I dont know who said to smile more and be funnier!.. ridiculous. I just found your channel and have been watching your videos from the beginning and they are great! You're perfect just the way you are! Also, I like your delivery on content. Easy to listen to, calm and interesting.
PLEASE don't bow to pressure to 'smile more' or mask/present in neurotypical ways! I love that you come out with little bits of humour totally deadpan, it's who we are! I find so many of the 'popular' autism channels unwatchable, and for the life of me cannot understand why people would use super fake peppy voices, weird graphics with sound effects, and background music tracks for an audience with lots of sensory issues! Seriously, for me they are unwatchable, and I find your calm presentation very soothing and thoughtful, and thought-provoking.
I am 65 , reach retirement this year and currently down the self diagnosis rabbit hole after a lifetime of misdiagnosis for all of my health issues. After weeks of watching UA-cams this was so refreshing, please don’t change. There are many ways to be an activist and I think your reasoned and considered yet still heartfelt and stirring words will reach lots of people to think of what they could do. I for one am relieved that, although I thoroughly respect the choice of others, I don’t have to personally colour my hair , tattoo up and pierce my nose. I would if I chose to though😉 Thank you again
I think that cultural and societal change is often a powerful precursor for political and policy change. I think more and more people discovering their neudivergence will lead to a shift in perspective, as our community and the world at large discovers how prevelent we are in the population. An iceberg analogy works well here. The currently diagnosed number of people on the spectrum is quite small compared to the large, hidden population of undiagnosed people. I personally would like to see the societal perspective to change from diagnosis to identifying, difference instead of disorder, research on understanding our needs and helpful accommodations instead of a "cure".
They don’t get it, and they think therefore we don’t get it and so we need a neurotypical to make a diagnosis about the thing they don’t get in the first place. Yeah, it all makes perfect sense.
Obviously, a diagnostic assessment with trained professionals and targeted support and advice is A Good Thing, but we can't have self-diagnosis and neurodivergent self-understanding being minimised and dismissed in the mainstream when - for so many people - getting a formal diagnosis is either prohibitively expensive or a tortuous years-long wait. It's not sustainable. Or fair.
hey again , i absolutely understand your call to action, ive been fighting this advocacy and campaigning fight for over 9 years and i have finally started the last 5 years getting BBC Radio attention to educate on autism and neurodiversity. i will stand with you , your absolutely right things need to change.
You rock, Gemma! So many people like you have been chipping away so long, trying to educate and increase understanding. I think (and hope) the dam will break soon and people will finally start to 'get it'.
I found your direct, serious way of saying things captivating and enjoyable. Personally I think you should continue autistically being yourself--and 'your people' will love it. Also, great content here. The story about your friend was jaw dropping and yet sadly relatable. I wonder, is there any way to submit an opinion piece to that publication without going through him? It sounded like you had some important things to share!
Thank you - I've actually started writing to publications I think are misrepresenting the neurodivergent community, and it's actually started showing results too. I got a retraction and amendment issued from The Guardian newspaper a couple of weeks ago which I was really pleased about (the article I objected to was equating difficulties with Theory of Mind with insanity which is ... problematic to say the least in 2023). They upheld my complaint, changed the wording in the article on their website, and issued a note to explain why.
Perplexed by it all & accepting the diagnosed adhd, given up thinking about the autism diagnosis, it seems just like acknowledging why l did this in the past, putting labels onto the said behaviour & moving on as in living day to day
Accepting it and moving on is a valid (and arguably healthier) response. I don't know why the combination of finding this out about myself, finding out how common it all is, and finding out how little it's discussed, why it's all p***ed me off so much and pushed me to want to surface it and make some noise about it. But it has.
I have to say at 56 and in a diagnosis process, lived a long full and interesting life, trying to adapt, find ways of being, struggle to carve out safe spaces, ever challenged by maintaining balance on the edges... I most definitely do believe there are simply solutions to all problemas, many of us waiting on a long overdue change of heart , it's seems to be well and truly getting into the main arteries of human consciousness...
Thanks - I genuinely hope you're right. I think at times for so many of us including me things can feel a little hopeless and the frustration just bubbles over. Sometimes the long view can be hard to step back into and see. Patience, patience!
