i have a terrible allergy, and it especially comes out when people are throwing (projecting) mud just to see what sticks. when you're allergic to bullshit, you look like the problem because you're the one having the reaction. even when you repress your allergy you may be targeted further for not having the expected reactions (ego bonding) and this is simply because neurotypical people have an addiction to illogical unrationalized emotional states due to their disengaged nervous systems (lazy 'autistic' behavior). for the normal person when they read 'autistic' see: patholoogical
If there is a reason for being autistic, I would want to know. Just because I love knowledge. As much as there are cons with being autistic, as much as it can disable you in a neurotypical world, there are still plenty of pros. Caring about what's real, what's true, I find is one of the most important traits of autism I've run into, rather than caring about what's "true" because of what you want to be true. To put your ego aside and accept what's real, I think that's insane how few people care about the truth. The fact that so many autistic people are intellectually honest seems to be a massive pro to being autistic and a world saving one at that.
I had never thought about part of being autistic is that there is little to no ego, but I really think you're onto something there. What a fantastic observation, it could legit be the essence of autism! That would be a very interesting deep dive.
In a nutshell 'autism equates to authenticity'. A disorder? Yeah right! This is a psyop my friends. The establishment is devaluating other thinking ('autistic people') because it is threatening. Believe in conspiracies because it is real. Autistic people notice it but fall for the deception that something is wrong with them, BUT its the opposite!
I don't feel broken or that I need to be fixed, I just feel different and the reason for that doesn't change anything. The people that love me enjoy my brand of weirdness and come to me when they need a truly different viewpoint. I enjoy being obsessed with hobbies. It's not all rainbows, but nobody's life is. I believe that autism is a net benefit to many aspects of society. PS - There's something about the way you ask "You alright?" at the beginning of videos that is so comforting and it makes my entire nervous system exhale. It's the shared understanding of what you mean when asking. It's just nice and I thank you!
This is the most real video I've seen on what autism actually is. 100% agree. It's natural variance. I've been unpacking and so many of my struggles are from being taught to think and behave "correctly". There's so much trauma that shouldn't exist. Imagine if we were raised with acceptance rather than our assests being treated as probelms & disabilities...
I absolutely love the fact I can hyper focus while everyone else carries on talking nonsense and gets surprised at how I can hyper focus amidst the chaos.
A well expressed comment by Adult with Autism. My autism is an integrated part of my essence and it is as old as humanity. What has made autism more visible is modernity since the beginning of writing and then spun into high awareness via industrialization. Did hunter-gather societies become dysfunction because of their autistic traits, or did they get steamrolled by the adoption of assembly line characteristics that made autistic traits seem unproductive. To be human is to include autism as a primal human trait. Only the dysfunctional concept of eugenics would try to separate autism for our human essence.
I think that modern “mental health professionals” have gone too far. They categorized traits that humans have and put us in this “other” category. “You diverge from what is typical”. We exist as this group based on behavioral characteristics that we have in common. 100 years ago people had the respect for people to think “we all have traits and characteristics” but 100 years of theories and studies now can tell if a 2 year old is in this category.
I am so thankful for the autistic people- especially in my life- that are able to speak and live as typically as anyone w/o the diagnosis. My heart breaks for the non-verbal, self-injurious, incontinent, pain-filled lives that others have to endure, though. Their stories are sorely under-represented and because of this we live in a society that has minimalized, even normalized ASD diagnoses. For so, so many, ASD is not the "special superpower" media and movies love to portray it as.
Autism isn't wrong, but it does cause much more serious problems for some people than it causes for you and me. I like my brain, too. I lived to age 75 before I was diagnosed with autism, so I had no special support. I struggled socially, and other autistic people seem to have suffered more than I have. I think researchers are intrigued by the relatively new ability to use brain scanning to study the differences in people's brains and brain functioning.
Thank you. I love those hyper focus times when I am flowing with the world. You introduce to perspectives that I realize I share with you. Being autistic and sharing perspectives is important to me.
I can say, because it is true, that I like ALL your videos. This one here is now my favourite one. You formulate things with such structure and such logic (and more) that I feel relieved, listening to you . Your voice, tone , speech delivery, everything is done perfectly for me. You help me make more sense, put a better order in my mind and that is GOOD for me. I am SO grateful that some algorithms have brought you to my awareness!!!! I'll have to watch this video again, because I need time to digest the rich contents you produce. If you ever think that your videos are useless, quick quick, remember THEY DO GOOD to a fair number of people. Thank you, Paul. REALLY THANK YOU!!!
Hi Paul...first thank you so much for bringing more awareness and acceptance of Autism.I don't know if it helps or not to find out out what causes it as much as it is important to bring awareness of it to the forefront. I only say this because my husband was diagnosed late in life at age 48. Had we known, had he known, had his parents and teachers known..maybe , just maybe he and those he was in relationship with and also in intimate relationships with, would not have suffered. So for me what you are doing by bring awareness is way more important that trying to figure out what causes autism. Thank you again I appreciate you ;o)
I share your concerns. One doctor tried to give me pills to "fix" my bland expression. So I'm expected to pay for these pills & endure the side effects because he doesn't like the look of my face.
Thx! I very much resonated with the "understand the linkage/logic behind facts" in learning. I really struggled in school because most teachers didn't have the ability to teach those connections but only listed "facts" that they expected us to mindlessly repeat in tests. I think that this could also be the reason we ask a lot of questions in conversations: we want to understand the point the other person makes, the problem they are facing, ...
I love what you say about pattern recognition and how it filters things. This ties in with the mirror neuron differences idea. We don't mirror we have to filter and organise and find patterns for us to remember things and to be interested.
The thing I find is researches, therapist and the like, like to focus on babies and children is because it makes them feel more fluffy and we’re doing a wonderful thing. Once you turn 18 and becoming adult that the fluffy we helped someone feeling isn’t there for them, so they don’t pay too much attention to older autistic people. Therefore missing out on the opportunity to learn what they really need to know about autism and how to help those with it.
Hello, Paul...since I’m catching this video shortly after it went up, I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you “Thank You!”. My diagnosis was only obtained a few months ago (after years of struggles, misdiagnosis, medications that did far more harm than good because they were administered based on those misdiagnosis, etc), and I wanted you to know that your videos are both highly relatable to me, and were invaluable in bolstering the understanding that allowed me to begin climbing out of one of the worst burnout breakdowns I’ve had in a lifetime of periodic depressive episodes that were the direct result of my autistic experience while trying to function in the world and my high stress job; that grew out of attempting to parlay my special interests into a career guided by neurotypical expectations based on IQ. Your insights were also key in leading me to seek diagnosis. So, again, my heartfelt and profound thanks And, as others have said, I find your voice and manner to be wonderfully soothing...and, especially love your, “Ya alright?” greeting
Paul you’re like a breath of fresh air on the topic of autism. Thanks for being so honest and open, it’s helping me so much (and I’m sure a lot of other people too)😊🙏❤
To many Autistic teenagers are being wrongly referred to the PREVENT programme because their ignorant teachers think being different, being brutally honest and bold enough to ask difficult questions, means they are somehow potential terrorists of the future. It is so offensive and it has the potential to damage their futures if they get wrongly labelled as 'dangerous' in some way. It really upsets me and things have to change. Excellent rant Paul, blessings to you and your doggie and puss cat. 😺
Im an adult with autism and I'd give anything to not have autism. Why would you want your life to be harder than it has to be? Life is already hard then add confusion, misunderstanding, social awkwardness, self identity problems and sooooo much more on top of it? Why? If there was a cure or I could have prevented my daughter from also being autistic I would take it in a heartbeat.
Because Autism isn't the problem, they way we are treated by others / not accepted by others is the problem. We make adjustments for everyone all of the time, yet for us to have consideration...legislation had to be passed. It isn't Autistic people who need a cure.
I believe autistic people are some of the best group of people in the world. We make for excellent leaders, creators, counselors, mentors, and teachers simply because we dissect things down to its smallest fraction to understand it. Because of certain traits we have, we go beyond the average neurotypical’s person capabilities. We actually utilizes the highest power of our brain unlike most people.
I encountered someone the other day who said that their young child was suspected by teachers to have autism but when she changed her daughter's diet, her behaviors "resolved." I had so many questions! But it was a passing conversation, so I didn't get to know the details. She seemed to think that food additives like Red 40 "caused autism"... 🤦♀ However, despite all the noise, when you get such a consistent etiology, characterizing the cause should technically be possible. That isn't a value judgement on people (or it doesn't need to be). We also like to understand things like why some people are introverted or have green eyes, and they can be studied without being considered flaws. If we're too sensitive to look at the potential causes because people can get it wrong, then we are losing out on some important insights in human neurology and biology, and the misguided speculations just continue to proliferate. Of course, we first need to characterize autism well in order to find causes, and that is still ongoing. Finding a cause can be a good incentive to understand autism better, and as we learn more, we are finding that it isn't a "disability" when neurodivergence has functional advantages and merely runs counter to cultural expectations. I'd think it would be a great relief to more accurately know the causes, if anything, to put the Red 40 type stuff to rest.
When you said maybe we are the good in the world i felt that so deeply ❤ it made me cry for a minute because I think you're right 🫶 thank you for being you
Big fan of your videos, i relate to your struggles greatly when it comes to trying to fit unto the autism community as a late diagnosed autistic who had to do everything the hard way. I offend everyone.
I really appreciate your videos Paul. Thank you for your authenticity, openness, and insight into your version of autism. As a late diagnosed autistic woman, I can relate to a great deal to what you share on your videos, which I find very validating
I’ve been doing brain training, a Nintendo DS game, one of the mini games/tests is to memorise a list of words. A list of 30 words with 2 minutes to memorise and 3 minutes to write the words in any order and see how many you can remember. I found that the best way I can remember a larger number of words is to link groups of words together by creating sentences or linking them by themes, so one words leads into another. The difference is probably x3-4 more words remembered if I’m able to link words together compared to if I just read the list over and over in order. EDIT: discussion on learning and pattern recognition made me think of this
I think the reason some people would like to find out the reason behind what causes autism is because not everyone has the same type of Autism. For some people it can severely effect everyone in the family and can be extremely difficult to raise a child with autism especially if that child has the strength of an adult and has angry outbursts being punch in the face every day by your child is really hard. I think it’s a good thing to find out what causes autism because not everyone lives happily with autism and it can be really helpful to prevent other people from going through what some parents have to go through.
I hear you, but I've ran into something interesting on this side too. I've spoken to many parents of Autistic children who have this type of outburst. When I hear of the upbringing and the expectation on the child, it's sometimes quite easy to see where the amendments need to be made. But this is where the unfortunate side comes in...the parents won't change their methods, believing love and support will raise an Autistic child into the type of person they want them to be, and it doesn't. Or Autism is given more focus than a comorbidity such as a learning difficulty. Structure, a safe space, and proactive consequences are much more useful than unconditional love. I give many examples but because it sounds 'mean', many are unwilling to change their approach. It doesn't mean to love or care any less, it is to attempt to stop people trying to put a square peg in a round hole. So even with a 'cause' being identified, I fear many parents still won't listen, as so many self aware autistic adults align with how an autistic child would be better suited to be raised as we were children once too and know what would have been better for us. But non Autistic parents won't take our advice on board. I don't feel in this type of situation that a 'cause' would help, as if advice still comes from non Autistic people, it'll remain as misaligned as it does today unfortunately 👍🏻
Funny that you mention left handedness and being ambidextrous...I actually read a study that equated lack of a dominant hemisphere found in being ambidextrous with autism. And forcing right handedness can lead to speech impediments.
