THANK YOU FOR THIS!! I always said to myself that I “don’t have autism” just because I didn’t have a huge speech delay or never had separation anxiety!! If only this video existed a year ago.
same... i dismissed it as a possibility because i didn't tick all the published symptoms (in movies and such). Even avoided it the first time my doctor brought it up.
Speech delay is seen in autism, but not Apergers. Now that they joined both categories in a spectrum, speech delay is no longer a diagnostic criterion.
Having early speech and reading development myself, along with being fairly at ease with socializing (btw: I now recognize the so-called social skills I have are a result of Masking to try to fit in with these odd creatures known as Humans), it hadn't ever occurred to me that I may be on the spectrum. Yet, lo and behold, here I am two years into self-discovery, and I feel understood, even "validated"! I have a lot of traits that fit into the "Aspergers" variety of autism... and chronic PTSD too. ASD is inherited, and I apparently received a genetic double-whammy. Mom has EFGHI traits... Dad has LMNOQ.... one of my sisters has WTH combo.... another sister is GPITA.... 😂 ok... yes, I'm being silly and sarcastic here. What I'm getting at, is that after learning so much about what makes my Au-OS (Autistic Operating System) different from NT, I can now identify several traits in each immediate family member, and we all manifest and manage differently.
I've been suspecting for awhile now that I have either autism, ADHD, or both. It apparently is fairly common for autistic people to also have ADHD, but of course, they are two separate conditions, and not all autistic people have ADHD and not all of those with ADHD are autistic. The two are just comorbid fairly often. I do feel like I have traits of both and that sometimes they're at war with each other (autism and ADHD do share some similar traits, but then there are also some that seem to be opposite of each other). For example, I always WANT to have a routine and stick to it, but I just can't seem to do it and follow through with my plans. And I love doing tasks where I can sort and categorize things and can really hyperfocus on it, but I also really struggle if I have a time limit because I can't seem to get it done quickly, and my brain can't seem to prioritize tasks and what needs to be done in what order, and how much time I should take on each step. Everything seems important to me at once. Does anyone else relate?
I am diagnosed with ASD and ADHD and you basically described me. I think your on the money! Sounds like executive function issues to me. Also, it’s so common to have conflicting traits like you describe. I crave routine but can’t for the life of me keep one 😂 How to ADHD is an awesome RU-vid channel that has current info and easy to digest. Definitely check it out! Also Yo Samdy Sam is great and has both diagnoses as well. So helpful to see her traits and description of the overlap and conflicting parts. 👌☺️
I can! The war of traits. Mom on the spectrum on RU-vid made a video about her experience of having both that I think you will really resonate with. I'll see if I can find it to link it here ... It was like a slap in the face for me as I'm new to figuring these things out about myself!
Yes it is so hard to specify what is really important, in pretty much anything and everything. I try to find what is important for me and I act upon my base values, but I still struggle with basic skills that are important but also kind of repetitively boring. I wish time worked differently than it does. It would be nice to pause everything in the moment so we can truly make the best decisions for OURSELVES
You look so pretty Olivia! The 50s era really compliments your natural beauty 🤩 I get super happy when you upload a video and your upbeat personality makes me smile. I feel like we’re soul sisters because we have similar autistic traits and I don’t have those 10 traits you mentioned either 💗
There is a autism herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy has work perfectly on my sons improvements in speech and social skill and my son fine till now
I think I might be autistic however I can read the emotions and facial expressions of people VERY well. I got almost 100% percent correct results on a facial expression test. That being said I grew up in a domestically violent household and was bullied at school. So, this is maybe a hypervigilant habit in order to feel safe. So who knows.
People with childhood trauma also have overlapping symptoms with autism without having autism and several supports also help with both. I work with a lot kids that have childhood trauma and almost all of them have been diagnosed with ADHD and several with autism. That being said, autism and trauma can and do exist together. It’s usually harder to diagnose one when the other is around. My husband had a ton of childhood trauma and we used to think I had some but we could never figure out what. It seems like I’m autistic and he has trauma and we have a lot of overlapping traits.
Just a heads up, I've heard a lot of people talking in Autism videos (search tony attwood - famous top autism doc) about how many autistic people are actually really good at reading a room and how people are feeling and can just 'feel' it, and there are many that are empaths as an example. So def isn't the case that every autistic person cant read people
Hello,Olivia!!I'm a Japanese girl and was diagnosed with Autistic few years ago. I was able to learn a from this video,thank you so much for sharing!!🥰 Wishing you all the best and will look forward to the next ones!!😉
Hello! I was diagnosed as a child but we moved around a lot and I never got the support I so desperately needed. I was also labeled "gifted", and my adoptive parents would much rather focus on that. When I had meltdowns they would say, "That's genetic. You have an imbalance. You're autistic". Since I never really knew what that meant, I thought maybe they meant I was "artistic" and, perhaps, too sensitive.
