Doctor REACTS to Atypical | Psychiatrist Analyzes Autism Spectrum Disorders | Dr Elliott
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
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This doctor REACTS video is checking out Atypical. This is all about a protaganist with an autism spectrum disorder. We have preivously watched The Good Doctor, and lots of you (quite rightly) pointed out that most people with ASD don't have the stereotypical savant syndrome that TV and film seems to love. There are lots of people who struggle with neurodiverse minds and its important that we acknowledge the variety of ways in which it can manifest. I thought Atypical did a good job of that. However, I'm also mindful that I, as a neurotypical man, am not the best person to judge this. I'm keen to hear from you, especially if any of you identify with being neurodiverse as to what you thought were the good and the bad bits of this portrayal of ASD.
Let me know what you think!
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One of my favourite parts of this show is its subtle but not damning critique of "autism parents". Sam's mum very much views herself as Sam's protector and is very eager to fight his battles for him. While of course all mothers feel this way on some level, the show points out that taking this too far can hold a child back or blind parents to their child's competence. The best example of this is the trip to the mall. Elsa is fixating on all the ways this could go wrong and gets in a fight with an employee because she wants a changing room with dimmer lights. Meanwhile, Sam is perfectly fine picking out shirts with Zahid. Then there's Sam's Dad Doug, who is initially uninformed, but then broadens his understanding by talking to Sam about his life. I saw a lot of my own dad in Doug, because he trusted his own child to tell him how he felt and what was wrong, rather than making assumptions based on observations and past behaviour.
Don't forget that Elsa may also just be trying to avoid dealing with the entire situation (and not necessarily in a bad way). It's traumatic to see a child in a meltdown, dealing with it for years, and it's also traumatic to realize that the people witnessing it are not understanding but are judging both the child and the parent. Being hypervigilant and avoidant in that situation would be a normal reaction. You can't just ignore the history she has had with her child, and many times there is little help for the parent, and what help there is doesn't come from autistic people. There are plenty of guidelines for "normal" child development for Parent to draw from, but again, there can be little good help for dealing with autism, especially since it is so individual. Basically, it's complicated for everyone concerned.
@@littlebitofhope1489 I'm not denying that. Neither is the show. There are plenty of instances that show what meltdowns look like and what can set them off (the woman's ponytail at the track meet and Sam's meltdown on the bus). We get to see what Sam and his family are trying to avoid and it's easy to understand why they're trying to avoid it, but you can still understand that Elsa borders on overbearing for a lot of the show, and part of her character arc is learning to take a step back and trust Sam to be independent (her arc also addresses that her hypervigilance towards Sam has caused her to neglect her relationships with her daughter and husband, further encouraging her to let Sam be more independent)
Honestly Elsa is my least favorite charcter not just because she had an affair and expected to be forgiven right away, she has nothing but constant doubt for sam even in the first episode, and I love how Doug challenges this In the third season.
Yeah, that's a really good perspective that this show makes that I appreciate as someone with ASD and knowing others with ASD. Often, there's a fairly large group of people within society who are often overprotective of us, it's understandable as to why and how that overproctive nature can be justified and appropriate to them as individuals who aren't on the spectrum and as result don't have first hand experience of living with ASD, but often this overprotectiveness can be just as, if not more damaging than just treating someone with ASD the same as you would anyone else,yes we are different, but that doesnt always mean we can't function by ourselves, it's important to show you care and be there sure, but there needs to be room to grow, often this overportectiveness can even be painful emotionally because you start wondering, does this person think I'm not capable of doing things myself, or that I can't handle things, theres also the aspect of you dont wanna be a burden, of course I can't speak for everyone on the spectrum really, only myself, because I only know my own experiences, it's just that a spectrum, and I'm actually fairly good at understanding others emotions and thought process, (definitely have trouble with the social cues bit thogh that's for sure).
The one thing I love most about this episode in particular is that the hyperfixation on Antarctica and penguins isn’t entirely played for laughs. So many shows handle that aspect as a source for comedy (a,k,a, “Look at how ridiculous he looks when he’s talking about something he loves, HAHA) whereas here, his knowledge of animal mating trends sets him up for a disappointment he likely won’t see coming. Neurotypical people would think it’s completely unrealistic, but that brought back so many memories from middle and high school.
One of the hardest things is that even just trying to blend and integrate into social groups in can be met with eyerolling and condescension. Therapie for adults that would help improving social skills can be difficult to find and often widely vary in usefulness even when around
Oh gosh.. as a woman recently diagnosed in her 40's. The feels.
Btw, my 14yr old and I watch you. She came out to me based on my reaction to you! She also has decided her path is in psychology. (Not psychiatry cause she is petrified of the idea of being allowed to prescribe medications 😂) thank you for being you!
i wish u did more of these, atypical made me feel seen.
You bring up that test with the pennies and the chocolates -- as I was listening to you explaining things about ASD, I thought to myself several times, "Yeah, and?" before realizing that no, these things are not universal, this is an ASD thing, and NTs (neurotypicals) generally don't experience that. I'm in my twenties 😶
you have to do more reactions to this show there are some great moments that would be really good to see your viewpoint on.
Can you please react to Everything's gonna be okay?
I have ASD. Somewhere towards the end of the season when a lot of shit suddenly goes wrong wrong he has a meltdown. They captured the essence of that so well that i ended up crying my ass out. It pulled back some very powerful memories of when i was young. I haven't had meltdowns in more than a decade but the pain and suffering inside him in that scene was sooo deep. All the details, the acting.
Also all the struggles of the parents are very realistic. the caring mother and the father who struggles to find a connection
Yeah, I really feel like they should have had a TW on it
I'm autistic, and I think it's super helpful to have special interests! When I was 10, I was obsessed with the study of human behavior, and all of that information stayed put in my brain so that now, I can understand other people better. Of course, it doesn't come naturally so I have to manually analyze anything that anyone does. But I hope scientists don't find a "cure", I just hope the world could adapt to neurodiversity more.