Excellent description of the pattern recognition learning style. This is exactly how I learn also. It's funny how I was ranting about this in my head explaining how this works, before I knew I was autistic. I think of it figuratively as a police helicopter circling around a subject gathering data and working towards an understanding of the whole. I got through a programming bachelor and have worked a couple of years as a developer, and let me tell you there's a lot of shit recruiting practices in the tech industry. Even problem solving and programming which is a deep focus activity has to be turned into a real time processing public debacle.
Thank you for this video, your content and for sharing all that you do. ❤ If I can have a little of your time I would like to share my thoughts and some of my story. 🙂 At the age of approximately 3 years old I became consciously aware that I was on my own while my older Brother was building houses of cards next to my Mum as she was concentrating on the book she was reading. At the time it felt like being in the back of a classroom excluded from everyone else. Not happy with this I consciously made the effort to approach my older Brother expecting him to welcome me joining in with him. At 3 years old I dare say I was used to making my presence known and instantly gaining welcoming attention with my expectations delivered. Well what I received this day was a hostile face and anything but being welcomed, perhaps trying to join in equated to me tipping the card houses my older Brother concentrated so hard on building. Anyway I was devoid of the words to express what I was hoping to achieve (the joining in), and as such I just looked to my Mother for help and intervention, which never happened, possibly because she thought I deliberately set about trying to destroy his card house creation based upon my older Brother's reaction from misinterpreting what I was really looking to achieve, or perhaps he really did want his house of cards all for himself, who knows. The important thing with this though is a learned "reaction" of retreat, rather than trying to explain brought about from this traumatic situation I faced, a situation that would be dismissed by a adult. To add I think most 3 year olds would find it a challenge to articulate what they were looking to achieve in a way that is even coherent to them, let alone someone else, especially when that someone else is perceived to have a face of a lion in that moment and that memory left raw as it wasn't resolved by my Mum the adult I looked to for help and support and the return to my emotional security and stability I was accustomed to... Thing is there was also another consequence associated with this. I now concluded that I couldn't just join in, but I lacked the words or know how to approach a peer to gain acceptance and interact with them... Some time later when I was around 3 or early 4 I remember "formally" asking my younger Brother if he would like to spend time playing games with me which felt highly awkward off the back of my previous experience. Had I not interacted with my younger Brother pre-school I think I would very much experienced what "some" on the spectrum describe as feeling "alien" to others... And here's the other thing, not trying to make the effort to be understood all the while consciously remembering what I experienced at 3 years old, the wanting for the right words to come out of my mouth, but the inability to form them, let alone speak them equates to working off my anger and frustration by engaging in study/activities I know I am good at and which I have some sense of self-pride in. I wonder if these behaviours ring any bells with those on the spectrum etc. Here's another thing I can envisage what I may have endured in school onwards had I not interacted with my younger Brother, and that is a sense of constant anxiousness, or what some might call brain fog, the inability to understand why I am being alienated and not understood and accepted and welcomed by peers, when I have others best interests at heart (but of course no one is a mind/Soul reader)... A constant state of anxiousness, confusion and disorientation coupled with a urgency to "fit in" and forever beating oneself up as and when they fall short. I would imagine this on-going trauma is some of the most unpleasant, debilitating and painful experiences someone could possibly endure, hardly surprising some have to off-set/off-load as and when they endure that one overload too many... It's a known that "trauma" is one of the main causes, if not thy cause for arrested development, and the younger someone endures trauma the greater the impact, and what could be classed as insignificant to a adult can be destroying on levels and layers to a child in early development etc... Also depending on the age or circumstances trauma isn't always remembered... I would like to raise one question, is Autism all about understanding and relating to others and social interactions/relationships, and if so would filling those voids in understanding make a difference... What if Autism equates mostly to being misunderstood and excluded from a early age onwards, with the "brain fog" etc. that goes with that. What if peers had made the effort to understand and go that extra mile to bridge early gaps in peer bonding, would that make all the difference from those early years onwards. If this is the case just like some of the barbaric treatment some left handers endured there is milestones of difference that can be made through making the effort and best practices bringing about true acceptance, understanding and inclusion from understanding what the real issues are and how to address them. Inclusion is accepting, respecting and making the effort to understand "individuals" and giving them the peace of mind and space to also learn to understand others from a place of non-judgement and no criticism. For it is judgements, criticisms and expectations placed onto shoulders that is all the debilitating pressures which force some to mask rather than endure more of the trauma they have already encountered and had to put up with... There is a need for research and there is a need to learn best approaches to make lasting and tangible differences and that includes working with those on the Spectrum rather than alienating them... Just my thoughts, I welcome others thoughts and opinions on this. ❤
You have a "co-conspirator" in your rationale - at almost 58 and after many years of self reflection and nearly 5 of self-study of psychology, I'm left with similar conclusions. It seems to me that the origin point of the autism phenomenon is truly no more than than one of many cognitive arrangements (C.G.Jung, MBTI and other examples) that each individual inherits, each with different strengths and vulnerabilities that are acted upon by our environment and our experience of being validated within it, starting from our first breath and perhaps even in utero. The early Object Relations theorists like Melanie Klein and Ronald Fairbairn and later work on early attachment by Bowlby and others provided insight on the critical nature of early caregiver bonding as the foundation of psychological development and the template for future relationships, and without which a complete and stable sense of self is not possible. It seems to me that while there are certainly genetic, epigenetic, and other factors that determine EVERY basic neurological predisposition, a more reasonable place to look for causation of difficulties in ALL neurotypes is early attachment injury and adverse experiences, as well as an overbearing majority of particular traits that are accepted as "normal" that differ from our own, coupled with a general lack of understanding of early development and with the tendency toward repeating long-standing mistakes either through blind acceptance of traditions or due to unresolved trauma adaptations influencing caregiver interaction with the child. All of these factors have a large body of evidence to support their validity, despite the fact that the current models of psychology (DSM and ICD) largely ignore over a century of data in favor of the "pathology" theory and cherry-picked statistical "evidence". I appreciate your story and the insights you gained and shared from your experience - I can relate, though my own experience has been a much more extreme version and has had dramatic impacts on my psychology; I like many "neurodivergents" knew from an early age that I was somehow "different" , likely due to very early attachment trauma and a predisposition to a "differently ordered" way of experiencing and understanding my environment followed by chronic, repeated, and numerous adverse experiences that are unfortunately all too common and appear to be becoming moreso in our scientifically "enlightened" age of "progress". I agree fully with your observation that much more attention should be focused on early development that would yield benefits to all neurotypes, rather than on obscure "pathological" factors that only funnel resources into unproductive (and harmful) areas of "science" and social engineering. Thanks for your comment, it helps me feel a little less alone in my thinking about this topic.
@@don-eb3fj Thank you for your very detailed reply. 🙂If I am honest I thought my post would be lost amongst so many others, plus my post was quite lengthy... I very much agree with you that much research needs to be done on early development and how strong influences, the good and the bad shape the way we think and behave well into adulthood and perhaps beyond... If I am honest I also see a possible connection in infant and parent/primary care givers bonding too. Thing is there is so much more unspoken language/understanding than that of the spoken. From facial expressions, social gestures, tone of voice to even smell and touch sensations, that can be very much part of traumatic memories, hence perhaps the sensitivity to noise, or sensitivity to certain materials etc as it can trigger at a depth of someone's inner-security equilibrium. From those very first moments there is communication that goes on back and forth, the shared joy, the understanding how far someone's patience can be pushed to the correcting of understandings simply through facial expressions (the making consciously aware that their understanding is wrong, followed by facial affirmations when they are right etc). All of this is non-verbal as is the sharing of hugs and expressions of love. This is all early learning, forming foundations of understanding engrained in us to the point it's not something we consciously think about. To understand all of these shared emotions is to be able to articulate them when we learn to speak, plus these emotions are all displayed with no awkwardness, no second thinking which can then transcend into social interactions with peers later... To have early voids of understanding in these areas is to miss out on all manner of social cues, plus the struggling to articulate oneself that is perhaps even coherent to themselves let alone others... Now I am not saying this is true of those on the Spectrum, but in my opinion it is a case for further study and research... The way I see things is that anything that is not a biological affliction can be undone, it just needs the right understanding and the right people and influences in the mix to re-align understandings and ways of thinking... We can also look at thinking types too. There is the calm and methodical to the impulsive, the introvert to the extrovert etc. There is also the male to the female (the male which is normally a go-getter is more likely to outwardly react to perceived injustices, whereas a female who is more likely to think and do for others is more likely to see themselves as the problem and turn their reactions/thoughts inwards). The point I make here is that one thinking type may react one way when a response is triggered and another thinking type react a different way. It's okay having all these mental health labels, but everyone is a individual and as such it's important to understand the individual, their perceptions and daily situations when working towards barrier free communication etc. and a way forward that is best for that individual. For reference I'm no psychologist, health professional etc. but all of this to me should be common sense and a approach anyone should be making if they have a genuine interest for that person's well-being, that and the moving away from a mind-set that text books hold all the answers etc... I wonder if you would agree my friend. 🙂 I would also be keen to hear your thoughts etc. too. 🙂
@@John26767 You made many great points that are not commonly considered by most, and by my assessment that is the mark of someone who has spent a lot of time in consideration and introspection, which generally only comes about from being faced with unusual challenges and dilemmas- I recognize that position well. I am not a professional either, but as you noted academic knowledge isn't everything, and I've never been one to be overly impressed by credentials or awards nor do I place a high degree of credence in information on only those criteria. Some things indeed should be common sense, but for a variety of reasons it is uncommon to find evidence of it, especially among academics, especially these days. There are of course exceptions, and a proper role and place for everything, and it is those exceptions and contexts that I attempt to find and apply in doing my own research and self-assessment, the only reasonable approach I see as viable or even available for myself. I began my own search for answers in psychology and related subjects after a long train of dissappointments and frustrations finally derailed following a major loss and the collapse of my whole universe - I realized that I did not know myself, and that I needed to if I was to have any hope of rebuilding. It's a work in progress, slow progress, and not steady or linear, and the available information often proves to be more of a hindrance and a hazard than a help. One of the ongoing themes emerging from my progress is to identify and challenge some of the misinformation and misconceptions in the professional literature and online community that stigmatizes and promotes misunderstanding of psychological conditions particularly in the realm of schizoid dynamics and autism, both of which I self-identify with and commit daily study to. I also do not particularly care for labels, for reasons I already identified, and find the "diagnostic criteria" in the "check the boxes" classification systems to be so inadequate and misleading that I would find it laughable if it didn't create so much pain and confusion for so many - so much for the value of the "experts" who are more beholden to politics, social perception, and the interests of big business than they are to the integrity of their profession, making it a necessity for each of us to become our own expert. That being the case, there is still some utility, and necessity, in the use of academic tools and psychology models ; thus I look for the tools of self-understanding in the research of the early psychoanalysts like Jung, Klein and Fairbairn, who understood that the unconscious, non-verbal, and pre-verbal had much more impact on human psychological development and functioning than what we are conscious of does. I would also like to think that what has been done can be undone given the right knowledge and resources, but there is the crux of the matter, isn't it? For myself, I'm not so certain that it can be reversed, but maybe accomodated and capitalized on; very early and chronic injury inhibits key processes at crucial stages and becomes intricately entangled with core personality formation such that they become inseperable, which is why such techniques as CBT and DBT are ineffective and potentially harmful for those who are not neurotypically adapted. In my estimation, this is all the more reason to focus on correcting the attitudes, environments, and practices that lead to trauma, alienation, and the adaptations that develop in response to those factors; not only would those corrections create a culture more likely to yield conditions and resources to aid those already affected, but even more importantly would lessen the instances of more children being negatively affected by damaging influences that are currently causing an alarming increase in serious mental health issues. All deserve better, but only we ourselves can make it so, as it is obvious that no one is coming to liberate us. We have evolved our cultures faster than we can biologically and psychologically adapt to them, and have created societal arrangements that we cannot be healthy in. We've adopted ideologies that dishonor and pervert our true nature and deny us our most basic human needs. We're forced by lack of alternatives to invest our best interests to administration by faceless and unresponsive buraucracies and outsource our welfare to megacorporations built to satisfy only the best interests of their principal investors. We accept the Utopian vision of unending and ill-defined "growth" and "progress" without considering the human costs. Should we be surprised that those who are more sensitive by nature develop atypical responses to detrimental conditions, or shouldn't that rightly be expected? Should those who display ill effects of life in an unhealthy environment be considered defective, or wouldn't it be more sensible to pay attention, to think of them as canaries in the coalmine, and heed the early warning signs that have already been ignored for many generations too long, and retreat from a dangerously foolish course of action? Have we evolved yet to the point that we can finally recognize cause and effect, and take rational steps to adapt our actions to more reasonably desirable consequences? Surely there's a first time for everything.
