning” to separate themselves from the rest of us and justify their bullying. Often you’d get kids calling other kids spas’s, downies (slur for someone with Down’s syndrome), dummies and other offensive words which usually was bc the bully had internalised harmful beliefs.
This is seriously one of the most engaging podcasts I have listened to in a looooong time. I totally agree with the opinion that autistic people are looked at in a diagnostic light and not for who they are and how the behave and why. It's more like the things that people with ASD struggle with are not getting recognized because the only thing the ND community actually cares about is how it effects them. Which is really selfish.
6:05 I think we should be careful when saying that autism would only considered problematic from a neurotypical lens. There are people with ASD Level 3, for instance, who are triggered by the lack of stable patterns in nature regardless of how it compares to neurotypicals. If it's insulting to say it isn't a disability or that it's just a gift, that would suggest that some things about autism can be inherently maladaptive, even if only a portion of autistic people require significant external supports for them. I hope that made sense.
Helluu, I was diagnosed with adhd at age 4. I have discovered that I cannot focus for the same reason that Laura described, only it's not just that I don't know how to prioritise sensory information, I physically cannot, even if paying attention is essential.
I definitely experience alexithymia. I find that I spend a lot of time investigating my own actions to decipher my emotions. When it comes to understanding others, I do find that it's easier to speak to neurodivergent people than neurotypical people. Perhaps it's because it's easier to empathise with them. Neurotypical people often feel like a black box that needs to be deciphered before you have any chance of understanding them in an intuitive way.
Alexithymia is the main reason why it took me so long to figure out that I’m asexual. It takes me so long just to figure out what I am feeling that it’s very difficult to figure out what I’m not feeling. It doesn’t help that the media describes love as ’you feel happy and your heart beats faster’, by that standard I as a socially anxious person is in love with every person I’ve ever liked to any degree because people I like makes me sooo happy.
I already know I'm neuroatypical, as I was diagnosed early on with depression, OCD, and anxiety disorder. My family and I have long suspected I'm on the autism spectrum, but I was never formally diagnosed. When I asked my last mental health provider about this, she said it's very difficult to actually get a diagnosis. I currently or at various stages in my life have had the majority of the symptoms, and I can relate a lot to the experiences of my friends who are on the spectrum. However, without a clinical assessment, it's not something I can state with certainty, and it would be irresponsible to do so. This makes it particularly frustrating, as my social interactions with others come with the presupposition that we can read and respond to each other's cues without any problems. I don't always know what I'm going to miss or where I have to compensate, which has led to a ton of awkward situations and misunderstandings over the years. Incidentally, the compensatory mechanisms I've developed in order to communicate and fit in are virtually identical to those that people with autism tell me about.
An update, I recently received a diagnosis of autism under the DSM-V criteria. It's somewhat satisfying to know I was right all along, but also frustrating that it came so late in life, probably too late to be useful.
have followed her art for a fair while now, and have always loved it. I'm autistic and have adhd, I was diagnosed with adhd at 15, which was hard to convince my parents was a possibility because I grew up learning to contain any hyperactivity I had because people found it annoying, at at the time that was all they really knew about adhd. They, particually my mum who worked in a primary school, always suspected I was autistic but didn't see any point to being diagnosed. Im still holding off of an offical diagnosis for autism, because I know its going to hold me back medically especially in my future, and talking to doctors is one of the most stressful things I can imagine, and even at 15 I'd still sit in the back silent and let my mum do the talking. for now im satisfied with the research I and my family have done into autism, and being unofficially told I am by psychologists and paediatricians. I still feel like I cant say I am without papers, but just understanding that there's a reason behind why I think and act the way I do helps so much more than people outside realise
I may not be officially diagnosed yet as an AFAB 37 year old but I know I’m neurodivergent in some capacity as I’ve struggled my entire life with sensory and auditory processing disorders (the two most common cooccurring disorders amongst autistics) even if I had no clue that those terms existed to explain why I struggled so much growing up. Because of my struggles I almost flunked out of high school and at one point didn’t see the worth in living if I wasn’t going to amount to anything so being undiagnosed made life extremely difficult for me but I’ve since grown to understand myself and appreciate the beauty within my struggles and my talents as a result of them and life is so much better as a result! Great episode!
I'm currently going through the process of being diagnosed with Autism but my mum said that she always thought I had it (gee thanks for getting me diagnosed /s)
exactly the same here! down to mum's reaction. I have so much self doubt about it all the time lol. wishing you positive and affirming interactions, friend :)
Autism and probably ADHD is like having to drive a manual car (frontal lobe) transmission (Executive functioning) when other people get the option of using Automatic if they want.
Regarding the Neurodivergent vs Mental Illness topic, I want to contribute to the conversation as a psychologist with borderpolar disorder (Borderline Personality Disorder + Bipolar Disorder). Borrowing Cyarine’s example at 11:10, yes, being on the Autism Spectrum or having ADHD is indeed like missing a leg. However, some mental illnesses ARE mental disabilities and do belong in the category of neurodiversity. First, we have to differentiate the clinical population from the members of the non-clinical population who are experiencing a mental illness. What’s the difference between both groups?? Well, the first one has a CHRONIC ILLNESS. Everyone can have severe depression at some point in their lifetime. That depression can even last for years. However, it will NEVER compare to the struggles of someone who is going to have multiple episodes of severe depression throughout their entire life (like Bipolars, for example). Think of it with the missing leg analogy. Is a whole different thing to have a paralyzed leg or no leg at all than to break a leg, wear a cast for a while, do some physiotherapy and then be able to walk again. Both individuals couldn’t use their legs at some point and had to survive in a world designed for people with both functional legs. But the last person went through that temporarily and doesn’t experience the same struggles as the first one does. That’s what happens with the clinical population in comparison to the non-clinical individuals who had a mental illness episode. In contrast with most people (not part of the clinical population) who experience depression, I will never be able to cure or battle it. I will have this FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I can only treat it (like people with ADHD can treat their condition), but I’ll never be able to experience life without depression. I have no idea how it feels. I never will. And, having BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) as well, means that my brain is wired in a completely different way than those without BPD. So it’s another trait that I won’t be able to change. Ever. And it’s exhausting and incredibly frustrating. So please, oh, please don’t talk about mental illness without making this distinction. It hurts so much to say that the clinical population is not neurodivergent because it reinforces in others the stereotype that mental-psychosocial disabilities are unreal. 🙏 If you want more information, you can always ask me. I’ll gladly share with anyone everything I know and all my sources. Thanks! ♥️
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 25 or 26, and I’m currently on a waitlist for an autism diagnosis. I’m the second of nine kids. Four of my siblings are diagnosed autistic. My two nephews are diagnosed autistic. It is very much genetic.
So I'm a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD last year at the age of 21 (I think I have autism too but I'm anxious about brininging it up with my doctor) and I want to try and answer Luke's question about the prevalence of ADHD (and autism but I'm going to focus on ADHD) on tiktok recently: I think it's a combination of things. 1. First of all the pandemic - reflecting back now I can see that in the few years prior to Covid starting I was close to reaching my breaking point, then when the lockdown came in March my general routine was torn away very suddenly and very significantly and all of my coping mechanisms that I had developed over 21 years of my struggles being ignored/unnoticed just failed. I think I had been going through the motions and just thought 'everything is difficult but thats just how life is so I have to get on with it', so when I suddenly had a break from 'real life' for a few months I found it hard to get back to that. I noticed my ADHD symptoms unmasking and becoming worse/more noticeable and started to fall behind with school work for the first time in my life. I think a lot of people may have experienced a similar thing, where they suddenly stopped going through the motions and just could not get their symptoms under control anymore and the shift to home working wouldn't have helped. 2. There's been a lot more awareness of ADHD symptoms in people assigned female at birth recently. I doubt theres a biological difference in how ADHD presents in males v females (although males appear to have higher rates of hyperactive adhd than females) but people who are raised and socialised as female are much more likely to mask their symptoms and therefore it presents differently. 3. ADHD (and austism to an extent) are the 'trendy' disorders at the moment, a few years ago on tumblr it was depression. Whilst most people who claim they have ADHD probably do, there will be a percentage that are going along with the trend or almost forcing themselves to identify with the symptoms. 4. And obviously that content is popular, so it's being pushed out more and more people are making it to try and get popular
I self diagnosed with Autism, and that's what lead to my actual diagnosis from a psychiatrist. It started with a couple of people suggesting I might be autistsic. I looked into it, I tried to find out exactly what autism was, which of course turned out to be pretty hard but I found pyschiatrists talks on youtube, seminars on youtube etc, vidoes where psychiatrists explained what the life of an autistsic person might look like. I then watched hours and hours and hours of content of different autistic people explaining what their own autistic experience was like. Many seemed too dissimilar to mine but I found a few that described their autism very similar to the experience I felt I was having. Things they struggled with I struggled with. I eventually told me doctor I thought I had Autism and after some questioning they gave me a referal. 7 months later I had my assessment and was diagnosed. This process led me to understanding how important self diagnosis was. I thought many times throught the process, what if I'm not autistic, what if I made it all up in my head. I now know that's what an autistic person is likely to think.
