Personally, I was extremely happy when I was diagnosed with autism simply because I found out that my not fitting in with others was not because I was a defective alien that doesn’t belong. I now could learn about why, and share that with others to gain more understanding and acceptance. It also introduced me to an entire community of people that already understand my differences. Before the diagnosis, I was alone and ashamed of my personal failure to be like everyone else. It was a huge relief to receive my diagnosis!

Disability or identity, why not a mix of both? For me it is. Sometimes it's really difficult, and sometimes it's something I'm proud of. ☺️

I very proudly identify as autistic and ADHD and a mum to autistic and ADHD kids. Whether or not I am disabled is really heavily dependent on the environment I’m in. Put me in a dance club around partying people and I’m extremely disabled, I hide in a corner, draw, disassociate, and struggle to talk to people or know what to do. Put me in an environment where I’m comfortable, confident, that doesn’t overstimulate and where I know I’m understood and valued, and I absolutely thrive. In the wrong work environment, I struggled and suffered through part time work with immense difficulty. In the right environment in a workplace that understands and works with me, and I do so well I get promoted to supervisor within a month and completely improve and rebuild broken workplace structures 😂 I love the “putting a fish in a tree vs a pond” analogy for looking at disability

If I’m not wearing my glasses or contacts I’m pretty much blind so it would in fact be a disability. It can be the same with autism, if I have the support I need then maybe it isn’t a disability. But in a world not built for us then yes it often is a disability, especially when finding the right support can be incredibly hard. It’s not as easy as just putting on a pair of glasses. One day I hope that changes and it’s as easy to have the correct tools I need to support my autism as it is to get a pair of glasses. For me, until then, autism won’t just be my identity but also a disability.

During a shutdown, I go from having a genius level IQ to special needs... It can be a superpower and your own kryptonite

Autism is a wonderful identity that I'm very proud of, and very public with, since I discovered it about a year ago at age 68. It has given me a level of self-understanding as well as self-acceptance, which I never had throughout my life. I am much happier now, pursuing my dreams, and NOT suicidal anymore.

my autism is both very much a disability, debilitating, and a huge part of my identity, because it's effectively pervasive, affecting sensory perception, thought processes, emotions, values and so much more

I feel disabled only under the social disability model I've read that generally our reluctance to describe ourselves as disabled comes from our own stigma towards disability. That definitely was food for thought for me. Today was the first day I had to bring up my disability, in order to advocate for myself and (hopefully eventually) get some support. It feels like the system here (UK) is so passive aggressive. I keep asking for help and not getting any, then when I hit the bottom - I'm alone held responsible for ending up in that situation. This is really tough and requires a lot of resillience and strength. Quite a fight to have to put up as a disabled person (!), against medical&government professionals who seem adamant to dismiss me. I know I can do it, but the more I stand up for myself, the more I seem capable and not in need of support. I wonder how many others are bullied and don't have the fight left, ending up completely abandoned and failed by the system

My wife got her Autism diagnosis yesterday (2/23/23). For her this has allowed her to Have a real explanation as to why she is different from most others around her. Ironically her uniqueness is what drew me to her. I cherish who my wife is and this diagnosis makes no difference to me but to her at least for now it has meant the world as it helps her to understand why the world around her is ever so slightly different from her and that that difference is okay.

I was 73 when I found myself in a group of autistic people for the first time and saw myself in them. After a lifetime of not quite belonging, I belonged. I felt no restrictions about expressing myself openly in that group because they were my allies. It was an amazing experience and it's ongoing.

I find the majority of the time in "real life", people honestly have no idea what Autism actually is, the problem is there's lots of videos on the internet, and the topics people talk about, end up really applying to people that aren't autistic at all. I find it super rare for people to actually talk about the brain

Disability is not a dirty word. Disabled people are different, not less. I identify as Autistic and disabled. At 52, I have just had my first ever NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) plan approved. So I guess that even makes me officially disabled. I am looking forward to finally having supports to help me with my huge executive function, sensory and social communication challenges. There is no way I could afford an Autism coach, OT and Speech Pathology without this. It's been a journey, but I am finally very ok with calling myself disabled. Perhaps in a simpler society (hunter/gather? ) I wouldn't be disabled, but that's not the society I live in. I am looking forward to my life finally becoming easier and getting rid of the thought that life is just too hard to be worth living.