I have just found your channel and I think you are great. I was diagnosed last year in February. I haven't asked for help in all of my 40 odd years struggling but after I got diagnosed I addressed a massive problem I had and applied for a bit of help, I had to write an essay on the struggle and also I had to send a copy of my diagnosis. I got refused help within a couple of days as there wasn't enough proof I was struggling. I've given up, there is no fight in me anymore. BTW the struggle was with parking my car...I'm left feeling embarrassed and worthless. So the diagnosis means nothing really.
I'm really sorry to hear this - where are you based in the world? There may be people (healthcare professionals or advocates) who could advocate on your behalf to get you the adjustment you need?
@@amineurodivergent I'm in the UK, North Lincolnshire. I haven't been to the doctors since 2019 so I guess it might be my fault to why I can't get proof of the struggles. I just can't force myself to reach out because I feel like they think I'm putting on a performance. Even after my assessment I felt like now what do I do. The only advice I got from the diagnosis was websites such as 'wrong planet' and National autistic society. I went on and came off within days, not my bag.
@@soyunperderdor7246 There's a really good wee privately run charity I spoke with around the time of my assessment and diagnosis www.autismandadhd.org - a woman called Annie Clements runs it and helped get my wheels pointing in the right direction again, she's very pragmatic and straightforward and may have some suggested ways forward. Also, I know easier said than done to make the initial approach but given you have an actual diagnosis your GP may also be able to write something official to help you out with what you need? Give Annie a shout if you can face it, she's super nice. Você não é um perdedor
@@amineurodivergent yep "I'm a loser baby so why don't you k*ll me"🎸🎶🎶...haha I'm impressed, not many take notice, you are definitely Autistic! Anyway thankyou for the advice, I shall have a nosey at the charity when I have recharged my batteries. You know when I was younger and people used to say that to me, I actually thought they had batteries inside of them haha
It's not just that the medical establishment devalues and invalidates self-diagnosis among neurodivergent people. The medical establishment has a lot invested in their position as *authorities.* Point one: They forget: we (clients) pay their salaries. *They* work for *us*. Point two: I've been trying for three months so far to find a local-ish clinician who is qualified to do an adult autism diagnosis. (I'm in Vermont, US.) I finally located someone who wants to charge $2500 and doesn't take insurance. How is an average person, me, supposed to afford that? So the message I'm getting is, put my entire trust in the hands of a medical authority, but we're gonna make it too expensive for you to actually work with that authority. F*ck that sh*t.
That's awful, what a sh*t situation. I complain about the UK and the sometimes years-long NHS waiting lists for assessment here, but if you have endless reserves of patience you can actually have assessments and post-diagnostic support provided here free of charge. That doesn't happen in the US and that really, REALLY sucks. Sorry.
Interesting video. Popped up in my feed after researching ASD. I guess there is this preconceived opinion about needing someone that is educated in the medical field to determine if a certain individual might be neurodivergent or not. And this in order to make it official. For me, when doing all this research, I have to consider the fact that I am activly searching for answers. And with the concept of self diagnosis, one might end up with the wrong diagnose, or with no one at all... However, since the clown circus started in 2020 with propaganda to the left and right about what we must do for our health and others, and what we must do to save the climate, I no longer have any respect for the so called medical industry, and none for the climate clowns either. So therefore, I now vouch for self diagnosis, and of course, that we all do our own research at all times. I do not care about social exclusion. And I do not feel the need to fit in. I don't have anything in common with most people anyway. Sorry in advance if this comment offends anyone. But then again, it does not really matter. And yes, I think I'm on the spectrum. Cheers
To be clear, I personally still default towards respect for the medical profession, NT or otherwise I think more often than not there's a professionalism and knowledge there that can't be overstated and - as you say - with self-diagnosis there's always the risk of misdiagnosis (for example, I initially mistook my autism for OCD, though to be fair I did self-correct through further research before getting an official assessment). What gets me here in the UK is the state of the NHS (through chronic underfunding) and the massive waits for assessment/diagnosis, THEN people getting vilified for self-diagnosing. You can't have it both ways. EITHER have a system that works, OR respect self-diagnosis. This can't be the dialogue, yet it is: NO, you CAN'T self-diagnose / ok then give me an assessment so I can understand what's happening to me / NOT NOW: you can either have one in 2 years' time or pay hundreds of pounds / I don't like either of those options, I think I'll self diagnose and try to start making myself feel better now / NO, you CAN'T self-diagnose ... lather, rinse, repeat. Repeat into a frustrating sinkhole of nothing.