There is a autism herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy has work perfectly on my sons improvements in speech and social skill and my son fine till now
This is me to a T!! I’m currently in the process of getting a diagnosis and constantly doubt myself because of all these traits I don’t have. thank you 😌
I've never felt more seen than just now! Especially with strict routine, I have a normal everyday routine and when I'm planning things it needs to be exactly to plan but when time restrictions are in place is hellish and I'm like you in that my anxiety becomes really bad if I HAVE to stick to a strict routine constantly. Thank you so much for posting this, it feels really nice knowing I'm not alone!
That's mostly how it is for me. I just need to know what to expect; I don't need an "itinerary" for my day to function. I have certain things I do at certain times, but it is always relative to other things in my day (e.g. I always shower first in the morning after I wake up)
@@shadowfox933 exactly! I have a routine I do everyday where I open my blinds, toilet, breakfast, shower and then I do whatever needs done that day but if the initial routine gets disturbed I’m floored for so long because it’s my literal everyday 😭
@KattAndThat I'm a blind opener too. I've got 15 blinds I open every morning and close every night. To me it sets the tone of "good morning" and "good night" in my own way.
My brother was horrifically bullied all thru school. I spent alot of time defending him. Especially from girls. They would even be physical with him because he was raised to not hit girls ever. Good thing i wasn't. Being a girl myself.
I feel very upset about this…it hurts me so much when kids get bullies becuase I know exactly what they are going through…. I’m glad he had you…..how is he today ?
Kids are the absolute worst. Probably why I never hung out with them and don't want any of my own. You're an amazing sister for having your brother's back. 💙
Dyspraxia isn’t a requirement for being autistic, but often goes along for the ride. I have quite a few other things along for the ride, and dyspraxia was one of the bigger issues that affected me for school, not being diagnosed as autistic until I was an adult. That trait also greatly enhanced my bullied experiences as at least part of the reason beyond bullies being bullies, and I suspect being undiagnosed autistic and adhd was just added fuel to burn me with by bullies.
I never had an issue with eye contact until now. I mean I can make eye contact but I feel forced and really awkward and it feels cunfusing about when to break away. Is this normal to regress in my late 30's ?
@@jamiesmith6296 yep! As you become more aware of it, it may feel like you’re regressing, but I think it means you’re just noticing it more now even though you always struggled.
Thank you. I'm feeling like we have some things in common. For instance the sarcasm, the big imagination (and love of writing fiction and making worlds and people ), and the schedule thing. I have a hard time with schedules but once set if deviated it can make me spiral and shut down. Edit: a lot of your ' autistic traits you don't have' sound a lot like what I go through with ADHD.
Have you considered you have comorbid ASD? I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and now looking at comorbid ASD. This video was really helpful as I really do identify with a lot of the traits and while I know autism is a spectrum it's hard not to second guess yourself. As well as a few ADHD and ASD traits cross over and then if you do have both comorbid ADHD/ASD it presents differently to someone with either ASD or ADHD alone.
YOU ARE SOOO FREAKIN STUNNING!!!!!!!!!! So thankful for all of your hard work, these videos are so helpful, the course idea is brilliant!!!! Love you to pieces GODDESS💕✨
You aren't too bad yourself there, bro. First time a makeup tutorial video thumbnail caused me to click. I'm not being weird, I'm just being autistic, FYI.
Thank you for this! I'm the same with stims, I thought I NEVER stim but I do pick at my face, rub my eyebrows, scratch spots etc a lot, often when I'm bored or not concentrating (particularly bad in my early teens, because I got really oily skin in my teens) and I wondered if it might be a stim but thought mmm I'm not sure... until I saw this. I just guess it didn't seem a normal stim to me... And yes, I am so imaginative! That stereotype that autistic people are terrible at imaginations contributed to me dismissing the idea I'm autistic for so long. I'm the total opposite, I'm really, really really imaginative (photographic memory, imagining characters and scenes vividly and seeing them walking in my head) and my childhood obsession was story writing 😃 but back then sitting at my desk for hours writing just seemed totally ordinary for a girl...
I just recently realized that I used to suck the back of my hand, the skin on my hand (my Knuckles to be exact) and I got made fun of and so then I just started pinching the back of my knuckles with my other hand and I remember getting made fun of for that as well so then I started biting my fingernails and I've bit my finger nails so much that they would bleed and I had no nail bed really. I've stopped biting now that I'm an adult but I do still pinch my skin and rock,and tap, and sing randomly and memorize random things and feverishly research something like "why are lemons yellow"🤪😜
My current stims are hair twirling, face and cuticle picking, and then the one I do the most often because other people can't see me doing it is repetitive squeezing of my thigh muscles. Sometimes I do other muscle groups as well but the thighs move the least if I'm sitting with legs together so I do them the most. I had other more overt stims when I was young but I changed over time to ones that were less obvious because I kept getting yelled at or made fun of for them. Every one of my report cards from Kindergarten through third grade complained about me "making noises" in class, which was something I did when my mind had wandered. I also used to hand flap when excited but stopped when it was deemed too childish, and I did knuckle cracking but stopped when I started to have pain in my hands due to an unrelated inflammatory issue. I don't recall doing any of the other "classic" stims. What got to me the most though about getting flack for my noises in elementary school is that my husband used to tap songs out on his teeth with his thumbnail and everyone either ignored him doing it or thought it was funny in school. It wasn't super loud but you could still hear it if only the teacher was talking, so why didn't he get in trouble but I did...
