That’s been a large part of my mask; here she comes, “quirky fun times lady.” Now that my mask has been forcibly removed, it’s required a LOT of adjustment😕🧐😆
28 year old black male, recently diagnosed ADHD, formerly misdiagnosed BPD. I have been told many times without even being able to explain myself and the research I've done. I feel like I can relate as far as not fitting in mold of an autistic person... My special interests include photography due to my memory issues and you are on the brink of inspiring me to actually do the same for my demographic... Ranting, sorry but just want to show you some love for being a real one
In my opinion, you did very well explaining labels and such. 👍 My son was diagnosed in 2020. He was described in number levels in different areas. He was a 3 in communication/social skills because he was language delayed. He was a 1 in something else and a 2 in something else. I've been through the whole "he doesn't look autistic" or "act autistic" that so many people on the spectrum hate hearing.
I think if I ever met you in person, my brain would explode. I've spent so much time pretending to be like the people around me, but, you're like me, the actual me.
very good video. :) The thing about the "traits" being "autistic". The best way I have found to explain it to others. These "traits", that like you said everyone can have one or several of the traits as humans, the way it makes you "autistic" is a combination of things. #1: the amount. like if you have one or 2 =not autistic, but if you have like 8/10= autistic (I am not sure how many traits there are in the current diagonstic, or how many you have to have in order to be "diagnosable autistic", but this was more to explain). #2: the frequency or intensity that you experience these traits #3: the way these traits negatively after your life and your functioning. (this is also related to if you end up being "diagnosable autistic", because you may still feel like you are autistic, but a medical proffesional may dismiss this because you are "functioning just fine", and this ties into why women especially are not properly diagnosed with autism, because we are unknowingly masking. (I am personally someone who has worked with autistic children, my father has a Phd in Special Education with focus in autism and I still ended up diagnosed last year at 38 years old, because even with professionals, there is only now in the last 5-10 years coming in research and information about how autism is in women and how often our female traits and often high ability to mask means we end up burnout and depressed often with anxiety and other diagnoses long before we get the proper diagnosis. ) Hope this helps. :) And great job again Amanda for doing an awesome Autism 101 explanation video. :)
It always amazes me how many women were overlooked for diagnosis when they had people who worked with Autistic people in their lives and that these people didn't see how the traits related and just presented differently.
@@i.am.mindblind yes. I am shocked myself. because I have read so much about autism through the years and it was just in 2021 that I stumbled onto information that showed me the positibility that autism could be a thing for me. I ended up in a deep depression/burnout during 2020 and first found information about adhd and thought maybe that was something I actually had, but it didn't fit exactly. but that led be down a rabbit hole of research and I stumbled upon youtube creators who were both Autistic and Adhd and then suddenly the "click" and I understood. So when I finally got to a psychologist (long waitlist), I actually just said please check me for autism and she did. I basically "checked all the boxes".... but had only earlier when I had gone to other psychologists for depression in the past, they hadn't thought to "look" for anything else. And I don't think I would have been considered for autism if I had not requested it myself. And been so well informed. Masking and especially being "high functioning" in most areas of life and "getting by" in life for so many years is why it was never considered. But as those of us who have experienced it know, "getting by" through masking is exhausting. And life also can get so "demanding" that level of funcitoning is suddenly less that needed to cope with life. For me this "tipping point" was the sudden covid situation with lockdown and schools closing. From one day to another and life was turned upsidedown. Which is difficult when I was just barely coping as it was. But to suddenly have 4 kids at home ages 3,5 year-14 years..... with online school and so much more, it was the "straw that broke the camels back"..... The work you do Amanda, sharing like you do is going to help so many others figure things out. :)
@@kariannefimland1475 I think a lot of us late diagnosed figured out something was up during lockdown one way or the other. For some the slowed down pace they actually felt peace that their normal life didn't allow. Others, like you with kids at home it all became too much. Because as much as we love our kids, they are sensory "delights." I'm a homeschool mom, so we already had at home routines before covid. A lot of our social outlets did suddenly come to a halt though, which was hard. I started to realize my kids might be Autistic when we started talking about public school and I realized that they weren't going to fit there, and it wasn't because of being homeschoolers. The more I investigated their anxiety (they got dx'd Generalized Anxiety Disorder at age 7) and more about their Sensory issues, it pointed to AuDHD too. Then it was only a short time before I saw I was masking all the traits. Thank you so much, I really do hope my channel reaches all the people it can help. And thank you for commenting, because having other Autistic people in the comments is part of the solution for spreading awareness and acceptance.
this was such a great video! I have recently become aware of my own autism and am now hyperfixated on it, and your video has been the most relatable and educational ive seen yet :)
This makes my heart happy! Welcome to the Autistic club. We're pretty amazing! 😊 I understand the hyperfixation. I hope you enjoy more of my videos! ❤️
Thank you =o) Another Autistic + Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AuDHD), Global Aphant, Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM) - checking in! I get to add a few more: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Non-Binary (NB), Transgender (Neutrois), Asexual (ACE), Aromantic (ARO)
Wracking up those acronyms Eira! I hope you are getting support around AFRID. Well or any support, but food is important, even if it's not easy sometimes.