I think the high functioning refers to the capability to do and complete daily and basic life skills such as communicate and sustain conversations, request things, write, read, making friends, do laundry, cook and more, cause autism is a spectrum, the not so functioning individual towards the lower end of the spectrum have great disability to do such simple daily tasks, that's what differentiate between the low functioning and high functioning autism
Thank you for talking so much sense. Sharp contrast with so much other autism media. I'm not on tiktok but will czech u out on the gram. I found your account of autism incredibly relateable and it's a real relief to hear more people speaking baout their experiences in a way that slightly throws shade at all the mainstream discourse
As a trans AuDHD black afab person, the autistic community is the most welcoming people ever. The only assholes are NT's thinking we need guidance and treating us like babies. I think we need to talk about the autistic gender and sexuality disconnect too!
So cool to see Cyarine on here, I have been following them on instagram for such a long time! And this was very interesting, I can tell that there is so much to cover and dang that hour and a half went by fast
I can't wait for you to do multiple episodes! This was fantastic! Also, if you haven't yet read Neurotribes by Steve Silberman, Autism's False Prophets, by Paul Offit, and We're Not Broken, by Eric Garcia, they are all fantastic books and will be excellent reading for your history/myths/history of crappy "reasons" for autism research. (From a 38 year old, late diagnosed autistic woman who definitely has both medical and autism research as special interests, lol) Also, functioning labels suck - high functioning is used to deny support, low functioning is used to deny agency. You all rock THANK YOU for tackling this topic!!!!!
I’m in the process of being diagnosed as autistic right now. Submitted my application last week, got some forms to fill out whilst I wait for an appointment. Everyone I know thinks I have it, I do too. Plus, I’ve studied it during my course and really related, especially as we went more in depth. Would explain a lot.
I watched the first 20 minutes, and it reminded me of chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching. Of old he who was well versed in the way Was minutely subtle, mysteriously comprehending, And too profound to be known. It is because he could not be known That he can only be given a makeshift description: Tentative, as if fording a river in winter, Hesitant, as if in fear of his neighbors; Formal like a guest, Falling apart like thawing ice, Thick like the uncarved block, Vacant like a valley, Murky like muddy water. Who can be muddy and yet, settling, slowly become limpid? Who can be at rest and yet, stirring, slowly come to life? He who holds fast to this way Desires not to be full. It is because he is not full That he can be worn and yet newly made.
The best way I've seen autism explained is not that it's a spectrum entirely, but that each symptom associated falls on it's own spectrum. Hence every autistic person is different, hence why functioning labels don't work, because, using an example that came up in the podcast, an autistic person can struggle with eye contact, or they can not struggle with eye contact, OR they can go to the opposite side of the spectrum and give TOO much eye contact. Also, it is a fact that ADHD and autism are often comorbid, and ADHD is often considered to be on the spectrum. Of course there are many ADHD symptoms that autistic people don't experience, but that is also proven by the idea that each symptom is its own spectrum. I personally have both diagnoses, and I do recognize the differences, but I can certainly see how ADHD can at least be a branch of autism in some ways.
It was good for you guys to touch on the unconscious influence in reasoning! My feed got full up adhd things too and I wondered if I needed a diagnosis. But giving the amount of terribly distracting things since 2020 (😬) and grief, it would be pretty weird not to be distracted! Thanks for this, everyone! I understand autism a little better now.
I’m 17 & just got an autism diagnosis. I’m too scared to tell anyone about it, even my best friends, because of the stigma around Autism & the misconception that all autistic people behave like those on the more severe end of the spectrum. So I’m so glad to see someone with ASD similar to me that, while struggling with it, is still very good at social interactions more often than not. Like most women with ASD, I’m good at masking, so most people wouldn’t notice my traits easily, so I feared that making them aware of my diagnosis would only make them start to look for it and pick my apart my behaviour. For anyone that can relate, I can’t multitask because my brain gets too consumed by the one activity at a time. I also really struggle to form big speeches or essays or devise written pieces for drama because I think of all the things I could write instead & go insane - partly a perfectionism thing, but I think that’s also common amongst ASD?
Autism isn’t a liner spectrum. I’ve heard someone say as an example that you wouldn’t say something like an apple is severe or mild apple, it’s just an apple; Just like you can’t have severe or mild autism, it’s just autism. Some autistic people might have more obviously support needs and be labeled low-functioning. Someone else might appear to be fine might have the same needs as the “low-functioning” person but it’s less obvious so they are called high-functioning, that is until they eventually break from the stress. Basically my point is stereotypes are dumb and I’m sorry you have to deal with the type of people that jump to the negative depictions of autism.
Despite being diagnosed at a young age, I’ve never looked into the scientific side of autism. I always just studied what happened to me and other autistic people and what we did that was different from nuerotypical people. It’s great to hear a more scientific perspective that isn’t ableist or pseudo science. A lot of “scientific studies” have really inaccurate findings and are done poorly especially ones with popularity. These papers often hurt the nuerodivergent community. A reason why I didn’t look into the scientific side was bc I was traumatised by papers, and press coverage of said papers along with things people said, which implied my condition was curable or it was a result of a vaccine. I’m so happy that this video is well researched (as always) and made with the input of an autistic person.
I've got adhd. My whole life, I didn't understand why I couldn't keep up with things and why I didn't fit in with others. I didn't get diagnosed until the pandemic, in my mid thirties when I started seeing my friends getting diagnosed and posting about their lives and I was like "that's what I do and that's what I struggle with." I will say I despise the "adhd is a superpower." I honestly hate having it and living in this society, my life would be better without it. Although, I suspect I'm also on the autism spectrum. I definitely struggle with understanding social norms and what to say or do and when to. I tried copying other people to get more social acceptance and stopped talking or contributing as much in group settings.
I'm a trans man who was very lucky to have a dad who was diagnosed with ADHD at nearly 40, and noticed I had a lot of the same problems, and I was diagnosed at 10 (pre-transition)
I'm autistic (plus seeking an ADHD diagnosis) and wasn't diagnosed until I was 29 in 2017. I was like a shoddy stealth bomber who somehow flew under some very flawed radars during my childhood! It came as a surprise for a good few of my friends while others basically said "Duh!". I had a very delayed development, but I was a bubbly and well-behaved kid and the paediatricians just labelled me as a late bloomer. I have been lucky in developing so well socially, but it was a ton of focused work to learn to adapt in a way befitting my personality, and to be able to decode the nuances in language and social behaviour and actively use them. For years I had suspected I was borderline autistic, but the clinical autism specialist quickly disabused me of that preconception! I am very much autistic, and no less or more autistic than anyone else. The spectrum is often thought of as a scale by most people, with the phrase "on the spectrum" possibly reinforcing that. The spectrum refers to the spectrum of traits; it is like a painter randomly choosing varying amounts of different colours with a unique balance in the composition, and the colours are only one aspect of the whole.
I'm 38 years old & 10 months ago I found out I am Autistic & Neurodivergent (ADHD, Dyslexic & Dyspraxic) My mental health has always been poor, but for the last 10 years I've been very mentally unwell & unable to work as a result. 8 years ago I had to move back in with my Mum. What I'm realising now, is I've been existing in an Autistic Burnout for years - mainly from me trying desperately to keep up with Neurotypical standards, which involved me heavily masking & camouflaging my Autistic traits for all of my life. It's such a relief to understand myself better now, and Autism & Neurodivergencies have definitely become one of my special & focused interests now! There is a theory amongst some members of the Autistic community who believe ADHD is actually part of Autism Spectrum Condition; just not every Autistic person will experience ADHD traits - much like executive dysfunction, sensory issues & social difficulties, are all Autistic traits, that not every Autistic person has.
i am currently in the process of getting an official autism diagnosis. i started going to see a therapist this year and after our first conversation she was really shocked to find out that i didn't have a diagnosis. i think it is likely because my parents present fairly similarly to me and have never been diagnosed with anything so we never thought anything was out of place with me, but i don't want to make any assumptions yet. i will be interested to see how my results come out, thanks for the terrific video as always!