I couldn't agree more
As person with aspergers and adhd and depression I would take cure I hope they find cure but it would be individual choice to take it or not because to be honest my life would be more easier without my mental illness
@@dragonman50 Let's hope it's found in such a way that it is a choice by the individual and not an erasure or condemnation of the existence of neurodivergents
@@jenm1 yeh hopefully pluse Its genetic so it probably would be pretty dangerous and probably expensive so they really can't make you do that by force
When I was diagnosed at 16 I taught myself all about autism and how it related to the world. It became a special interest of mine and now I'm studying to be a Psychologist.
Sensory overload is terrible. The way I try to explain is: you know that scene in a movie where the person is having a panic attack and everything gets louder and you can’t focus because everything is competing for their attention? It’s just like that, but without the panic. In me it manifests as anger, and I don’t like myself when i’m like that.
And that’s what I mean when I say I don’t like to go to parties. :)
If anyone asks me to kinda describe it I reference that one scene in Man of Steel [you can look up Man of Steel- Kid Clark Kent's Childhood Difficulty]. Minus out the super power stuff, tweak the severity a bit, and boom
I can tell when it's more likely to happen the moment I wake up. If I open my eyes and the light looks brighter, sounds are louder, or my soft clothes suddenly feel scratchy, it's gonna be a more difficult day to get through. Definitely get a lot more irritable and will be more cruel/blunt, so in goes the earbuds, people are avoided, and lights get dimmed on those days. Shit's rough
I’ve also explained it as like having a light being shone in your eye. Even if you turn your head or close your eyes, it’s still there and causing trouble!
Deaf viewer here! When you had the show you were watching small and in the bottom corner it was very difficult to watch while using subtitles. This new editing is awesome and very enjoyable for me to watch! Thank you!!
Thanks so much. I'm really pleased. I'm still learning about editing as I go and the more accessible it can be the better
It’s interesting that you mentioned online dating as potentially problematic. Of course there are fake accounts and stuff, but as an autistic person I’ve found dating apps to be hugely helpful in my love life. I would never really be comfortable cold-approaching somebody in real life. But a dating app takes away that fear. You know the person wants to be messaged, you don’t have to worry about the physical environment, no need to read tone or body language, and it means when you do meet someone you’re already past some of the awkwardness. My love life would look very different without the ability to talk to somebody not in-person first
I’m neurodivergent as well, and I agree, dating apps have helped so much since I really struggle with interacting in ‘typical dating situations’ (i’ll never understand bars and clubs and why people like going to them). The main issue I’ve had is people cultivating a version of themselves through messages that does not align with who they are in real life, in a way it can be even more jarring.
As an autistic person (not a person with autism), I think that especially in the first season they showed mostly stereotypical things. I also feel that the burden of communication between neuro diverse people and neuro typical people is placed on neuro diverse people. Communication is a two-way street. As such I feel that society in general could and should put more effort in communication.
When it comes too sensory overload, I was taught that my brain doesn’t filter input like a neurotypical brain. So where a neuro typical person may be able to ignore bright light, loud sounds etc., a neuro diverse person may have difficulties filtering sensory input. In fact, all input is processed differently by neuro diverse people. So it’s not that neuro diverse people focus more on certain sensory input such as lights, sounds etc.
A part of the autistic community is actually able to pick up on other people’s emotions. We can even get overwhelmed by other people’s emotions. We just don’t know how to handle and response to those emotions. For example, if someone around me is stressed, I may feel stressed. If someone is sad, I may feel sad. It doesn’t happen all the time or with al, people around me. But it does happen that I pick up on someone’s emotions.
Lastly, autistic people don’t necessarily have restricted interests. We are just able to learn a lot about our favorite subjects.
Oh, one really last thing,: even though autism can be very debilitating, in my opinion it’s part of human diversity. Not a developmental disorder. Actually, for a lot of us neuro diverse people, it wouldn’t be an issue if society would be more understanding and accommodating. Which also benefits neuro typical people.
Another issue is that calling an intense interest in a subject "restricted interest" is unnecessarily pathologising. There's nothing inherently wrong in being extremely fascinated by a particular topic. Professionals need to stop treating every autistic trait as though it's a problem that should be fixed.
Thank you so much for writing this. I completely agree, and I think this is really important to bring up. /gen /lh
I have hyperempathy and it can ve one of the most frustrating things when people assume autistic people can't read/ understand emotion. My issue is I struggle to read a new face unless I can study it, and studying someone isn't deemed polote when you are in a conversation with them, or like just sat in a room. I also process slow, so whilst in a conversation I'm trying to study and read a face and calculate my response all so quickly I can often seem sort of blank and non-responsive or not offer much response. But if I have a lot of energy or know the person well already I can engage really well and actually pick up when other people seem to be not reading someone well in a conversation. Similarly, my hyperempathy is intense enough I've been working at a wedding of ppl I don't know and started crying when the bride enters- despite not looking at her- because that was the emotion of so many ppl in the room and it's so intense and confusing bc it's not my feeling I will shut down in response. Also often things just don't phase me, you can tell me something dark or sad or embarrassing and I sort of recieve it neutrally so it can appear like I'm not responsive bc I don't engage in the way NT ppl expect. There are a lot of misconceptions about autism because most of the research is an outsider looking in, and also autism is classes as a disorder vs difference bc often ppl forget to clarify that some people have autism with learning disabilities and some have it without- they misdescribe it as severe/mild autism.
@@AmalaFrequents I was diagnosed a few months ago and what hurt the most was that some of my symptoms - being sensitive to the pain and emotions of others - are the exact opposite of how autism is often portrayed, like in The Good Doctor. Then I went and watched the original kdrama, and I thought it did a much better job of showing how autistic people DO connect with others, just in different ways.
@@junglegiraffe2844 your pfp gives me such intense nostalgia for a board game I played when I was a kid. Thanks for that. Also is the picture possibly based on the game, or no?
As someone on the autism spectrum, his comment about what's happening with his brain after he died sort of reminds me of my feelings of why I signed up for being an organ donor.
If I die, especially if something happens to me early. Either my organs are gonna just be sitting in my body rotting away or someone else gets a use for them.
I was planning on going to be body that medical students etc. can use for practicing stuff or do research. I find it so much weirder to be burried or burned without any use.
Sometimes they can't use the body they couldn't use my dad's because of his treatment.