I thought UK also used the DSM5. I wonder if they have a different version? Or they use a different diagnostic manual altogether. I'd be really interested in comparing! Although I have read in some message boards of people in US currently getting diagnosed Autistic without a level. So I wonder if not all docs assign the level, they just didn't pay attention or how that works. I even saw someone say they recently got diagnosed aspergers. Which makes me think they are self diagnosed with old info (fine, but maybe do more research?) or they got diagnosed by an outdated doctor. It really is interesting how long old information stays in circulation.
I have spent much of my life feeling more feminine than is typical for a man. Going by my CAT-Q I mask much more like the average autistic woman than man. Perhaps that is why I feel that way? I'm an INFJ, so reading people is kind of my thing. I feel good about it to when it leads to people feeling heard & comfortable. Its been the most consistent compliment I've received in life. I spend a lot of time in my head, self analyzing, trying to figure out ways I can be....less intimidating I guess. I'm fully aware that I have a permanent bitch face when not actively interacting with someone. One thing I love about the online neurodivergent community. Unlike the NHS, these people actually know the kind of things I deal with, as they deal with them as well. Not just one of the tropey boxes we're made to fit into. But actual human beings. Its very validating & comforting to see that I'm not entirely alien. It really helps, thank you.
I love personal development stuff. I'm sure it's part of my mask, learning how to Human, but it makes me happy so I'm good. Lol. I'm also so glad I've found neurodivergent spaces. Thank you for your support.
@@i.am.mindblind Same here, from psychology, personality psychology, body language, colour theory. All of that jazz lol. Super common interests in this community. Trying to logic our way around what seems to come more naturally to neurotypicals.
i would say that autism spectrum is like radar chart . Thank you for this video. It is very informative and easy to understand. In 19:00 do you mean misophonia ?
Misophonia is usually irritation to specific sounds, such as chewing. A lot of autistic people are sensitive to a range of sounds. Could be misophonia or maybe it's a part of just being sensory senstive in general.
Many people do not agree with the inclusion of Aspergers with ASD. We're not all the same, which is quite the point of it being a spectrum. People in the level 3 range have such a significant need for support and have rather detrimental deficits that are a very different experience from people that have level 1/Aspergers. Sure, there are some concerns about the individual... many are valid concerns, some may not be as real because people living in an "occupied" society have to operate in a way to survive. Are we all informed about Hans Asperger? Probably none of us are, adequately. He was a person that lived in Nazi society. Would we all like to believe that we would have remained principled, but that seems to be relatively rare when studies check people's responses when faced with peer pressure and authority. Folks with ASD are more likely to remain principled, but if they have a stronger affinity to external rules they may not rely on principle but adherance to authority. Again, we're all different despite the similarities that we have.
I think having a separate word for Autism level 1 vs 3 is elitist. It makes people think that it's "better" to have Level 1. Or that it's "autism lite." But we are all Autistic and our support needs fluctuate day to day. Yes, level 3 autistic people need a lot more support, especially if there are more comorbidities happening. I still don't love the levels because I feel they can be blurry but I do appreciate a need for some differentiation to describe our differences within the diagnosis. Of course, you are entitled to your view too. I know a lot of autistic people with the aspergers diagnosis are attached to that identity and that is okay by me as long as it doesn't come with a supirior attitude. (Not saying you are suggesting that, just being clear.)
@@i.am.mindblind My point is just that it isn't clear. There are people that disagree on these things. Some folks are quite outspoken on it. However, there are differences in people's experience and it is quite helpful to have a "baseline" for people that aren't familiar with you in the healthcare field to have some idea of what to expect. Sure, all of that can be thrown out the window on any given day where things just are not going well. Some of the most prominents voices in the ASD community are some of those that disagree with it, like Dr. Tony Atwood and Temple Grandin; Dr. Atwood's perspective seems to be more based in awareness because "high functioning" people may get overlooked, which I find quite helpful (not elitist) whereas Temple Grandin seems to look at it from the experience of someone in the Level 3 space getting lumped in with folks in the Level 1 space and having truly different realites. The truth is that the experiences are quite different for people. None of us are the same. Regardless of level, we don't have all of the same representations of symptoms and many do have a large set of comorbities that add many different characteristics. I am not here to criticize, just offering a different perspective. I appreciate your experience and the effort that you're going through to make these videos which is quite noteworthy.