Worth mention is that the aspergers being a separate diagnosis (not certain of the origins of the other diagnosis that were used prior to ASD) is tied to its namesake attempting to differentiate which autistic people should and which should not be targetted by the nazis in their eugenics efforts. On another part of the discussion, there is theorizing that part of why women with autism are more often missed is because societally there is a higher amount of pressure for women to mask (largely harmful technique of hiding oneself away behind a figurative mask in order to survive/manage in the society in which a person lives), and that this same issue has been noted within trans people since masking is also something which is learned quite early within that community, whether amab or afab, due to the manner in which that topic has been historically handled. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Autistic cis bisexual woman here 🙌 I was diagnosed at 33 when hospitalised for anorexia and complex PTSD. It was like being let in on a secret that made sense of my whole experience of life. I thought everyone experienced life like me, only they were better at it and I was the broken one
Just to add to what I said about "twice exceptionality," Noah's "Underachiever" song is right on the mark of what constitutes a "2e, Twice Exceptional" person. The "Gifted and Talented" (from the prop letter) who also have ADHD or ASD or any other LD. Just knowing this has helped me immensely. Loving the show, BTW. Neurodivergent AuDHD, 2e, G-man
She talks about receiving harmful and traumatic therapy, and she seems to be describing ABA, but then she also named CBT as being traumatic. I would really like to know if that was a mistake of if she's received both and both were harmful. I've had CBT before I got diagnosed with autism, and so it wasn't adapted to my autism, so it didn't work and it has harmed me in the long run, but I wouldn't call it traumatic. I haven't had to go through ABA thankfully. If it's at all possible to go into more depth concerning CBT and its effectiveness on autistic people I would appreciate that a lot. I've read some research papers on it but honestly they were very limited because the field doesn't seem to be particularly concerned with making autistic happier, they just want to make us more normal, or to exterminate autism in general, it seems. So the research I read said that CBT was statistically significantly less effective on autistic people, but not entirely ineffective. I know you can't magically make more and better research appear, but I just want to know everything that it's possible to know about that subject, so if I've missed anything... I just think it would be great for a lot of autistic people to be more aware of their therapy options. Another type of therapy I read about is ACT, but honestly it seems pseudo-scientific. The research I've read was very flimsy and confirmation bias-y. In a nutshell God I need something that actually works and is able to cure my depression but it seems that there are no good options for that when it comes to autistic people and I'm stuck and I think a lot of autistic people are in the same position in life.
I do have to admit that I'm also trans and currently unable to access transition related healthcare because waiting lists, so curing my depression without fixing that problem might not be an entirely realistic goal, but I just need something that helps and I feel like I've exhausted my options, and that's really hard to accept because I don't know what to do or how to live. Please help people understand their options.
hullo, ryn! i have tried both cbt and act, the ctb was for social anxiety and i did both before i knew i was autistic. similarly to your experience - cbt didn't really work for me. i remember feeling like there were so much more i needed to discuss and the social anxiety was only one aspect of my bad mental health but i lacked the "self-knowledge" to express those feelings. as for act: a therapist explained things such as stress, how to accept our feelings, we did mindfulness exercises and we were taught how to be in the present. we also filled out life-compasses in which we were supposed to map out our goals in life. i was only around 17 at the time and had no clue who i was or what i wanted in life so i think i wasn't ready for those types of life-discussions though. what has stayed with me to this day (i'm 20 now) is the work we did on accepting our feelings. i'd say act is worth trying out, i just think i would have enjoyed both cbt and act more had i known i was autistic, since that would have helped me in knowing that i actually do differ from a lot of people and that it wasn't only an imagined difference. what i have tried that did work to some extent, is psychotherapy. there were no assignments (which is partly what i had trouble with during cbt and act) and it was a place for me to express some of the thoughts i had, no matter how disturbing they might've been. it didn't fully cure my depression but just having someone talk to and be given advice was very important to me. my therapist had also worked with autistic children and she was the one to suggest that i might be autistic so i think she knew what types of questions etc. to ask me even though i didn't have an official diagnosis, so i can't talk about psychotherapy other than from this particular perspective. fyi: i am actually quite content with life at the moment and depression no longer trouble me as much as it used to, so recovery is possible. i wish you all the best in life, ryn, and hope you can get access to trans related healthcare asap!
I have OCD and my therapist struggles to help me. Last appointment, she told me she thought I was autistic. I’m a 28 year-old female and I have no traits of autism besides my anxiety/OCD and some specific interests. I feel she just doesn’t know how to help me anymore and thinks there must be a reason behind it. Coming from a professional with a university degree it’s a bit alarming. Thanks for pointing out OCD in the video. I feel autism and OCD are both misunderstood!
I think that I may be autistic. I identify with alot of the traits and I have recently realized that people don't really understand when I try to be sarcastic and I am scared that I come of mean sometimes.
I am late diagnosed female. Its still called aspergers here, but its changing. Its annoying realy. My parents where of the crunchy organic typ. So it took me 26years to figure it out bymyselfe. In the other hand I never had to go through ABA.
I have sensory processing disorder, which overlaps with autism a lot. Even though I'm not autistic, I so relate to having to process everything manually. My brain just doesn't do it on its own!
At around 19 mins talking about the overwhelm bundling up, it made me think of something I have recently been shown. It's called "Window of tolerance", seems like that's an explanation/ name for it :')
I have ADHD & Dysgraphia (don’t know if I also have autism or not though it’s certainly seeming like it could be possible) and I’m great glad y’all have made such great videos about these topics! I’ll have to look through and see if there are any on dysgraphia!
I've scored over the years 36 consitantly on the AQ test which would possibly put me in the Austic range. thinking about this I scrawled on a note pad 'Autism Cure (Change the induvidual) or Utilise (change the society) I'm stamented SDysleic and also scored 'high' on the AQ equivilent on ADHD so you know may have the hat trick I'm certainly weird!
Autism is about the development of the brain and abilities. That is why many autistic people cannot speak or, like myself, didn’t start speaking till later on in life and for people who are low functioning, they might not be able to do basic everyday tasks such as getting dressed because their brain just never learned how to do that. And many autistic people are 2 or 3 years behind in development of social awareness and communication.
I don't know if I'm autistic or have ADHD or both. I think my chances are pretty high for having adhd/add since everyone in my family has it, and my dad's autistic as well. But whether or not I am those things or not I do relate to a lot of people with ASD and/or ADHD. So it's fun to hear their experiences about it.
Neurodivergent (either autism and adhd or fasd genuinely no way to tell in my case even if it mattered to me) and I’ve never been officially diagnosed as far too expensive for me and my family, but my mom did work with developmental disabilities in children and was the one who noticed all of the issues I was having first and worked with me with them.
this was a good episode with a good guest but i think it would be best to get multiple autistic people on if youre gunna do more episodes on it just because we are so diverse in our experiences and opinions and just hearing from one person wouldnt be very helpful imo
Neurodivergent - Dx ADHD, Self-Identified Autistic. // So, at 30 years old, upon researching autism, I discovered that "break a leg" was sarcasm to lighten the mood. All my life I was thinking it was just some niche theatre reference/phrase, and whenever I heard someone say that, I just thought to myself, "ah yes, the ol' traditional theatre catchphrase that people like to say for whatever reason"
Neurotypical people hide their Depression etc. far easier than if they were Neurodivergent. We tend to think of the "Default" in society as Perfect but in reality they're just very good at hiding their imperfections.
Does anyone else have only a sensory processing disorder but not ASD or ADHD? I’m always fascinated to listen to experiences of autistic people because there is overlap with my experience, but only in the sensory realm. It’s always killed me that sensory processing disorders are not considered as standalone conditions outside of occupational therapy (especially in adults).