They should be in the description if you click on 'read more', underneath the blurb on what the video's about. Email's amineurodivergent@gmail.com if you ever wanted to give me a shout about anything. Cheers - looking forward to giving your book a read!
Omg...please DON'T be funny and smiley! I can't watch those fake people and lately there are more and more of them on UA-cam. And I don't get it: they're talking about autism, overwhelm, masking and sensory overload and here they are pretending to be all fun and easy going, using annoying jingles, trying to be flashy and hip..... As an autistic person, shouldn't they be able to understand that this is exhausting to watch. You are a breath of fresh air, just talking in silence, no nonsense.
Thanks, I really appreciate this comment. I have to confess, I was so nervous about starting a UA-cam channel I read so many articles about how to be a successful UA-cam creator first and it was all - be engaging, be fun, look directly at the camera, use eye-catching graphics, so it's hardly surprising to now get feedback that I could have greater "reach" if I do these things to pull more people in. But I just can't to be honest, it feels really wrong for me. I'd prefer to be boring and just concentrate on being able to say my thoughts and try to be natural without sounding like a robot, lol.
You need to "smile more"?! No. please. I just discovered your chsnnel today. I've been totally engrosed in your videos for hours BECAUSE you don't come on like "OMG Im Sooo excited to be here today!!!😃😃😃😃😃" Please just be yourself. Im BEGGING you! "Smile more". Really? 🙄
Apparently being ND makes you incapable of understanding yourself. I KNOW I'm autistic. I'm getting a diagnosis so I can get services and find a job that will be more accommodating. And to the point of your "personality" while doing your videos I invite you to be your authentic self. You don't need to mask if you don't want to. I'm so over not being myself in order to make others feels more comfortable. What about how I feel?
I dont know who said to smile more and be funnier!.. ridiculous. I just found your channel and have been watching your videos from the beginning and they are great! You're perfect just the way you are! Also, I like your delivery on content. Easy to listen to, calm and interesting.
Thanks - yeah, I disregarded all that, I'm just trying to be me!
PLEASE don't bow to pressure to 'smile more' or mask/present in neurotypical ways! I love that you come out with little bits of humour totally deadpan, it's who we are! I find so many of the 'popular' autism channels unwatchable, and for the life of me cannot understand why people would use super fake peppy voices, weird graphics with sound effects, and background music tracks for an audience with lots of sensory issues! Seriously, for me they are unwatchable, and I find your calm presentation very soothing and thoughtful, and thought-provoking.
Thank you, I really appreciate that.
I am 65 , reach retirement this year and currently down the self diagnosis rabbit hole after a lifetime of misdiagnosis for all of my health issues.
After weeks of watching UA-cams this was so refreshing, please don’t change.
There are many ways to be an activist and I think your reasoned and considered yet still heartfelt and stirring words will reach lots of people to think of what they could do.
I for one am relieved that, although I thoroughly respect the choice of others, I don’t have to personally colour my hair , tattoo up and pierce my nose. I would if I chose to though😉
Thank you again
I think that cultural and societal change is often a powerful precursor for political and policy change. I think more and more people discovering their neudivergence will lead to a shift in perspective, as our community and the world at large discovers how prevelent we are in the population. An iceberg analogy works well here. The currently diagnosed number of people on the spectrum is quite small compared to the large, hidden population of undiagnosed people.
I personally would like to see the societal perspective to change from diagnosis to identifying, difference instead of disorder, research on understanding our needs and helpful accommodations instead of a "cure".
Yes - very well put and I agree with all of what you've said.
No you don't need to smile more and be funnier, you're very much welcome to just keep being yourself and focusing on the content.
Thanks - I appreciate that! I've been told to smile more ever since I was a kid. I think I just have a grumpy resting face, lol!
Please keep your neutral autistic face ❤
I like the straightforward honest way you bring this content. No need for anything more.
They don’t get it, and they think therefore we don’t get it and so we need a neurotypical to make a diagnosis about the thing they don’t get in the first place. Yeah, it all makes perfect sense.
Obviously, a diagnostic assessment with trained professionals and targeted support and advice is A Good Thing, but we can't have self-diagnosis and neurodivergent self-understanding being minimised and dismissed in the mainstream when - for so many people - getting a formal diagnosis is either prohibitively expensive or a tortuous years-long wait. It's not sustainable. Or fair.
this is brilliant, really nice video with a very interesting perspective
Thank you
LFG NGL TBH 🚀
🤣👍🚀
Good luck with anyone of us getting enough spoons etc etc, complications of testimony telling the fuller story...
hey again , i absolutely understand your call to action, ive been fighting this advocacy and campaigning fight for over 9 years and i have finally started the last 5 years getting BBC Radio attention to educate on autism and neurodiversity. i will stand with you , your absolutely right things need to change.