In my country autism is legally recognised as a disability and that provides pathways to support. There are groups here which are actively seeking recognition of disability status to get those supports and protections (eg ADHD and ME/CFS). Personally I'm autistic and proud in that identity. I'm also very comfortable seeing myself as disabled and by reducing my internalised ableism, seeking and accepting support my life has greatly improved. It's truly a privilege to connect as part of the wider disability community who are amazing. I think for me it comes down to what is the most compassionate and pragmatic way I can frame my identity. Being open to the complex ever-shifting strengths and challenges as they are in a broad and open-minded way helps. It's complex and our needs are real.

As a beyond middle-aged adult who only recently found out that I am autistic, it is an identity that has enabled me to finally piece together all the parts of myself that I’d always viewed as broken. This has improved my mental health immensely. It’s also been, and continues to be, a disability that has greatly hindered me in all areas of my life. And now, thanks to the inspiration of Greta Thunberg, I’ve forged it into my superpower. As a psychiatric nurse, I’ve learned to use my autism to be able to help my patients in ways far beyond what the other, non autistic nurses and doctors can. Which makes the rough road I’ve traveled worth it. I hope for all autistic people to grow into their greatest selves, whatever that may be.

I am just so thankful to be able to assign a reason to behaviors I have lived with my whole life and never understood before. I really did feel like an alien surrounded by people I didn't understand and who couldn't understand me. I finally came to the conclusion that I was just weird. That there was something wrong with me. When my son was diagnosed with Autism at an early age, and as I studied it so I could help him, it hit me. I immediately got tested and found that I, too, was on the spectrum. It was the biggest relief of my life to be able to understand why I behaved the way I did. Why I could never connect. I could finally put a name to it. I wasn't just that weird girl anymore. That is why I'm proud to identify as Austic.

I identify as autistic (and ADHD) and also as disabled, but using the social model of disability, not the medical one. i.e. generally speaking, the world is "set up" to suit neurotypicals which makes life hard for autistics and many of us need accommodations to help us cope with living, working, etc. Taking the example of wearing glasses, the glasses are an accommodation to *en*able people who need them. Similarly, ramps for wheelchair users, hearings aids or different means of communication. I'm frequently disabled by companies, organisations, etc. which insist on communicating by phone, which I find extremely difficult, whereas options of communicating by email or video call, which I'm fine with, are not made available. So I'm not intrinsically disabled as such, but society "disables" me by not accommodating my needs.

I was undergoing a very difficult time internally despite many happy events. I thought I might be depressed or just feeling "blah" or being weird that I enjoyed the solitude from the lockdowns too much. But I actually identified most with ASD when I watched videos from this channel and some other. So when I received my ASD diagnosis recently, I felt proud of myself, for taking the courage to seek a clinician psychologist (stigma in this side of the world). I don't feel disabled. In fact, I now understand that my social anxiety is a result of my disabling social difficulties, and start to be more compassionate towards myself. Thanks for putting up this great timely video just when I needed it!

Autism for me, whether I choose to claim it as an identity or disability, is something I rarely if at all find pride in. So far it has caused me much more inconvenience, stress and isolation from even my own autistic peers than I can justify it being a positive characteristic of myself. It’s so much a factor in my loneliness and depression that I wish I wasn’t born this way; even with the shift towards self gratitude for many on the spectrum as part of their identity I just don’t feel the same way.

I always waffle back and forth between the two. On good days, where my attention to detail helps me out, I'm like "Hell yeah, being on the spectrum pays." On bad days, when they suddenly move the office furniture around just to "try something new," i panic and it affects my work and people start thinking about if I should even work there anymore.

I’m not officially diagnosed, but in learning about autism and applying that knowledge to the history of my entire life, it just really made everything fall into place and finally make sense. THIS is why I am the way I am! So as an identity, I wholeheartedly embrace it. Even the word disabled, because it’s totally true, I do struggle where others don’t. I won’t lie and say I never feel sad for myself or feel less-than because of my difficulties doing things other people make seem effortless. Sometimes I think it’s not fair. But it’s the hand that was dealt, and I might as well make the best of it, and focus on the areas in which autistic people are cooler than everyone else! 😎