Olivia, I am so thankful for your videos. The first time I encountered your channel I bawled my eyes out and I didn't even know why. Months later I have been diagnosed with autism at nearly 30 years old. Thank you for putting all this information out there.
Thank you for making this particular video. These videos are really important because it fights the gaslighting and gatekeeping that keeps high maskers from getting the help and community that they need. A lot of neurotypicals don't understand that you will never check off every item on the list. Whereas, there are autistic profiles, usually with spikiness in certain areas with maybe no symtoms in other areas.
Olivia you are a Godsend! Putting yourself on this platform has helped me to learn so much about my 11yr old daughter who is scheduled for an assessment in 2 months. Thank you for being the spokesperson for ASD awareness. You’re loved 💕
Thank you thank you thank you! I have been watching tons of autism, adhd, audhd videos and resonating with so much but also NOT resonating with so much. So naturally, I've been vacillating a ton on whether to pursue a diagnosis and doubting myself all over the place. But I resonated SO MUCH with most (all?) of the things you listed! I have finally started the ball rolling to get an official diagnosis and found a place with experience in high masking adult females (I'm 42), woo! I've just saved this video to my new research list so that I can have notes to bring to the testing. Next: find more of your videos about traits you *do* have to see if they resonate with me, too.
Thanks so much for making this video! I’ve suspected for a long time that I may be autistic but every time I saw the symptoms “takes everything literally” and “can’t understand jokes/sarcasm” I thought there’s no way I could be autistic because I love sarcasm as well. But recently after watching more videos by different autistic people, it just started to make too much sense if I am autistic. I hope to get an official diagnosis in the future, but at the moment I feel like this revelation has already helped me a lot to understand myself. I’m so thankful for all autistic creators for sharing their experience.
Wow.... I am speechless right now. The past days I've been having a bit of a meltdown and asked God why I just don't receive the help that I need and why I am not progressing in my healing. I stumbled upon your channel yesterday and watched almost all your videos in one go. Then yesterday I made an autism estimation test on the internet and it said it's rather unlikely that I am autistic, but the questions already seemed super stereotypical (e.g. if I am fascinated by numbers, etc.) and today you post this video and I am just blown away. I feel like you are almost exactly the same type of person as I am except great differences in special interests. I can literally cross off every single point you just mentioned as "I don't have/do that" or "I only slightly have/do that" but all other things that you talk about in your other videos just hit very true for me. I'm really a bit mind-boggled 🥲 I have a bpd diagnose since 10 years, and while I could identify with it as a teen very much, it almost flipped exactly the opposite behavior now. I can relate a lot to ad(h)d and hsp but neither complete the problems that I struggle with. I felt like looking more properly into the autism spectrum for a little while already but I always thought it doesn't quite match from what you hear "stereotypically". You opened up a huge revelation to me and I now wonder how I can go about this. Sadly in my country there is less research than in America, so I'm not sure what to do. I ordered 2 books though that will hopefully help me to go about it. One is the Aspergirls that you've mentioned (in German language) and one other also about females and autism. I feel hopeful. Thank you Jesus. May God bless you richly sister 🙏🏻
Yeah, there is a danger of putting to small a box on Autism. The original research was geared around boys and so a lot of the autistic traits are biased that way. Despite being a guy, I have found that I resonate w/ the female autistic traits that Olivia reports a lot. One common claim is everyone w/ autism must have alexithymia but in reality 50% do according to some research articles I saw (5% of neurotypical population has it)
@@elthgar For me a big thing why I couldn't look into autism earlier than now is the fact that I am everything but science-y/math-y/etc. I am the exact opposite and numbers hurt my brain (I think I have dyscalculia and it's actually pretty bad)... I am very analytic but just not in that sense. My special interests always revolved around creativity and just weird things. Also, I realize now that my masking ability is off the charts... I am so exhausted... but it all finally starts to make sense
@@NoonyNewborn Yeah, it is a pity these stereotypes are so prevalent even in the general profession (I think for example it is only worth talking to an autism specialist and not a general therapist after all the horror stories I saw online of their ignorance). I totally get the creativity thing -- and the exhaustion. I hope you can find a chance to rest/recuperate. I find that I still take on too much -- and continually at the edge of freezing up.
@@elthgar Yes, it seems very hindering and hurtful for people who fall through these stereotypes and still desperately need help. I am really grateful that I found Olivia's channel and it all suddenly makes sense. Now I can work with Jesus through it, and He will help me to get the help that I need. Thank you, friend. Now that I at least know in my heart what is up with me, I think it will become less agonizing for me. I was always so hard on myself despite the fact that I am actually really physically sick/damaged from other health related issues. Please also take care of yourself. I know the feeling of blatantly ignoring your own boundaries and just pushing through. Remember God loves you (even if you maybe don't believe He's real).