Yes and I can not understand why other people refuse to donate. Of course I can’t understand why most neurotypical people do what they do
@@sarahkate297 In my country nowadays you're automatically an organ donor unless you have medical will (that you can type out to your medical info yourself) saying otherwise. If I want to go through as corpse to be practice for new medical students or for research - I have to make contract with the medical school to do that and put that info in. Other than that, you can just write down if you don't want to be a donor.
I think it's also a bit of cultural things. Nobody here has complained about the donor thing and in the end many here die in away that they can't even be donors so...
And people don't like much that church has the all power and land when comes to funerals. Medical donations are way better than funerals into religion you aren't part of or might even hate.
I talked about my body after death at a relatively young age. At 9 I gave instructions to my parents about what I wanted done with my body (donate and rest gotten rid of in the environmentally friendly and cheapest way possible). But getting my NT family to talk about they want is exhausting! Like I need to know because it's gonna happen and I might be responsible for decisions. I don't understand what's so taboo or morbid about it
Another awesome video, as always Dr. Carthy! Would it be possible at some point to discuss ASD as it presents in females? I have no idea if there's a show out there that is depicting this or not, but ASD really tends to present with less of the social dysfunction in females as opposed to males. Thoughts surrounding this think it's because of the societal role women often have to take up which makes being able to "fake it till you make it" in social settings key.
Yeah I might be autistic bc I do present some of the symptoms
But I am usually pretty good at interacting with neurotypical people. I can usually understand their social cues and metaphors. It's more likely that I just don't know how to respond, especially when interacting with people in a new way. Like I can do meme references and joke with people my age, but I often don't know how to do that with people outside my age range. Like with young kids I usually just act like myself, and with older people (like late 30s up) I tend to be awkward and quiet (I'm an adult in my 20s). I can't do small talk either. If I get in a small talk conversation it's like I'm struggling to keep my head above water. My mum tells me to "just be curious about the other person" but something about the practice of small talk escapes me.
Our current knowledge of autism is mostly based on studying autistic boys. So an adult woman like me may be autistic and fly totally under the radar. And yet I was stimming like crazy in the car last night lol bc I was excited from a successful day of work, buying my mum's Christmas present, and the fact that I have a three-day weekend this week!
I could go on about how I feel my autism presents assuming I've got it
So much this.
At least this time the autistic main lead isn't white male WITH Savant syndrome but still... The white male "syndrome" is way too strong.
Everything's Gonna Be Okay on Freeform has a main autistic female character played by an autistic actress. I haven't seen it, but I like Freeform shows in general so it's probably pretty good. The network has a great track record for dealing with issues in a way that's careful but not condescending.
@@arjc5714 Everything's Gonna Be Okay I became such a favorite show of mine. The pilot is cringeworthy with a few aspects of how it portrays Matilda's autistic tendencies as humorous things to laugh at but most of the show is SUCH a deeply relatable thing full of heart and genuine humanity that I can't help but have already watched all 20 episodes on Hulu about 3 times - showing it to my dad etc.
It has 2 female characters who are canonically autistic AND played by actresses who are autistic too.
(maybe 3 or 4 if you squint because Genevieve strikes me as not necessarily not autistic and Drea's mom Suze in season 2 also has traits... )
There are also at least 2 canon autistic guys on the show, probably more like 3 or 4 just like with the girls. Drea's dad also seems autistic as does Nicholas&Matilda's dad. Jeremy and Nicholas are the canon autistic male characters.
The creator of the show also plays a main character, Nicholas, and he accidentally wrote the entire show to be autistic including his own character basically. Nicholas figures out he's autistic as an adult in the 2nd-to-last episode of the series before it's cancelled and it's such a powerful and emotional self-diagnosis arc. The real life person behind Nicholas, Josh Thomas, also figured out he was autistic over the course of creating this show.
I so very highly recommend this show.
Such good autism stuff throughout.
A movie, not a show is "snowcake"with a female autistic.
Please react to the song "My diagnosis" from Crazy Ex Girlfriend!
I started watching this show before even considering being autistic. There is a scene in the first season: he's in high school and the voice over says something like "They think I don't know when people are laughing at me. But I do. I just don't know why". And I felt attacked.
A year or two later, with a lot more knowledge about autism and myself, I rewatched the show. It's true, the first season is kind of stereotypical and I think there is a poster with puzzle pieces in one of the mother's gatherings (which... no good), but the characters are great and there are scenes that hit home. And it's a very sweet show in general. I really enjoyed it.
However, it still has those moments where they hint the classical "this is not good because it's not the neurotypical way of doing it". Which is victimising and othering. But it improves with the seasons, when Sam goes to uni and then lives on his own (and Elsa leaves her toxic group gatherings, hell yes). It gets better.
Also, Elsa is autistic and you cannot change my mind about it. She's just been masking hard her whole life, poor thing, but there are hints (she's obsessed with her calendar and her routines, she doesn't get many social clues during the show and, if I remember correctly, she even stims sometimes, not to say how well she gets Sam), I don't care what the creators say, she is autistic XD
You could do a whole "Film Theory"-style video essay on the idea that Elsa is also autistic, but masking it well. And I, for one, would watch the hell out of it. 🙂
I haven't thought about Elsa having autism before, but it does make a lot of sense. But now I'm kinda bummed that since the show is over, that potential storyline won't be explored:/
Yes! I was diagnosed with ASD at freakin' 28 years old and I identified so much with her going undiagnosed to adulthood (a horrible baggage of sexism in mental health fields) and thinking there's just something wrong with her personality. Her presentation is not the most common or obvious, which is why women like us are so often left behind
She tells him flat out that she told him about making lists.
What’s wrong with the “puzzle piece poster” and what makes the parent support group toxic? Actually really interested in your views 😋
I’d love to see your analysis of Shutter Island. The movie poster was actually on the front page of the schizophrenia module in one of my text books and as a schizophrenic myself, I decided to give it a watch and honestly wasn’t impressed. I suppose it’s a good display of asylums but the supposed psychotic episode made too much sense (?) and was way too organised to be believable for me. In a lot of films I’ve seen about schizophrenia, there seems to be the trope of having a thrilling plot but then having a big reveal that is is all just a delusion (+ completely appropriate, all senses hallucinations…). Myself, and other people that I have talked to, have never really come across something believable and relatable on film yet. It would be interesting to see what you think!