For me, autism is both an identity and a diagnosis. I was thrilled to not only come to that conclusion myself but have it validated when I went to Vocational Rehabilitation and they sent me to get a diagnosis. It affects every aspect of my life. I'm highly intelligent, but I am absolute crap at executive functioning skills. Unlike you, Paul, I was never able to find a vocation at which I succeed or excel. I was not a very good mother because of all aspects of this disorder despite the fact that I deeply love my, now, adult children... the executive functioning, relationship issues, sensory issues, and meltdowns. Same with being a wife. And in finding and keeping employment it always interfered due to what employers term as "soft skills" issues. To this day, I tend to struggle still with forming a functional routine versus a familiar and comfortable routine. So, yes it's rather a disability: and I also have, like many autistics, chronic depression, and anxiety. On the other hand, as negative as all that sounds, I am creative and intelligent with a quirky sense of humor who possesses a deep knowledge of many areas which have been special interests of mine over the years. People who fall within one or more areas of my my identity as a person, bei it autism, a person of high intelligence, being a geek, sharing other special interests, tend to find me a fun person to be around. A psychologist I was seeing once asked me, "If you could somehow get rid of your autism, would you?" I thought about it and answered decisively, "No. I would not." When asked about why, I said, "Because I would be me. Not only would I lose the difficult aspects, I'd lose the good parts too. I probably would have the same interests or sense of humor or even personality."

I always say that I (as an autistic person) am literally "differently abled". Where some people try to use the term "differently abled" to make a disability seem less debilitating, I and many other autistic folks literally have greater abilities in some areas and lesser ability in other areas when compared to a neurotypical person. I communicate wonderfully with other autistic folks, so my ability to communicate and form social bonds is there, it is just radically different to what is typical. "Differently abled"...

I consider autism as my identity and if I had to view my neurodiversity as a disability due to the challenges, I would have to also label neurotypical individuals as disabled as well. The reason for this is that the neurotypical individual more easily succumbs to peer pressure, groupthink, and social conformity compared to the rare occasion that a neurodiverse individual would succumb to these phenomena (probably because we lack the social awareness and cues to succumb). That has to be challenging for those neurotypical individuals, following the social structure and norms to the point of disaster, definitely disabling. Also the vagueness in the speech structure of the neurotypical individual, for example: 'Hey look over there, at that thing.' I am suddenly seeing a pattern here for neurotypical individuals that comprise a dangerous social structure that leads to conformity and speech deficits (vagueness should be considered a deficit, be specific people lol). Perhaps we have to look at the structure of society and who is given the authority to cast that disability wand to entire groups of people.

You’re channel helps me so much. I often feel so isolated and misunderstood everyday but here , I feel home. Thank you.

It affects so deeply in my social interactions that could be considered a disability…

For me, it's both. I am autistic at all times no matter who I'm with and where I am and objectively I'm quite comfortable with that identity because it feels like "me". That comfort can change when I'm out in the wider world. I am disabled when I am required to function in a way that goes completely against who I am and requires supports/extra measures/extra energy to succeed and I even with those I may fail at it. Society is not designed for people who are autistic and thus those supports/extra measures are needed on a regular basis. When I'm alone or around other people who are are autistic or ADHD I feel so much less hindered by what is in other situations, a disability.

I totally agree and identify with what you've said. And glasses analogy is on point. For me autism is definitely an identity, probably even the strongest one, a refuge. After more than 2 decades of struggling with life I can finally relax and simply accept who I am. And I don't need that much of an approval from other people anymore. I can just focus on my thing without anyone's permission. I can stand more firmly on my own feet, because I know who I am. And after years of my needs being ignored and neglected I can recognise and take care of them. Some things are challenging, but I don't know if I should call that a disability and to what degree they're caused by autism itself.

It's really a layer of my personality, it what make sense to all my life, it's my functioning, a huge part of who I am (the overlap of Gifted, Autism, ADHD fit perfectly to me) _ Most of the time I like it and I am happy to be like this and proud of it, when I am at home and in calm place. _ But when I have to go outside, I am very vulnerable. I always take my sunglasses, I need to put music or sing to cover the bad vibrations/frequencies/energies of the sensory world and people, but I prefer enjoy the outside world as it is. Once at home I put music meditation (healing frequencies 528 Hz 963 Hz etc...) to recover faster from the too much sensory informations. I really feel/sense the vibrations in my body (the steps of people, when they laugh/cry/talk too loud, the lights, the noises...) I avoid the outside as much as possible, I go outside only when It's necessary/useful. _Intelligent and disable. Both disability and personality/identity. It's what make me very unique and authentic ^^. Honestly I prefer to be like this than to be a typical person. Happy with myself.