@@NoonyNewborn I am trying, made some good progress in the last week in moving toward some delegation (I am also planning on relying on some good communicators to help w/ finding the volunteers). I appreciate the exhortation too :-) The explanatory power of knowing why we tick a certain way is so helpful. Last year (in my mid 40s) I was learning so much about myself, and I was like -- oh, this is why I've felt like an alien in a lot of social dynamics, and why people have engaged me in certain ways in the past.
Again such important information for girls and women! My daughter lacks many of these traits (no strict routine , gets sarcasm). She does stim but can hide it until she’s alone and she is terribly uncoordinated! Thank you for this! I dismissed autism in her because I thought she had to have most of these traits. Luckily we got her diagnosed.
I got misdiagnosed once just on the basis that I was "too social." I've noticed that a lot of specialists go off of strictly male traits rather than female ones. Aspergers/autism shows VERY different between genders most of the time. But I'm happy that your daughter was able to get diagnosed! I was so happy when I did because it answered a lot of questions.
Oh my gosh. I'm so glad you mentioned the routine thing! I hate routines because they're hard for me to follow. I also can't follow checklists and I'm very disorganized. I always felt like an oddball among oddballs because I didn't fit these stereotypes. I do have routines with locations, though. I hate new places.
Thank you. I am not diagnosed with autism, neither my 2 children, but we all feel we are, especially my son. He's in his early 30s and been waiting years to see someone about it. He scored high with his mental health team. My partner has a diagnosis, and it's sarcasm that bought us together! I loved that I could be myself and be really sarcastic! Mind you, we drive each other bonkers with our ways! My daughter on the other hand, doesn't get sarcasm, and it was a revelation really, she had been taking offence here there and everywhere unnecessarily, but that's like her dad, who I'd be really surprised wasn't somewhere on the spectrum. I've only suspected I might be autistic quite recently, but it definitely makes sense of my life. I really appreciate your videos. I'm in the UK, it's quite hard to get a diagnosis still. Relationship help just doesn't exist! Let's hope things change! ❤
It's interesting because I grew up in a very sarcastic house and feel like I understood it and learned how to do it because it was the way my family communicated. However as an adult, I've become quite literal and definitely have trouble knowing when my son is joking because his delivery is so dry and he says things so seriously. For this reason, I take offense often. I'm realizing that I get sarcasm that's very obvious and exaggerated....but not the kind people pass off as truth. My son thinks I have no sense of humor because of this as subtle sarcasm is his only humor..now I realize I may have autism. Thanks for sharing how all of this shows up in your family!
@Azim Premji there is no cure for autism, if your son has started to talk, I can't believe it's because of herbs. There are lots of scammers pedalling false cures for autism, and some have been poisonous. People like to make money from the fears of others. You are obviously doing something else right and helping your son.
Thank you for this! I've been wondering if I'm autistic for a while now and this really helped because I don't have traits that most autistic people seem to have in the way they describe them, or at least what the information online says about autism (don't know if that makes sense). Especially what you said about imagination. I have always been able to play imaginatively and I love writing. I had friends when I was little, I think it was because I was able to socialize with them through play and had fun immersing myself in the story of whatever we were playing. That, and I was always kind to everyone. However, as an adult, I have no friends and I find it very difficlt when one of the children I work with asks me to play house or some other form of dramatic play with them. I'm so awkward and usually try to be silly or get out of it as quickly as possible (I feel awful when I do the latter). When you were talking about organization, that is me exactly. Most of the time my room is messy and I actually like it that way or I'm never in the mood to clean even if I want to. The only thing I always have organized are my books and movies, and I always have to have them in a specific order. I also get horrible anxiety if I have a very strict schedule so I find if I plan very vaguely but don't make things too specific it can help me be more flexible. I do watch the same movies and tv shows over and over, and I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day so I guess that can count as a routine of sorts. I am also very sarcastic and have no problem understanding others sarcasm most of the time. I've actually noticed that other people can't always tell when I'm being sarcastic or not. One trait I don't have that you didn't say is the inability to read facial expressions. I can read faces and body language quite well but have trouble if I'm in a face to face conversation. Then I have no idea how I am being perceived by them. I do know others have trouble reading my facial expressions and body language when I'm talking to them though. Sorry for the novel. I did say I love writing! lol
This is so comforting to me. I only have mild sensory issues and no set in stone routine, but I stim a lot and get really obsessed with my special interests, so knowing that's enough is so good to hear
This is a great list that I can relate to extremely well, and a lot of them are the reason it took nearly 30 years for me to put 2 and 2 together that I may in fact have autism. You've explained each trait exactly in the same way I feel or behave, particularly routines.
very helpful to hear..cause recently im kinda obsessed with watching videos about autism in females and i already know (and am diagnosed) that i have adhd but i still feel like that adhd doesnt explain all of my weird behavious so after youtube started suggesting me videos about autism i tried to figure out if i might have that too..i also heard that its pretty common actually to have both...however...i just realised that i also dont have many of the traits you dont have even as an autistic person and i think i might "lack" some of these traits because my adhd makes it impossible to have them..like organizing things or having routines for example..its just impossible for me but at the same time i do have many many other autistic traits that i fully connect with
Thank you so much for making these videos. they really helped me understand what was/is "wrong" with me, wich I have wondered about for quite some time.