Loved the video, I think it would be great for you to analyse Everythings going to be okay, it's a great depiction of autism, grief, ADHD and the LGBTQ+ EXPERIENCE
i was thinking that too lol tho i've heard that the black representation and poc representation should be better
What are your thoughts on theory of mind vs the double empathy theory? From my understanding of the research and my own experience living with ASD, it's not empirically proven that autistic people have a significant deficit in theory of mind, but rather that autistic people have a different way of communicating, which neurotypical people equally misunderstand the same way autistic people misunderstand neurotypical social queues. (Double empathy theory)
As another actually autistic person, the double empathy theory makes so much more sense to me than the idea that I "lack theory of mind". I know that other people have their own thoughts and beliefs, but I also know that I'm bad at predicting or reading what those thoughts & beliefs are. This is where the "false belief test" falls down-if I'm aware that other people often seem to know & understand things that are opaque to me, I may guess that "the contents of this sweet tin" are included in that category of "things other people mysteriously know". So if you ask me "what does Sally think is in the tin?" and I reply "pennies", it's not because I don't think Sally has her own mind, it's because I know that she does-and also that her mind doesn't work the same way mine does.
Double empathy theory definitely lines up with what a lot of autistic people say about their own perceptions.
I like the double empathy theory. I don't think it's just relevant to those who are neurodivergent communicating with neurotypicals either. I had a brilliant consultant psychotherapist say to me to think of the emotions that arise from any interaction as sitting right in between you, bouncing back and forth with you both contributing to it. That's why as psychiatrists, we're trained to always be mindful of what we bring into the room and to use any emotions as an advantage in understanding interpersonal dynamics. Easier said than done though
I also subscribe to the double empathy theory. It never really sit right with me that I was the one that supposedly lacked the theory of mind, I just don't get why neurotypical people say things they don't mean or ask questions they don't actually want answers to. Communication goes two ways - it seems to me that there's pretty equal miscommunication on both ends, at least in my own experience. I hardly ever have any trouble understanding or communicating with my neurodivergent friends 🤷
o.o
The mother's statement that "dating is almost entirely nonverbal communication" baffles me. Is that a straight-people thing, a neurotypical thing, or both?
For myself, I'm an autistic woman in a long-term relationship with another autistic woman, and we've always relied on explicit verbal communication rather than expecting the other person to be a mind-reader. It's also relatively easy for us to communicate with & understand each other, because our brains are wired in similar ways-which comes back to the double empathy theory that Starflower R. mentioned in their comment. In other words, two people with similar neurological wiring find it easier to understand each other than two people with different neurological wiring.
Given this standpoint of "double empathy", the idea that it's uniquely difficult for autistic people to date feels a little insulting. It feels steeped in an assumption that we'll only be dating neurotypicals, and that we can't find love with other people who think like us (or that it doesn't count if we do?). You might as well say that my queerness makes it uniquely difficult for me to date: both it & my autism change the parameters of my ideal partner, but neither make me incapable of a meaningful relationship.
yes most communication is non verbal
It's a neurotypical thing. I don't think it's explicitly a straight thing, but I'm neurodiverse and straight, so 🤷♀️
its def a NT thing. I can't tell you how many times my friends have come to me for advice because their partners just won't listen or do the things the way they want and when I ask them "well did you tell them that?" their response is almost always "well not with words but I definitely showed I was angry" people aren't mind readers, you need to communicate exactly how you feel, not exclusively but ESPECIALLY if your partner is ND
I think it would be for a neurotypical, especially for women who are generally encouraged more in non verbal communication skills so as to not be seen as nagging or harsh.. Also she was talking about teenagers who typically don't have the tools yet for the best communication skills.
As an ADHD woman in a relationship with an ASD man, I had no idea what she was talking about. Verbal communication is SUPER important in all of my relationships and especially my romantic relationship. Neither of us are good at charades.
Whenever I use the word 'normal' my therapists have always asked lightheartedly 'What's NORMAL anyway?' When the answer, obviously, is 'WHATEVER STANDARD YOU'VE MEASURED ME AGAINST AND FOUND ME WANTING!' (NOT that I shout)
Sam's best friend is my favorite character on this show because he accepts him for who he is, and treats Sam like he's "normal".
This hits home
As somebody who was diagnosed very late with autism it’s quite a good depiction
Great video my friend
Thanks. I was very conscious when filming this that I don't want to come across like I'm speaking for the autistic community, so peoples openess in sharing their own lived experience here makes me really happy. I learn a lot
I was diagnosed with ASD in November at 36 years old- and my life would have been a hell of a lot easier if I had not been missed and misdiagnosed. But I will say, I was glad I was able to not be controlled in how I dated or any other choices- I eventually gravitated to others like me and gave up trying to be normal. I am glad there is more focus on Autism, but there are many that are missed and misunderstood because of it. And it is a shame that we need a diagnosis at all in order to get permission to be ourselves and actually heard if we are struggling.
This was a great reaction and video, but I didn't actually enjoy the show. I have asd and although the family stuggles that are depicted do raise awareness of it but the more the series goes on the more and more stereotypical it gets. Of course some will be true for a lot of people but I think the show reinforces the idea that every person with asd experiences things the same - I've even had friends and people I know ask me about it and if I'm like 'that show with the autistic guy'. It is great to have much more of a positive light on asd but I think it needs to have a more diverse representation of the autistic community ! I can only hope that this will come with time. Also, the actor who plays Sam is neurotypical... I really don't think you can get a fully accurate representation from someone who has never experienced the struggles living with asd can present.
Could you do one of princess Azula of avatar the last airbender? please. :D
oooo great idea
I don’t think he does animated stuff
@@matthewgallaway3675 he did bojack horseman
thank you so much for explaining the spectrum like a colour palette! as an autistic person i feel very passionate about it being percieved as that and not as that binary you mentioned (that so many people see it as)
That was taught to me by several autistic people I've worked with and I'm glad it resonated with you too
Late diagnosed autistic person here! I really appreciate you making this video and giving helpful information about ASD 😊 it's hard (at least in the US) to find a doctor or psychiatrist that is well versed on the topic and doesn't hold inaccurate stereotypes. Thanks for what you do!
pls react to how bipolar is portrayed in Spinning Out 💕
I wish I had a nickel for everytime I have said, "I don't care, I'll be dead." I'd have a lot of nickels.