We are burned autistic. It’s “cause” it’s not known. I don’t need to know, I rather educate myself on how to live with the condition and enjoy life to the must. I am aware of the lack of information even from medics. Stigma, taboo leave us Autistic people, alienated, misunderstood, alone. Sad
I call this learning "Tree or Leaves " I can't take in random bits of info (leaves) without understanding how it fits together first (tree). The leaves are bits and bobs here and there. The tree is the skeleton. The foundation. When I'm given lots of leaves, I need to put them altogether on the skeleton/tree. It's difficult to articulate.
Thanks Paul for another great video... I find there is so much of trying to find what causes autism (all they do is throw stuff to a wall and hope something sticks) and not enough real research speaking to autistic people (people with autism) on what would make their life better. Even some non verbal individuals with the right supports can communicate what would make their lives better. I would not change my autistic brain for a "normal" brain, I'm not broken I don't need to be fixed I just think differently, learn differently. Tolerance and acceptance would be a huge step... instead of trying to fix us. I loved your analogy of the course taught in Japanese that is exactly how I felt though school, but once it's in my brain though you bet I don't forget it.
I guess I beat down my own creativity trying so hard to fit in. Kids who didn't fit in were never seen again. It was extremely shameful to have a "different" child in the south in the sixties. My strongest tool was mimickry. If I mastered anything it was that.
Hello Paul 👋 I have to commend you for reaching out to the researchers to offer your time and insight as an Autistic person: I concur with your views on the prevalent direction and aims of current Autism research. On the topic of The Human Condition, i recommend Jeremy Griffiths book Freedom; a biological in depth dive into the reasons for competition in the world, wars, poverty, inequality and climate change; perhaps you might find some answers there. Great video, i always appreciate your fortrightness and directness 🙂🖖
Always happy to discuss with any of the researchers, regardless of how much I may disagree with what they may research. I want to understand, the only way is to ask questions. Shame that interest isn't returned 👍🏻
Thanks for saying this. I've been investigating the whole autism spectre and highly sensitive people for some time to understand my partner, child and I think myself as well and I've come to a similar conclusion. I consider autism the way you describe it as a different type of person, dare I say a form of evolution that becomes a "problem" ONLY because of the society we live in that, as you say, is ruled by regular people that aren't as aligned with nature and our bodies and are more submerged into perpetual noise inside and reflecting that outside in multiple ways... so us existing is almost like a species of the future that has come to pave the way to a different reality that will most likely come once all this noise and clutter is finally understood as a source of mental and physical illness. I'd like to think of us as game changers, world changers just by how we Are. That's my assessment for today. Thanks for sharing this
Both my daughter and I have autism. I'm 41, just now in the process of getting diagnosed, I've known for only a month that I'm autistic. I used to think autism was humanity's evolution with all this instant-stimulus from our rapid exposure to daily tech from almost zero tech before, but I watched a video the other day by Neurodivergent Doctor, and while he was kind of teasing, what he said actually makes a lot of sense: that autism is the natural human way, and it's the neurotypical people that are the different ones. It makes sense to me from the stance of evolution in other animals. We see it in zoo animals and animals who were rescued from nature and become pets: they lose their sense of instincts that let them survive in the wild. For the most part, they no longer look around to see what made what noises (they acclimate to the noises inside the homes or zoos they live in), they aren't focused on where their next meal comes from or if they'll have it again, sleep is not longer a survival need but something to do when they are bored, they are used to having everything handed to them. For humans, those are only intensified, especially with smartphones and instant digital everything that triggers endorphins or dopamine whenever we want it. We no longer need to wait for anything. After watching that video, I now truly believe that neuro-"typical" people are the evolution - or devolution - of humanity. If you've read/seen the Divergent series, they actually explained this really well: People devolved so they could only have one type of characteristic their whole lives and the ones who had all the characteristics were called Divergent and shunned and either treated like criminals or ran away to hide in poverty so they wouldn't be imprisoned, but it turned out that the Divergents were the natural form of humanity and that the ones who weren't divergent were the devolved humans. (and of course, the devolved humans didn't like finding out and tried to destroy the knowledge to keep it a secret). I really do think, now, that Autism is the way humanity is supposed to be. I mean, our senses are all heightened, we hear different sounds and see light differently, we can pick out patters in everything and see details others can't which are extremely useful in survival situations (it's exactly why wild animals species survive). I really think tech has devolved a lot of humanity. Maybe not even half, but it really has done a number on their abilities for even simple things like tabletop puzzles and discerning different sounds and smells.
I do share a similar viewpoint these days. People make out we are sinister...but we are not the ones who have dedicated 24/7 news networks talking about all the atrocities we are committing against the rest of humanity...but non Autistic people do. Of course, not all are like that, but enough are for it to be the currency of the world.
"Just a hunk of meat and skin!"😂 Still learning about myself and my autism and my initial reaction is that I don't like being autistic because of the amount of anxiety I have every single day. But looking deeper, the amount of anxiety is due to masking forever because of societal expectations. Years of feeling wrong is going to take a while to undo i suppose. I certainly agree that more research should be with autistic adults. Thank you for your videos.
To be fair, they have found genes that code for autism, but having those genes don't guarantee autism, so it makes sense that the general population is looking for the environmental factors that contribute to autism, especially when it comes to the more detrimental symptoms. Also, how likely is it that the people who think their kids were cured of autism are missreading their child now being able to better control their worst autistic traits?
Autism isn’t a disorder, it’s just a variation that constitutes a small percentage to the total spectrum of human traits. Therein lies the issue, ‘small percentage’
Actually women's corpus collosum which is the web of neurons that connects the two hemispheres of the brain is much thicker. It's one reason we're better at communicating and are therefore underdiagnosed compared to men on the spectrum.
I've met enough women to see the plethora of differences! Maybe that thicker corpus collosum you mention is what the Aussies say is the reason plastics didn't affect girls like it did boys...
If you think about it in terms of modern and future societies; Traits of Autism give a clear advantage. Who knows though whether it’s a Darwinism/Evolution explanation but it’s obvious how far Autistic people have advanced the world.
I don't feel broken but I need services to survive after my mom died. Services cost money to provide if our parents didn't leave us a trust fund. I had one but then my dad got dementia, remarried and the new wife exploited my dad and my trust fund for my care. Neither my dad with dementia or me with autism could stop it. There are many autistic people out there at much lower function than myself. They cost even more resources, time and money being often non verbal, aggressive and impossible to care for except in a facility. This was explained to me being told it is common for autistic people to only think of themselves "I, Me" and not those with lower function who cannot perform ADL's at all. Once you are 100% Independent, you move off the autism spectrum into neuro diversity. If you are 100% self sufficient self care, managed anxiety and depression, self managed care with a place to live without any assist from anybody, use money appropriately for bills, stable long term job, stable relationships, driving a vehicle or public transport, all of it, you are considered "normal" not autistic if you can manage life and what it throws with no help from anyone. That is how it was explained to me here in the United States. The prevalence of suicide in autistic adults is pretty high as we age. When we lose our parents from death we lose ALL our support.
That's a terrible way to have it explained to you. It's the thought process such as that why the suicide rate is so high. They don't see the level of effort that goes into being 'normal'. An Autistic person would know, so again more words being said by people who don't understand.
The whole time capitalism controls the research arena, fixing and drug therapy will always be the leading way to research anything. We need good trained people doing the research just because it helps people, and that’s almost impossible under the current system. It’s so frustrating growing up being told doctors make you better and scientists just like learning about stuff, and then you grow up and see it’s all bull. If it can’t make someone money it’s gonna be hard to do/create/reseach/improve. The more I try to get help or accommodations the more pessimistic and negative I get about the whole world, it’s hard not to just give up.
I’m doing carnivore now, and it does clear my mind to not eat processed foods. But they get it wrong, it doesn’t mean I’m now “healed”. You’re absolutely correct, it’s a brain difference. I think it’s just that this society makes our existence so hard. It’s so full of unnatural things we have to do.
It is. And when we have non Autistic people telling us how we feel...and we disagree, they don't like it. Instead of learning from us, they get insulted at the fact we know more about it. Which is extremely odd.
I think the reason people are obsessed with finding the cause is partially because it costs money. My son has high support needs and is very expensive to raise. Many people don't see value in those who have significant disabilities and see all that support as a waste. It's terrible, but unfortunately, abelism exists. Great video! ❤
I think more focused research into the cause of ‘mutism in autistics’ or ‘suicide in autistics’ would be better. Instead of lumping us all together as inferior or a problem to solve. I would love it if the ‘cause of autism’ research produced a pill I could take, say before a job interview, that would make me ‘normal’ but I think it would be a nicer world if I could just be me in an interview and not be judged. Either would be nice and I think knowledge is easier to spread than to discover so telling more people about autistics is probably a better way to spend research money than trying to invent a magic pill or test to ‘fix the autistics’
I believe they need to keep looking for the reason behind why autism happens to some because of the spectrum!! What if your autism caused you to be nonverbal? Wouldn’t you want them to keep researching what causes autism so people in the future with more severe ASD would be possibly able to speak?
I'd like them to look at what causes some persons, regardless of Autism to be non verbal when all attributed parts are available for that function, as that's something that would be beneficial to be identified. But I don't want people to try to find a potential root cause for a vast spectrum. Autism Speaks want a 'cure', finding a root cause could want to 'remove' or alter the coding, which to me is genocide. I'm all for understanding the nuances and differences, but the research for the existence of Autism...I'm too tainted by the state of the world to believe it would be for a positive reason. Hope that makes sense.
totally agree on the no reason to find out why it happens i myself am more interested in how i can live a relatively normal life with it as i cant change the fact i have it. i also see straight through what they are trying to do from the highest levels is demonise and depreciate the severity of our struggles because it doesent fit thier narrative and end goals of financial gain from our suffering
I find that, there is great power in accommodation, that Neuro typical people just haven’t learned to accept. After all, it’s what we do at the end of the day to make the difference, The accommodations (and getting proper treatment with those accommodations), can make the biggest difference on autistic peoples lives.
