@@QplyyTrue! He could also be a gifted person (a person with high ability). I was reading about autism and high-ability individuals, and when autistic people have high cognitive abilities, they can be even more direct in their answers 'cause they've already thought them through. They can also mask perfectly. He's an actor and a writer, and people with high abilities in language specifically tend to have more interest in those areas, so maybe he is, idk . But it’s very interesting how race, culture, and comorbidities come together, right?
I really appreciate you pointing out how much harder it is to notice autism in girls/women. Im also glad you highlighted traits of high maskers❤thank you for your content❤
I notice the four guys you didn't pick up their autism, three of them were not white... This makes me reflect about if not being in a culture may make it harder for us to notice the autistic traits of people in that culture. The Latino guy was more clearly autistic to me, but I'm Brazilian so we're closer culturally. If I'm not mistaken, we have a similar situation in Brazil with a large number of indigenous people that are undiagnosed autistic, and it may be harder for non-indigenous people to pick their autistic traits because they do live in a different culture even if it is the same country.
Soooo fascinating!! I am not Hispanic and I clocked him as neurotypical but as half black, I immediately (as in the moment they stepped up) knew the black guys and mixed girl were autistic
I realized they only pick three non-autistic people, and each one seems to embody a stereotype of what people think autism looks like yet they are not.
I think growing up with racism definitely contributed to why some of the autistic men of colour were harder to spot, that combined with men's socialisation. Uncertainty and hesitation as a man is viewed as unmasculine, and the white guy who got mistaken seemed to be able to mask that behind a chill demeanor. I am white so i don't know what it's like, but many of the men who weren't white came across as less hesitant and more sure of themselves, but I think this is masking. I reckon the only reason why I was able to recognise some of the high masking women as autistic (other than intuition I couldn't place) is because there is more information about them and their experiences, but I haven't heard much about men of colours experience though I do know that showing signs of autism is life threatening.
This makes me wonder how many of them would have properly categorized me. I feel like my masking ability has diminished significantly since getting diagnosed. I also totally thought looking around is something everyone did when answering questions so this is new intel
Its weird but I could who was autistic because their energy and body movement felt safe and the NT gave me fight or flight response. I was also able to clock all the Black autisitcs becuase its the naunce in the way that they spoke, that's not common or "natural" in the way that Black Americans speak even if they were code switching. Especially in AAVE we do a lot of facial expressions, eye contact or one word responses that actually stand for complete sentences and some were either underdoing it or overdoing it. Like they all reminded me of the ND Black people that I met. Its all the little cultural nauces and differences.
As a high masking person I could tell some of the ones that Irene got wrong right away. When the guy toward the end said his biggest fear was being misunderstood and also tried followed up with how he was working on reframing that, I immediately knew he was high-masking autistic and felt a kindred spirit. He was being honest and also showed he was extremely self-reflective at the same time, attempting to present his true self and struggles in a way that would be digestible and maybe even helpful to others. High masking people are extremely careful about how we present ourselves because we have such a pattern like all autistics of being misunderstood. It takes a lot of self-reflection, observation and communication skills.
the solidarity i IMMEDIATELY felt with the high masking individuals in this video really floored me, which was surprising as luckily my friend group as an adult has been neurodiverse for a long time 💗
With the answering of “I don’t know” to a question you know the answer to, I think that could also be a tell of her anxiety. When I’m feeling socially anxious, my brain takes a little longer to buffer, but because I know that’s the case, a part of me feels like I need an automatic answer. It’s kind of like that little panic feeling some get when you’re going putting money back in a wallet or purse after paying in a checkout line and someone’s behind you, so there’s this invisible pressure to get moving and not hold the line up lol. I gotta come up with something quick before they notice something’s up with me.
In my case, it’s not necessarily to make “others feel more comfortable,” but rather to shift attention away from me as fast as possible, and to avoid standing out. By presenting myself as more beige than I really am in a crowd full of strangers, it gives me more time to observe and assess if I’m in a safe space.
I found it so interesting that the two (black) men who ended up being autistic who you hypothesized not to be (side note: thanks for the immediate "I was right." / "I was wrong." - I found that very helpful! :)) were two of the people in the lineup I found myself in most/seemed most similar to me and my presentation in the short clips we saw. This makes me wonder whether what you explained about women masking to fit in and masking in a way that makes them not a social threat also holds true for black/non-white people in general. Just a random thought that popped into my mind. I love intersectionality and I'll just put this here (if anyone wants to talk about it; or just to have it out of my system. :D).
The unpredictability being a neurodivergent thing is so interesting. I don't have autism, but ADHD. And it explains a lot. I'm very open and extraverted, and can be an open book. But I still feel misunderstood a lot and know that many people don't know me fully. I just love so many different things, and some of them don't really go together I think.
Two things I’ve noticed: 1.) A lot of these shows/docs about ASD feature xylophones in the sound score. For reasons. 2.) Xylophones also are used on a lot of architecture documentaries, more specifically mid-century modern.
Hi Irene, I just watched your latest video reacting to Jubilee’s “Who’s Autistic - Test Your Radar,” and I wanted to tell you how much I loved it. You show in every moment how much you care, and it’s amazing to see the solidarity between autistic people. Your video warmed my heart and made me feel a sense of companionship, even all the way here in Belgium. It’s so fun to see all these autistic individuals connecting over their shared traits. I love your editing-subtle but intentional-and those little video bubbles add such a nice touch! It was an easy, fun, and fluid watch, and it offered a great way to delve deeper into the content that Jubilee put out. Your analysis is spot-on; you’re really sharp, and you make it look so effortless. It’s clear you’re an expert at your craft-both an artist and a thinker. This is the kind of video I know I’ll come back to because of the depth in what you say. I was especially intrigued when you discussed how autistic individuals process information and answer questions-it was so interesting to see that perspective. You embody so much care and love for our community, and I really appreciate your work. I can’t wait to see what comes next, and I’m sure this video is going to blow up-you truly deserve it. It’s not about the numbers, but about the impact behind them, and your work is genuinely changing people’s lives. Just wanted to let you know how much your video meant to me. Thank you so much for everything you do! With love from Belgium, Sam
lmao the lack of representation of people who are autistic and also grow up in predominantly black&latinx spaces has a lot of ppl confuuuused af / missing clear signs of autism in this video lol
I actually really liked that video; I always get nervous when I see a new video about autism (made by non-autistic creators) but I felt like that was great representation of masked autism, which isn’t often talked about!