I really love your videos! You convey information in such an enjoyable way :) Could you make a video on Misophonia? It's quite frustrating that it is still this unknown...
I'm 26 years old I was diagnosed with aspergers syndrome at around 13 years old. Middle school and high school were the worst year's of my life, people are very cruel when it comes to people with ASD I just wish I didn't have ASD I don't understand people, I haven't had a girlfriend in 8 years cause I stopped trying, I don't understand relationships and most of the time women laugh at me or make fun of me cause they think I'm weird. The only time I really ever feel content or somewhat happy is when I'm in my bedroom by myself for weeks at a time, sometimes even months on end & having my headphones 🎧 in listening to music and/or watching movies or videos on my phone. That's really the only time that I feel okay not necessarily happy but okay..... I feel content. I swear the kid with ASD in this show is JUST LIKE ME. All though I hate having asperger's syndrome it's somewhat comforting to know that I'm not alone, that there are other people out there like me who struggle with ASD. And to the people out there who don't have ASD and don't have to struggle with it. DO NOT MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE WITH ASD OR ANY KIND OF ILLNESS WEATHER IT BE PHYSICAL OR MENTAL! ITS NOT FUNNY, IT'S REALLY FUCKED UP TO TREAT SOMEONE LIKE THAT AND IT LEAVES PEOPLE LIKE ME MENTALLY SCARRED AND THOSE ARE SCARS THAT WILL UNFORTUNATELY NEVER FULLY HEAL.
There's a pretty good chance I'm on the spectrum (hard to diagnose because I'm afab and mask really well.) Wouldn't have my career if it wasn't for a special interest lol - romance writer btw
I don't know if I'm autistic or not. I just have a lot of trouble understanding social cues and I struggle to understand and predict people's underlying feelings and motivations.
You should watch a show called Everything’s Gonna be Okay!
Something I didn't pick up on watching the show originally was the therapist saying "good smile, not creepy at all" which rings alarm bells for ABA and other controversial therapies to me.
This along side the inner monologue makes me wonder if we're just watching someone build a mask.
As an autistic woman who's trying to distinguish where my mask ends and my true self begins this makes me feel sad
Please react more to euphoria! 💘😻
I've been with my fiance for four years and we both have ASD.
heh i could spend days listing the awkward stuff i did earlier in my life. luckily for me, around 25 years old iand loosing multiple jobs due to me being an idiot, i kinda figured out how life works, ended up having a functional marriage with 3 children, and since i cant work with superiors im now self employed giving speeches on autism for psychologists and people working with autistic people also leading some groups for autistic people and their parents to work out strategies.
That said, if you think being an autistic child is rough....try being an autistic parent. Man my wife has to explain soooo much to me XD
The most difficult thing to stomache for me when, around 21 i realised, that people lie. And that i was an idiot for always telling the truth
I have this regular customer who is still waiting to see a professional on if he has ASD. He has very good hearing and always has he's headphones on because it helps cancel out the noise, he never has trouble making eye contact and isn't shy but he likes his alone time. Like with or without out COVID with facemask and plastic screens he can hear me in the store no matter what so I just keep my soft inside voice and tell him that his ice capp is ready because I know he can hear me. I'm almost convinced that I can whisper his order and he'd still hear me. When he's not at my store playing on his laptop he's at school taking IT courses or tutoring kids with math and music and probably other subjects too. He's a really nice guy.
11:38 I know for me particularly my hyper sensitivity tends to actually lead to certain stimuli actually causing physical pain, for example certain types of paper and cardboard actually cause this sort of shocking like feeling and slight pain most notably in my finger nails and teeth when I touch these cardboard, papers, etc
I got diagnosed with autism a few months ago, I'm 19 almost 20. I'm still getting used to the diagnosis. It explains so much of the things I've always experienced and struggled with. I just wish someone took my parents more seriously when I was younger and they suspected it, they didn't listen to my parents at all or even check if it was a possibility that I was autistic. Maybe if they did I could've gotten more help in school and stuff, and in general gotten more help earlier in life
I didn't know I was autistic until 23. You talking about teens having problems and getting help to learn making those connections made me tear up. I begged my mom for help and she told me nothing was wrong with me, so I never got the help, I never made any friends, I was absolutely invisible. Don't gaslight your kids, folks.
I'm autistic and also experience chronic pain. I really appreciated the way you explained 'the spectrum' and didn't reinforce functioning labels, and what you said about pain is so true. When the pain is bad it's hard to think anything but 'i'm in pain i'm in pain i'm in pain' and this really only makes the sensation of pain worse and overwhelming. It sounds like such bullshit and of course it doesn't make it not exist but distraction is helpful in that regard.
I'm so glad you found that the explanation resonated with you. I'm ty mindful now to speak for the autistic community and learn from how autistic people have explained it to me
Love how Drag Race is showing on your tablet :-)
you should react to a movie on netflix called "all the bright places" if you haven’t already
In my experience the most difficult issue, as a neurodivergent person when it comes to communicating with others is actually more the subtext of the conversation. Often people have these multi-layered conversations without realizing that I can't understand the subtext and then they get angry at me for not understanding that there were two conversations happening but I responded to the one that is being said to me directly... It's really difficult. It's not so much that I can't read others... it's that many people lie or dance around what they actually mean and I can't pick up one what they want and people don't like being bluntly asked what they want or need. I don't know if anyone else finds that?
I can understand books and movies just fine when they have these conversations because I feel like I have been given all the pieces of the puzzle to figure out what is happening but, when I am in a real-life situation I'm clueless. It's so frustrating. Folks see neurodivergent people as being the problem in most miscommunication & I think both parties that have a hand in it.
Autistic individual here. A lot of times as a child I was told I couldn't see the doctor because they would find me weird. My parents didn't tell me I had autism until I was 21, they lied to me my whole life. I just thought I was crazy... But this show helped me. It showed me I wasn't alone, and I think they did an amazing job showing issues of family as well as how overstimulation feels. Thank you for this video.
I'm autistic and what you're calling the "sweet spot" of finding enough sensory stimulation is so true. I'm constantly torn between over- and understimulated and wear noise cancelling headphones just like Sam. I think the show portrayed the sensory struggle that is being autistic quite well.