You rock, Gemma! So many people like you have been chipping away so long, trying to educate and increase understanding. I think (and hope) the dam will break soon and people will finally start to 'get it'.
@@amineurodivergent Absolutely !!!! agreed
I found your direct, serious way of saying things captivating and enjoyable. Personally I think you should continue autistically being yourself--and 'your people' will love it. Also, great content here. The story about your friend was jaw dropping and yet sadly relatable. I wonder, is there any way to submit an opinion piece to that publication without going through him? It sounded like you had some important things to share!
Thank you - I've actually started writing to publications I think are misrepresenting the neurodivergent community, and it's actually started showing results too. I got a retraction and amendment issued from The Guardian newspaper a couple of weeks ago which I was really pleased about (the article I objected to was equating difficulties with Theory of Mind with insanity which is ... problematic to say the least in 2023). They upheld my complaint, changed the wording in the article on their website, and issued a note to explain why.
@@amineurodivergent Congratulations! That's inspiring
Perplexed by it all & accepting the diagnosed adhd, given up thinking about the autism diagnosis, it seems just like acknowledging why l did this in the past, putting labels onto the said behaviour & moving on as in living day to day
Accepting it and moving on is a valid (and arguably healthier) response. I don't know why the combination of finding this out about myself, finding out how common it all is, and finding out how little it's discussed, why it's all p***ed me off so much and pushed me to want to surface it and make some noise about it. But it has.
I have to say at 56 and in a diagnosis process, lived a long full and interesting life, trying to adapt, find ways of being, struggle to carve out safe spaces, ever challenged by maintaining balance on the edges... I most definitely do believe there are simply solutions to all problemas, many of us waiting on a long overdue change of heart , it's seems to be well and truly getting into the main arteries of human consciousness...
Thanks - I genuinely hope you're right. I think at times for so many of us including me things can feel a little hopeless and the frustration just bubbles over. Sometimes the long view can be hard to step back into and see. Patience, patience!
I have just found your channel and I think you are great. I was diagnosed last year in February. I haven't asked for help in all of my 40 odd years struggling but after I got diagnosed I addressed a massive problem I had and applied for a bit of help, I had to write an essay on the struggle and also I had to send a copy of my diagnosis. I got refused help within a couple of days as there wasn't enough proof I was struggling. I've given up, there is no fight in me anymore. BTW the struggle was with parking my car...I'm left feeling embarrassed and worthless. So the diagnosis means nothing really.
I'm really sorry to hear this - where are you based in the world? There may be people (healthcare professionals or advocates) who could advocate on your behalf to get you the adjustment you need?
@@amineurodivergent I'm in the UK, North Lincolnshire. I haven't been to the doctors since 2019 so I guess it might be my fault to why I can't get proof of the struggles. I just can't force myself to reach out because I feel like they think I'm putting on a performance. Even after my assessment I felt like now what do I do. The only advice I got from the diagnosis was websites such as 'wrong planet' and National autistic society. I went on and came off within days, not my bag.
@@soyunperderdor7246 There's a really good wee privately run charity I spoke with around the time of my assessment and diagnosis www.autismandadhd.org - a woman called Annie Clements runs it and helped get my wheels pointing in the right direction again, she's very pragmatic and straightforward and may have some suggested ways forward. Also, I know easier said than done to make the initial approach but given you have an actual diagnosis your GP may also be able to write something official to help you out with what you need? Give Annie a shout if you can face it, she's super nice. Você não é um perdedor
@@amineurodivergent yep "I'm a loser baby so why don't you k*ll me"🎸🎶🎶...haha I'm impressed, not many take notice, you are definitely Autistic!
Anyway thankyou for the advice, I shall have a nosey at the charity when I have recharged my batteries. You know when I was younger and people used to say that to me, I actually thought they had batteries inside of them haha
The song was by beck....I wasn't being weird.
It's not just that the medical establishment devalues and invalidates self-diagnosis among neurodivergent people. The medical establishment has a lot invested in their position as *authorities.* Point one: They forget: we (clients) pay their salaries. *They* work for *us*.