I just got diagnosed with autism and adhd 2 months ago and have been dealing with crazy imposter syndrome .. alot of the high masking people reminded me of myself and you pointing out those traits helped me a little with that so thankyou 🥺 this video was fun ✨️ 💛 💖 ALSO whether u see this or not , thankyou for your videos for realz , you have encouraged me to get this diagnoses in the first place because i had such a narrow view of what autism was. thank u girly ♡ looking forward to all future videos ♡
I watched it a few days ago and I only got a few wrong!!!! I think Black and brown autistic people and women usually are harder to guess as autistic. I think some of us can be so well versed in code switching and/or masking. I wonder if Austin was more in tune that he realized as the only BIPOC person guessing and asked very deep questions for sure. While he did analyze their clothing it was analytical in how he did it. Fashion is one of my longest running special interests too!
The black guy that she was so surprised was autistic is completely me! I have a highly polished mask for almost any occasion, I've learned over the years to match almost all occasions and make people like me. The problem is that I have ABSOLUTELY no idea who I am or what my real personality is, all I do is blend and perform 😢.
Aww. Maybe u need some time away from people. I had a best friend who I was so attached to from a young age and then I lost her. And I had to figure who I was without her.
@mary-janereallynotsarah684 I rarely hang around people other than being at work, even though I mask I still kinda like some social interaction if it's a comfortable environment.
So I recommend working with a licensed professional on getting to know yourself, but here's what I've got from my own journey. I began by implementing reasonable accommodations, for example, I let my family and coworkers know that I no longer desired to make consistent eye contact while conversing. My therapist had me write down a "foundation" where I wrote down things that were true about me no matter who I was around. I also just experimented with trying new things (and old things that I hadn't tried in a while). Getting to know the person you are outside of the mask is tiring, but it's so cool to finally know who you are. Best of luck.
I love how some of the ppl you think weren’t, I instantly was like YEP. I can’t remember the black/brown guy’s name, the one who said he liked pollo asado? I tend to notice my black siblings being in the spectrum faster so maybe that’s why lol. One thing that stood out to me, the person with the curly hair, when Paige pointed she pointed in such a WILD WAY imho lmfao she pointed like oddly and then said she was supp to go the opposite way I was like???? HUHHH
black people are the best maskers. we have to be for safety. it’s is generational too, i have so many autistics in my family that are the highest of high masking. a lot of us live in fight or flight mode 24/7 tbh
I personally really don't like Jubilee for how they do their whole 'surrounded' series but I do enjoy this video and reaction. It is so validating to see so many more people like me and hear why we do the things we do lolo
I just found your channel this morning, and it has been so affirming and healing. From your analysis of Jess from New Girl to this video, it’s been so nice to hear neurodivergence talked about in such an uplifting and kind way. Thank you!!!!
That was fun thanks! I did better than I thought… although it definitely felt difficult and uncertain. But it does show how much it’s more about the inner complexities than the behavior that is visible.
The girl with the dark curly mane immediatly struck me as autistic. I think her body language was a bit odd. She seemed to be under a lot of tension through the spine, somewhat robotic. Darius was difficult to sort for me.
I probably shouldn’t say this out loud but I’m not convincing that the alternative girl with pink hair isn’t neurodivergent in some way. If you look at how much she stims / fidgets in the line when it’s not her turn to talk. I mean she could have been acting but it didn’t seem like it. But I def could be wrong. I can’t remember her name but I know a lot of people on the ‘I’m Autistic Now What?’ Discord think her husband is autistic because he stims a lot and he’s neurotypical so maybe it’s just that 🤷🏽♀️ she (pink hair) did respond pretty quick lol
@@oldchillyhands Agreed. That’s one of the reasons I brought up the example of the husband of the RUclips channel *I’m autistic now what?* because she says her husband is neurotypical but he stims a lot so. She definitely could just be a stimmy neurotypical.
ugh your videos really serve as a safe space for me. something about how you structure and analyze patterns and other things really connects with me. I think I’ve always aligned with plenty of autistic traits; it runs in the family anyways. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I were to be diagnosed. Even if I am not autistic, it is still a really beautiful thing to see people just being themselves !!! I will continue to binge watch your videos :D Maybe I will even get a diagnosis myself one day
I'm a masked Autistic woman and I'm going to the effort of washing that one pot I use so I can make shells and cheese for dinner for the 5th time in as many days. 🎉
So nearly at the end: The whole discussion of poc often masking (and code switching - thanks for that tidbit of info, @Qplyy) more makes it make sense that Austin was best at assessing who had autism... :D
I have ADHD and highly suspect I may be autistic as well. All my friends growing up were considered odd, different, outside the norm, in special ed classes, handicapped or actually neurodivergent, I couldn't really understand, keep up or blend with everyone else and I wasn't a nerd just really different.
It says something that the very first person's striped distressed gothy sweater is something i was shopping for on Amazon last night without seeing this yet.
I would have loved to have seen you on the panel with Austin, Adin, and Paige. I would have been interesting to hear the questions you would have asked.
I love your content! You have such good knowledge and insight into the psychology of autism, and you help me, as someone with autism, better understand myself.
I really love seeing other autistic people who are similar to me in their amounts of masking…it almost helps me understand how I present myself to the world. I wish there were more autistic people in pop culture just being their true autistic selves 💗 maybe one day
Thank you for giving a safe place to watch this with breaks for your thoughts. That makes it easier to watch the folks getting anxious and I don't have to "catch" it, if that even makes any sense in English. Muchas Gracias
It would be interesting to see a 5 or 10 year followup on this. Both Eric and Lillith present as quite strongly autistic enough to me that I'd bet money on them being diagnosed eventually.