I appreciate the clarification. I have a lot more to learn in regards to the levels of autism and plan on working towards a better understanding from all perspectives. I was just discussing with my sister this morning that doing this channel as a "lived experience" vlog can be quite intimidating. I don't want to spread any misinformation but I'm also learning as I go. I think it is a needed perspective. And I am committed to constantly be in inquiry.
@@i.am.mindblind What you’re doing is brave. I have written a couple of blog posts and quickly decided to not make them public because I write on my blog for work. While I wish it wasn’t an issue, it can be concerning. Maybe one day I can be more public (my boss actually knows and is supportive).
@@dus10dnd one of the reasons I feel so strongly about advocating is because it is safe for me to do so. Which means I do my best to learn from the parts of the community that cannot safely advocate outloud. 💜💜💜
I cant stand the way people say "actually autistic" it seems so condescending. Makes it seem like people believe their autism is some how above others autism. Why do people say that "actually autistic" do they believe people are going around pretending to be disabled?
Actually autistic came from the fact that most of autism is talked about people who are experts in the field and not coming from actual autistic experience. So when somebody is explaining something and they say that they are actually autistic it means that they are Autistic. Not an Allistic person who is speaking for or over an autistic voices. It's not meant to be condescending, and it does include people who are self-diagnosed.
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Not being "weird" enough to be atypical, not "normal" enough to be "normal" ... story of my life.
I really, really appreciate this. "Story of my life" .Thank you!!!
That’s been a large part of my mask; here she comes, “quirky fun times lady.”
Now that my mask has been forcibly removed, it’s required a LOT of adjustment😕🧐😆
28 year old black male, recently diagnosed ADHD, formerly misdiagnosed BPD. I have been told many times without even being able to explain myself and the research I've done. I feel like I can relate as far as not fitting in mold of an autistic person... My special interests include photography due to my memory issues and you are on the brink of inspiring me to actually do the same for my demographic... Ranting, sorry but just want to show you some love for being a real one
More neurodivergent voices are always welcome! ❤️😊
Thank you so much for sharing your experience @garrettwilliams.
It’s so helpful for me and my family 🙂
Hope you are well.
In my opinion, you did very well explaining labels and such. 👍 My son was diagnosed in 2020. He was described in number levels in different areas. He was a 3 in communication/social skills because he was language delayed. He was a 1 in something else and a 2 in something else. I've been through the whole "he doesn't look autistic" or "act autistic" that so many people on the spectrum hate hearing.
I think if I ever met you in person, my brain would explode. I've spent so much time pretending to be like the people around me, but, you're like me, the actual me.
very good video. :) The thing about the "traits" being "autistic". The best way I have found to explain it to others. These "traits", that like you said everyone can have one or several of the traits as humans, the way it makes you "autistic" is a combination of things. #1: the amount. like if you have one or 2 =not autistic, but if you have like 8/10= autistic (I am not sure how many traits there are in the current diagonstic, or how many you have to have in order to be "diagnosable autistic", but this was more to explain). #2: the frequency or intensity that you experience these traits #3: the way these traits negatively after your life and your functioning. (this is also related to if you end up being "diagnosable autistic", because you may still feel like you are autistic, but a medical proffesional may dismiss this because you are "functioning just fine", and this ties into why women especially are not properly diagnosed with autism, because we are unknowingly masking. (I am personally someone who has worked with autistic children, my father has a Phd in Special Education with focus in autism and I still ended up diagnosed last year at 38 years old, because even with professionals, there is only now in the last 5-10 years coming in research and information about how autism is in women and how often our female traits and often high ability to mask means we end up burnout and depressed often with anxiety and other diagnoses long before we get the proper diagnosis. ) Hope this helps. :) And great job again Amanda for doing an awesome Autism 101 explanation video. :)
It always amazes me how many women were overlooked for diagnosis when they had people who worked with Autistic people in their lives and that these people didn't see how the traits related and just presented differently.