One observation here I would make is that when you look at single humans instead of groups and communities of them, you are missing a hell of a lot. The daft part is, we look at groups of other animals; heck the botanists are now getting in on the act and pointing out that plants have symbiotic fungi and plants also talk to each other. So, what happens when you have groups of humans with a low percentage of autistic people in these groups? Well, what you see is something interesting. The percentage of autistic people stays about the same level over time, depending only on what diagnostic you use. So the autistic folks must be doing something useful. What I think is going on is that most humans are heavily programmed to work in groups, and to cooperate a lot. Most of the modern world is based around people being good at cooperation, not being actually skilled at other things. What happens though, when a problem is encountered that large groups of relatively stupid people cannot solve? Then you need raw intelligence on the job, and the neurotypical lot are at that point heavily reliant on instinct and sociability and it is really, really difficult to make the buggers shut up and think. Most of the great scientists of the world have been on the autistic scale to a greater or lesser extent. Ditto great artists; every time you need actual intelligence on the job the autism seems to be the answer.
Countless times in the workplace I have been contacted and the first line said is 'I'm coming to you because I just need a straight answer'... That relates!
Too many researchers are just doing it to justify their jobs. I recently saw a publication of some researchers who have made the connection that playing computer games has a chance to improve peoples mood (happiness). Sounds like something right out of a south park episode. But this is a real thing.
Sex does make a difference in diagnosis rates, especially for those of us who only got an adult diagnosis,,, and perhaps autism manifests a bit differently in the aggregate according to sex both because of the hormonal effects and because of how people assigned male or female at birth are raised and socialised and subject to expectations. In general I do agree with your point - but brains are bathed in hormones all the time, and hormones differ according to sex organs and their functions, therefore there are biologically likely to be differences between autistic populations depending on sex. Otherwise totally agree with your point! Something very ominous about wanting to know causes...
Yes. The carnivore diet helps that foggy brain. I don’t have that symptom anymore, and I am post-menopause. You are correct though. I’m still autistic! I’m OK with it. Who else would I be? 😊
ive gotta add these comments before i unpause the video. you made me really laugh with those 2 things around the 24 minute mark. "not just giving loose bits and goin, if you remember all that - this is it" and "we're expected to be the fish being judged to climb a tree". i really agree with you about the fact 'normal' especially nowdays is being the smooth brained pleasure seeking psychopath who can make people laugh. i think its much more normal and should be preferred to get work done and look out for the people around you.and calculate all the possibilities and understand the material and the logic behind things but its just not how people operate and i dont understand how the world got this way, surely people in the early 1900's werent like this. over the past 3 years being interested in this since realizing why the hell my life is this way ive come to some conclusions about what the causes were. . . man there it goes. sorry for making you read through all this shit, im critiquing you based on a different belief but i dont know 100% im just sold on an idea - ill just share the idea: im keto/carnivore too after fasting and losing 25kg last year, breaking down a bunch of scar tissue half curing my chronic pain from scapula snapped in half 2014. i heard on a podcast that its an evolutionary thing (ego: more evolved, yep) that in famine times when meat is scarce so more carbs are eaten, the brains of people would become more stringent, more diverse brain fibres (temple grandins DTI-MRI brain scans) so that the tribe could become more ingenuitive and find better solutions to adapt. im of the opinion that a higher fat lower carb diet could 'reverse' or prevent the diversification of the brain stem in the first place, but im certain that emotional trauma and fear of death and life changing events play into that adaption from a young age so you're right you cant just change the diet and no more autism. its whole environment dependent IS IT OKAY IF I EMAIL YOU A QUESTION? id pay you a hundred bucks just to have a phonecall to get your feedback. im really stuck right now and between all the burnout and lack of support im not able to function enough to change my life. im well capable, im a boilermaker (2011) but because ive not been getting anywhere with job opportunities and chronic unemployment im never going to get past that point of approval from a stranger if all they're looking at is paper record of my history. ive got all the tickets and quals and know how to work and i can work hard etc. i think ive actually invented an engine that might change the world (less moving parts, less emissions, more torque and fuel efficiency) but because im socially isolated and poor i cant take it anywhere. i cant patent it because thats just giving the idea away ($2500 for a functional patent anyway), and i cant ask for investment or try market the idea because im only 90% sure about the concept until i run some fluid dynamic things in a computer model. i should have just pirated some engineering software shouldnt i? well now since my surgery in october last year from getting my finger chopped off, work threatening me and forcing me to resign, and having my computer and almost all my possessions in storage all of this year ive kind of given up and im living by other peoples standards. have i created this prison? do i actually deserve it? i cant remember having any control over where my life is going since highschool, alot of life is just escaping pain, wanting to be normal and wishing i could be happy like everyone else. i know this is a common experience but i just want to be independent of my family emotionally and independent financially so i can pursue my dreams and decide to live life the way i want to, id love to have hobbies like rock climbing and going to a gym. its this exclusion thing, and do i even deserve it? i know i deserve a better life, ive always lived to a higher standard than those around me, but at what cost? rant over, thanks for the videos - i love your content. have you ever heard people in video games talk about someone 'acting autistic' like the screeching addicted kid with no self control whos totally self interested. i feel like that is what 'normal people are like, gotta start popularizing the idea that its actually neurotypical people who are the 'autistic' ones. thanks for the laughs, and this sobering realization that i need to sleep and find a meaningful job.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. Anything worth doing will always be hard work, but ultimately you need to know the hard work will be worth it 👍🏻
Not every person w autism is high functioning! Your situation is only yours. Do you know that? Autism is a wide spectrum. All is not this "hooray I can focus". Some do not even communicate. Of course parents want to know why! It can be debilitating
It's all for that delicious "research" funding they can't wait to sink their chops into, my friend. They know there is no answer to their research, that's why they're doing it - because it never ends so it's infinite funding.
How about that guy (a supposedly respected harvard psychologist) who wrote a book about how keto diets cure autism or prevent it if a mom is on a keto diet during her pregnancy... I almost died laughing as an autistic person who's been on and off keto diets my whole life 🤪🤪 .... Like NOPE, sorry, still autistic!
Hi Paul, I really like your videos but I strongly disagree here, which is fine. I think its good that research into autism exists and that findings like the correlation between plastics and autism are discovered, not because autism is something to be "fixed" but maybe research like this can give more insight into the biology behind autism which could in the end help neurotypical people understand better. As to your point about no one who is doing research being willing to talk to you about your specific experience of autism I don't see anything malicious in it, more likely the current research money is being spent on things like biological roots and other aspects instead of a study of adults with autism. I am not saying its right but research is difficult especially when it comes to funding and our society being as it is I can totally see that many researchers could really want to research autistic adult's phenomenology but who is going to pay for it?
I'm late diagnosed autistic and I consider it a mental disability. And I myself is trying to figure out root cause of it in me. Just because I need an explanation of this condition.
Individual difference, and that may be the case at your end. Autism is rarely the issue, issues are generally due to how you've been treated differently by others because of being Autistic. Best of luck figuring it out👍🏻
@@AdultwithAutismI was treated just fine. But I lack "normal" empathy, I'm not good at small talk, I can have a meltdown or rage outburst against really unimportant thing and so on. That's why it's a mental disability.
I don’t know all of what my research would be yet, but as an autistic mental health professional I would be honored to pick your brain about autism either in the comments or more formally. What do you want mental health professionals to know about autism? I realize you have dedicated many of your hours making these videos talking about what is important for you to say about autism, so I am not trying to cheapen that. All those messages are important, I just don’t want to substitute those for you getting to share in a clinical interview.
Here's something else my impulsive ADHD brain just came up with on this pseudo-scientific topic of discussion. The origin of Autism is a meaningful question to ask. Much like discerning human cultural differences. Knowing the origins of why things are different helps a lot with co-existence amongst differing cultures and neurotypes alike. So there is value to it after all. 6:00 I often have and still do wonder why the vast majority of all people are right-handed. Why in the actual hell are roughly 80% to 90% of all people right handed? You would think that it would be about a 50-50 split. All I can find for explaining this phenomenon are a few nonsensical hypotheses right up there on the same part of the bullshit meter as this Aussie pseudo-scientific correlation to Autism and plastic exposure. Interestingly, the disproportionate ratio of neuro-typical people to autistic people does actually seem to be quite similar to right-handedness vs. left-handedness. I never thought of that before this video. Maybe there's a link between left-handedness and autism. :) It's probably more plausible than that ridiculous proposed link between Autism and plastic exposure.
in an evolutionary stand point as an asd person i fill in a gap in the gene pool that neurotypical people dont. if there wasent this veriety in the gene pool we would not be here now
mr.paul im 30 and i have autism i dont think it is bad it has helped me in my life and under standing the meaning of evil and to be honest i think the people who changed the wourld have some kind of autism please i realy calling for you to read about islam and how muslims are the only people now in this world that are saying the truth and not masking any thing and living as a human should and die as we should please read about islam im saying this to you because i belive some people with autism can understand fake from real and true from false or the last people that can please search about islam or better read the quran i would love to hear from you
Yes, stop trying to fix us. We aren't broken.
When we are broken, it isn't the autism, it's what society does to us.
Very true.
Amen.
i have a terrible allergy, and it especially comes out when people are throwing (projecting) mud just to see what sticks. when you're allergic to bullshit, you look like the problem because you're the one having the reaction. even when you repress your allergy you may be targeted further for not having the expected reactions (ego bonding) and this is simply because neurotypical people have an addiction to illogical unrationalized emotional states due to their disengaged nervous systems (lazy 'autistic' behavior). for the normal person when they read 'autistic' see: patholoogical
If there is a reason for being autistic, I would want to know. Just because I love knowledge. As much as there are cons with being autistic, as much as it can disable you in a neurotypical world, there are still plenty of pros. Caring about what's real, what's true, I find is one of the most important traits of autism I've run into, rather than caring about what's "true" because of what you want to be true. To put your ego aside and accept what's real, I think that's insane how few people care about the truth. The fact that so many autistic people are intellectually honest seems to be a massive pro to being autistic and a world saving one at that.
I had never thought about part of being autistic is that there is little to no ego, but I really think you're onto something there. What a fantastic observation, it could legit be the essence of autism! That would be a very interesting deep dive.
I relate a ton to this, and it's nice to see someone write it out so well. It's such a frustrating compulsion!
In a nutshell 'autism equates to authenticity'. A disorder? Yeah right! This is a psyop my friends. The establishment is devaluating other thinking ('autistic people') because it is threatening. Believe in conspiracies because it is real. Autistic people notice it but fall for the deception that something is wrong with them, BUT its the opposite!
Well said.
I would want to know so we can make more of us and become the new TD 😈
Autism brings some much creativity, hyper focus and balance in the world. I think without it the world would be poorer for it.
Very true.
I don't feel broken or that I need to be fixed, I just feel different and the reason for that doesn't change anything. The people that love me enjoy my brand of weirdness and come to me when they need a truly different viewpoint. I enjoy being obsessed with hobbies. It's not all rainbows, but nobody's life is. I believe that autism is a net benefit to many aspects of society.
PS - There's something about the way you ask "You alright?" at the beginning of videos that is so comforting and it makes my entire nervous system exhale. It's the shared understanding of what you mean when asking. It's just nice and I thank you!
I love his greeting, too!