Yeah, the way that the man you were surprised about processes is actually highly autistic. I recognise it because I'd appear that way as well, and masked to that degree for a very long time. It's incredibly stressful on the nervous system. If you know what to look for it's obvious: he's actively trying to lift his gaze repeatedly as he answers against his predisposition to look downwards in order to think clearly. To achieve some relief and be able to process information better while navigating the stress of eye contact, I'd do much the same thing: shift my gaze into a thinking position or try to play into humour which means I can be a bit skittish with my gaze and hopefully make the other person comfortable in our interaction. Rehearsing strong facial movements and stock phrases makes it seem like we have more ease in the conversation than we do. He's obviously thought a lot about his answers and posture prior to this and likely practised them, and his facial muscles are tense in the way he's consciously trying to manipulate them. He's a very good masker but God I feel for him, I know that anxiety all too well :( I'd be so shaky after all social interactions.
11:21 omg I have always felt this way about myself and it frustrates me so much. my physical appearance doesn't show my actual inner world or even misleads or confuses people (i guess this relates to my masking as well) I dress to fit in but my personality is so obviously autistic it makes making friends tricky. confuses neurotypicals who approach me based on looks
The guy who you didn’t guess right and was really shocked, some people either had high intervention, highly masking esp. minorities depending on their environments to survive and I suspect it was either one of those or both. Haha. I guess right for everyone I have a highly attuned radar but it’s from autism and non autism related Cptsd sadly. I’m just hypervigilant as a survival mechanism!!
8:47 Her style of dress is fairly stereotypical for subcultures with high autism rates, but that could be coincidence. The big thing is that I'm very familiar with the twisting stim she's doing before she even gets to the front of the line.
19:06 Interesting that you have an "I was right" by your non-autistic guess: as mentioned, he fits the geek stereotype, *and* he's visibly stimming. I wouldn't even say he's high masking: just part of a demographic that's often late diagnosed without masking hard (I've been diagnosed for less than a year in my late 30s).
5:31 It's funny. I'm a very adventurous eater, and generally love both pasta and cheese, but I'm fairly picky about my mac and cheese. I don't like plain mac, it has to have some kind of meat in it, otherwise the cheese is too much.
21:36 so far i have got everyone correct, except the girl with the fiancé, i did struggle with the non autistic people, i should go with my gut 😭, when Paige said not autistic i saw some things that i do, because i'm autistic, in the girl with the fiancé, bringing up & talking about your romantic partner because they are a special interest, the constant nodding to show you are listening & the stop starty walk thing, when i start walking before my brain catches up then panic that i'm going the wrong way & my brain then jerks my body to a stop to reroute & reprogram where i am going, it only takes a couple seconds but it's noticable 😭 edit : also when she jokily brought up him "abandoning her" to rock climbing, is something i do as an example of me trying to be funny, relatable & making jokes but also i think a part that stuck out, is my strong sense of justice, like i don't think you should make anyone feel abandoned but i'm just emphasising & being slightly overdramatic while still being truthful, emphasising & being overdramatic for a joke & comediac value, i hope this comment makes sense & isn't just nonsense or me showing my autism 😭 edit edit : 22:29 girlie i was the same i dismissed his mask & said "nah he's not autistic" but when he answered one of the questions he had a blank kind of expression, like his mask slipped for a second & he forgot to always be smiling, to me that gave away that he's just practised his mask so you can't tell, also his eye contact felt very practised? like he was doing the "correct" amount, not too much that you freak others out, not too little that they think you aren't paying attention, also when Paige asked him what he writes, i IMMEDIATELY was like i'm wrong he's suddenly so excited & invested but trying hard not to show or come off as excited or invested, like his whole face lit up when he was talking about his writing & when she asked about his writing. imo the only 100% way to tell is ask them questions & see if / how they light up about a interest / topic, yes they could just be passionate but usually neurotypical people don't like to show they are that passionate so soon after meeting you for the first time, they'll state things they like but they won't go off into specifics or details or go into a lil infodump.
Something interesting, I don't know if there is truth to this for her, but for the girl with hair in front of her eyes, when I saw her my guess was autistic because I have a lot of hair and I used to hide behind it as a way to block out light and movement to prevent overstimulation. Another thing, idk why I immediately recognized the black autistic man as autistic, I wonder if it's because I'm also black autistic so it was easier to recognize.
Im only halfway through the video, but I feel like Paige consistently bases her decisions on who is and isn’t based on who she relates to, the traits people show/describe that she shares with them that aren’t necessarily autistic.
I'm so terrified that I'll have to go to that level of masking again in our new political climate in the US. I did it for 38 years without knowing and now I've had some post-autism-diagnosis years in my middle age to self discover and advocate, and be more authentic in my relationships. But that's about to change again and I'm about to have to go into the Masking Closet again aren't I? I can't live one more decade like that. I'm scared.