@@i.am.mindblind yes. I am shocked myself. because I have read so much about autism through the years and it was just in 2021 that I stumbled onto information that showed me the positibility that autism could be a thing for me. I ended up in a deep depression/burnout during 2020 and first found information about adhd and thought maybe that was something I actually had, but it didn't fit exactly. but that led be down a rabbit hole of research and I stumbled upon youtube creators who were both Autistic and Adhd and then suddenly the "click" and I understood. So when I finally got to a psychologist (long waitlist), I actually just said please check me for autism and she did. I basically "checked all the boxes".... but had only earlier when I had gone to other psychologists for depression in the past, they hadn't thought to "look" for anything else. And I don't think I would have been considered for autism if I had not requested it myself. And been so well informed. Masking and especially being "high functioning" in most areas of life and "getting by" in life for so many years is why it was never considered. But as those of us who have experienced it know, "getting by" through masking is exhausting. And life also can get so "demanding" that level of funcitoning is suddenly less that needed to cope with life. For me this "tipping point" was the sudden covid situation with lockdown and schools closing. From one day to another and life was turned upsidedown. Which is difficult when I was just barely coping as it was. But to suddenly have 4 kids at home ages 3,5 year-14 years..... with online school and so much more, it was the "straw that broke the camels back"..... The work you do Amanda, sharing like you do is going to help so many others figure things out. :)
@@kariannefimland1475 I think a lot of us late diagnosed figured out something was up during lockdown one way or the other. For some the slowed down pace they actually felt peace that their normal life didn't allow. Others, like you with kids at home it all became too much. Because as much as we love our kids, they are sensory "delights." I'm a homeschool mom, so we already had at home routines before covid. A lot of our social outlets did suddenly come to a halt though, which was hard.
I started to realize my kids might be Autistic when we started talking about public school and I realized that they weren't going to fit there, and it wasn't because of being homeschoolers. The more I investigated their anxiety (they got dx'd Generalized Anxiety Disorder at age 7) and more about their Sensory issues, it pointed to AuDHD too. Then it was only a short time before I saw I was masking all the traits.
Thank you so much, I really do hope my channel reaches all the people it can help. And thank you for commenting, because having other Autistic people in the comments is part of the solution for spreading awareness and acceptance.
This was a really good one, Amanda, so well described. Thank you 😊😊😊
You're welcome Traci. Thank you for watching 😊
Hi. My son was just diagnosed with autism level 1 and your video was so helpful. Especially the special interest part
I'm so glad I could help! 😊❤️
this was such a great video! I have recently become aware of my own autism and am now hyperfixated on it, and your video has been the most relatable and educational ive seen yet :)
This makes my heart happy! Welcome to the Autistic club. We're pretty amazing! 😊 I understand the hyperfixation. I hope you enjoy more of my videos! ❤️
Amanda, I'm sorry and I love all that you do for us.
would love a video on autistic identity and culture. thank you for creating.
Thank you =o)
Another Autistic + Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AuDHD), Global Aphant, Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM) - checking in!
I get to add a few more: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Non-Binary (NB), Transgender (Neutrois), Asexual (ACE), Aromantic (ARO)
Wracking up those acronyms Eira! I hope you are getting support around AFRID. Well or any support, but food is important, even if it's not easy sometimes.
SO THANKFUL FOR YOU
This is very useful - thank you - I am level one ASD but they don't use that in the UK as far as I know but I still class myself as level one x
I thought UK also used the DSM5. I wonder if they have a different version? Or they use a different diagnostic manual altogether. I'd be really interested in comparing! Although I have read in some message boards of people in US currently getting diagnosed Autistic without a level. So I wonder if not all docs assign the level, they just didn't pay attention or how that works. I even saw someone say they recently got diagnosed aspergers. Which makes me think they are self diagnosed with old info (fine, but maybe do more research?) or they got diagnosed by an outdated doctor. It really is interesting how long old information stays in circulation.
@@i.am.mindblind hi. Yes the use the dsm 5 here but as far as I’m aware don’t use levels but I wish they would as it would make sense
I have spent much of my life feeling more feminine than is typical for a man.
Going by my CAT-Q I mask much more like the average autistic woman than man. Perhaps that is why I feel that way?
I'm an INFJ, so reading people is kind of my thing. I feel good about it to when it leads to people feeling heard & comfortable.
Its been the most consistent compliment I've received in life.
I spend a lot of time in my head, self analyzing, trying to figure out ways I can be....less intimidating I guess.
I'm fully aware that I have a permanent bitch face when not actively interacting with someone.
One thing I love about the online neurodivergent community. Unlike the NHS, these people actually know the kind of things I deal with, as they deal with them as well.
Not just one of the tropey boxes we're made to fit into. But actual human beings. Its very validating & comforting to see that I'm not entirely alien. It really helps, thank you.