I love the greeting too, only found this chanel few days ago
This is the most real video I've seen on what autism actually is. 100% agree. It's natural variance.
I've been unpacking and so many of my struggles are from being taught to think and behave "correctly". There's so much trauma that shouldn't exist. Imagine if we were raised with acceptance rather than our assests being treated as probelms & disabilities...
I absolutely love the fact I can hyper focus while everyone else carries on talking nonsense and gets surprised at how I can hyper focus amidst the chaos.
I used to be able to hyperfocus, but I've lost the ability as I've aged.
@@marthamurphy7940 I’m thankful I still have it while I’m still young!
Even with the numerous difficulties and challenges, I wouldn't change my autism for the world
Me neither. Glad to hear you say that.
A well expressed comment by Adult with Autism.
My autism is an integrated part of my essence and it is as old as humanity. What has made autism more visible is modernity since the beginning of writing and then spun into high awareness via industrialization.
Did hunter-gather societies become dysfunction because of their autistic traits, or did they get steamrolled by the adoption of assembly line characteristics that made autistic traits seem unproductive.
To be human is to include autism as a primal human trait. Only the dysfunctional concept of eugenics would try to separate autism for our human essence.
I think that modern “mental health professionals” have gone too far. They categorized traits that humans have and put us in this “other” category. “You diverge from what is typical”. We exist as this group based on behavioral characteristics that we have in common. 100 years ago people had the respect for people to think “we all have traits and characteristics” but 100 years of theories and studies now can tell if a 2 year old is in this category.
I am so thankful for the autistic people- especially in my life- that are able to speak and live as typically as anyone w/o the diagnosis.
My heart breaks for the non-verbal, self-injurious, incontinent, pain-filled lives that others have to endure, though.
Their stories are sorely under-represented and because of this we live in a society that has minimalized, even normalized ASD diagnoses.
For so, so many, ASD is not the "special superpower" media and movies love to portray it as.
Very true 👍🏻
Autism isn't wrong, but it does cause much more serious problems for some people than it causes for you and me. I like my brain, too. I lived to age 75 before I was diagnosed with autism, so I had no special support. I struggled socially, and other autistic people seem to have suffered more than I have. I think researchers are intrigued by the relatively new ability to use brain scanning to study the differences in people's brains and brain functioning.
Thank you. I love those hyper focus times when I am flowing with the world. You introduce to perspectives that I realize I share with you. Being autistic and sharing perspectives is important to me.
Thank you
I can say, because it is true, that I like ALL your videos. This one here is now my favourite one. You formulate things with such structure and such logic (and more) that I feel relieved, listening to you . Your voice, tone , speech delivery, everything is done perfectly for me. You help me make more sense, put a better order in my mind and that is GOOD for me. I am SO grateful that some algorithms have brought you to my awareness!!!! I'll have to watch this video again, because I need time to digest the rich contents you produce. If you ever think that your videos are useless, quick quick, remember THEY DO GOOD to a fair number of people. Thank you, Paul. REALLY THANK YOU!!!
Thank you, that's made my day 👍🏻
Hi Paul...first thank you so much for bringing more awareness and acceptance of Autism.I don't know if it helps or not to find out out what causes it as much as it is important to bring awareness of it to the forefront. I only say this because my husband was diagnosed late in life at age 48. Had we known, had he known, had his parents and teachers known..maybe , just maybe he and those he was in relationship with and also in intimate relationships with, would not have suffered. So for me what you are doing by bring awareness is way more important that trying to figure out what causes autism. Thank you again I appreciate you ;o)
Thank you
I share your concerns. One doctor tried to give me pills to "fix" my bland expression. So I'm expected to pay for these pills & endure the side effects because he doesn't like the look of my face.
😯 What could possibly have been in those pills?!!!
Find another doctor or someone else ❤🩹
I hope you found a better doctor.
absolutely brilliant insight.
Thx! I very much resonated with the "understand the linkage/logic behind facts" in learning. I really struggled in school because most teachers didn't have the ability to teach those connections but only listed "facts" that they expected us to mindlessly repeat in tests.
I think that this could also be the reason we ask a lot of questions in conversations: we want to understand the point the other person makes, the problem they are facing, ...
I love what you say about pattern recognition and how it filters things. This ties in with the mirror neuron differences idea. We don't mirror we have to filter and organise and find patterns for us to remember things and to be interested.
The thing I find is researches, therapist and the like, like to focus on babies and children is because it makes them feel more fluffy and we’re doing a wonderful thing. Once you turn 18 and becoming adult that the fluffy we helped someone feeling isn’t there for them, so they don’t pay too much attention to older autistic people.
Therefore missing out on the opportunity to learn what they really need to know about autism and how to help those with it.
They do forget us once we're adults. That's also a curious thing.
Hello, Paul...since I’m catching this video shortly after it went up, I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you “Thank You!”. My diagnosis was only obtained a few months ago (after years of struggles, misdiagnosis, medications that did far more harm than good because they were administered based on those misdiagnosis, etc), and I wanted you to know that your videos are both highly relatable to me, and were invaluable in bolstering the understanding that allowed me to begin climbing out of one of the worst burnout breakdowns I’ve had in a lifetime of periodic depressive episodes that were the direct result of my autistic experience while trying to function in the world and my high stress job; that grew out of attempting to parlay my special interests into a career guided by neurotypical expectations based on IQ. Your insights were also key in leading me to seek diagnosis. So, again, my heartfelt and profound thanks
And, as others have said, I find your voice and manner to be wonderfully soothing...and, especially love your, “Ya alright?” greeting
Thank you for that. I am really glad the videos helped along the way.
Excellent and well thought out video!
Thank you
I didn't realize you got diagnosed that young. It explains how well adjusted you are now.
It is. Very much so.
Paul you’re like a breath of fresh air on the topic of autism. Thanks for being so honest and open, it’s helping me so much (and I’m sure a lot of other people too)😊🙏❤
Many thanks 👍🏻
To many Autistic teenagers are being wrongly referred to the PREVENT programme because their ignorant teachers think being different, being brutally honest and bold enough to ask difficult questions, means they are somehow potential terrorists of the future. It is so offensive and it has the potential to damage their futures if they get wrongly labelled as 'dangerous' in some way. It really upsets me and things have to change. Excellent rant Paul, blessings to you and your doggie and puss cat. 😺
But, the Truth IS dangerous in our society build on lies. Of course they get labeled as terrorist, there existence is thread to the system.
Awesome video Paul totally agree with you !! It made perfect sense
👍
Thanks Gemma
Thank you, Paul; I always enjoy and relate to your videos, and you have a very soothing voice 🙂 Appreciate your content. ❤
Many thanks
Im an adult with autism and I'd give anything to not have autism. Why would you want your life to be harder than it has to be? Life is already hard then add confusion, misunderstanding, social awkwardness, self identity problems and sooooo much more on top of it? Why? If there was a cure or I could have prevented my daughter from also being autistic I would take it in a heartbeat.
Because Autism isn't the problem, they way we are treated by others / not accepted by others is the problem. We make adjustments for everyone all of the time, yet for us to have consideration...legislation had to be passed. It isn't Autistic people who need a cure.
I believe autistic people are some of the best group of people in the world. We make for excellent leaders, creators, counselors, mentors, and teachers simply because we dissect things down to its smallest fraction to understand it. Because of certain traits we have, we go beyond the average neurotypical’s person capabilities. We actually utilizes the highest power of our brain unlike most people.
“We dissect things down to its smallest fraction to understand it”. This helps me, thank you.
@@galenajorgeson You are welcome 😀🙏🏽
I agree 👍🏻
Wow, that was powerful, bro 👊😎
Many thanks
I encountered someone the other day who said that their young child was suspected by teachers to have autism but when she changed her daughter's diet, her behaviors "resolved." I had so many questions! But it was a passing conversation, so I didn't get to know the details. She seemed to think that food additives like Red 40 "caused autism"... 🤦♀
However, despite all the noise, when you get such a consistent etiology, characterizing the cause should technically be possible. That isn't a value judgement on people (or it doesn't need to be). We also like to understand things like why some people are introverted or have green eyes, and they can be studied without being considered flaws. If we're too sensitive to look at the potential causes because people can get it wrong, then we are losing out on some important insights in human neurology and biology, and the misguided speculations just continue to proliferate.
Of course, we first need to characterize autism well in order to find causes, and that is still ongoing. Finding a cause can be a good incentive to understand autism better, and as we learn more, we are finding that it isn't a "disability" when neurodivergence has functional advantages and merely runs counter to cultural expectations.
I'd think it would be a great relief to more accurately know the causes, if anything, to put the Red 40 type stuff to rest.
When you said maybe we are the good in the world i felt that so deeply ❤ it made me cry for a minute because I think you're right 🫶 thank you for being you
Big fan of your videos, i relate to your struggles greatly when it comes to trying to fit unto the autism community as a late diagnosed autistic who had to do everything the hard way. I offend everyone.
Me too...but I never want to or mean to. That matters to me even if it doesn't matter to them 👍🏻
I really appreciate your videos Paul. Thank you for your authenticity, openness, and insight into your version of autism. As a late diagnosed autistic woman, I can relate to a great deal to what you share on your videos, which I find very validating
Thank you, and glad you can relate.
I’ve been doing brain training, a Nintendo DS game, one of the mini games/tests is to memorise a list of words. A list of 30 words with 2 minutes to memorise and 3 minutes to write the words in any order and see how many you can remember.
I found that the best way I can remember a larger number of words is to link groups of words together by creating sentences or linking them by themes, so one words leads into another. The difference is probably x3-4 more words remembered if I’m able to link words together compared to if I just read the list over and over in order.
EDIT: discussion on learning and pattern recognition made me think of this
I love your videos, thank you for them. I feel I had a good talk with a friend. Thank you thank you thank you❤
Thank you
They probably got a call from the Coca-Cola corporations vast legal team.
I think the reason some people would like to find out the reason behind what causes autism is because not everyone has the same type of Autism. For some people it can severely effect everyone in the family and can be extremely difficult to raise a child with autism especially if that child has the strength of an adult and has angry outbursts being punch in the face every day by your child is really hard.
I think it’s a good thing to find out what causes autism because not everyone lives happily with autism and it can be really helpful to prevent other people from going through what some parents have to go through.
I hear you, but I've ran into something interesting on this side too.
I've spoken to many parents of Autistic children who have this type of outburst. When I hear of the upbringing and the expectation on the child, it's sometimes quite easy to see where the amendments need to be made.
But this is where the unfortunate side comes in...the parents won't change their methods, believing love and support will raise an Autistic child into the type of person they want them to be, and it doesn't. Or Autism is given more focus than a comorbidity such as a learning difficulty.
Structure, a safe space, and proactive consequences are much more useful than unconditional love. I give many examples but because it sounds 'mean', many are unwilling to change their approach.
It doesn't mean to love or care any less, it is to attempt to stop people trying to put a square peg in a round hole.
So even with a 'cause' being identified, I fear many parents still won't listen, as so many self aware autistic adults align with how an autistic child would be better suited to be raised as we were children once too and know what would have been better for us. But non Autistic parents won't take our advice on board.
I don't feel in this type of situation that a 'cause' would help, as if advice still comes from non Autistic people, it'll remain as misaligned as it does today unfortunately 👍🏻
Funny that you mention left handedness and being ambidextrous...I actually read a study that equated lack of a dominant hemisphere found in being ambidextrous with autism. And forcing right handedness can lead to speech impediments.