Every time I watch autism vids I relate to most of them and also in the beginning when u said "just because u don't have all the traits doesent mean u aren't autistic" and "no autistic person will have all traits" or something like that and thank you BC I'm probably autistic but I don't have results yet I should get it in October and like when I don't have some of them sometimes I'm like "yeah I'm probably not autistic then" and just feel like I'm not and get confused BC alot of the traits are like me I just don't know but then again 5 ppl think I am- and I think my parents do too now so 7
Every single one of these points (maybe minus the sarcasm haha I sometimes struggle with that one) are the reason I always thought I couldn't be on the spectrum and that my struggles are not big enough. I relate to you so much.
Your hair looks gorgeous! I really like those 50ies styles, too! This video was very interesting. I have suspected that I am on the autistic spectrum for a while now (starting with aspects of hypersensitivity) and especially the socializing and sarcasm (and in my case strong feelings of empathy) never quite fit into it. Thank you for shedding more light on the different traits and reminding us that everyone is different! :-)
Interesting!! Most of these I also don’t have and I was diagnosed very recently and have been going through the imposter syndrome because “I don’t do these things”. Thank you for sharing, this was actually quite validating for me!
Question for your mom! Were you showing aversion to taking showers, touch and certain foods as a baby? Did you use to get easily frustrated as a toddler or younger when not getting things working the way you expected? At age 2 or so, would you already have any specidic interests that would become obsessive to you? How did she manage to get you to walk through these aspects if you did have them? Really looking forward to that one and keep up the great work with your looks
Omg I thought I was the only one that had an aversion to showers as a kid. I hated the feeling of it on my skin that I would take baths up until middle school when I figured out that I was the weird one. Then I trained myself to 'deal with it'.
@@sophiawools1971 yep! My partner still loathes it absolutely and simply has to do it. The feeling of water on his skin is very uncomfortable for him. So I want to know if Olivia would show this aversion as a baby too
I remember thinking I wasn't autistic because I was very articulate, I do have a very active imagination and I understand idioms. Then I met more people on the spectrum and realized how truly diverse people with autism are. I did more research. It turns out not only is this common but my inflexible thinking there (that I had to check all the boxes to define myself as autistic) could be part of my autism as well.
It's nice to hear someone else say they're not strict in their daily routine but are with plans. I'm exactly the same way! Especially when I'm doing stuff with friends and someone is late or wants to make an unscheduled stop, or *gasp* wants to change the plan or JUST WING it! Lol! Cannot stand just winging it with plans! Lol! Luke, how the neck do people just come up with activity ideas on the fly and deviate from the frickin plan!? Lol!
I have a 30+ year old daughter who wasn’t diagnosed till she was 12. At that time there was very little help for those on the autism spectrum. I really feel there is even less support out there for adults with autism now. I would love to ask your mom how she has to support you now as an adult and if she has to advocate for you in any situations.
Thanks so much for this video! I often wonder if I am on the spectrum as well, but I do not have many of the "prominent" traits. I think that is why I was given the vague and mostly useless DSM-V diagnoses of "Neuro-developmental disorder, not otherwise specified" at age 27 and only got an ADHD diagnoses at age 30. I appreciate that you mention how it is not the same for everyone and not weighted. Lots of the traits you talked about in your videos about traits that you DO have, I do not have. So... 1. Sarcasm. I also love it! Have never had difficulty understanding it. 2. Also don't do stimming, as far as I know. 3. Unfortunately I was badly bullied as a child, I think mostly because I was not accomplished at masking yet. Also could not communicate well, plus could not look at people's faces. (At least by now I can fake eye contact.) I didn't have friends until around age 12. Then I think it slowly started happening because I stopped caring whether I had friends or not. 4. I don't speak in a monotone, I am a music major. I use pitch in my voice to communicate all the time and am super sensitive to tone in other people. 5. Imagination: mine is HUGE. 6.Routine, I need a reasonable routine, but not too strict. For the same reason you do, it makes me too anxious. I also think that having ADHD as well (that was actually diagnosed - but only as an adult, like I said) contributes to me wanting novelty in my life? I tend to get shut downs when someone cancels plans with me though, I think also because deep down I am rejection sensitive. 7. I like order, but I do not organise things repeatedly either. I don't get upset if things are disordered. 8. I have wonderful fine motor skils and good co-ordination in my hands. Also really good reflexes. But my gross motor skills are terrible and I do not have the best ball skills. I walk into walls at times and can never understand why. 9. I am not obsessed with numbers, specifically, but I find patterns in absolutely everything. 10. Socialising the way most neuro-typicals think about it, is my worst nightmare. You would never catch me in a noisy club, or big sports stadium. But I am, now as an adult, good at making new friends. Very good at keeping in contact with my dearest friends over time and/or long distances. So I don't fit the "Unable to be social" mold either.