I'm neurodivergent. For me, it's very hard living in a neurotypical world, and it's even harder because I 'm an apostate living in a religious country.
hey there, im autistic. im 21 and am also non binary. I highly suggest checking out Nick Walker's book "Neuroqueer Heresies". She gives a great definition for autism, and also gives a great shift in paradigms from Pathology of autism to the Neurodiversity Paradigm. Something Ive taken away from this read is one is only as disabled as the society they live in disables them. a wheelchair user would be way more disabled if the city doesn’t have sidewalks, for example.
Are you neurodivergent or neurotypical? Let us know in the comments!
Neurodivergent💪🏼😎
Neurodivergent Autism and ADHD
ND. Autistic 🤩
my neurons are indeed divergent
Probably
I am trans masc, afab and was Diagnosed ASD and ADHD when I was 29, my brother (amab) was diagnosed when he was 3. The topic of AFAB ASD and delayed diagnoses neeeeds to be talked about.
Well it's important that "afab" autism isn't a real thing, "amab" people can have it too, what it's dependent on is how one was raised and people that were assigned female are more likely to be raised in a way that causes autism to present a certain way. I just don't like agab terms and how they're being used these days. I don't think the way ones autism presents should be tied to their genitals, it's just weird to me for people to be like "oh you have x trait? it's because you have a vagina" when instead we could be talking about the actual cause and not find more ways to tie people to their genitals/agabs. This isn't an attack on you or anything I don't mean to come across as mad at you if I do, it's just something on my mind. Agab terms have just been so incredibly harmful and haven't really done any good. You can identify with whatever terms you want but I think it's weird when other people (not you) force agab labels onto someone/some groups.
@@pissface7846 I'm not saying nor have I ever said autism presents differently because of genitals? Thats on you bud. It 100% has to do with social rules and expectations in regards to gender. Autism is autism regardless of whats going on down there. Thats what I want there to be conversations about.
I literally only put afab because I am trans and I was letting people known I grew up as a girl with undiagnosed autism.
@@fatwoo2 You know the slight transphobia is showing when they put trans terms in quotation marks. "Afab" Like, no, it's just afab, no need for quotation marks. Also, I use agab terms because not everybody that walks into the doctors office is gonna be cishet people. And, if I'm a non-binary transfemme AMAB, and there's a non-binary AFAB that is just as feminine as I, we can't be treated for the same exact thing because of our biology. "Forcing the labels" Um, Ren here just brought it up and now you're claiming they're forcing this label? That doesn't make any logical sense. Yeah, I don't see the harm in using agab terms because not all women are cis women, and not all cis women are xx, but they were assigned female at birth based on genitals and outward appearance. Who knows, I might actually have xx chromosomes. But, only know I'm "male" based on genitalia and typical male voice range and body hair. I am also autistic. And, I don't believe in autism being determined by sex or genitals, but by the social expectations that make it harder to diagnose in AFAB people than AMAB people. Heck, according to my male biology, I was supposed to be diagnosed around 2 or something. I was diagnosed around 12 to 13 years old, which seems to be typical of AFAB autistic people. I think they should've put "afab autism" isn't a real thing rather than "afab" autism isn't a real thing, because it feels kind of like they're mocking the afab label itself rather than combining the two labels. "Forcing labels" Bitch, the label boy was forced on me the moment doctors saw my dick. Like, I'm just a pointlessly gendered product at this point. Come on, language changes all the time. I mean, trans women are women and cis women are women. Just different types of women. One was AFAB and the other one was AMAB. Sorry that my inclusion is your exclusion.(Not really sorry)
@@pissface7846 i don't understand what point you're trying to make here. if someone is afab, and that caused them to be raised a certain way, they're going to refer to being afab as the cause of that. you also seem to believe that "afab" is just a synonym for "person with vagina" which isn't true.
i’m also transmasc and afab. i’m sixteen and i was diagnosed recently. it doesn’t sound particularly late and i feel incredibly fortunate that i’m in a position where i could get diagnosed at this point. i think what irritates me is that i had a feeling for like five years prior to getting my diagnosis that i was autistic, but when i asked my former therapist about getting evaluated she said there was no way i had autism. lo and behold, i do, and i just know if i were amab i would’ve gotten that diagnosis earlier. if i’d gotten it even just a year ago i’d still be in school and i could’ve gotten an iep, but instead, i dropped out because of how little support i was given. a lot more research needs to be put into understanding the difference between, as you put it, afab and amab asd.
I have Autism, ADHD and I'm a trans man. High functioning labels bothered me as well. I do not function highly. I just function in a way that doesn't bother other people. The current diagnosis is Autism Level 1
‘Levels’ are also a type of functioning labels.
@@olivia7212 Level refers to amount of supports needed. So even if former high functioning was meant to refer to support needed, the word itself automatically implied ‘not really any support needed’. I think levels is an improvement.
@@melphillips1608 It's still a functioning label though, even if it's 'better', the best thing would be to not use any type of functioning label and instead, if for some reason you need to explain your or your childs needs, to actually specify them.
@@olivia7212 I agree with this, to trailer things according to one’s needs, bc needs change anyway. :) You might have a point. :D
@@olivia7212 that's where the terms "low masking" and "high masking" come in. from an external perspective one could call me "high functioning" because when around others i'm able to mask my neurodivergency very well, to the point where if i disclose being autistic i get told "well you must be high functioning, you're not REALLY autistic" at the nicest to meaner things at the worst, but the one time someone called me "high functioning" in front of my partner he burst out laughing because my support needs are so incredibly high, meanwhile one of my (non-speaking) autistic friends has fairly low support needs (minus the need for AAC) and is able to live entirely independently. He was diagnosed as a really young child so he was called "low functioning" when in reality he's just low masking with low-moderate support needs, while i was diagnosed at 23 because i'm high masking
this was long and rambly but tl;dr redoing functioning labels as opposed to abolishing them entirely is a better option because they can help a person to "actually specify" their needs as you put it while also pointing out that the immediate impression an outsider gets isn't indicative of those support needs but of the ability (or desire) to mask
I'm Autistic and ADHD (not diagnosed until my mid thirties) and I'm so relieved this episode wasn't a nightmare to watch (which is a lot of other autism content!)!
I think autism is only a disability because we're expected to function as neurotypicals, and we can't do that. If there wasn't an expectation placed on us to function as neurotypicals, then it wouldn't be a disability. The problem isn't in us, it's in society expecting/demanding us to be different than we are. If society was majority autistic, I wouldn't struggle to fit in or function as expected, and it would be neurotypicals who would be considered disabled for not being able to function autistically. So yes, in this society, it is a disability.
But then I guess you could make the same argument about most other things that are considered disabilities.
The 'autism makes you special' things boils my blood too though.
There’s actually a name for what you’re describing! It’s called “the social model of disability”. It’s the idea that disabilities are created by the society we live in, and the way society is structured to accommodate the needs to particular brains and bodies. For example, if the whole world was designed for people who don’t walk as their primary mode of getting around (like wheelchairs users, for example) people who get around by walking might find ourselves heavily inconvenienced and even marginalized in that world.
@@saggguy7 I knew that, but you're right that I probably should have just said that terminology in case someone reading it didn't know, so thanks for recapping :)
I am autistic and think this was a great podcast on the topic and Laura was a great guest that explained a lot of important parts of being autistic and what often comes with being autistic in the world.
In another podcast I would love to hear autistic-and-autistic communication discussed, because a lot of autistic people including me find it much easier to communicate with other autistic people than non-autistics. I would also love to hear autism and the education system discussed because there is lots to say in that direction in terms of autistic people having a terrible time in school.
YES! I would absolutely LOVE more discussion on autistic-autistic vs autistic-allistic communication! I'm autistic too and I find communicating with other autistic people so much easier/natural than with non-autistic people. A lot of times, I just feel like there's some sort of unspoken mutual understanding between me and another autistic person, that tends to be absent when interacting with non-autistics. I think this may be the result of a combination of many factors including similar brain/neural processes and shared experience, among other things.
There have actually been studies on this - the double empathy theory/problem explains it quite well!