I have my guesses here as when i thought they were on the spectrum, and what made me think that. I would love to hear everyone else's guesses as well if they watched the og video! 12/17 correct (i am also autistic) ((i put ? for ones i could have gone one way or the other)) 1. Checker skirt (yes) i have also seen her on tiktok so i know she is autistic lol. 2. Bowler shirt (yes) immediately, the way he speaks and his physical mannerisms. 3. Name twin (yes) immediately, the way he speaks, physical mannerisms, and eyes. 4. Pink piercings (no) half way through, i wasnt picking up on anything, i thought they probably put her in to throw us off. 5. Chai tea (yes) immediately, his intro. 6. Kermit (yes) immediately, the way he speaks. kermit the frog bit sealed the deal 7. Billie clothes [?] (yes) i had to re watch her a couple times because i was really unsure. she wasn't giving a whole lot to work with and i assumed she maybe had adhd and not autism, but i went with my gut and said yes because of some of her physical movements. 8. Bisexual sock (yes) immediately, his intro and mannerisms. 9. Girl scout (yes) up until the end bit i thought she had adhd. the video has nothing to do with your clothing, and she pointed out her outfit. X 10. Nerd (yes) midway. he very much reminded me of my friend with autism, physically and personality wise. so i thought he was either good at masking or just probably had some social anxiety because he seemed physically reserved and quiet. 11. Braided hair (no) almost immediately, the way she speaks feels very quick and her reaction to having her style be called autistic felt interesting to me and not like a reaction an autistic person would have. geeky and i assumed she was put in to throw people off X 12. Actor guy (no) midway, i did not think he was because of the way he spoke and physically held himself with confidence. he had very good eye contact and the only point i suspected he was autistic, was at the end when he said the joke and then the way he laughed. X 13. Hair in face [?] (no) i had to rewatch her a lot. at first i suspected so because of her reaction to adin's apology, but i was really thrown off by her hair being in her face. i felt like that could be a sensory overload as it is for a lot of autistic people. she was swaying back and the fact she was homeschooled really stumped me. saying she was awkward, i was super drawn between an anxiety disorder and autism but i just couldn't tell. X 14. Corn boy (no) what he said at the beginning made me wonder he was autistic but i thought he just had a bad experience with friends or a relationship. i didn't have much to go off so i wasn't sure. 15. Vampire girl (yes) her body movements and saying it makes me feel normal lol. X 16. Jesus (no) he spoke very well and i thought he was just a chill guy, typical stoner type. 17. Tarot girl (yes) she seemed nervous to me from the start, and her reactions to things felt clear to me.
It would have been really interesting to see how well a neurotypical person would be able to identify an autistic vs allistic person because I find that I'm most often only identified as autistic by other autistic people.
I'm not autistic, but I got ADHD and do watch some autistic content creators. I got only one wrong, the guy in the flannel shirt (vaughn?), eventhough I thought for a bit that he might be. I was surprised that none of them got the long haired guy right, because I thought there still was enough mannerisms and his way of talking (hard to explain, but it was just a bit rehearsed feeling) that would have helped at least one of them to notice. Although my therapist thought I might be autistic, but honestly she had odd reasoning and I was tested in depth and the person who tested me said I'm not autistic and ADHD is more likely for me. Also I just don't think I am after educating myself on autism, but I can see the overlap between autism and ADHD and therefore somewhat relate.
I can't figure out today's headphones. I was sold a pair and it was cordless and no place to plug anything into so how do I connect to my phone? I'm such a boomer
I have the Sony WH-1000XM3's and quite like them! I've heard good things about the newer editions as well. To recommend youtube again, there are lots of noise cancelling headphones comparisons on here. The technology has gotten really good, so there's a wide amount of choice!
Yeah I go right into flight or fight mode with intense expectations around socializing and I consider myself an extrovert. But autism be like forget that extroversion lol
Oh my gosh I forgot that my catchphrase of "I don't know" could indicate that I was high masking! I would say that all the time! I still do but try not to nowadays. I also dropped out at 10th grade and get super confused easily because of my anxiety, along with brain fog. XD I relate so much to Kiana 22:37
i would have bet the pink/black woman is autistic. the way she was stimming while standing in the line but trying to hide it behind the back. and the way she controlled her mimic but is was just a little bit off...
This is so interesting bc autistic poc often mask AND code switch, and so a lot of other people can’t read that. It’s complex!
So the ‘panel of autistic people can diagnose anyone’ thing always made me uncomfortable. I also want to know if everyone was tested before this 😅
Plus AuDHD or other comorbidities can express differently. There’s so much to it! Culture too!
I felt like I could see the inentionality of the mask in his eyes right away.
@@QplyyTrue! He could also be a gifted person (a person with high ability). I was reading about autism and high-ability individuals, and when autistic people have high cognitive abilities, they can be even more direct in their answers 'cause they've already thought them through. They can also mask perfectly. He's an actor and a writer, and people with high abilities in language specifically tend to have more interest in those areas, so maybe he is, idk . But it’s very interesting how race, culture, and comorbidities come together, right?
@@QplyyI was wanting to know the same, because they can’t say for sure that they’re not unless they’ve been evaluated beforehand
That’s exactly what I was thinking when i was up there 😭 I honestly thought I was masking good until I saw the actual video lol
It would be so interesting to be there and see how good i mask or not lol. Did you found it interesting ?
@ I found it funny actually. The producers told us to try and mask to make it harder for them to guess and I thought I was killing it.
I really appreciate you pointing out how much harder it is to notice autism in girls/women. Im also glad you highlighted traits of high maskers❤thank you for your content❤
It actually is not, however the cultural expectations and gendered assumptions interfere with it.
I like this, and too, right now it's at 222 likes and I don't want to disrupt the orderliness of that number.
Seeing this helped me with my imposter syndrome so much! There are so many of us! We're not alone!
it really does help to put it into perspective
I notice the four guys you didn't pick up their autism, three of them were not white... This makes me reflect about if not being in a culture may make it harder for us to notice the autistic traits of people in that culture. The Latino guy was more clearly autistic to me, but I'm Brazilian so we're closer culturally. If I'm not mistaken, we have a similar situation in Brazil with a large number of indigenous people that are undiagnosed autistic, and it may be harder for non-indigenous people to pick their autistic traits because they do live in a different culture even if it is the same country.
Soooo fascinating!! I am not Hispanic and I clocked him as neurotypical but as half black, I immediately (as in the moment they stepped up) knew the black guys and mixed girl were autistic
I realized they only pick three non-autistic people, and each one seems to embody a stereotype of what people think autism looks like yet they are not.
they were clever!
I think growing up with racism definitely contributed to why some of the autistic men of colour were harder to spot, that combined with men's socialisation. Uncertainty and hesitation as a man is viewed as unmasculine, and the white guy who got mistaken seemed to be able to mask that behind a chill demeanor. I am white so i don't know what it's like, but many of the men who weren't white came across as less hesitant and more sure of themselves, but I think this is masking. I reckon the only reason why I was able to recognise some of the high masking women as autistic (other than intuition I couldn't place) is because there is more information about them and their experiences, but I haven't heard much about men of colours experience though I do know that showing signs of autism is life threatening.