I am now obsessed with your channel! I just recently (as in this week) learned I'm Autistic and was recommended to look for youtube stuff. Your videos speak to me so directly! Thank you so much for sharing your personal traits and non-traits and helping me learn more about myself through your experience.
I’m all for the vintage look 😍 you look amazing in it. I also find sarcasm hilarious but I sometimes don’t understand it 😂 and I do the skin/hair picking too and it’s definitely a stim
This is such a good video! My son is actually quite similar to you. He can socialize, doesn't stim often and many of the traits mentioned here he also does not have, but he was diagnosed as autistic cause he had all the other traits. Thank you for sharing these videos as they shine a lot of light on how different every atypical brain can be.
Love the look!!! And thank you for the information! So many women have such doubts based exactly on all kinds of missing symptoms, your list really can help
Love your 50's look! I love historical looks and styles. Your clip of your outrageous curly hair! Yep I've been there too. Those curls can turn into awesome hair throughout the week (I don't wash my hair everyday) Thanks for your video! Coaching! You go girl!
Thank you Olivia for making this video. This is why I keep thinking maybe I don't have autism: I don't have everything. I don't have many routines and my stimming is face and nail picking and eyebrow pulling and leg bouncing. I do have all the social problems and I did study maths. Maybe I should see if I can get a diagnosis after all. I was almost put off testing even though I have a lot of the criteria. It's going to be a year long wait anyway.
1-8 I also don’t have, but nr 9: I do want to go to the bottom to how things work, but only with select subjects I personally find relevant. And no 10: I am terrible in groups, but on occasions quite comfortable in 1 to 1 situations. Thanks for the video.
This is an excellent and informative video. I 100% agree with you that autism affects people differently. People with autism have similar characteristics, but autism affects people differently. Some autistic people are better at socializing with other autistic people, some autistic people struggle with sarcasm, and some autistic people don't struggle with sarcasm, some autistic people are bothered by loud sounds at concerts while others aren't, some autistic people get bothered by bright lights while others don't, etc. In college, if an autistic student needs a note taker accommodation, their doctor's note has to specifically say how they struggle with handwriting due to their disability; just a doctor's note stating they have autism isn't enough for the college student with autism to get a note taker accommodation. The reason for that is because Autism affects people differently. Disability Support Services workers at colleges know that autism affects people differently. There's some autistic people that need a note taker accommodation in college, and there's some autistic people that don't need a note taker accommodation in college. Disability Support Services workers don't want to pay for a note taker when the student doesn't need a note taker. Keep up the great work with your videos. Your videos are great and informative. I wish you the best.
I know, especially for girls/women, adhd and autism are very close in their traits. Lots of girls/women are mis diagnosed with adhd when they actually have autism.
Liked and subscribed! You DO have courage to share as you do! Where's the ring? ( : Your boyfriend is so supportive and understanding! (At least from what I've heard!) There's a book, "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" that helped me go back to school and become a nurse - now caregive for my Mom! Go ahead! Pray about it, and if he's the one, take the plunge!
I feel like you're narrating my life, right down to the intricacies of how your relationship with routine is. One month to go 'til I go for assessment! And the hair and makeup are lovely.
I would love to ask your mum what was the biggest challenges raising you. I’m going through the process of accessing my 3 year old and would love any information
I got diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago and my Coach thinks that I have Autism, too. I suspected it, when I was a Teenager but dismissed it up until now, til my coach brought it back on. I do find eyecontact uncomfortable most of the time. I have some little routines that, if they get disturbed can make me tremble the whole day (the wost issue at the moment is, that I have new colleagues that question everything we did so far and want to make changes and that irritates me so much, that I can't get anything done - I have to check their work - I got an outburst about that a week ago - Cause we do it that way is not an answer to them). I have sensory issues with my clothes and I do LOVE to pick my skin...and I have trouble understanding jokes most of the time 😅
I'm also getting evaluated in about 6 months and I doubt myself a lot because I can read people extremely well, intuitively, and I do not take things literally. I've read, however, that only 50% of people with autism have alexithymia, trouble reading their own emotions and that of others, and I don't at all struggle with reading other people. Rather, I feel bombarded with the slightest change in people's body language and facial expressions, and I often freeze, confused about how I am expected to act. So I still experience social challenges, but the issue is different, I see too much rather than too little.
Oh, my gosh!!! I totally relate to zit picking as a way to calm myself!!! My eldest son, who was diagnosed as autistic at 3 years old, also can "get" things that are eluded to. My husband who has a different neuro disorder, cannot understand things that aren't in black and white at all. Only one kid in our family is neuronormal.
i'm so jealous of your motor skills 😭 i'm a total disaster dancing or playing sports. like you, i socialize very well, people even think i'm an extrovert. i do understand sarcasm, just not all of the time lol. i used to line up things as a kid. my imagination is huge, i love to write and etc, but i have a really hard time trying to imagine places :( and the list goes on!