Point two: I've been trying for three months so far to find a local-ish clinician who is qualified to do an adult autism diagnosis. (I'm in Vermont, US.) I finally located someone who wants to charge $2500 and doesn't take insurance. How is an average person, me, supposed to afford that? So the message I'm getting is, put my entire trust in the hands of a medical authority, but we're gonna make it too expensive for you to actually work with that authority. F*ck that sh*t.
That's awful, what a sh*t situation. I complain about the UK and the sometimes years-long NHS waiting lists for assessment here, but if you have endless reserves of patience you can actually have assessments and post-diagnostic support provided here free of charge. That doesn't happen in the US and that really, REALLY sucks. Sorry.
Interesting video. Popped up in my feed after researching ASD. I guess there is this preconceived opinion about needing someone that is educated in the medical field to determine if a certain individual might be neurodivergent or not. And this in order to make it official. For me, when doing all this research, I have to consider the fact that I am activly searching for answers. And with the concept of self diagnosis, one might end up with the wrong diagnose, or with no one at all...
However, since the clown circus started in 2020 with propaganda to the left and right about what we must do for our health and others, and what we must do to save the climate, I no longer have any respect for the so called medical industry, and none for the climate clowns either.
So therefore, I now vouch for self diagnosis, and of course, that we all do our own research at all times.
I do not care about social exclusion. And I do not feel the need to fit in. I don't have anything in common with most people anyway.
Sorry in advance if this comment offends anyone. But then again, it does not really matter.
And yes, I think I'm on the spectrum.
Cheers
To be clear, I personally still default towards respect for the medical profession, NT or otherwise I think more often than not there's a professionalism and knowledge there that can't be overstated and - as you say - with self-diagnosis there's always the risk of misdiagnosis (for example, I initially mistook my autism for OCD, though to be fair I did self-correct through further research before getting an official assessment). What gets me here in the UK is the state of the NHS (through chronic underfunding) and the massive waits for assessment/diagnosis, THEN people getting vilified for self-diagnosing. You can't have it both ways. EITHER have a system that works, OR respect self-diagnosis. This can't be the dialogue, yet it is: NO, you CAN'T self-diagnose / ok then give me an assessment so I can understand what's happening to me / NOT NOW: you can either have one in 2 years' time or pay hundreds of pounds / I don't like either of those options, I think I'll self diagnose and try to start making myself feel better now / NO, you CAN'T self-diagnose ... lather, rinse, repeat. Repeat into a frustrating sinkhole of nothing.
You say your email and Facebook page are below. Not finding them. Anyway, good stuff-- keep going.
They should be in the description if you click on 'read more', underneath the blurb on what the video's about. Email's amineurodivergent@gmail.com if you ever wanted to give me a shout about anything. Cheers - looking forward to giving your book a read!
Omg...please DON'T be funny and smiley! I can't watch those fake people and lately there are more and more of them on UA-cam. And I don't get it: they're talking about autism, overwhelm, masking and sensory overload and here they are pretending to be all fun and easy going, using annoying jingles, trying to be flashy and hip..... As an autistic person, shouldn't they be able to understand that this is exhausting to watch.
You are a breath of fresh air, just talking in silence, no nonsense.
Thanks, I really appreciate this comment. I have to confess, I was so nervous about starting a UA-cam channel I read so many articles about how to be a successful UA-cam creator first and it was all - be engaging, be fun, look directly at the camera, use eye-catching graphics, so it's hardly surprising to now get feedback that I could have greater "reach" if I do these things to pull more people in. But I just can't to be honest, it feels really wrong for me. I'd prefer to be boring and just concentrate on being able to say my thoughts and try to be natural without sounding like a robot, lol.
You need to "smile more"?! No. please. I just discovered your chsnnel today. I've been totally engrosed in your videos for hours BECAUSE you don't come on like "OMG Im Sooo excited to be here today!!!😃😃😃😃😃"
Please just be yourself. Im BEGGING you!
"Smile more". Really? 🙄
That advice came from two neurotypical people - they meant well ... !
Apparently being ND makes you incapable of understanding yourself. I KNOW I'm autistic. I'm getting a diagnosis so I can get services and find a job that will be more accommodating.
And to the point of your "personality" while doing your videos I invite you to be your authentic self. You don't need to mask if you don't want to. I'm so over not being myself in order to make others feels more comfortable. What about how I feel?