If anything I'm reaching a point where I want to settle on neurodivergent as an identity. While I've been autistic all of my life, this is still quite a new discovery for me as it was only dyslexia that was picked up for me when I was in school. I've had this idea that my brain has akways worked differently to others but not always the language to describe how. I like that neurodivergence encapsulates a wider range of neurological differences as I don't seem to fit neatly into any one box. I also find that while I don't experience the world in the same way as someone with ADHD as I don't have ADHD, I often find there are similar lived experiences that we share living with a brain that operates so differently.

Great video. I was diagnosed last week at 38. I'm beginning to embrace it as a identity. Even with the diagnosis, it's not changed who I am. I'm still the same old me. I just understand me more. Disability is a word with stigma. My speech impediment is classed as a disability, but not viewed it as that for my whole life. Disability is basically another term of "not having the same ability as someone else, but having a Diferent ability". Keep up the good work

The best I heard was “I am disabled by my environment “ I feel it’s a trait.

I find it most helpful to describe it as “a sensory processing difference.” All too often it’s labelled as a learning disability, but that couldn’t be more false in my case. How autism manifests varies a lot, and much of the way “disability” language is used seems to be more about how autism inconveniences other people than how I function.

I really like the wearing glasses/disability identity example. Might have to steal this. Question on classification: Shouldn’t Autism technically be considered a neurological condition rather than psychiatric, as that more accurately pinpoints the origin of autistic traits and symptoms? Yes, those traits could be psychiatric, but if identified specifically as autistic traits, their root cause is autistically divergent neurological signal processing, not psychological development.

This is exactly my experience. Most of the "disability" part of my autism, like 80% of it, is just in how others see me and treat me. And their stupid social rules they can't define or explain the logic behind (but that I'm expected to know and follow and are different for every different person and if I don't follow their idiotic rules I'm some kind of villain who deserves punishment for my "bad behavior")

I identify as both. Thank you for this video! Very helpful to those who are Autistic and to educate those who are not.

Thanks for this video. I’ve been diagnosed with ASD level 1 (as Asperger’s is no longer diagnosed under the DSM-5) about 3 weeks ago and still grappling with it and have been researching and learning new things to the point of further daily anxiety about the diagnosis. It made me look into my past objectively and I think I got a bit sick at how the lines between the dots linked up (in my case). I actually have to take a break from information hunting (…fixations 😂). I’m a mechanical engineering technologist here in South Africa and worked as a consulting engineer in the built-environment for the past 8yrs and with 3yrs in the nuclear power generation industry at Africa’s only nuclear power plant. Your one video on ‘High-functioning autism’ really left me with a feeling I described as the taste of toothpaste and orange juice for a lack of a verbal description. I’ve seen it in my work environment, social engagements, personal life (having taken the biggest toll). So maybe I’ll come to terms with the diagnoses and hope that I can embrace it. Really appreciate your videos and thanks again from Cape Town, South Africa!

I really enjoy your videos, I’ve been suspicious that I am autistic and I can relate to your videos so much. I’m from Perth but originally from Hungary, been in Australia for 37 years. I’ve done an AQ test online and I scored high. I exhibit autistic symptoms. Thank you for sharing your thoughts ❤

Autism, ADHD and other mental health issues have been a very profound and inescapable feature of my life with largely negative effects, I am now studying/training in healthcare in the UK and these conditions have made it extremely difficult to be understood even by my peers who are expected to be open-minded, non-judgmental and to not hold discriminatory attitudes. I have managed to worry and upset others due to trying to open up about mental health and have felt I have received unprofessional and discriminatory attitudes in response. Fortunately, the staff and more experienced coursemates/peers are more mature and understanding and I think that familiarity with neurodivergence and mental health issues in healthcare staff/students need to improve. I feel that autism and ADHD have primarily negative effects on my life but they do influence my beliefs, thought process, decisions, values, and interaction with others such that they cannot be easily separated from the core of me as a person. I see why it is considered to be an identity but whether it is positive may depend on your unique presentation, how it affects you, and how it impacts your interactions with others.

I've wore glasses almost all my life and I never felt like it was a disability. I also never was diagnosed with Autism, only found out how large it can be in the last couple years, as an adult, and really identified with it and the struggles I had to surpass all my life until now. Sure it's a disability but like glasses I've had it all my life so I learned to live with it and became an identity.