Thank you so much for making this video! This has been so helpful for me. I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out if I might be autistic or not... I have doubt about it so much, because the mother of a friend of mine who has an autistic son said to me that it's impossible for me to be autistic and that made me doubt a lot, to the point in which I distanced myself from researching more about it. I'm trying to not gaslight myself with something that is really important for me.
Most of the time I understand sarcasm. There are moments when it takes me a minute to understand if the person is being sarcastic, it really depends on the person and situation. I stim when I am tired or when I am having trouble thinking about something. I was popular, but I was slightly bullied, it didn't last long or I did not pay much attention to it, so they eventually got tired. Monotone, sing-song- high-pitched or too loud and soft voice is a sign of ASD. Also, when it comes to ASD and imagination, it can go either way, you can be extremely imaginative or completely lack imagination... Having OCD and a strict routine such as ASD can make you anxious. I have OCD but I also have ADHD and anxiety, so having a slightly strict routine helps me. I have things neat, but ADHD makes it a little difficult sometimes. You sound a lot like me. I am good at sports and fine motor skills. However, I do stumble often or bump into walls. Not obsessed with numbers and math, but I am good when I have to be. I suck at socialization...smh. But, people find me funny and engaging, but I mask extensively. You sound a lot like me...
I am sure you’re also empathic;) I mean, that is the worst myth about us on the spectrum. I think many of us are, in fact, more empathic, just think about the strong sense of fairness, which I read is also a trait. And I believe many, many artists are autistic, so there is no doubt that big imagination is a very common trait, except perhaps in very mathematical brains. I don’t have all the traits either. I am messy too, but I tend to want to be very meticulous when I first start (that’s why I never start haha). I guess its possible that I have adhd traits as well, but in any case I agree about strict routines; they suffocate me by the mere thought.
Omg the routine thing. I’m fine with changes to my day as long as the major beats/places are still in place. Like in college I always expected to go to my classes, work in studio, eat with my friends, go home at expected times. If any of those major beats are threatened, I either get anxious or get REALLY angry at whatever threw a monkey wrench in my day because now I gotta rework the timeframe. But if something like, “oh, it snowed, classes are cancelled” then I have no issue (wonder why)….
Lol. I love to organize things but I'm not tidy. I'm very creative and have lots of things for projects.. But it's an organized mess. Lol. It's such a funny dynamic. But organizing smash little things is so calming. I'm horrible, terrible at math!!! I couldn't even pass geometry... It's like a language I can't understand! I also can't stand routines. They stress me out. I am a go with the flow kinda person.
I loved the curly "Shirley Temple" hair and the one in the video! Thank you for making this video, I related to just about every one and have doubted if I'm truly autistic.
Sheesh!!! Aside for good coordination, I can relate to pretty much all of these!! But I believe I am AuDHD, so this is super helpful!! Thank you! PS- I love the hair. 50’s is probably my favorite decade!
This is an awesome video. I'm undiagnosed but the experience of autism and so many of the traits are ultra relatable to me. My Dr. brushed me off about it, and it's hard to access specialists and good health care lately here, so who knows about a diagnosis for me (I'm also going on 34 y/o).. so yeah, watching these kinds of videos and learning more about it is making me feel more sane and just like I do understand myself pretty well, and I'm learning more and more how to take care of myself through this info, so thank you!!!!
You look great. I also have been very interested in the hairstyles and clothes of that era. Unlike you, I've not been brave enough to try it, especially not in front of millions of people on the Internet. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement, maybe I will try it this week.
I too understand sarcasm (quite well), good with language, have an expressive speaking voice, creative, not super routine oriented or organized, etc etc. I am bad with motor skills, and LOVE science (knowing why & how, building machinery things like poolball machine, etc). Other than that, I just have particular social struggles and stimuli triggers that if I can use the label to point to, that would simplify explanations by a lot.
Thank you so much for your videos, they are really eye opening. I find I'm a bit down after watching them I think coz I relate and I need time to process the information and accept that this is actually me. I've found that I've used some of my traits to my advantage in work since becoming more aware of it all, like being really efficient, direct, getting it done so maybe it's not all bad being like this.
Thank you for this. I had RU-vid recommend a video on autist traits of females about a week ago and it hit a chord with me. I just related to so much of it, but after watching many other videos and started to wonder if I was wrong at feeling like I could be, because some of the most commonly listed things I don't have. I'm sarcastic and get sarcasm (though people don't often realise that I'm being sarcastic), I wasn't sure if I stim (still figuring that out, but I do fidget for sure and I'm horrible at picking dry skin on my face and head mostly... like I can't stop), I write stories for fun and have a very active imagination, a big one was I don't have strict routine... I don't like change for sure... change of plans... but I don't have a steady routine at all, I'm horrible at math and can't remember numbers, I'm not super organized. Just to list a few. I started thinking I couldn't possibly be autistic because of these things, but I need to keep in mind that everyone is different and not everyone has EVERY trait. I'm still trying to figure things out. I won't call myself self-diagnosed, because I'm not sure, but I'm feeling it's a strong possibility. Thank you.