This makes me wonder how many of them would have properly categorized me. I feel like my masking ability has diminished significantly since getting diagnosed. I also totally thought looking around is something everyone did when answering questions so this is new intel
I kind of think it is… or at least it’s common in a lot of other neurodivergencies so not a good indicator alone for autism
Its weird but I could who was autistic because their energy and body movement felt safe and the NT gave me fight or flight response. I was also able to clock all the Black autisitcs becuase its the naunce in the way that they spoke, that's not common or "natural" in the way that Black Americans speak even if they were code switching. Especially in AAVE we do a lot of facial expressions, eye contact or one word responses that actually stand for complete sentences and some were either underdoing it or overdoing it. Like they all reminded me of the ND Black people that I met. Its all the little cultural nauces and differences.
❤❤
As a high masking person I could tell some of the ones that Irene got wrong right away. When the guy toward the end said his biggest fear was being misunderstood and also tried followed up with how he was working on reframing that, I immediately knew he was high-masking autistic and felt a kindred spirit. He was being honest and also showed he was extremely self-reflective at the same time, attempting to present his true self and struggles in a way that would be digestible and maybe even helpful to others. High masking people are extremely careful about how we present ourselves because we have such a pattern like all autistics of being misunderstood. It takes a lot of self-reflection, observation and communication skills.
100% this, yes! :)
the solidarity i IMMEDIATELY felt with the high masking individuals in this video really floored me, which was surprising as luckily my friend group as an adult has been neurodiverse for a long time 💗
With the answering of “I don’t know” to a question you know the answer to, I think that could also be a tell of her anxiety. When I’m feeling socially anxious, my brain takes a little longer to buffer, but because I know that’s the case, a part of me feels like I need an automatic answer. It’s kind of like that little panic feeling some get when you’re going putting money back in a wallet or purse after paying in a checkout line and someone’s behind you, so there’s this invisible pressure to get moving and not hold the line up lol. I gotta come up with something quick before they notice something’s up with me.
You’re spot on with the “I don’t know”. I also have this tendency to dumb myself down to make other people feel more comfortable with me. ❤
In my case, it’s not necessarily to make “others feel more comfortable,” but rather to shift attention away from me as fast as possible, and to avoid standing out. By presenting myself as more beige than I really am in a crowd full of strangers, it gives me more time to observe and assess if I’m in a safe space.
Seeing so many autstic ppl made me feel so happy and safe! thank u so much for sharing your insights on this video ❤❤
I found it so interesting that the two (black) men who ended up being autistic who you hypothesized not to be (side note: thanks for the immediate "I was right." / "I was wrong." - I found that very helpful! :)) were two of the people in the lineup I found myself in most/seemed most similar to me and my presentation in the short clips we saw.
This makes me wonder whether what you explained about women masking to fit in and masking in a way that makes them not a social threat also holds true for black/non-white people in general. Just a random thought that popped into my mind. I love intersectionality and I'll just put this here (if anyone wants to talk about it; or just to have it out of my system. :D).
The unpredictability being a neurodivergent thing is so interesting. I don't have autism, but ADHD. And it explains a lot. I'm very open and extraverted, and can be an open book. But I still feel misunderstood a lot and know that many people don't know me fully. I just love so many different things, and some of them don't really go together I think.
Two things I’ve noticed:
1.) A lot of these shows/docs about ASD feature xylophones in the sound score. For reasons.
2.) Xylophones also are used on a lot of architecture documentaries, more specifically mid-century modern.
Hi Irene,
I just watched your latest video reacting to Jubilee’s “Who’s Autistic - Test Your Radar,” and I wanted to tell you how much I loved it. You show in every moment how much you care, and it’s amazing to see the solidarity between autistic people. Your video warmed my heart and made me feel a sense of companionship, even all the way here in Belgium.
It’s so fun to see all these autistic individuals connecting over their shared traits. I love your editing-subtle but intentional-and those little video bubbles add such a nice touch! It was an easy, fun, and fluid watch, and it offered a great way to delve deeper into the content that Jubilee put out.
Your analysis is spot-on; you’re really sharp, and you make it look so effortless. It’s clear you’re an expert at your craft-both an artist and a thinker. This is the kind of video I know I’ll come back to because of the depth in what you say. I was especially intrigued when you discussed how autistic individuals process information and answer questions-it was so interesting to see that perspective.
You embody so much care and love for our community, and I really appreciate your work. I can’t wait to see what comes next, and I’m sure this video is going to blow up-you truly deserve it. It’s not about the numbers, but about the impact behind them, and your work is genuinely changing people’s lives.
Just wanted to let you know how much your video meant to me. Thank you so much for everything you do!
With love from Belgium,
Sam
I really appreciate the focus on how autism can look different in women and girls. 💜🌻
lmao the lack of representation of people who are autistic and also grow up in predominantly black&latinx spaces has a lot of ppl confuuuused af / missing clear signs of autism in this video lol
I actually really liked that video; I always get nervous when I see a new video about autism (made by non-autistic creators) but I felt like that was great representation of masked autism, which isn’t often talked about!
I just got diagnosed with autism and adhd 2 months ago and have been dealing with crazy imposter syndrome .. alot of the high masking people reminded me of myself and you pointing out those traits helped me a little with that so thankyou 🥺 this video was fun ✨️ 💛 💖
ALSO whether u see this or not , thankyou for your videos for realz , you have encouraged me to get this diagnoses in the first place because i had such a narrow view of what autism was. thank u girly ♡ looking forward to all future videos ♡
This is a beautiful video because it goes to show how diverse and unique autistic individuals are ❤♾️
Not me almost crying because I got so anxious seeing them standing in front of them!!! 😅😂😢
I watched it a few days ago and I only got a few wrong!!!! I think Black and brown autistic people and women usually are harder to guess as autistic. I think some of us can be so well versed in code switching and/or masking. I wonder if Austin was more in tune that he realized as the only BIPOC person guessing and asked very deep questions for sure. While he did analyze their clothing it was analytical in how he did it. Fashion is one of my longest running special interests too!