This one was very interesting, as much as I hate psychology in school, with every video you post it gets more and more fascinating. Another show I think would be cool to see you react to is Bones. (not the pilot tho). The creator has said that he wrote the lead girl based on a friend with Asperger’s Syndrome, and I really like it as it does not focus on that, but more on the plot. I personally found it a pretty good depiction. Would be cool to hear your thoughts
As someone with ASD this is one of the best depictions I've seen. Dating is something I've struggled with all my life and since I wasn't diagnosed until my late 30s I received no clinical help growing up. Now as an adult there are no tools to help me and I feel completely alone with no one to share my struggles with. The best I can do is mask it and soldier on.
3:02 - So when I was in the psych ward some years ago I was pleasantly surprised about how open the other patients were about death, especially, TW, suicide. While the doctors and nurses always were like "Please avoid talking about this, it could be triggering", us patients had like this really objective and rational outlook on things, combined with ridiculously dark humor. It was kinda refreshing and I think that was what actually helped me the most? I felt understood and I felt like I could actually say what I was thinking for the first time in my life.
Without my neurodiversity, I don't think I'd be the same person. I mean, obviously, but I don't think I'd even like the person I would be if I wasn't autistic. I can't imagine living without my special interests, stims, etc. Autism, while it definitely is not a cakewalk, is beautiful.
I genuinely think Atypical is one of the best representations of our community for a long time. It's not the stereotype of "smart, savant teen boy". It's Autism and then it's also family. Not only do they tell the struggles of having the condition, but also the struggles of the people around them. How an Autistic person can impact others and vis versa. Me and my mum have watched all the seasons and it gave me a sense of comfort watching something I could relate too. Even if Keir Gilchrist isn't neurodivergent himself, he gives an excellent portrayal of what can mean to be Autistic. There wasn't stereotyping, and everyone got to learn who they were and where they found themselves without creating shame about needing to express yourself in various ways.
I think almost every single Autistic person can relate with bullying on some scale, and I'm glad this show can help us to feel better about ourselves. Forgetting the fact we have the likes of Elon Musk, Sir Antony Hopkins, Daryl Hannah and Anne Hegerty on our side too.
I’m a female with autism so I’m very different to Sam, but I adore this show! It’s one of the more accurate depictions I’ve seen. Plus I’d kill to have a sister like Casey 😂unfortunately , my siblings aren’t as understanding as her
Just dropping by to mention that the tablet in the background with KV's coronation has not gone unnoticed
When this video came out I couldn't handle watching this because I am still so early on in being diagnosed as autistic but now I think I'm hyper fixating on this topic while in isolation for the next 3 days. I appreciate you a lot Elliot just fyi.
Great video! Could we get another episode of Euphoria sometime?
U should react to sias movie "music"
When Sam does get a girlfriend in Atypical he locks her in his closet because he's sick of her talking. It is played off as a quirky, funny thing an autistic person might do. He also stalks his therapist and breaks into her house, when she confronts him about it, she's reprimanded by his parents for being mean to him. So much of Atypical is saying tolerating selfish, abusive behaviour is part of supporting someone with autism and it's terrible.
I'm autistic and I'm really happy you did this. I'm not the biggest Atypical fan (purely on comedy, not on anything offensive), but watching this is a good opportunity to talk about it. As with your Good Doctor reaction, you're very sensitive and interested in how autistic people think.
Just as a general side note, you do sometimes use "people with autism," which I actually don't mind so much, but a lot of autistic people do. I think "autistic person," which is generally preferred, captures the identity of an autistic person, while "person with autism" is perceived as pathologizing the autism in the person, but I see it as also showing the autistic person as a person beyond their condition.
But it does rub some autistic people the wrong way, so be careful.
can you check out succession? maybe "austerlitz" which is the family therapy episode, or "too much birthday" and "chiantishire" which depict a lot of the characters mania and mental anguish
as someone diagnosed with asd, i really enjoyed the show! i am higher functioning so i don’t quite relate totally to the severity of his issues but i completely understand how he would feel. the show does a great job describing how it feels to be in the shoes of someone with asd, but that may just because i have it myself lol. even though it is pretty stereotypical behaviors and issues, it made it easier to relate to, as many people with asd actually experience those same problems
I would love for you to continue watching as there is more for you to watch and interesting things in future episodes and seasons. Not just in terms of Sam, but with Casey aswell. Love your reactions and discussions! Love from Sweden!
You should react to the Encanto soundtrack.
It's because of this show and Love on the Spectrum, that I knew I had to get diagnosed. As I figured, ASD 1 + ADHD. In regards to sensory overload, for me it's like the character Daredevil. I hear everything all the time and get overwhelmed. It takes a lot of energy to tune in. Especially with my ADHD.
As a person with ASD, this is one of the more accurate and best representations I’ve ever seen so Thank you for deciding this show.
Do more of Atypical!!!!!!! I binged this as soon as it came out. Great show
I have autism and this is my favorite show
Something I'd love to see your imput on is the movie Tarzan (1999) not only the internal struggles of the characters, but how human behavior permeates through the animal ways the protag has always been living with
I'm dating an ASD man, videos like these help me understand his differences better.
PLEASE react to more of Atypical!!!
Especially the episodes where Sam has a meltdown
React to 911/911 lone star
I love how far Doug and Sam relationship's came from season 1 to season 4.
My older brother was never diagnosed, but everyone in the family and friends recognise traits in him that makes us think he's high functioning ASD. I sometimes wonder if not getting diagnosed and taught how to manage things as a kid has resulted in him being rather spoiled. We all tend to let him have his way because it's easier than arguing and he never changes his mind anyway. Things happen because that's the way it should happen. Period. It can be frustrating.
I always learn so much from your videos ❤️🔥
Dr Elliott, can you please address adults with undiagnosed ASD? I think I may have this, mildly, but it’s been a major part of my emotional and relational colour palette since I was very young. I manage to function at quite a complex level, but I’ve always struggled with communicating with others. So many stories from my early and middle school years reflect this way. I know I should go and get a professional diagnosis, but it’s hard.