I have just finished a thesis on bias against neurodiversity and I used a paper called 'Neurodivergent intersubjectivity: Distinctive features of how autistic people create shared understanding' as a source. It is super interesting, it observes autistic-autistic communication in a setting of playing video games (yes, science can be fun hehe) and concludes that there are certain patterns in the way autistic people naturally communicate. When an autistic person is put in a context of social norms based on neurotypical communication, these helpful patterns are completely lost and the autistic person is then disabled in their communication. But when talking to another autistic person, these patterns can allow the communication to really flourish, even if the conversation would be labeled as ineffective from a neurotypical perspective. I don't know if you guys have access to this paper somehow, if not let me know and I will elaborate on the autistic communication patterns :)
@@whathappenedtomyyoutubehandle I was able to find the paper - it was very interesting! I really liked how they analyzed some of the conversations and then explained the different patterns and meanings behind each interaction. Definitely saving this one for future reference!
Thanks for sharing :)
@@rad_cat11 No problem! I'm glad you were able to find it😄
I've noticed that while people often share their individual experiences with autism, sometimes they inadvertently present 'this is autism' when they're actually sharing 'this is my autism,' overlooking the broader diversity within the spectrum. If society were more accepting of differences in humans, the 'disorder' part of autism would likely diminish for many of us with ASD.
Laura's comment about her innate coping strategies being hijacked by heavy handed therapies, formative experiences and internalised ableism felt very important for me to hear. Thank you for this fantastic conversation. More please!
I'm going to have "Thatcher Thatcher autism snatcher" stuck in my head now, thank you.
Also this was great timing for me because I'm recently diagnosed autistic and struggling.
I know you've touched on it before but you should make an episode on medical bias in getting a diagnosis.
Eg. "You can't be dyslexic, you're just depressed/lazy/stupid",
"Only men can be autistic".
Legit no one believed me on either of those pre T
I (autistic diagnosed) find the overlap/difference between adhd and autism to be like, for example with focus: I can’t focus because there are too many things for me to process at the same time whereas people with adhd can’t focus because their focus is switching individually between distractions
ohhhh that makes alot of sense
Honestly, this helps a lot. I have both so the experiences kinda blend together for me. Sometimes I can't focus cause my nails aren't smooth and I NEED to file them or I can feel hairs on my chin and I NEED to pluck them but also sometimes I forget to put discord into do not disturb, get a notification, and then start chatting with people or look for background music/ASMR on youtube and get distracted by youtube shorts or a recommended video.
it’s also super ableist for any of us autistics trying to separate themselves from the label of disability and not being “like those other people.” my partner and I face this a lot in the deaf community as well. there’s a famous quote “a deaf person can do anything a hearing person can do, except hear,” which is only true for otherwise able bodied and neurotypical deaf people. it’s that deep need to NOT be considered disabled I’d like us to think more about.
Calling autism "may be blunt and doesn't look at me disorder" 😂 amazing I love it.
I'm neurotypical (as far as I know) and I found this episode really interesting. It crumbled the conception of autism that I had and now I find it even more complicated and confusing haha. I can't believe that there is so much misinformation about it out there. I'm looking forward to the next episodes on this topic, I'm really excited!
Thank you so much for doing this episode. I was raised to be quiet, stop being myself, and stop embarrassing myself/my family. I internalized it so deeply that even as an adult, it's very hard for me to do things in public that help me stay calm (rocking, humming a song, tapping my fingers, jiggling a leg). I've been trying to get over my internalized ableism for the last year, as I've been going through the long, difficult, and expensive process of being formally diagnosed as autistic...but it is still SO hard. I am FULLY aware that I am "that weird girl/woman" and I have to embrace that to be able to exist in the world, because I had a complete autistic burnout a little over a year ago. I literally masked so much and tried to be NT so hard that I broke myself. And I'm having to crawl back out of that by embracing who I actually am... and it isn't easy.
So it was nice to hear this episode speak so positively/supportively of autistic folx.
Currently waiting to get diagnosed with ADHD and ASD (autism). Passed the test to get onto the list then got a letter saying "Ya, you probably have autism but you're going to have to wait 3 and a half years to get the piece of paper or any help to get you through life" I'm 20 next week. I'm a girl. I didn't renew my contract for my first ever job because I kept having panic attacks at work in front of customers and was getting bullied by my supervisor. She even went on a rant about how her uncle has dyslexia but he's an English teacher so if he could get over it, why can't I? Then she blew up at me when I said she'd been bullying me and I wanted her to stop. Bear in mind, I'm 19F and at this point ALL of my anxiety and depression had come back with a vengeance. I went travelling the year before, on my own around the UK perimeter for charity and slept in my tent. (Bag weighed 18kg, violin weighed 3kg, I was busking for money and food) I got all the way from Norfolk to North Yorkshire before I nearly fell off a cliff and tore a ligament in my ankle and got sent home. I was so happy and confident back then and I knew who I was. Now, I have no idea.
I'm an autistic non-binaray person. I've been diagnosed at 32, meanwhile my brother has been diagnosed since he was 2 years old.
By the way, I'm playing minecraft while listening to this ; I love that game too !
Ok you are non-binary. But what were you born as biologically?
My father was diagnosed with asperger's back in the 70's and when both his children started exhibiting autistic traits he held off on getting us diagnosed because his experience wasn't great. My brother decided to go get diagnosed when he was 18, but my dad wanted us to choose whether or not we thought it would help us go through life. It's so good to hear about autism being talked about like this.
Interestingly I went to a school for nuerodivergent children and teenagers. The school had around 75 males out of 100 students.
I also remember a lot pupils would claim they “just had anger issues” or “I’m high functioning” to separate themselves from the rest of us and justify their bullying. Often you’d get kids calling other kids spas’s, downies (slur for someone with Down’s syndrome), dummies and other offensive words which usually was bc the bully had internalised harmful beliefs.
This is seriously one of the most engaging podcasts I have listened to in a looooong time. I totally agree with the opinion that autistic people are looked at in a diagnostic light and not for who they are and how the behave and why. It's more like the things that people with ASD struggle with are not getting recognized because the only thing the ND community actually cares about is how it effects them. Which is really selfish.
I hope this podcast gets more attention! Your episodes are so interesting to listen to!
6:05 I think we should be careful when saying that autism would only considered problematic from a neurotypical lens. There are people with ASD Level 3, for instance, who are triggered by the lack of stable patterns in nature regardless of how it compares to neurotypicals. If it's insulting to say it isn't a disability or that it's just a gift, that would suggest that some things about autism can be inherently maladaptive, even if only a portion of autistic people require significant external supports for them. I hope that made sense.
Helluu, I was diagnosed with adhd at age 4. I have discovered that I cannot focus for the same reason that Laura described, only it's not just that I don't know how to prioritise sensory information, I physically cannot, even if paying attention is essential.
I definitely experience alexithymia. I find that I spend a lot of time investigating my own actions to decipher my emotions.
When it comes to understanding others, I do find that it's easier to speak to neurodivergent people than neurotypical people. Perhaps it's because it's easier to empathise with them. Neurotypical people often feel like a black box that needs to be deciphered before you have any chance of understanding them in an intuitive way.
ah a fellow alexithymic
Alexithymia is the main reason why it took me so long to figure out that I’m asexual. It takes me so long just to figure out what I am feeling that it’s very difficult to figure out what I’m not feeling. It doesn’t help that the media describes love as ’you feel happy and your heart beats faster’, by that standard I as a socially anxious person is in love with every person I’ve ever liked to any degree because people I like makes me sooo happy.
I already know I'm neuroatypical, as I was diagnosed early on with depression, OCD, and anxiety disorder. My family and I have long suspected I'm on the autism spectrum, but I was never formally diagnosed. When I asked my last mental health provider about this, she said it's very difficult to actually get a diagnosis. I currently or at various stages in my life have had the majority of the symptoms, and I can relate a lot to the experiences of my friends who are on the spectrum. However, without a clinical assessment, it's not something I can state with certainty, and it would be irresponsible to do so. This makes it particularly frustrating, as my social interactions with others come with the presupposition that we can read and respond to each other's cues without any problems. I don't always know what I'm going to miss or where I have to compensate, which has led to a ton of awkward situations and misunderstandings over the years. Incidentally, the compensatory mechanisms I've developed in order to communicate and fit in are virtually identical to those that people with autism tell me about.