How interesting!
Excellent description of the pattern recognition learning style. This is exactly how I learn also. It's funny how I was ranting about this in my head explaining how this works, before I knew I was autistic. I think of it figuratively as a police helicopter circling around a subject gathering data and working towards an understanding of the whole.
I got through a programming bachelor and have worked a couple of years as a developer, and let me tell you there's a lot of shit recruiting practices in the tech industry. Even problem solving and programming which is a deep focus activity has to be turned into a real time processing public debacle.
Thank you for this video, your content and for sharing all that you do. ❤ If I can have a little of your time I would like to share my thoughts and some of my story. 🙂
At the age of approximately 3 years old I became consciously aware that I was on my own while my older Brother was building houses of cards next to my Mum as she was concentrating on the book she was reading. At the time it felt like being in the back of a classroom excluded from everyone else. Not happy with this I consciously made the effort to approach my older Brother expecting him to welcome me joining in with him. At 3 years old I dare say I was used to making my presence known and instantly gaining welcoming attention with my expectations delivered. Well what I received this day was a hostile face and anything but being welcomed, perhaps trying to join in equated to me tipping the card houses my older Brother concentrated so hard on building. Anyway I was devoid of the words to express what I was hoping to achieve (the joining in), and as such I just looked to my Mother for help and intervention, which never happened, possibly because she thought I deliberately set about trying to destroy his card house creation based upon my older Brother's reaction from misinterpreting what I was really looking to achieve, or perhaps he really did want his house of cards all for himself, who knows.
The important thing with this though is a learned "reaction" of retreat, rather than trying to explain brought about from this traumatic situation I faced, a situation that would be dismissed by a adult. To add I think most 3 year olds would find it a challenge to articulate what they were looking to achieve in a way that is even coherent to them, let alone someone else, especially when that someone else is perceived to have a face of a lion in that moment and that memory left raw as it wasn't resolved by my Mum the adult I looked to for help and support and the return to my emotional security and stability I was accustomed to... Thing is there was also another consequence associated with this. I now concluded that I couldn't just join in, but I lacked the words or know how to approach a peer to gain acceptance and interact with them... Some time later when I was around 3 or early 4 I remember "formally" asking my younger Brother if he would like to spend time playing games with me which felt highly awkward off the back of my previous experience. Had I not interacted with my younger Brother pre-school I think I would very much experienced what "some" on the spectrum describe as feeling "alien" to others...
And here's the other thing, not trying to make the effort to be understood all the while consciously remembering what I experienced at 3 years old, the wanting for the right words to come out of my mouth, but the inability to form them, let alone speak them equates to working off my anger and frustration by engaging in study/activities I know I am good at and which I have some sense of self-pride in. I wonder if these behaviours ring any bells with those on the spectrum etc.
Here's another thing I can envisage what I may have endured in school onwards had I not interacted with my younger Brother, and that is a sense of constant anxiousness, or what some might call brain fog, the inability to understand why I am being alienated and not understood and accepted and welcomed by peers, when I have others best interests at heart (but of course no one is a mind/Soul reader)... A constant state of anxiousness, confusion and disorientation coupled with a urgency to "fit in" and forever beating oneself up as and when they fall short. I would imagine this on-going trauma is some of the most unpleasant, debilitating and painful experiences someone could possibly endure, hardly surprising some have to off-set/off-load as and when they endure that one overload too many...
It's a known that "trauma" is one of the main causes, if not thy cause for arrested development, and the younger someone endures trauma the greater the impact, and what could be classed as insignificant to a adult can be destroying on levels and layers to a child in early development etc... Also depending on the age or circumstances trauma isn't always remembered...
I would like to raise one question, is Autism all about understanding and relating to others and social interactions/relationships, and if so would filling those voids in understanding make a difference... What if Autism equates mostly to being misunderstood and excluded from a early age onwards, with the "brain fog" etc. that goes with that. What if peers had made the effort to understand and go that extra mile to bridge early gaps in peer bonding, would that make all the difference from those early years onwards. If this is the case just like some of the barbaric treatment some left handers endured there is milestones of difference that can be made through making the effort and best practices bringing about true acceptance, understanding and inclusion from understanding what the real issues are and how to address them.
Inclusion is accepting, respecting and making the effort to understand "individuals" and giving them the peace of mind and space to also learn to understand others from a place of non-judgement and no criticism. For it is judgements, criticisms and expectations placed onto shoulders that is all the debilitating pressures which force some to mask rather than endure more of the trauma they have already encountered and had to put up with... There is a need for research and there is a need to learn best approaches to make lasting and tangible differences and that includes working with those on the Spectrum rather than alienating them... Just my thoughts, I welcome others thoughts and opinions on this. ❤
You have a "co-conspirator" in your rationale - at almost 58 and after many years of self reflection and nearly 5 of self-study of psychology, I'm left with similar conclusions. It seems to me that the origin point of the autism phenomenon is truly no more than than one of many cognitive arrangements (C.G.Jung, MBTI and other examples) that each individual inherits, each with different strengths and vulnerabilities that are acted upon by our environment and our experience of being validated within it, starting from our first breath and perhaps even in utero. The early Object Relations theorists like Melanie Klein and Ronald Fairbairn and later work on early attachment by Bowlby and others provided insight on the critical nature of early caregiver bonding as the foundation of psychological development and the template for future relationships, and without which a complete and stable sense of self is not possible. It seems to me that while there are certainly genetic, epigenetic, and other factors that determine EVERY basic neurological predisposition, a more reasonable place to look for causation of difficulties in ALL neurotypes is early attachment injury and adverse experiences, as well as an overbearing majority of particular traits that are accepted as "normal" that differ from our own, coupled with a general lack of understanding of early development and with the tendency toward repeating long-standing mistakes either through blind acceptance of traditions or due to unresolved trauma adaptations influencing caregiver interaction with the child. All of these factors have a large body of evidence to support their validity, despite the fact that the current models of psychology (DSM and ICD) largely ignore over a century of data in favor of the "pathology" theory and cherry-picked statistical "evidence".
I appreciate your story and the insights you gained and shared from your experience - I can relate, though my own experience has been a much more extreme version and has had dramatic impacts on my psychology; I like many "neurodivergents" knew from an early age that I was somehow "different" , likely due to very early attachment trauma and a predisposition to a "differently ordered" way of experiencing and understanding my environment followed by chronic, repeated, and numerous adverse experiences that are unfortunately all too common and appear to be becoming moreso in our scientifically "enlightened" age of "progress". I agree fully with your observation that much more attention should be focused on early development that would yield benefits to all neurotypes, rather than on obscure "pathological" factors that only funnel resources into unproductive (and harmful) areas of "science" and social engineering. Thanks for your comment, it helps me feel a little less alone in my thinking about this topic.
@@don-eb3fj Thank you for your very detailed reply. 🙂If I am honest I thought my post would be lost amongst so many others, plus my post was quite lengthy...
I very much agree with you that much research needs to be done on early development and how strong influences, the good and the bad shape the way we think and behave well into adulthood and perhaps beyond... If I am honest I also see a possible connection in infant and parent/primary care givers bonding too. Thing is there is so much more unspoken language/understanding than that of the spoken. From facial expressions, social gestures, tone of voice to even smell and touch sensations, that can be very much part of traumatic memories, hence perhaps the sensitivity to noise, or sensitivity to certain materials etc as it can trigger at a depth of someone's inner-security equilibrium. From those very first moments there is communication that goes on back and forth, the shared joy, the understanding how far someone's patience can be pushed to the correcting of understandings simply through facial expressions (the making consciously aware that their understanding is wrong, followed by facial affirmations when they are right etc). All of this is non-verbal as is the sharing of hugs and expressions of love. This is all early learning, forming foundations of understanding engrained in us to the point it's not something we consciously think about. To understand all of these shared emotions is to be able to articulate them when we learn to speak, plus these emotions are all displayed with no awkwardness, no second thinking which can then transcend into social interactions with peers later... To have early voids of understanding in these areas is to miss out on all manner of social cues, plus the struggling to articulate oneself that is perhaps even coherent to themselves let alone others... Now I am not saying this is true of those on the Spectrum, but in my opinion it is a case for further study and research...
The way I see things is that anything that is not a biological affliction can be undone, it just needs the right understanding and the right people and influences in the mix to re-align understandings and ways of thinking... We can also look at thinking types too. There is the calm and methodical to the impulsive, the introvert to the extrovert etc. There is also the male to the female (the male which is normally a go-getter is more likely to outwardly react to perceived injustices, whereas a female who is more likely to think and do for others is more likely to see themselves as the problem and turn their reactions/thoughts inwards). The point I make here is that one thinking type may react one way when a response is triggered and another thinking type react a different way. It's okay having all these mental health labels, but everyone is a individual and as such it's important to understand the individual, their perceptions and daily situations when working towards barrier free communication etc. and a way forward that is best for that individual. For reference I'm no psychologist, health professional etc. but all of this to me should be common sense and a approach anyone should be making if they have a genuine interest for that person's well-being, that and the moving away from a mind-set that text books hold all the answers etc... I wonder if you would agree my friend. 🙂 I would also be keen to hear your thoughts etc. too. 🙂
@@John26767 You made many great points that are not commonly considered by most, and by my assessment that is the mark of someone who has spent a lot of time in consideration and introspection, which generally only comes about from being faced with unusual challenges and dilemmas- I recognize that position well. I am not a professional either, but as you noted academic knowledge isn't everything, and I've never been one to be overly impressed by credentials or awards nor do I place a high degree of credence in information on only those criteria. Some things indeed should be common sense, but for a variety of reasons it is uncommon to find evidence of it, especially among academics, especially these days. There are of course exceptions, and a proper role and place for everything, and it is those exceptions and contexts that I attempt to find and apply in doing my own research and self-assessment, the only reasonable approach I see as viable or even available for myself. I began my own search for answers in psychology and related subjects after a long train of dissappointments and frustrations finally derailed following a major loss and the collapse of my whole universe - I realized that I did not know myself, and that I needed to if I was to have any hope of rebuilding. It's a work in progress, slow progress, and not steady or linear, and the available information often proves to be more of a hindrance and a hazard than a help. One of the ongoing themes emerging from my progress is to identify and challenge some of the misinformation and misconceptions in the professional literature and online community that stigmatizes and promotes misunderstanding of psychological conditions particularly in the realm of schizoid dynamics and autism, both of which I self-identify with and commit daily study to.
I also do not particularly care for labels, for reasons I already identified, and find the "diagnostic criteria" in the "check the boxes" classification systems to be so inadequate and misleading that I would find it laughable if it didn't create so much pain and confusion for so many - so much for the value of the "experts" who are more beholden to politics, social perception, and the interests of big business than they are to the integrity of their profession, making it a necessity for each of us to become our own expert. That being the case, there is still some utility, and necessity, in the use of academic tools and psychology models ; thus I look for the tools of self-understanding in the research of the early psychoanalysts like Jung, Klein and Fairbairn, who understood that the unconscious, non-verbal, and pre-verbal had much more impact on human psychological development and functioning than what we are conscious of does. I would also like to think that what has been done can be undone given the right knowledge and resources, but there is the crux of the matter, isn't it? For myself, I'm not so certain that it can be reversed, but maybe accomodated and capitalized on; very early and chronic injury inhibits key processes at crucial stages and becomes intricately entangled with core personality formation such that they become inseperable, which is why such techniques as CBT and DBT are ineffective and potentially harmful for those who are not neurotypically adapted. In my estimation, this is all the more reason to focus on correcting the attitudes, environments, and practices that lead to trauma, alienation, and the adaptations that develop in response to those factors; not only would those corrections create a culture more likely to yield conditions and resources to aid those already affected, but even more importantly would lessen the instances of more children being negatively affected by damaging influences that are currently causing an alarming increase in serious mental health issues. All deserve better, but only we ourselves can make it so, as it is obvious that no one is coming to liberate us.