As a fellow heterosexual male autistic, a comment by Sam that really resonated with me was when he said “I think every girl is pretty in her own way”. It really struck me in high school that people only ever talked about the stereotypical pretty or popular people as ones they were attracted to. I felt weird when I seemed to be attracted to 95% of our year cohort and didn’t hear anyone else feeling the same way. Later when I suspected I was autistic at 16 and then had it diagnosed by two different psychologists at 17 I started to understand that people probably also found a large amount of their peers attractive but other factors made them not talk about it. It’s just nice to hear comments like that and see that someone else shared similar thoughts and feelings around the same age that isn’t really talked about all that much.
I really love how you talked about this, thank you Dr Carthy
I have ASD, and I found the show to be pretty darn accurate and relatable. I have "okay" theory of mind. Not perfect, but not terrible. It's really a 6/10 chance I get things right. It depends on the context and emotions involved.
Transference is very real and can be both really bad or really good 👍
I'd be interested to get your opinion on the Netflix reality show, Love on the Spectrum
I would love to see your opinion on the Amazon original Patriot. I wanna know what you think of their depiction of PTSD, torture, depression, self medicating, but particularly why he does what he does whether it's a sense of duty or because his father is forcing him into it. I wanna see how accurate it actually is
I was freaking out earlier and I honestly just felt awful and your videos and voice really calmed me down because I really love phycology and I have lexical gustory synaesthesia so sometimes voices and background music can really screw with me. Thank you so much x
Looks like a good show, I may check it out, thanks for your reaction and explanations
I’m autistic and a woman. I’ve never seen the show, but the clips you included gave me a good impression. Or maybe I just really appreciated the way you emphasized the point that “atypical” isn’t the same as “pathological.” I wish I could reach through the screen and let Sam know that he’ll find people who will appreciate his penguin knowledge one day. I also felt really attacked when the psychiatrist(?) laughed about the patient who had a list of ways to cook an egg because cooking is my special interest and this is something I would do and I don’t appreciate her laughing at that like it’s amusing.
Two small quibbles with your commentary. The first is that I and many other autistics find the double empathy problem to be a much better explanation of our communication challenges than the theory of mind. The second is that online dating can absolutely be fantastic for autistics because it allows us to narrow down who we go on dates with to people we might actually have a future with without expending a ton of energy.
I remember hearing an interesting theory that autism is based on “synaptic pruning”. Basically during early brain development, your brain forms tons of these synaptic connections. But there’s actually too many, so some of them need to be pruned away, much like maintaining a garden. People with autism had less pruning in their brain early on, so they are more sensitive to sensory stimuli. This may also be why there’s many degrees of autism, as some people may have debilitating symptoms/comorbidities, while some have minor symptoms.
I love this show. He studies pingouins and I study human through TV shows, comedy and also psychology. I am an actress. And I teach improv. I am a great improviser because to me, there are paterns everywhere and I just have to follow them. I also see people through paterns.
I tried dating the past year (I was single for the first time in a lot of years). It was a disaster. But I have discovered a lot about myself and a lot about males/people not wanting to tell the truth or what they really feel. I came to the conclusion that I need to let them protect themselves with their lies. But also that I would love to be with someone who can be litteral and true on super regular basis without me having to ask for a translation.
Atypical is a good representation of what it can be to be autistic. Maybe the only problem is they don't talk about the comorbidities we can develop.
Sam comes from a protective and loving family. But you should see what happens when things don't start that well. (you gotta love your panic disorder and agoraphobia)
Plus he is a guy. He had an early diagnosis. Lucky dude
Great show.
"What would others think is is the tin?"
Me: "Pennies."
*explanation of theory of mind and why autistic people may say pennies*
Me: *surprised Pikachu face*
In therapy I learned that sensory hypersensitivity occurs to us because we cant distinguish the stimuli in importance. It’s like you’re a coffee maker but you don’t have the filter to keep all the unnecessary stuff out
I've been diagnosed with autism, but for me it wasn't a relief, it was a burden. I feel like a lesser human. And I personally think I am empathetic, not easily overstimulated, and can deal with change. I doubt I 'deserve' the diagnosis. I have ADHD-I as well, that was diagnosed later and I think it fits my difficulties a lot better, together with my social anxiety disorder.
The first time someone suggested autism to me I was really angry and felt like I was being made out to be less of a full person/capable than I was- but that was because my only experience of autism was stereotypes and an awareness of a few people with high support needs. The second time it was suggested I did some proper research into how autistic people described their lives and it clicked in a way nothing wlse had and was like a key to understanding myself. The world can give you a very negative and warped asspciation with the term autism, and many medical professionals, even good ones, have a very limited, surface level knowledge of it which doesn't help because your entire neurology can be presented as a list of symptoms/problems you feel no relation too. And also sometimes you have a lot of internalised ableism if you get diagnosed late. Autistic people were always an other, something foreign, until the day I realised I was one of them. And the mindspin of realising it was actually everyone else who was other took a lot of getting used to- realising I thought I thought and functioned like all humans but I was in a minority, and then realising I was still a fully complex, capable individual in a way ND people had never really been presented to me when I had been assumed to be NT. It can be a heck of a rollercoaster adjusting to being diagnosed. But I would advise exploring autism in depth from a non-medical pov, reading blogs or watching videos, anything made by autistic people- and seeing if any of that chimes with you. And then also look at what your assumptions around autism are, and if that is coming to play in how you feel about being labelled as such. It takes time to figure out your identity autistic or not. It's taken me 8 years to get to a point where it's once again a non-issue after going through phases of it being my whole identity, it feeling limiting, being angry at the world, being team autism all the way etc.. Let yourself live the complexity and whatever your label or diagnosis, you are always fully human. Anything that makes you feel less than is a lie from the world. Good luck.
I don't have autism but I do have severe ADHD (which has a few similar traits). I'm the kind of person who's very curious about everything and I fill my mind with all kinds of topics. I'm pretty good with trivia if it doesn't involve dates, numbers, pop culture, politics etc. I know a lot about art, craftsmanship, medical stuff, history and archeology, the animal kingdom and veterinarian services, true crime and crime scene analysis and cleaning as well as all aspects of filmmaking.
However my brain doesn't hold on to the useful/helpful data such as math, time management, reading clocks, remembering dates, geography, politics, taxes, grammar and spelling etc.