An update, I recently received a diagnosis of autism under the DSM-V criteria. It's somewhat satisfying to know I was right all along, but also frustrating that it came so late in life, probably too late to be useful.
have followed her art for a fair while now, and have always loved it. I'm autistic and have adhd, I was diagnosed with adhd at 15, which was hard to convince my parents was a possibility because I grew up learning to contain any hyperactivity I had because people found it annoying, at at the time that was all they really knew about adhd. They, particually my mum who worked in a primary school, always suspected I was autistic but didn't see any point to being diagnosed. Im still holding off of an offical diagnosis for autism, because I know its going to hold me back medically especially in my future, and talking to doctors is one of the most stressful things I can imagine, and even at 15 I'd still sit in the back silent and let my mum do the talking. for now im satisfied with the research I and my family have done into autism, and being unofficially told I am by psychologists and paediatricians. I still feel like I cant say I am without papers, but just understanding that there's a reason behind why I think and act the way I do helps so much more than people outside realise
I may not be officially diagnosed yet as an AFAB 37 year old but I know I’m neurodivergent in some capacity as I’ve struggled my entire life with sensory and auditory processing disorders (the two most common cooccurring disorders amongst autistics) even if I had no clue that those terms existed to explain why I struggled so much growing up. Because of my struggles I almost flunked out of high school and at one point didn’t see the worth in living if I wasn’t going to amount to anything so being undiagnosed made life extremely difficult for me but I’ve since grown to understand myself and appreciate the beauty within my struggles and my talents as a result of them and life is so much better as a result! Great episode!
I'm currently going through the process of being diagnosed with Autism but my mum said that she always thought I had it (gee thanks for getting me diagnosed /s)
exactly the same here! down to mum's reaction. I have so much self doubt about it all the time lol. wishing you positive and affirming interactions, friend :)
Autism and probably ADHD is like having to drive a manual car (frontal lobe) transmission (Executive functioning) when other people get the option of using Automatic if they want.
Regarding the Neurodivergent vs Mental Illness topic, I want to contribute to the conversation as a psychologist with borderpolar disorder (Borderline Personality Disorder + Bipolar Disorder).
Borrowing Cyarine’s example at 11:10, yes, being on the Autism Spectrum or having ADHD is indeed like missing a leg. However, some mental illnesses ARE mental disabilities and do belong in the category of neurodiversity.
First, we have to differentiate the clinical population from the members of the non-clinical population who are experiencing a mental illness. What’s the difference between both groups?? Well, the first one has a CHRONIC ILLNESS.
Everyone can have severe depression at some point in their lifetime. That depression can even last for years. However, it will NEVER compare to the struggles of someone who is going to have multiple episodes of severe depression throughout their entire life (like Bipolars, for example).
Think of it with the missing leg analogy. Is a whole different thing to have a paralyzed leg or no leg at all than to break a leg, wear a cast for a while, do some physiotherapy and then be able to walk again. Both individuals couldn’t use their legs at some point and had to survive in a world designed for people with both functional legs. But the last person went through that temporarily and doesn’t experience the same struggles as the first one does. That’s what happens with the clinical population in comparison to the non-clinical individuals who had a mental illness episode.
In contrast with most people (not part of the clinical population) who experience depression, I will never be able to cure or battle it. I will have this FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I can only treat it (like people with ADHD can treat their condition), but I’ll never be able to experience life without depression. I have no idea how it feels. I never will.
And, having BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) as well, means that my brain is wired in a completely different way than those without BPD. So it’s another trait that I won’t be able to change. Ever. And it’s exhausting and incredibly frustrating.
So please, oh, please don’t talk about mental illness without making this distinction. It hurts so much to say that the clinical population is not neurodivergent because it reinforces in others the stereotype that mental-psychosocial disabilities are unreal. 🙏
If you want more information, you can always ask me. I’ll gladly share with anyone everything I know and all my sources. Thanks! ♥️
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 25 or 26, and I’m currently on a waitlist for an autism diagnosis. I’m the second of nine kids. Four of my siblings are diagnosed autistic. My two nephews are diagnosed autistic. It is very much genetic.
I am 65 years young & I'm on the autistic spectrum. Found this out about 8 months ago.
I'm nuerodivergent. I was diagnosed a year ago and learning about it has just really helped me to converse with people without offending them
So I'm a woman who was diagnosed with ADHD last year at the age of 21 (I think I have autism too but I'm anxious about brininging it up with my doctor) and I want to try and answer Luke's question about the prevalence of ADHD (and autism but I'm going to focus on ADHD) on tiktok recently: I think it's a combination of things.
1. First of all the pandemic - reflecting back now I can see that in the few years prior to Covid starting I was close to reaching my breaking point, then when the lockdown came in March my general routine was torn away very suddenly and very significantly and all of my coping mechanisms that I had developed over 21 years of my struggles being ignored/unnoticed just failed. I think I had been going through the motions and just thought 'everything is difficult but thats just how life is so I have to get on with it', so when I suddenly had a break from 'real life' for a few months I found it hard to get back to that. I noticed my ADHD symptoms unmasking and becoming worse/more noticeable and started to fall behind with school work for the first time in my life. I think a lot of people may have experienced a similar thing, where they suddenly stopped going through the motions and just could not get their symptoms under control anymore and the shift to home working wouldn't have helped.
2. There's been a lot more awareness of ADHD symptoms in people assigned female at birth recently. I doubt theres a biological difference in how ADHD presents in males v females (although males appear to have higher rates of hyperactive adhd than females) but people who are raised and socialised as female are much more likely to mask their symptoms and therefore it presents differently.
3. ADHD (and austism to an extent) are the 'trendy' disorders at the moment, a few years ago on tumblr it was depression. Whilst most people who claim they have ADHD probably do, there will be a percentage that are going along with the trend or almost forcing themselves to identify with the symptoms.
4. And obviously that content is popular, so it's being pushed out more and more people are making it to try and get popular
I self diagnosed with Autism, and that's what lead to my actual diagnosis from a psychiatrist. It started with a couple of people suggesting I might be autistsic. I looked into it, I tried to find out exactly what autism was, which of course turned out to be pretty hard but I found pyschiatrists talks on youtube, seminars on youtube etc, vidoes where psychiatrists explained what the life of an autistsic person might look like. I then watched hours and hours and hours of content of different autistic people explaining what their own autistic experience was like. Many seemed too dissimilar to mine but I found a few that described their autism very similar to the experience I felt I was having. Things they struggled with I struggled with. I eventually told me doctor I thought I had Autism and after some questioning they gave me a referal. 7 months later I had my assessment and was diagnosed. This process led me to understanding how important self diagnosis was. I thought many times throught the process, what if I'm not autistic, what if I made it all up in my head. I now know that's what an autistic person is likely to think.
im in the process of getting diagnosed so this is such a fitting topic for me
I think the high functioning refers to the capability to do and complete daily and basic life skills such as communicate and sustain conversations, request things, write, read, making friends, do laundry, cook and more, cause autism is a spectrum, the not so functioning individual towards the lower end of the spectrum have great disability to do such simple daily tasks, that's what differentiate between the low functioning and high functioning autism
Thank you for talking so much sense. Sharp contrast with so much other autism media. I'm not on tiktok but will czech u out on the gram. I found your account of autism incredibly relateable and it's a real relief to hear more people speaking baout their experiences in a way that slightly throws shade at all the mainstream discourse
As a trans AuDHD black afab person, the autistic community is the most welcoming people ever. The only assholes are NT's thinking we need guidance and treating us like babies. I think we need to talk about the autistic gender and sexuality disconnect too!
So cool to see Cyarine on here, I have been following them on instagram for such a long time! And this was very interesting, I can tell that there is so much to cover and dang that hour and a half went by fast
I can't wait for you to do multiple episodes! This was fantastic! Also, if you haven't yet read Neurotribes by Steve Silberman, Autism's False Prophets, by Paul Offit, and We're Not Broken, by Eric Garcia, they are all fantastic books and will be excellent reading for your history/myths/history of crappy "reasons" for autism research. (From a 38 year old, late diagnosed autistic woman who definitely has both medical and autism research as special interests, lol) Also, functioning labels suck - high functioning is used to deny support, low functioning is used to deny agency. You all rock THANK YOU for tackling this topic!!!!!
yes functioning labels are shit
I am 15 years old and I am on a 2 year waiting list for autism
I’m in the process of being diagnosed as autistic right now. Submitted my application last week, got some forms to fill out whilst I wait for an appointment. Everyone I know thinks I have it, I do too. Plus, I’ve studied it during my course and really related, especially as we went more in depth. Would explain a lot.
I watched the first 20 minutes, and it reminded me of chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching.
Of old he who was well versed in the way
Was minutely subtle, mysteriously comprehending,
And too profound to be known.