We have evolved our cultures faster than we can biologically and psychologically adapt to them, and have created societal arrangements that we cannot be healthy in. We've adopted ideologies that dishonor and pervert our true nature and deny us our most basic human needs. We're forced by lack of alternatives to invest our best interests to administration by faceless and unresponsive buraucracies and outsource our welfare to megacorporations built to satisfy only the best interests of their principal investors. We accept the Utopian vision of unending and ill-defined "growth" and "progress" without considering the human costs. Should we be surprised that those who are more sensitive by nature develop atypical responses to detrimental conditions, or shouldn't that rightly be expected? Should those who display ill effects of life in an unhealthy environment be considered defective, or wouldn't it be more sensible to pay attention, to think of them as canaries in the coalmine, and heed the early warning signs that have already been ignored for many generations too long, and retreat from a dangerously foolish course of action? Have we evolved yet to the point that we can finally recognize cause and effect, and take rational steps to adapt our actions to more reasonably desirable consequences? Surely there's a first time for everything.
Well worth the wait, thank you Paul 👍
Thank you 👍🏻
Let's do a study to see what makes them not autistic and waist money
*** Low Birth Weight ***
At birth I was,
10lbs 2oz. (4.59kg)
21.5 inches (54.6)
To a woman that was Non-Diabetic with a height
4 ft 11 in (150cm)
We are burned autistic. It’s “cause” it’s not known. I don’t need to know, I rather educate myself on how to live with the condition and enjoy life to the must. I am aware of the lack of information even from medics. Stigma, taboo leave us Autistic people, alienated, misunderstood, alone. Sad
Agree 100% . Keep doing these vids Paul 👌
Thanks 👍🏻
It seems to me we are at an obvious advantage with the use of AI as it does the Normie stuff whilst we can be creative
I call this learning "Tree or Leaves " I can't take in random bits of info (leaves) without understanding how it fits together first (tree). The leaves are bits and bobs here and there. The tree is the skeleton. The foundation. When I'm given lots of leaves, I need to put them altogether on the skeleton/tree. It's difficult to articulate.
Thanks Paul for another great video... I find there is so much of trying to find what causes autism (all they do is throw stuff to a wall and hope something sticks) and not enough real research speaking to autistic people (people with autism) on what would make their life better. Even some non verbal individuals with the right supports can communicate what would make their lives better. I would not change my autistic brain for a "normal" brain, I'm not broken I don't need to be fixed I just think differently, learn differently. Tolerance and acceptance would be a huge step... instead of trying to fix us. I loved your analogy of the course taught in Japanese that is exactly how I felt though school, but once it's in my brain though you bet I don't forget it.
We make accommodations for others, but for us to get accommodations...they needed to make legislation 👍🏻
1. Excellent video. 2. Your imitation of an American commercial was ON POINT 😂
Haha, thank you
I guess I beat down my own creativity trying so hard to fit in. Kids who didn't fit in were never seen again. It was extremely shameful to have a "different" child in the south in the sixties. My strongest tool was mimickry. If I mastered anything it was that.
I hear that!
The three eyed “creature” named Claire brought me here. Subscribed. Cheers, D
Hello Paul 👋 I have to commend you for reaching out to the researchers to offer your time and insight as an Autistic person: I concur with your views on the prevalent direction and aims of current Autism research. On the topic of The Human Condition, i recommend Jeremy Griffiths book Freedom; a biological in depth dive into the reasons for competition in the world, wars, poverty, inequality and climate change; perhaps you might find some answers there. Great video, i always appreciate your fortrightness and directness 🙂🖖
Always happy to discuss with any of the researchers, regardless of how much I may disagree with what they may research. I want to understand, the only way is to ask questions. Shame that interest isn't returned 👍🏻
Thanks for saying this. I've been investigating the whole autism spectre and highly sensitive people for some time to understand my partner, child and I think myself as well and I've come to a similar conclusion. I consider autism the way you describe it as a different type of person, dare I say a form of evolution that becomes a "problem" ONLY because of the society we live in that, as you say, is ruled by regular people that aren't as aligned with nature and our bodies and are more submerged into perpetual noise inside and reflecting that outside in multiple ways... so us existing is almost like a species of the future that has come to pave the way to a different reality that will most likely come once all this noise and clutter is finally understood as a source of mental and physical illness. I'd like to think of us as game changers, world changers just by how we Are. That's my assessment for today. Thanks for sharing this
Thank you for seeing the point of the video. It is about Autism not being a problem 👍🏻
Hey Paul, I agree if we don't mask detrimental things happen, but masking is also detrimental.
It might be the reason thespians check in and out in a 'Green Room'. ☮
Both my daughter and I have autism. I'm 41, just now in the process of getting diagnosed, I've known for only a month that I'm autistic. I used to think autism was humanity's evolution with all this instant-stimulus from our rapid exposure to daily tech from almost zero tech before, but I watched a video the other day by Neurodivergent Doctor, and while he was kind of teasing, what he said actually makes a lot of sense: that autism is the natural human way, and it's the neurotypical people that are the different ones. It makes sense to me from the stance of evolution in other animals. We see it in zoo animals and animals who were rescued from nature and become pets: they lose their sense of instincts that let them survive in the wild. For the most part, they no longer look around to see what made what noises (they acclimate to the noises inside the homes or zoos they live in), they aren't focused on where their next meal comes from or if they'll have it again, sleep is not longer a survival need but something to do when they are bored, they are used to having everything handed to them. For humans, those are only intensified, especially with smartphones and instant digital everything that triggers endorphins or dopamine whenever we want it. We no longer need to wait for anything.
After watching that video, I now truly believe that neuro-"typical" people are the evolution - or devolution - of humanity. If you've read/seen the Divergent series, they actually explained this really well: People devolved so they could only have one type of characteristic their whole lives and the ones who had all the characteristics were called Divergent and shunned and either treated like criminals or ran away to hide in poverty so they wouldn't be imprisoned, but it turned out that the Divergents were the natural form of humanity and that the ones who weren't divergent were the devolved humans. (and of course, the devolved humans didn't like finding out and tried to destroy the knowledge to keep it a secret).
I really do think, now, that Autism is the way humanity is supposed to be. I mean, our senses are all heightened, we hear different sounds and see light differently, we can pick out patters in everything and see details others can't which are extremely useful in survival situations (it's exactly why wild animals species survive). I really think tech has devolved a lot of humanity. Maybe not even half, but it really has done a number on their abilities for even simple things like tabletop puzzles and discerning different sounds and smells.
I do share a similar viewpoint these days. People make out we are sinister...but we are not the ones who have dedicated 24/7 news networks talking about all the atrocities we are committing against the rest of humanity...but non Autistic people do. Of course, not all are like that, but enough are for it to be the currency of the world.
"Just a hunk of meat and skin!"😂 Still learning about myself and my autism and my initial reaction is that I don't like being autistic because of the amount of anxiety I have every single day. But looking deeper, the amount of anxiety is due to masking forever because of societal expectations. Years of feeling wrong is going to take a while to undo i suppose. I certainly agree that more research should be with autistic adults. Thank you for your videos.
Thank you
To be fair, they have found genes that code for autism, but having those genes don't guarantee autism, so it makes sense that the general population is looking for the environmental factors that contribute to autism, especially when it comes to the more detrimental symptoms. Also, how likely is it that the people who think their kids were cured of autism are missreading their child now being able to better control their worst autistic traits?
Autism isn’t a disorder, it’s just a variation that constitutes a small percentage to the total spectrum of human traits. Therein lies the issue, ‘small percentage’
Actually women's corpus collosum which is the web of neurons that connects the two hemispheres of the brain is much thicker. It's one reason we're better at communicating and are therefore underdiagnosed compared to men on the spectrum.
I've met enough women to see the plethora of differences! Maybe that thicker corpus collosum you mention is what the Aussies say is the reason plastics didn't affect girls like it did boys...
If you think about it in terms of modern and future societies; Traits of Autism give a clear advantage. Who knows though whether it’s a Darwinism/Evolution explanation but it’s obvious how far Autistic people have advanced the world.
Thank you ❤
The cause of the autism is poverty. If I were rich, I would just be an eccentric adult.
Sarcastic, but true
Nope. I have autism and high income. It doesn't make me less autistic.
I don't feel broken but I need services to survive after my mom died. Services cost money to provide if our parents didn't leave us a trust fund. I had one but then my dad got dementia, remarried and the new wife exploited my dad and my trust fund for my care. Neither my dad with dementia or me with autism could stop it. There are many autistic people out there at much lower function than myself. They cost even more resources, time and money being often non verbal, aggressive and impossible to care for except in a facility. This was explained to me being told it is common for autistic people to only think of themselves "I, Me" and not those with lower function who cannot perform ADL's at all. Once you are 100% Independent, you move off the autism spectrum into neuro diversity. If you are 100% self sufficient self care, managed anxiety and depression, self managed care with a place to live without any assist from anybody, use money appropriately for bills, stable long term job, stable relationships, driving a vehicle or public transport, all of it, you are considered "normal" not autistic if you can manage life and what it throws with no help from anyone. That is how it was explained to me here in the United States. The prevalence of suicide in autistic adults is pretty high as we age. When we lose our parents from death we lose ALL our support.
That's a terrible way to have it explained to you. It's the thought process such as that why the suicide rate is so high. They don't see the level of effort that goes into being 'normal'. An Autistic person would know, so again more words being said by people who don't understand.
The whole time capitalism controls the research arena, fixing and drug therapy will always be the leading way to research anything. We need good trained people doing the research just because it helps people, and that’s almost impossible under the current system. It’s so frustrating growing up being told doctors make you better and scientists just like learning about stuff, and then you grow up and see it’s all bull. If it can’t make someone money it’s gonna be hard to do/create/reseach/improve. The more I try to get help or accommodations the more pessimistic and negative I get about the whole world, it’s hard not to just give up.
I’m doing carnivore now, and it does clear my mind to not eat processed foods. But they get it wrong, it doesn’t mean I’m now “healed”. You’re absolutely correct, it’s a brain difference. I think it’s just that this society makes our existence so hard. It’s so full of unnatural things we have to do.
It is. And when we have non Autistic people telling us how we feel...and we disagree, they don't like it. Instead of learning from us, they get insulted at the fact we know more about it.
Which is extremely odd.
@@AdultwithAutism Yes, it’s very strange. I have learned so much about myself just discussing with and listening to other autistic people.
I think the reason people are obsessed with finding the cause is partially because it costs money. My son has high support needs and is very expensive to raise. Many people don't see value in those who have significant disabilities and see all that support as a waste. It's terrible, but unfortunately, abelism exists. Great video! ❤
Good point.
14:09 😂😂 "Still autistic alright"
Oh wow lol I hadn't heard the Diet Coke or Tylenol ones. That is really funny.