I love personal development stuff. I'm sure it's part of my mask, learning how to Human, but it makes me happy so I'm good. Lol. I'm also so glad I've found neurodivergent spaces. Thank you for your support.
@@i.am.mindblind Same here, from psychology, personality psychology, body language, colour theory. All of that jazz lol.
Super common interests in this community. Trying to logic our way around what seems to come more naturally to neurotypicals.
i would say that autism spectrum is like radar chart . Thank you for this video. It is very informative and easy to understand. In 19:00 do you mean misophonia ?
Misophonia is usually irritation to specific sounds, such as chewing. A lot of autistic people are sensitive to a range of sounds. Could be misophonia or maybe it's a part of just being sensory senstive in general.
Thanks!
You are so incredible. Thank you for your support ❤️❤️❤️
and there is honestly a fundamental difference between the male and female autistic experience. That is to some extent based on social norms.
This is so true. Thanks for adding that!
Many people do not agree with the inclusion of Aspergers with ASD. We're not all the same, which is quite the point of it being a spectrum. People in the level 3 range have such a significant need for support and have rather detrimental deficits that are a very different experience from people that have level 1/Aspergers. Sure, there are some concerns about the individual... many are valid concerns, some may not be as real because people living in an "occupied" society have to operate in a way to survive. Are we all informed about Hans Asperger? Probably none of us are, adequately. He was a person that lived in Nazi society. Would we all like to believe that we would have remained principled, but that seems to be relatively rare when studies check people's responses when faced with peer pressure and authority. Folks with ASD are more likely to remain principled, but if they have a stronger affinity to external rules they may not rely on principle but adherance to authority. Again, we're all different despite the similarities that we have.
I think having a separate word for Autism level 1 vs 3 is elitist. It makes people think that it's "better" to have Level 1. Or that it's "autism lite." But we are all Autistic and our support needs fluctuate day to day. Yes, level 3 autistic people need a lot more support, especially if there are more comorbidities happening. I still don't love the levels because I feel they can be blurry but I do appreciate a need for some differentiation to describe our differences within the diagnosis. Of course, you are entitled to your view too. I know a lot of autistic people with the aspergers diagnosis are attached to that identity and that is okay by me as long as it doesn't come with a supirior attitude. (Not saying you are suggesting that, just being clear.)
@@i.am.mindblind My point is just that it isn't clear. There are people that disagree on these things. Some folks are quite outspoken on it. However, there are differences in people's experience and it is quite helpful to have a "baseline" for people that aren't familiar with you in the healthcare field to have some idea of what to expect. Sure, all of that can be thrown out the window on any given day where things just are not going well. Some of the most prominents voices in the ASD community are some of those that disagree with it, like Dr. Tony Atwood and Temple Grandin; Dr. Atwood's perspective seems to be more based in awareness because "high functioning" people may get overlooked, which I find quite helpful (not elitist) whereas Temple Grandin seems to look at it from the experience of someone in the Level 3 space getting lumped in with folks in the Level 1 space and having truly different realites. The truth is that the experiences are quite different for people. None of us are the same. Regardless of level, we don't have all of the same representations of symptoms and many do have a large set of comorbities that add many different characteristics.
I am not here to criticize, just offering a different perspective. I appreciate your experience and the effort that you're going through to make these videos which is quite noteworthy.
I appreciate the clarification. I have a lot more to learn in regards to the levels of autism and plan on working towards a better understanding from all perspectives. I was just discussing with my sister this morning that doing this channel as a "lived experience" vlog can be quite intimidating. I don't want to spread any misinformation but I'm also learning as I go. I think it is a needed perspective. And I am committed to constantly be in inquiry.
@@i.am.mindblind What you’re doing is brave. I have written a couple of blog posts and quickly decided to not make them public because I write on my blog for work. While I wish it wasn’t an issue, it can be concerning. Maybe one day I can be more public (my boss actually knows and is supportive).
@@dus10dnd one of the reasons I feel so strongly about advocating is because it is safe for me to do so. Which means I do my best to learn from the parts of the community that cannot safely advocate outloud. 💜💜💜
Level 1 2 and 3 im 2
I cant stand the way people say "actually autistic" it seems so condescending. Makes it seem like people believe their autism is some how above others autism. Why do people say that "actually autistic" do they believe people are going around pretending to be disabled?
Actually autistic came from the fact that most of autism is talked about people who are experts in the field and not coming from actual autistic experience. So when somebody is explaining something and they say that they are actually autistic it means that they are Autistic. Not an Allistic person who is speaking for or over an autistic voices. It's not meant to be condescending, and it does include people who are self-diagnosed.