It is because he could not be known
That he can only be given a makeshift description:
Tentative, as if fording a river in winter,
Hesitant, as if in fear of his neighbors;
Formal like a guest,
Falling apart like thawing ice,
Thick like the uncarved block,
Vacant like a valley,
Murky like muddy water.
Who can be muddy and yet, settling, slowly become limpid?
Who can be at rest and yet, stirring, slowly come to life?
He who holds fast to this way
Desires not to be full.
It is because he is not full
That he can be worn and yet newly made.
One of the best episodes of Sci Guys, in the top 5. More on this and your guest was amazing as well. Bravo. Starting episode 29 Podcast tomorrow.
The best way I've seen autism explained is not that it's a spectrum entirely, but that each symptom associated falls on it's own spectrum. Hence every autistic person is different, hence why functioning labels don't work, because, using an example that came up in the podcast, an autistic person can struggle with eye contact, or they can not struggle with eye contact, OR they can go to the opposite side of the spectrum and give TOO much eye contact. Also, it is a fact that ADHD and autism are often comorbid, and ADHD is often considered to be on the spectrum. Of course there are many ADHD symptoms that autistic people don't experience, but that is also proven by the idea that each symptom is its own spectrum. I personally have both diagnoses, and I do recognize the differences, but I can certainly see how ADHD can at least be a branch of autism in some ways.
It was good for you guys to touch on the unconscious influence in reasoning! My feed got full up adhd things too and I wondered if I needed a diagnosis. But giving the amount of terribly distracting things since 2020 (😬) and grief, it would be pretty weird not to be distracted!
Thanks for this, everyone! I understand autism a little better now.
I’m autistic and ADHD recently found ur podcast and have been binge listening for hours 😭 which I think further proves my diagnosis’
I’m 17 & just got an autism diagnosis. I’m too scared to tell anyone about it, even my best friends, because of the stigma around Autism & the misconception that all autistic people behave like those on the more severe end of the spectrum. So I’m so glad to see someone with ASD similar to me that, while struggling with it, is still very good at social interactions more often than not. Like most women with ASD, I’m good at masking, so most people wouldn’t notice my traits easily, so I feared that making them aware of my diagnosis would only make them start to look for it and pick my apart my behaviour.
For anyone that can relate, I can’t multitask because my brain gets too consumed by the one activity at a time.
I also really struggle to form big speeches or essays or devise written pieces for drama because I think of all the things I could write instead & go insane - partly a perfectionism thing, but I think that’s also common amongst ASD?
Autism isn’t a liner spectrum. I’ve heard someone say as an example that you wouldn’t say something like an apple is severe or mild apple, it’s just an apple; Just like you can’t have severe or mild autism, it’s just autism. Some autistic people might have more obviously support needs and be labeled low-functioning. Someone else might appear to be fine might have the same needs as the “low-functioning” person but it’s less obvious so they are called high-functioning, that is until they eventually break from the stress.
Basically my point is stereotypes are dumb and I’m sorry you have to deal with the type of people that jump to the negative depictions of autism.
Despite being diagnosed at a young age, I’ve never looked into the scientific side of autism. I always just studied what happened to me and other autistic people and what we did that was different from nuerotypical people. It’s great to hear a more scientific perspective that isn’t ableist or pseudo science. A lot of “scientific studies” have really inaccurate findings and are done poorly especially ones with popularity. These papers often hurt the nuerodivergent community. A reason why I didn’t look into the scientific side was bc I was traumatised by papers, and press coverage of said papers along with things people said, which implied my condition was curable or it was a result of a vaccine. I’m so happy that this video is well researched (as always) and made with the input of an autistic person.
I've got adhd. My whole life, I didn't understand why I couldn't keep up with things and why I didn't fit in with others. I didn't get diagnosed until the pandemic, in my mid thirties when I started seeing my friends getting diagnosed and posting about their lives and I was like "that's what I do and that's what I struggle with." I will say I despise the "adhd is a superpower." I honestly hate having it and living in this society, my life would be better without it. Although, I suspect I'm also on the autism spectrum. I definitely struggle with understanding social norms and what to say or do and when to. I tried copying other people to get more social acceptance and stopped talking or contributing as much in group settings.
I'm a trans man who was very lucky to have a dad who was diagnosed with ADHD at nearly 40, and noticed I had a lot of the same problems, and I was diagnosed at 10 (pre-transition)
i loved this episode!! id love to see Cyarine again on the podcast ♥
I'm autistic (plus seeking an ADHD diagnosis) and wasn't diagnosed until I was 29 in 2017. I was like a shoddy stealth bomber who somehow flew under some very flawed radars during my childhood! It came as a surprise for a good few of my friends while others basically said "Duh!". I had a very delayed development, but I was a bubbly and well-behaved kid and the paediatricians just labelled me as a late bloomer. I have been lucky in developing so well socially, but it was a ton of focused work to learn to adapt in a way befitting my personality, and to be able to decode the nuances in language and social behaviour and actively use them. For years I had suspected I was borderline autistic, but the clinical autism specialist quickly disabused me of that preconception! I am very much autistic, and no less or more autistic than anyone else.
The spectrum is often thought of as a scale by most people, with the phrase "on the spectrum" possibly reinforcing that. The spectrum refers to the spectrum of traits; it is like a painter randomly choosing varying amounts of different colours with a unique balance in the composition, and the colours are only one aspect of the whole.
I'm 38 years old & 10 months ago I found out I am Autistic & Neurodivergent (ADHD, Dyslexic & Dyspraxic)
My mental health has always been poor, but for the last 10 years I've been very mentally unwell & unable to work as a result. 8 years ago I had to move back in with my Mum.
What I'm realising now, is I've been existing in an Autistic Burnout for years - mainly from me trying desperately to keep up with Neurotypical standards, which involved me heavily masking & camouflaging my Autistic traits for all of my life.
It's such a relief to understand myself better now, and Autism & Neurodivergencies have definitely become one of my special & focused interests now!
There is a theory amongst some members of the Autistic community who believe ADHD is actually part of Autism Spectrum Condition; just not every Autistic person will experience ADHD traits - much like executive dysfunction, sensory issues & social difficulties, are all Autistic traits, that not every Autistic person has.
This is one of the most heartfelt, interesting and informative episodes guys- thank you!!
actully there is a correlation between ADHD and autism its very common to be diagnosed with both i am there is a lot of overlap between the traits
i am currently in the process of getting an official autism diagnosis. i started going to see a therapist this year and after our first conversation she was really shocked to find out that i didn't have a diagnosis. i think it is likely because my parents present fairly similarly to me and have never been diagnosed with anything so we never thought anything was out of place with me, but i don't want to make any assumptions yet. i will be interested to see how my results come out, thanks for the terrific video as always!
i actually had gotten so many tiktoks about adhd on my fyp that i started to look more into it, eventually got diagnosed lol
Me too!
Worth mention is that the aspergers being a separate diagnosis (not certain of the origins of the other diagnosis that were used prior to ASD) is tied to its namesake attempting to differentiate which autistic people should and which should not be targetted by the nazis in their eugenics efforts.
On another part of the discussion, there is theorizing that part of why women with autism are more often missed is because societally there is a higher amount of pressure for women to mask (largely harmful technique of hiding oneself away behind a figurative mask in order to survive/manage in the society in which a person lives), and that this same issue has been noted within trans people since masking is also something which is learned quite early within that community, whether amab or afab, due to the manner in which that topic has been historically handled.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Great podcast all. Thanks for posting 🙂
Autistic cis bisexual woman here 🙌 I was diagnosed at 33 when hospitalised for anorexia and complex PTSD. It was like being let in on a secret that made sense of my whole experience of life. I thought everyone experienced life like me, only they were better at it and I was the broken one
Yes. Exactly!!! I'm ND and am Autistic and ADHD.
I'm in the process of getting diagnosed with autism/adhd
56:20 "I hope somebody learned something from that"
Me, sobbing with affirmation: Somebody did
Just to add to what I said about "twice exceptionality," Noah's "Underachiever" song is right on the mark of what constitutes a "2e, Twice Exceptional" person. The "Gifted and Talented" (from the prop letter) who also have ADHD or ASD or any other LD. Just knowing this has helped me immensely. Loving the show, BTW. Neurodivergent AuDHD, 2e, G-man
Lets gooooo!!!! its the episode I suggested!