I like to say I'm the smartest dumb person you'll meet. I'm absolutely full of information but most of its not practical to daily life or especially..."adulting"
I'm somewhat conflicted about Autism as a whole because I know it's such a broad spectrum and I've met/known those from both extreme sides and around the middle.
I have a baby nephew who is born to my younger sister who has a mild learning disability that hardly effects her and her husband who has ADHD and a family history of ADHD. On one hand I wouldn't want him to grow up with ADHD because I know how difficult it is both for my nephew and how difficult it's for parents but I really worry about him potentially being diagnosed with autism.
I've known two boys on the lower end of the spectrum who had obsessive and sometimes debilitating behaviors who are non verbal for the most part and as they grew and hit puberty they got aggressive and extremely difficult to handle.
I've also known a few people who told me that they had aspergers whom really made me incredibly uncomfortable and feel belittled. I'm now wondering if they all (the three I've known) also happen to be undiagnosed narcissists too... because they were major Aholes.
But one of my favorite persons in the world is a young man from my church who has moderate autism (on the surface just talking to him you'd just think he's shy and a little slow). He relys on his family's loving support to function in society and they employ him at their furniture store and he's an excellent worker. But I absolutely love striking up conversations with him because he's so quiet and is often alone. I'll ask him about himself and he doesn't have to ask me anything but I especially love bringing up things he has a passion about such as StarWars. I love seeing his stoic face suddenly light up and excitedly talk about it and I'll let him go on and I genuinely won't get bored. Most of all, I try my best to get him to laugh because it's like cotton candy, it's a fantastic laugh. The character in this show makes me think of him and I'd definitely love to talk with him and I wouldn't be weirded out by his interests... I've got weird interests too.
I'd hope that if my nephew were to have Autism he'd be like him or maybe more independent however I know my brother in law and sister would be very supportive parents if he's less independent. I myself am 26 and in many ways I'm very dependent on my parents still but I'd try to help him too if I can
I love the way you explained how the spectrum works, rather than a linear scale.
Also have you seen "love on the spectrum"?
You should watch The Simpsons season six episode 11 Fear of Flying, where Marge goes to therapy to deal with her fear of flying
I am Attention Deficit, but I don't have hyperactivity. I definitely understand the idea of how media presents ADD, almost always just the Hyperactive part with no subtlety to it, with the character constantly changing tracks. That's not ADD.
Here's ADD in a nutshell for the curious: Despite the name, it isn't so much the INABILITY to pay attention, as that what HAS my attention has ALL of my attention, and I cannot direct what that thing is. So I could be at my favorite D&D game with my friends, but if I've got this thought running in my head about some idiotic thing someone posted on Facebook, me being there at my favorite activity with my friends doesn't matter, my attention is on the guy on Facebook saying idiotic things with conviction.
I would stay over at my buddy Ron's house sometimes when I was in Navy, and every time I was over there, at some point after he went to bed, I would start cleaning his entire house, cause in my ADD head, I know that he's been really tired from duty, and trying to be there for his two daughters, and now his wife's on deployment, and he could probably just use a hand. So I fully get into the "zone", hyperfocusing on getting everything clean. I pick a corner, and I just start working, and unlike the neurotypical folks, I don't have those moments where the tedium gets to me, and I don't notice that I'm hungry, or thirsty, or even tired until I get to the point where I've run through the focus as far as I can, which is generally when it's fully done, and then I just crash out.
Hyper-focus is a massive upswing of ADD. Basically, I shut out everything else, absolutely all of it, and focus on The Thing That Has My Attention. I have written 15,000 word papers without getting up or taking any sort of break, I just sort of... do it. It's downside, for me at least, comes when you get focused on something that makes you anxious or nervous. For me, that's dating. I love relationships, but the dating phase, especially the first couple of dates, are absolute horror shows for me, as my brain tries to answer every possible portion of the date before I've even gotten ready. What is the exact right amount of after shave? WAIT, what if my date is allergic? Should I go without? It would seem weird to ask, right? I should leave it off... but wait, should I? Will I smell alright? Okay, okay, focus, we're not doing the aftershave, the deodorant will be fine...... I should moisturize, though. Crap, didn't choose an outfit. FUCK! I mean, should I dress up? Could that be bad? Yeah, that could, but what if I'm not dressy enough? What is dressy enough? I mean, we're going for coffee.... not that I drink coffee, but they'll have other stuff there, but it's a really nice coffee shop. Wait, is Amber working tonight? She might be able to help me a bit. Shit, if I dress down, I'm not taking it seriously enough, dress up too much and I'm smack in the middle of coming across too hard.
Oh god, what are the hugging protocols here? And what's the proper amount of hug? Time limit? CRAP, CRAP, CRAP. FOCUS, clothes first, we'll do the blue button up, the navy blue jeans, and my peacoat.... FUCK, I dressed in my working uniform again! God DAMN IT!
My roommate watching me: "Dude, I have watched you fight legit fires, I've seen you set a broken bone, and patch up a stab wound. This is the FIRST time I've seen you freaked out."
6:07 Why is it so many parents say this while really meaning "I want them to be interested in the same things as me."? If the sentiment was truly "I want us to have one thing in common" then surely you could make the effort to take an interest in your child's interests.
I'm 33 and just been finding out i have AuDHD (ASD+ADHD). Learning that there is more diversity in Autism than there are similarities in Neurotypical brains helps me come to terms with not relating to the depictions of Autism we see in media.
The obvious signs people recognize as autistic are quite subtle in me, but less obvious traits are amplified. I'm very fortunate to have the balance I do have, but learning about it comes at a very very hard time in my life, and it is overwhelming. It makes these already painful events even worse by my inability to stop thinking about it.
Also to note the overstimulation. Brains shut down neuro pathways that go unused to reserve energy and keep an equilibrium. However in ASD brains those neurons are not shut down often. And so there are literally more active brain cells sending information at once. The brain is interactive, but also capable of quickly making different connections that typical brains don't naturally do.
I think autism really needs to represented and talked about a lot more. One of my cousins was engaged to someone with autism. The first time I met him was very confusing and difficult for both of us. My only understanding of autism had come from shows that portrayed autistic children as naughty or "troubled". It worked out well in the end after we started talking about football. Turns out he was obsessed and very knowledgeable. My cousin had to practically drag him away from me 😆