I think more focused research into the cause of ‘mutism in autistics’ or ‘suicide in autistics’ would be better. Instead of lumping us all together as inferior or a problem to solve. I would love it if the ‘cause of autism’ research produced a pill I could take, say before a job interview, that would make me ‘normal’ but I think it would be a nicer world if I could just be me in an interview and not be judged. Either would be nice and I think knowledge is easier to spread than to discover so telling more people about autistics is probably a better way to spend research money than trying to invent a magic pill or test to ‘fix the autistics’
I believe they need to keep looking for the reason behind why autism happens to some because of the spectrum!! What if your autism caused you to be nonverbal? Wouldn’t you want them to keep researching what causes autism so people in the future with more severe ASD would be possibly able to speak?
I'd like them to look at what causes some persons, regardless of Autism to be non verbal when all attributed parts are available for that function, as that's something that would be beneficial to be identified. But I don't want people to try to find a potential root cause for a vast spectrum. Autism Speaks want a 'cure', finding a root cause could want to 'remove' or alter the coding, which to me is genocide.
I'm all for understanding the nuances and differences, but the research for the existence of Autism...I'm too tainted by the state of the world to believe it would be for a positive reason.
Hope that makes sense.
totally agree on the no reason to find out why it happens i myself am more interested in how i can live a relatively normal life with it as i cant change the fact i have it. i also see straight through what they are trying to do from the highest levels is demonise and depreciate the severity of our struggles because it doesent fit thier narrative and end goals of financial gain from our suffering
I find that, there is great power in accommodation, that Neuro typical people just haven’t learned to accept.
After all, it’s what we do at the end of the day to make the difference, The accommodations (and getting proper treatment with those accommodations), can make the biggest difference on autistic peoples lives.
You are beautifully idealistic
Thank you
One observation here I would make is that when you look at single humans instead of groups and communities of them, you are missing a hell of a lot. The daft part is, we look at groups of other animals; heck the botanists are now getting in on the act and pointing out that plants have symbiotic fungi and plants also talk to each other.
So, what happens when you have groups of humans with a low percentage of autistic people in these groups?
Well, what you see is something interesting. The percentage of autistic people stays about the same level over time, depending only on what diagnostic you use. So the autistic folks must be doing something useful. What I think is going on is that most humans are heavily programmed to work in groups, and to cooperate a lot. Most of the modern world is based around people being good at cooperation, not being actually skilled at other things.
What happens though, when a problem is encountered that large groups of relatively stupid people cannot solve? Then you need raw intelligence on the job, and the neurotypical lot are at that point heavily reliant on instinct and sociability and it is really, really difficult to make the buggers shut up and think. Most of the great scientists of the world have been on the autistic scale to a greater or lesser extent. Ditto great artists; every time you need actual intelligence on the job the autism seems to be the answer.
Countless times in the workplace I have been contacted and the first line said is 'I'm coming to you because I just need a straight answer'... That relates!
Too many researchers are just doing it to justify their jobs. I recently saw a publication of some researchers who have made the connection that playing computer games has a chance to improve peoples mood (happiness). Sounds like something right out of a south park episode. But this is a real thing.
Sex does make a difference in diagnosis rates, especially for those of us who only got an adult diagnosis,,, and perhaps autism manifests a bit differently in the aggregate according to sex both because of the hormonal effects and because of how people assigned male or female at birth are raised and socialised and subject to expectations. In general I do agree with your point - but brains are bathed in hormones all the time, and hormones differ according to sex organs and their functions, therefore there are biologically likely to be differences between autistic populations depending on sex.
Otherwise totally agree with your point! Something very ominous about wanting to know causes...
Fully agree the brains of men and women are exceptionally different. I was only referring to exposure to plastics from the Aussie research 👍🏻
well said
Yes. The carnivore diet helps that foggy brain. I don’t have that symptom anymore, and I am post-menopause. You are correct though. I’m still autistic! I’m OK with it. Who else would I be? 😊
Exactly 👍🏻
ive gotta add these comments before i unpause the video. you made me really laugh with those 2 things around the 24 minute mark. "not just giving loose bits and goin, if you remember all that - this is it" and "we're expected to be the fish being judged to climb a tree". i really agree with you about the fact 'normal' especially nowdays is being the smooth brained pleasure seeking psychopath who can make people laugh. i think its much more normal and should be preferred to get work done and look out for the people around you.and calculate all the possibilities and understand the material and the logic behind things but its just not how people operate and i dont understand how the world got this way, surely people in the early 1900's werent like this.
over the past 3 years being interested in this since realizing why the hell my life is this way ive come to some conclusions about what the causes were. . . man there it goes. sorry for making you read through all this shit, im critiquing you based on a different belief but i dont know 100% im just sold on an idea - ill just share the idea: im keto/carnivore too after fasting and losing 25kg last year, breaking down a bunch of scar tissue half curing my chronic pain from scapula snapped in half 2014. i heard on a podcast that its an evolutionary thing (ego: more evolved, yep) that in famine times when meat is scarce so more carbs are eaten, the brains of people would become more stringent, more diverse brain fibres (temple grandins DTI-MRI brain scans) so that the tribe could become more ingenuitive and find better solutions to adapt. im of the opinion that a higher fat lower carb diet could 'reverse' or prevent the diversification of the brain stem in the first place, but im certain that emotional trauma and fear of death and life changing events play into that adaption from a young age so you're right you cant just change the diet and no more autism. its whole environment dependent
IS IT OKAY IF I EMAIL YOU A QUESTION? id pay you a hundred bucks just to have a phonecall to get your feedback. im really stuck right now and between all the burnout and lack of support im not able to function enough to change my life. im well capable, im a boilermaker (2011) but because ive not been getting anywhere with job opportunities and chronic unemployment im never going to get past that point of approval from a stranger if all they're looking at is paper record of my history. ive got all the tickets and quals and know how to work and i can work hard etc. i think ive actually invented an engine that might change the world (less moving parts, less emissions, more torque and fuel efficiency) but because im socially isolated and poor i cant take it anywhere. i cant patent it because thats just giving the idea away ($2500 for a functional patent anyway), and i cant ask for investment or try market the idea because im only 90% sure about the concept until i run some fluid dynamic things in a computer model. i should have just pirated some engineering software shouldnt i? well now since my surgery in october last year from getting my finger chopped off, work threatening me and forcing me to resign, and having my computer and almost all my possessions in storage all of this year ive kind of given up and im living by other peoples standards. have i created this prison? do i actually deserve it? i cant remember having any control over where my life is going since highschool, alot of life is just escaping pain, wanting to be normal and wishing i could be happy like everyone else. i know this is a common experience but i just want to be independent of my family emotionally and independent financially so i can pursue my dreams and decide to live life the way i want to, id love to have hobbies like rock climbing and going to a gym. its this exclusion thing, and do i even deserve it? i know i deserve a better life, ive always lived to a higher standard than those around me, but at what cost?
rant over, thanks for the videos - i love your content. have you ever heard people in video games talk about someone 'acting autistic' like the screeching addicted kid with no self control whos totally self interested. i feel like that is what 'normal people are like, gotta start popularizing the idea that its actually neurotypical people who are the 'autistic' ones. thanks for the laughs, and this sobering realization that i need to sleep and find a meaningful job.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. Anything worth doing will always be hard work, but ultimately you need to know the hard work will be worth it 👍🏻
Not every person w autism is high functioning! Your situation is only yours. Do you know that? Autism is a wide spectrum. All is not this "hooray I can focus". Some do not even communicate. Of course parents want to know why! It can be debilitating
Fully aware. I make it crystal clear in many videos, including every intro where I say 'my version of Autism'.
It's all for that delicious "research" funding they can't wait to sink their chops into, my friend. They know there is no answer to their research, that's why they're doing it - because it never ends so it's infinite funding.
Delicious research funding 🤣
How about that guy (a supposedly respected harvard psychologist) who wrote a book about how keto diets cure autism or prevent it if a mom is on a keto diet during her pregnancy... I almost died laughing as an autistic person who's been on and off keto diets my whole life 🤪🤪 .... Like NOPE, sorry, still autistic!
I know, it's nuts! One of the reasons they won't talk to us, it takes money out their pockets by discounting their nonsense.
Hi Paul, I really like your videos but I strongly disagree here, which is fine. I think its good that research into autism exists and that findings like the correlation between plastics and autism are discovered, not because autism is something to be "fixed" but maybe research like this can give more insight into the biology behind autism which could in the end help neurotypical people understand better. As to your point about no one who is doing research being willing to talk to you about your specific experience of autism I don't see anything malicious in it, more likely the current research money is being spent on things like biological roots and other aspects instead of a study of adults with autism. I am not saying its right but research is difficult especially when it comes to funding and our society being as it is I can totally see that many researchers could really want to research autistic adult's phenomenology but who is going to pay for it?
There are not enough resources to understand each person's experience of autism...or sociopathy, schizophrenia, affective disorders
I'm late diagnosed autistic and I consider it a mental disability. And I myself is trying to figure out root cause of it in me. Just because I need an explanation of this condition.
Individual difference, and that may be the case at your end. Autism is rarely the issue, issues are generally due to how you've been treated differently by others because of being Autistic. Best of luck figuring it out👍🏻
@@AdultwithAutismI was treated just fine. But I lack "normal" empathy, I'm not good at small talk, I can have a meltdown or rage outburst against really unimportant thing and so on. That's why it's a mental disability.
Those idiot scientists piss me off too though.
I don’t know all of what my research would be yet, but as an autistic mental health professional I would be honored to pick your brain about autism either in the comments or more formally. What do you want mental health professionals to know about autism? I realize you have dedicated many of your hours making these videos talking about what is important for you to say about autism, so I am not trying to cheapen that. All those messages are important, I just don’t want to substitute those for you getting to share in a clinical interview.
My response could full books. Always willing to discuss 👍🏻
@@AdultwithAutism Let’s do it!
Here's something else my impulsive ADHD brain just came up with on this pseudo-scientific topic of discussion.
The origin of Autism is a meaningful question to ask. Much like discerning human cultural differences. Knowing the origins of why things are different helps a lot with co-existence amongst differing cultures and neurotypes alike. So there is value to it after all.
6:00
I often have and still do wonder why the vast majority of all people are right-handed. Why in the actual hell are roughly 80% to 90% of all people right handed? You would think that it would be about a 50-50 split. All I can find for explaining this phenomenon are a few nonsensical hypotheses right up there on the same part of the bullshit meter as this Aussie pseudo-scientific correlation to Autism and plastic exposure.
Interestingly, the disproportionate ratio of neuro-typical people to autistic people does actually seem to be quite similar to right-handedness vs. left-handedness. I never thought of that before this video. Maybe there's a link between left-handedness and autism. :) It's probably more plausible than that ridiculous proposed link between Autism and plastic exposure.
Exactly.
have the heard or "intense world theory". that is the "cause" of autism research that seems to be helpful.
I haven't until now 👍🏻
in an evolutionary stand point as an asd person i fill in a gap in the gene pool that neurotypical people dont. if there wasent this veriety in the gene pool we would not be here now
❤❤❤❤❤❤
mr.paul im 30 and i have autism
i dont think it is bad
it has helped me in my life and under standing the meaning of evil and to be honest i think the people who changed the wourld have some kind of autism
please i realy calling for you to read about islam and how muslims are the only people now in this world that are saying the truth and not masking any thing and living as a human should and die as we should
please read about islam
im saying this to you because i belive some people with autism can understand fake from real and true from false or the last people that can
please search about islam or better read the quran
i would love to hear from you
I am not a religious person 👍🏻