Something I wish non-autistic people understood about autism (when all the pieces come tumbling down):
Transcription thanks to my AMAZING helper, Kara – thanks, Kara!!!
Hey everybody!
So, I asked a question recently on Twitter, using the Asking Autistics hashtag (#AskingAutistics): “What’s the one thing that you wish people understood about the autistic experience?” I don’t remember exactly what the words were for that, word for word. I just remember I was reading over some of the responses, and I’ve been thinking for a while, “what’s just one thing, if I had to pick one thing?” And so, this week, I’m going to talk about my one thing.
{Ooh – dog shakes – hi, WooWoo}
For me, I would say maybe that one thing is trying to explain to people the really spikey autism profile, because people don’t really understand. For me, I’m highly, highly capable, and even more capable than a lot of people I know – neurotypical, autistic, or otherwise – in certain areas that are my areas of expertise. But you know, like work … I do well in the work space, but then sometimes there are just other things where I can appear completely and totally – maybe emotionally – immature. Or, I’m good at a task that’s really a complex task, but then sometimes something that may be really simple to a lot of people will be what tricks me up.
At work: I’m really good at really complex tasks at work, but spelling (like spell checking and proof reading) which is like this really basic task that we all learn in school is something that has always been difficult for me. I’m trying really hard to improve it, but I don’t know if it’s going to get better. I’m trying to think of some other situations, but I mean there are just these little things where it’s just like, I come off as extremely competent in a lot of ways – overly competent in many ways – and as a kid, teachers thought I was wise beyond my years. When I was little, that would mean when I actually “acted my age” more, it was like: “Oh, you should know better. You know better. You’re too mature for this. You’re too grown up to act this way.” And, growing up now, I guess not much has changed… sometimes. I don’t know if it will ever change. In a lot of ways, I am “old, and very young” all at the same time and I don’t know that I would ever want to change that.
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