She talks about receiving harmful and traumatic therapy, and she seems to be describing ABA, but then she also named CBT as being traumatic. I would really like to know if that was a mistake of if she's received both and both were harmful.
I've had CBT before I got diagnosed with autism, and so it wasn't adapted to my autism, so it didn't work and it has harmed me in the long run, but I wouldn't call it traumatic. I haven't had to go through ABA thankfully.
If it's at all possible to go into more depth concerning CBT and its effectiveness on autistic people I would appreciate that a lot. I've read some research papers on it but honestly they were very limited because the field doesn't seem to be particularly concerned with making autistic happier, they just want to make us more normal, or to exterminate autism in general, it seems.
So the research I read said that CBT was statistically significantly less effective on autistic people, but not entirely ineffective. I know you can't magically make more and better research appear, but I just want to know everything that it's possible to know about that subject, so if I've missed anything... I just think it would be great for a lot of autistic people to be more aware of their therapy options.
Another type of therapy I read about is ACT, but honestly it seems pseudo-scientific. The research I've read was very flimsy and confirmation bias-y.
In a nutshell God I need something that actually works and is able to cure my depression but it seems that there are no good options for that when it comes to autistic people and I'm stuck and I think a lot of autistic people are in the same position in life.
I do have to admit that I'm also trans and currently unable to access transition related healthcare because waiting lists, so curing my depression without fixing that problem might not be an entirely realistic goal, but I just need something that helps and I feel like I've exhausted my options, and that's really hard to accept because I don't know what to do or how to live. Please help people understand their options.
hullo, ryn! i have tried both cbt and act, the ctb was for social anxiety and i did both before i knew i was autistic. similarly to your experience - cbt didn't really work for me. i remember feeling like there were so much more i needed to discuss and the social anxiety was only one aspect of my bad mental health but i lacked the "self-knowledge" to express those feelings.
as for act: a therapist explained things such as stress, how to accept our feelings, we did mindfulness exercises and we were taught how to be in the present. we also filled out life-compasses in which we were supposed to map out our goals in life. i was only around 17 at the time and had no clue who i was or what i wanted in life so i think i wasn't ready for those types of life-discussions though. what has stayed with me to this day (i'm 20 now) is the work we did on accepting our feelings. i'd say act is worth trying out, i just think i would have enjoyed both cbt and act more had i known i was autistic, since that would have helped me in knowing that i actually do differ from a lot of people and that it wasn't only an imagined difference.
what i have tried that did work to some extent, is psychotherapy. there were no assignments (which is partly what i had trouble with during cbt and act) and it was a place for me to express some of the thoughts i had, no matter how disturbing they might've been. it didn't fully cure my depression but just having someone talk to and be given advice was very important to me. my therapist had also worked with autistic children and she was the one to suggest that i might be autistic so i think she knew what types of questions etc. to ask me even though i didn't have an official diagnosis, so i can't talk about psychotherapy other than from this particular perspective.
fyi: i am actually quite content with life at the moment and depression no longer trouble me as much as it used to, so recovery is possible.
i wish you all the best in life, ryn, and hope you can get access to trans related healthcare asap!
actully i heard paige layle is doing ACT she is also autistic and she says its helped her
I have OCD and my therapist struggles to help me. Last appointment, she told me she thought I was autistic. I’m a 28 year-old female and I have no traits of autism besides my anxiety/OCD and some specific interests. I feel she just doesn’t know how to help me anymore and thinks there must be a reason behind it. Coming from a professional with a university degree it’s a bit alarming. Thanks for pointing out OCD in the video. I feel autism and OCD are both misunderstood!
I think that I may be autistic. I identify with alot of the traits and I have recently realized that people don't really understand when I try to be sarcastic and I am scared that I come of mean sometimes.
Great episode. I'm having an assessment in three weeks time :) I've been on a waiting list for a long, long time.
I am late diagnosed female. Its still called aspergers here, but its changing. Its annoying realy. My parents where of the crunchy organic typ. So it took me 26years to figure it out bymyselfe. In the other hand I never had to go through ABA.
I am neurodivergent. I have ADHD, a general math learning disability and depression and anxiety.
I have sensory processing disorder, which overlaps with autism a lot. Even though I'm not autistic, I so relate to having to process everything manually. My brain just doesn't do it on its own!
At around 19 mins talking about the overwhelm bundling up, it made me think of something I have recently been shown. It's called "Window of tolerance", seems like that's an explanation/ name for it :')
I have ADHD & Dysgraphia (don’t know if I also have autism or not though it’s certainly seeming like it could be possible) and I’m great glad y’all have made such great videos about these topics! I’ll have to look through and see if there are any on dysgraphia!
I've scored over the years 36 consitantly on the AQ test which would possibly put me in the Austic range. thinking about this I scrawled on a note pad 'Autism Cure (Change the induvidual) or Utilise (change the society) I'm stamented SDysleic and also scored 'high' on the AQ equivilent on ADHD so you know may have the hat trick I'm certainly weird!
Autism is about the development of the brain and abilities.
That is why many autistic people cannot speak or, like myself, didn’t start speaking till later on in life and for people who are low functioning, they might not be able to do basic everyday tasks such as getting dressed because their brain just never learned how to do that.
And many autistic people are 2 or 3 years behind in development of social awareness and communication.
I don't know if I'm autistic or have ADHD or both. I think my chances are pretty high for having adhd/add since everyone in my family has it, and my dad's autistic as well. But whether or not I am those things or not I do relate to a lot of people with ASD and/or ADHD. So it's fun to hear their experiences about it.
Ye the whole gluten free thing was horrible. My mum forced me into it. She regrets now but it made that year so bad.
Hi I love this podcast it's so educational and entertaining at the same time please do an episode on dislexia
neurodivergent as of recently, never realised i had adhd but ive always had dyslexia
I'm typical, but my child is in autism spectrum. I'm getting more information from Brazil. Good luck guys!
Neurodivergent (either autism and adhd or fasd genuinely no way to tell in my case even if it mattered to me) and I’ve never been officially diagnosed as far too expensive for me and my family, but my mom did work with developmental disabilities in children and was the one who noticed all of the issues I was having first and worked with me with them.
The episode was available on UA-cam a few days ago
I'm autistic and adhd. I dont "have" autism. It isnt an illness or something to cure. It's just a word that describes how my brain is built and wired
this was a good episode with a good guest but i think it would be best to get multiple autistic people on if youre gunna do more episodes on it just because we are so diverse in our experiences and opinions and just hearing from one person wouldnt be very helpful imo
Neurodivergent - Dx ADHD, Self-Identified Autistic. // So, at 30 years old, upon researching autism, I discovered that "break a leg" was sarcasm to lighten the mood. All my life I was thinking it was just some niche theatre reference/phrase, and whenever I heard someone say that, I just thought to myself, "ah yes, the ol' traditional theatre catchphrase that people like to say for whatever reason"
Neurotypical people hide their Depression etc. far easier than if they were Neurodivergent. We tend to think of the "Default" in society as Perfect but in reality they're just very good at hiding their imperfections.
Does anyone else have only a sensory processing disorder but not ASD or ADHD? I’m always fascinated to listen to experiences of autistic people because there is overlap with my experience, but only in the sensory realm. It’s always killed me that sensory processing disorders are not considered as standalone conditions outside of occupational therapy (especially in adults).
I'm neurodivergent. For me, it's very hard living in a neurotypical world, and it's even harder because I 'm an apostate living in a religious country.
Thanks for doing a video on this topic :D
Im nurodivergent! ADHD, Dyslexia, and Auditory processing disorder. 😊
25:32 I know what blue is and I’m legally blind
So I am neurodivergent. I got diagnosed at 25-26. 25 with ADHD and 26 with Autism.
I would love to know more about how to communicate to neurotypical people and how they function
GREAT VIDEO
I struggle with self hygiene so not quite on the isolation bit
hey there, im autistic. im 21 and am also non binary. I highly suggest checking out Nick Walker's book "Neuroqueer Heresies". She gives a great definition for autism, and also gives a great shift in paradigms from Pathology of autism to the Neurodiversity Paradigm. Something Ive taken away from this read is one is only as disabled as the society they live in disables them. a wheelchair user would be way more disabled if the city doesn’t have sidewalks, for example.
ADHD and autism do have some overlapping symptoms.