The black guy that she was so surprised was autistic is completely me! I have a highly polished mask for almost any occasion, I've learned over the years to match almost all occasions and make people like me. The problem is that I have ABSOLUTELY no idea who I am or what my real personality is, all I do is blend and perform 😢.
Aww. Maybe u need some time away from people.
I had a best friend who I was so attached to from a young age and then I lost her. And I had to figure who I was without her.
@mary-janereallynotsarah684 I rarely hang around people other than being at work, even though I mask I still kinda like some social interaction if it's a comfortable environment.
So I recommend working with a licensed professional on getting to know yourself, but here's what I've got from my own journey. I began by implementing reasonable accommodations, for example, I let my family and coworkers know that I no longer desired to make consistent eye contact while conversing. My therapist had me write down a "foundation" where I wrote down things that were true about me no matter who I was around. I also just experimented with trying new things (and old things that I hadn't tried in a while). Getting to know the person you are outside of the mask is tiring, but it's so cool to finally know who you are. Best of luck.
Your channel is healing something so deep in me because I didn’t realize how much I resonate!
"understand people for who they are" exactly! thanks for this last word!
I love how some of the ppl you think weren’t, I instantly was like YEP. I can’t remember the black/brown guy’s name, the one who said he liked pollo asado? I tend to notice my black siblings being in the spectrum faster so maybe that’s why lol.
One thing that stood out to me, the person with the curly hair, when Paige pointed she pointed in such a WILD WAY imho lmfao she pointed like oddly and then said she was supp to go the opposite way I was like???? HUHHH
So funny when you said he'd be at home for like a day recovering his spoons. Thatd so be me. We really need that ah!
black people are the best maskers. we have to be for safety. it’s is generational too, i have so many autistics in my family that are the highest of high masking. a lot of us live in fight or flight mode 24/7 tbh
I personally really don't like Jubilee for how they do their whole 'surrounded' series but I do enjoy this video and reaction. It is so validating to see so many more people like me and hear why we do the things we do lolo
I just found your channel this morning, and it has been so affirming and healing. From your analysis of Jess from New Girl to this video, it’s been so nice to hear neurodivergence talked about in such an uplifting and kind way. Thank you!!!!
That was fun thanks! I did better than I thought… although it definitely felt difficult and uncertain.
But it does show how much it’s more about the inner complexities than the behavior that is visible.
The girl with the dark curly mane immediatly struck me as autistic. I think her body language was a bit odd. She seemed to be under a lot of tension through the spine, somewhat robotic. Darius was difficult to sort for me.
The covered eyes was like her blanky. I related to it I use hoodies.
This was fun! Thanks for the great video, like always 🌻❤️
I probably shouldn’t say this out loud but I’m not convincing that the alternative girl with pink hair isn’t neurodivergent in some way. If you look at how much she stims / fidgets in the line when it’s not her turn to talk. I mean she could have been acting but it didn’t seem like it. But I def could be wrong. I can’t remember her name but I know a lot of people on the ‘I’m Autistic Now What?’ Discord think her husband is autistic because he stims a lot and he’s neurotypical so maybe it’s just that 🤷🏽♀️ she (pink hair) did respond pretty quick lol
I feel like she gave off adhd / neurodivergent vibes for sure
maybe they don't know yet! also there's something to be said about self stimulating behaviour being a normal human thing - everybody stims!
@@oldchillyhands very true. It’s a shame self stimulating behavior is frowned upon in our society.
@@oldchillyhands Agreed. That’s one of the reasons I brought up the example of the husband of the RUclips channel *I’m autistic now what?* because she says her husband is neurotypical but he stims a lot so. She definitely could just be a stimmy neurotypical.
ugh your videos really serve as a safe space for me. something about how you structure and analyze patterns and other things really connects with me. I think I’ve always aligned with plenty of autistic traits; it runs in the family anyways. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I were to be diagnosed. Even if I am not autistic, it is still a really beautiful thing to see people just being themselves !!! I will continue to binge watch your videos :D Maybe I will even get a diagnosis myself one day
Ooooh this is fun I watched this one!
So true about that poor high masking guy haha gosh i wonder how i would do. But i'm too shy to ever do something like that lol
Your channel is my safe space ❤
I'm a masked Autistic woman and I'm going to the effort of washing that one pot I use so I can make shells and cheese for dinner for the 5th time in as many days. 🎉
Shells and cheese sounds good! ❤
Oo the crossover! I've been loving you and Brittany's collabs!! The way you guessed and described me made me feel seen ❤
So nearly at the end: The whole discussion of poc often masking (and code switching - thanks for that tidbit of info, @Qplyy) more makes it make sense that Austin was best at assessing who had autism... :D
I have ADHD and highly suspect I may be autistic as well. All my friends growing up were considered odd, different, outside the norm, in special ed classes, handicapped or actually neurodivergent, I couldn't really understand, keep up or blend with everyone else and I wasn't a nerd just really different.
It says something that the very first person's striped distressed gothy sweater is something i was shopping for on Amazon last night without seeing this yet.
I would have loved to have seen you on the panel with Austin, Adin, and Paige. I would have been interesting to hear the questions you would have asked.
please i must know what someone who likes Beethoven looks like!! i thought his blazer totally read as someone who might enjoy classical.
I love your content! You have such good knowledge and insight into the psychology of autism, and you help me, as someone with autism, better understand myself.
This made me realise how good my autism-radar is! I literally got every single one of them right lol. Also, Austin seems so cool!
I really love seeing other autistic people who are similar to me in their amounts of masking…it almost helps me understand how I present myself to the world. I wish there were more autistic people in pop culture just being their true autistic selves 💗 maybe one day
Thank you for giving a safe place to watch this with breaks for your thoughts. That makes it easier to watch the folks getting anxious and I don't have to "catch" it, if that even makes any sense in English. Muchas Gracias
It would be interesting to see a 5 or 10 year followup on this. Both Eric and Lillith present as quite strongly autistic enough to me that I'd bet money on them being diagnosed eventually.