The more of your videos I watch, the the more I think we're alike. I'm not diagnosed, I've just always been a weirdo. When I was a kid people would blame it on my being home schooled & say I wasn't properly socialized, or blame my parents. But that selective mutism... There are so many things one can't blame on schooling. I didn't have vocabulary for some of it before. I'm regularly criticised for being too literal. But I also understand sarcasm. In fact, I love jokes that have many layers of language, & I love all of the different ways one can use language. I'm really empathic, so I know what people are feeling, but I'm often over analyzing, & not responding the way other people do. I have many neurodivergent friends. & I'm now wondering if it would be beneficial to get myself tested
I grew up without much technology too! I wasn’t allowed to play video games or watch TV. Because of that, I never had the opportunity to develop the “tech stereotype” traits. I played outside and with dolls
With routines it's the same for me. (I'm not a female.) However, from a practical standpoint I obviously need routines to get my daily life to work and I don't have that and nothing gets done. And when plans, yes, it's the same! I don't get meltdowns because of it, I'm 44 y.o. and very rarely get them nowdays, but I prefer planning our activities when meeting up with a friend - something that NT:s hate.
Self control comes in 3: impulse, emotion, movement. I feel like I've put so much practice into my movement control that I've lost control of my impulses and emotions... I feel like other people on the spectrum also put too much effort into one of these modes of control that the other 2 modes suffer. I like to think that anyone with poor motor skills is at a much higher emotional age than I am :)
So many people talk about impostor syndrome, and I am feeling it a lot right now. I have always referred to myself as “socially delayed” because I always felt like I was just a few years behind my peers on social things. But lately I have come across the adult diagnosed autistic RU-vidr community, and I have found myself identifying more and more with so many of the traits that these wonderful people have. But the traits I identify most with are the ones that are most common in women. I am, well, biologically male. I have never really understood gender roles the way I have never understood social cues, so I guess that makes sense, but the RU-vid algorithm has been pushing all the “autistic traits in GIRLS” videos on me, and it’s exacerbating my impostor syndrome quite a bit. Not only do I feel like an autistic impostor, I feel like a creepy guy impostor, and I hesitate to say it but you look absolutely stunning in this video!! I swear I’m not hitting on you. I’m just a confused af agender male person complimenting your appearance. It’s not complicated, I guess? Anyway, where was I? I’m just a messed up girl looking for my own peace of mind, don’t assign me yours. (Bonus points if you can name the movie quote!) Just wanted to vent. I loved this video, it was the first of yours I’ve ever watched but I’m def subscribing! Thanks to anyone who might have read this far!
I would like to ask your mom how she best supported you and helped you through your struggles as a kid. I am in the process of trying to get a diagnosis for my daughter but, like you she has a great ability to mask and a huge imagination so... it may be a long journey
You are such an inspiration, thank you for spreading knowledge and understanding, and for shining a light on our community. I tell my boys it's a gift and that it's super special to be able to think differently and have such detailed focus and memory recall and photographic memory. So many pluses on the spectrum to help balance some of things which can be stressful or hard to cope with. By the way, your hair is lush no matter styled or not and youve natural beauty, make up or none. Thank you for your honesty and typical bluntness, just keep on doing what you're doing as its spot on. I'm sharing you with my kids and my Daddy cause you've encouraged me. Were not alone, God bless you and yours, big hugs and greatest respect from N. Ireland
I’m so glad I’m not the only autistic person who doesn’t need a strict routine. And I’m the same way with plans, for example last Saturday I was supposed to go Disneyland but my friend said she couldn’t go anymore which I found out while I was in a bus so I could feel I was getting anxious but since I was in a bus I pretended it didn’t bother me. I can socialize however I don’t like it, socializing causes immense stress for me.
Omg! You are a San Diegan too??? That's so cool! BTW, The 50's is so you! If you could travel back in time, you'd fit in perfectly! Amazing work and Have a Fabtastic Day!!!!!
I remember the battle of saying well I don't have this one thing so idk if I am autistic or not. My hand flapping was luckily distinct enough that I had something super solid to be like, well I'm clearly different than these people. Grounded me in such a traumatic time since I was diagnosed early but it was hidden from me until I was 12
I did enjoy this video. Because i relate a lot. I have a thousand sitistic tratis... but am lacking a few very common ones. I am only self diagnosed at this point.. so it made me doubt myself
You're beautiful! I suspected I'm on the spectrum, but I don't know who to talk to. I have a complicated life story and I've been diagnosed with ptsd, I think that complicates a clear diagnosis since there are so many symptoms in common, plus in my country we don't have a great mental health system... 😔