Yeah, the way that the man you were surprised about processes is actually highly autistic. I recognise it because I'd appear that way as well, and masked to that degree for a very long time. It's incredibly stressful on the nervous system. If you know what to look for it's obvious: he's actively trying to lift his gaze repeatedly as he answers against his predisposition to look downwards in order to think clearly. To achieve some relief and be able to process information better while navigating the stress of eye contact, I'd do much the same thing: shift my gaze into a thinking position or try to play into humour which means I can be a bit skittish with my gaze and hopefully make the other person comfortable in our interaction. Rehearsing strong facial movements and stock phrases makes it seem like we have more ease in the conversation than we do. He's obviously thought a lot about his answers and posture prior to this and likely practised them, and his facial muscles are tense in the way he's consciously trying to manipulate them. He's a very good masker but God I feel for him, I know that anxiety all too well :( I'd be so shaky after all social interactions.
around 25:00 “i don’t know, I like helping people” got me LAUGHING so loud 😭😭
18:24 YES to autistic observational humor!!!! I have always had a big part of my humor be observational!!!
11:21 omg I have always felt this way about myself and it frustrates me so much. my physical appearance doesn't show my actual inner world or even misleads or confuses people (i guess this relates to my masking as well) I dress to fit in but my personality is so obviously autistic it makes making friends tricky. confuses neurotypicals who approach me based on looks
The guy who you didn’t guess right and was really shocked, some people either had high intervention, highly masking esp. minorities depending on their environments to survive and I suspect it was either one of those or both. Haha. I guess right for everyone I have a highly attuned radar but it’s from autism and non autism related Cptsd sadly. I’m just hypervigilant as a survival mechanism!!
The way that rebecca walked out and I was like, wait a minute , thats Riki
Wow ❤ that was so much fun! 🎉
THANK YOU
I needed this.
8:47 Her style of dress is fairly stereotypical for subcultures with high autism rates, but that could be coincidence. The big thing is that I'm very familiar with the twisting stim she's doing before she even gets to the front of the line.
17:09 Also stimming quite obviously
19:06 Interesting that you have an "I was right" by your non-autistic guess: as mentioned, he fits the geek stereotype, *and* he's visibly stimming. I wouldn't even say he's high masking: just part of a demographic that's often late diagnosed without masking hard (I've been diagnosed for less than a year in my late 30s).
24:14 Stims are more suppressed here, but I *think* they're there.
28:33 Very obvious stimming
5:31 It's funny. I'm a very adventurous eater, and generally love both pasta and cheese, but I'm fairly picky about my mac and cheese. I don't like plain mac, it has to have some kind of meat in it, otherwise the cheese is too much.
6:48 "Blue! No! Yellooooooooow!"
I loved seeing your reaction to this
I felt the second last person the guy with the long hair was autistic and I was correct. He's personality showed it to me. he was calm and still.
I wasn't certain, but I really did have a sense he might be autistic, and it was not a shock when he revealed he was indeed autistic!
21:36
so far i have got everyone correct, except the girl with the fiancé, i did struggle with the non autistic people, i should go with my gut 😭, when Paige said not autistic i saw some things that i do, because i'm autistic, in the girl with the fiancé, bringing up & talking about your romantic partner because they are a special interest, the constant nodding to show you are listening & the stop starty walk thing, when i start walking before my brain catches up then panic that i'm going the wrong way & my brain then jerks my body to a stop to reroute & reprogram where i am going, it only takes a couple seconds but it's noticable 😭
edit : also when she jokily brought up him "abandoning her" to rock climbing, is something i do as an example of me trying to be funny, relatable & making jokes but also i think a part that stuck out, is my strong sense of justice, like i don't think you should make anyone feel abandoned but i'm just emphasising & being slightly overdramatic while still being truthful, emphasising & being overdramatic for a joke & comediac value, i hope this comment makes sense & isn't just nonsense or me showing my autism 😭
edit edit :
22:29
girlie i was the same i dismissed his mask & said "nah he's not autistic" but when he answered one of the questions he had a blank kind of expression, like his mask slipped for a second & he forgot to always be smiling, to me that gave away that he's just practised his mask so you can't tell, also his eye contact felt very practised? like he was doing the "correct" amount, not too much that you freak others out, not too little that they think you aren't paying attention, also when Paige asked him what he writes, i IMMEDIATELY was like i'm wrong he's suddenly so excited & invested but trying hard not to show or come off as excited or invested, like his whole face lit up when he was talking about his writing & when she asked about his writing.
imo the only 100% way to tell is ask them questions & see if / how they light up about a interest / topic, yes they could just be passionate but usually neurotypical people don't like to show they are that passionate so soon after meeting you for the first time, they'll state things they like but they won't go off into specifics or details or go into a lil infodump.
I feel so seen right now 🙂
Great assessment
How did they gain access to this white pocket dimension to film the video in?
Lol it was fun watching this and guessing as well :)
I really appreciated this. Thank you.
You are seriously so pretty❤ I wish I had a friend like you!
Something interesting, I don't know if there is truth to this for her, but for the girl with hair in front of her eyes, when I saw her my guess was autistic because I have a lot of hair and I used to hide behind it as a way to block out light and movement to prevent overstimulation.
Another thing, idk why I immediately recognized the black autistic man as autistic, I wonder if it's because I'm also black autistic so it was easier to recognize.
I’m so stoked about getting Vaughn right. He reminds me of my husband who is on the spectrum.
Im only halfway through the video, but I feel like Paige consistently bases her decisions on who is and isn’t based on who she relates to, the traits people show/describe that she shares with them that aren’t necessarily autistic.
Great commentary! You're good x
As someone who is sill not diagnosed at 32, it's reassuring to see that I have a perfect score here XD
I'm so terrified that I'll have to go to that level of masking again in our new political climate in the US. I did it for 38 years without knowing and now I've had some post-autism-diagnosis years in my middle age to self discover and advocate, and be more authentic in my relationships. But that's about to change again and I'm about to have to go into the Masking Closet again aren't I? I can't live one more decade like that. I'm scared.
30:14 I spend very little time thinking about whether I'm standing/breathing/etc. right. Comes with being low masking, I guess.
I have my guesses here as when i thought they were on the spectrum, and what made me think that. I would love to hear everyone else's guesses as well if they watched the og video!
12/17 correct (i am also autistic) ((i put ? for ones i could have gone one way or the other))
1. Checker skirt (yes) i have also seen her on tiktok so i know she is autistic lol.
2. Bowler shirt (yes) immediately, the way he speaks and his physical mannerisms.
3. Name twin (yes) immediately, the way he speaks, physical mannerisms, and eyes.
4. Pink piercings (no) half way through, i wasnt picking up on anything, i thought they probably put her in to throw us off.
5. Chai tea (yes) immediately, his intro.
6. Kermit (yes) immediately, the way he speaks. kermit the frog bit sealed the deal
7. Billie clothes [?] (yes) i had to re watch her a couple times because i was really unsure. she wasn't giving a whole lot to work with and i assumed she maybe had adhd and not autism, but i went with my gut and said yes because of some of her physical movements.
8. Bisexual sock (yes) immediately, his intro and mannerisms.
9. Girl scout (yes) up until the end bit i thought she had adhd. the video has nothing to do with your clothing, and she pointed out her outfit.
X 10. Nerd (yes) midway. he very much reminded me of my friend with autism, physically and personality wise. so i thought he was either good at masking or just probably had some social anxiety because he seemed physically reserved and quiet.
11. Braided hair (no) almost immediately, the way she speaks feels very quick and her reaction to having her style be called autistic felt interesting to me and not like a reaction an autistic person would have. geeky and i assumed she was put in to throw people off
X 12. Actor guy (no) midway, i did not think he was because of the way he spoke and physically held himself with confidence. he had very good eye contact and the only point i suspected he was autistic, was at the end when he said the joke and then the way he laughed.
X 13. Hair in face [?] (no) i had to rewatch her a lot. at first i suspected so because of her reaction to adin's apology, but i was really thrown off by her hair being in her face. i felt like that could be a sensory overload as it is for a lot of autistic people. she was swaying back and the fact she was homeschooled really stumped me. saying she was awkward, i was super drawn between an anxiety disorder and autism but i just couldn't tell.
X 14. Corn boy (no) what he said at the beginning made me wonder he was autistic but i thought he just had a bad experience with friends or a relationship. i didn't have much to go off so i wasn't sure.
15. Vampire girl (yes) her body movements and saying it makes me feel normal lol.
X 16. Jesus (no) he spoke very well and i thought he was just a chill guy, typical stoner type.
17. Tarot girl (yes) she seemed nervous to me from the start, and her reactions to things felt clear to me.
It would have been really interesting to see how well a neurotypical person would be able to identify an autistic vs allistic person because I find that I'm most often only identified as autistic by other autistic people.
I wonder how Aiden feels about “early intervention” ???
I'm not autistic, but I got ADHD and do watch some autistic content creators. I got only one wrong, the guy in the flannel shirt (vaughn?), eventhough I thought for a bit that he might be. I was surprised that none of them got the long haired guy right, because I thought there still was enough mannerisms and his way of talking (hard to explain, but it was just a bit rehearsed feeling) that would have helped at least one of them to notice.
Although my therapist thought I might be autistic, but honestly she had odd reasoning and I was tested in depth and the person who tested me said I'm not autistic and ADHD is more likely for me. Also I just don't think I am after educating myself on autism, but I can see the overlap between autism and ADHD and therefore somewhat relate.
this whole video made me cheeeeese omg i love it 😂❤
Does anyone have any recommendations for noise canceling headphones. I start college in January and the noise from the building is really overwhelming
I can't figure out today's headphones. I was sold a pair and it was cordless and no place to plug anything into so how do I connect to my phone? I'm such a boomer
@mary-janereallynotsarah684 They might be Bluetooth. I'm also not good with electronics either, sorry.
I have the Sony WH-1000XM3's and quite like them! I've heard good things about the newer editions as well. To recommend youtube again, there are lots of noise cancelling headphones comparisons on here. The technology has gotten really good, so there's a wide amount of choice!
@@donnie1725 thanks I really appreciate it!
I used bose quietcomfort ones for years, can highly recommend but I think beats noise cancelling is pretty good too
I don't know if this is how they always do it but of course it'd be weird to have a lineup of strangers walk up at you.
Yeah I go right into flight or fight mode with intense expectations around socializing and I consider myself an extrovert. But autism be like forget that extroversion lol
That was my reaction to Vaughn too!!! I was SHOOK
I love Paige 😭
Oh my gosh I forgot that my catchphrase of "I don't know" could indicate that I was high masking! I would say that all the time! I still do but try not to nowadays. I also dropped out at 10th grade and get super confused easily because of my anxiety, along with brain fog. XD I relate so much to Kiana 22:37
25:25 YES I have done this at certain times!!
Totallyyyyyy❤ I don’t want to be “intimidating” as I’ve been told I can be… but that was more so when I was in my 20s
I used to have awesome paint stains on my clothes 😂😂😂 i had black leggings with a lot of colorful spots. I hate that i lost them.
Same! I've been thinking about recreating mine but if it's done intentionally it'll never be as good again
How can I get my peer review?
High masking women were moving way more
I was hoping you'd react to this when the Jubilee video came out!!
Aiden is super funny though
i would have bet the pink/black woman is autistic. the way she was stimming while standing in the line but trying to hide it behind the back. and the way she controlled her mimic but is was just a little bit off...
They could also have adhd, stimming behaviors can also appear for folks w adhd or anxiety as well I think that was the point of the experiment
@@railabeouf we should check back in a few years. 🙈
I feel like if I had been in the video, my mannerisms would have indicated autistic but my answers would have indicated not autistic lmao
most people are not alone only autistic a lot of people have other diagnosis that make everyone unique ,t ahts why its so hard to tell.
Irene scored 12 of 17, the same as Paige in second place!
we are the gods' goats
My stim is hidden in my shoes or my pockets lol. I curl my toes or press my nails into my finger tips to control my urge to fidget