Thank you for this thought provoking video, Paul. I am a late diagnosed female and have embraced my diagnosis. It is a huge relief for me. I openly say I'm autistic, but do not use the term 'autism spectrum disorder.' I am me, a person, not a disorder. It can be disabling but I don't like to think of myself as disabled. Although medical professionals disagree with me and reinforce my 'deficits' and unemployability. I have always been confused and lost by my apparent lack of identity. This video makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you again for new and positive thoughts :)

Dr MLK talked about discrimination for how we walk or talk. It's in his sermon entitled: Love Your Enemies When he says "Black" or "negro", change it in your mind to "Autistic" or "other." He's speaking as a Christian preacher and civil rights leader, but is equally cathartic for us with Autism. After a traumatic experience with my Autism, being segregated out and excluded as an "other," Dr MLK's speeches and sermons gave voice to what I was feeling. He puts the segregation/exclusion experience into words and encourages us persevere. Give him a try next time you're struggling with anxiety, depression, discrimination, trauma or even insomnia This really helps Beautiful poetic words to recharge our figurative batteries 🙏 Peace PS: I don't know how long I will leave this comment here.

Australian Chinese here! Was cool to get represented, thanks for the vid!

I think there is a big difference in perspective for those who were diagnosed as children and those who were diagnosed as adults. For the latter it is an answer to the millions of questions they had about themselves growing up so it’s a relief. For those who grew up knowing they had autism its just a part of themselves as much as their favourite colour or how they love a certain tv show etc.

This was brilliantly done. Bravo! I was smiling so big about the glasses example, because I have pointed that out to people as well! Especially when they use the word “disability” to marginalize or exclude others.

I REALLY like his parallel of autistic people vs. people who wear glasses! This is a great example! Does being vision impaired & needing glasses limit a certain area of a persons functionality at times / under certain conditions? Yes. Should they adopt the label & social stigma of being disabled? No, not necessarily unless its paired with some other diagnosis. Same with Autism! You can be a totally healthy autistic person! Diminished eyesight is diagnosable and can be improved upon under the right conditions, but it doesn't usually enhance your ability in other areas. Though in certain people it might (like the blind kid who essentially learned to use echo-location with clicks) The limitations that can come with being autistic CAN also be improved upon under the right conditions (if people just understood it more, and made the necessary resources available, & social responses/ reactionary mindset changes within our collective mindset to allow for that) but unlike most of the vision impaired community out there, being autistic can & usually DOES also significantly enhance functionality in other areas of life. So..... Also : EVERYONE has different level of functionality. IQ & EQ exist in a functionality spectrum too. And can be improved upon or diminished under the right circumstances with the right environment & resources etc. this is no different. All people are not the same, and should not all be measured by the same standards. How does the saying go? ... "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its entire life thinking it's stupid." (?) Yea.

Diagnosed 1971 at 9 yrs old. It was not a positive experience to say the least. However it’s a huge comfort to, over the course of decades, gradually be comfortable with not being at all like anyone else… I have many gifts. Blessing in disguise.

Autism is my identity while simultaneously being a disability since it has made me a creative right brained thinker so much so that I would not have been able to survive in the adult world without receiving accommodations like ssdi and reasonable accommodations at a job. If you watch the video about being an indigo by JP Sears, or male and female energy, and indigo children by spirit science, you would know exactly what I mean.

Hello. I have very recently been exploring the idea that I am autistic. What I have found makes me believe I am indeed autistic. I am 70 yrs old and this realization is actually a relief. I enjoy your videos very much and have gleaned very helpful ideas and information .

Most of what you said in this video felt like a warm hug. So much validation

I've been the weird kid.and I have grown to accept that as part of my identity.even be proud of my weirdness to a level that I don't even desire to be 'normal'. I've only recently discovered that this particular flavor of 'weird' is called autism. And now I understand that my 'flaws' are just a natural result of my 'disorder' I feel a lot less bad about it. Sure some things are disabilitating, but now I know, I should probably ask for assistance in those cases. And not blame myself for not being able to do something so basic to neuro-typical people

Excellent information, well conveyed, and organized.

Thank you for posting this video!! I’ve had an identity crisis with this very same question!!! Is it poor executive function deficits/ impairments or is it a very different thinking brain (visual thinker, object visualizer, pattern thinker etc) or a bit of both? all under the spectrum! Looking forward to this video!!

I long for a diagnosis and it will be my identity. I am 70 and currently jumping through hoops to get there (not easy in rural California). I want my whole Life explained. I will feel so much better, I know. ☺

I came out as gay before I even was aware I could be fully on the spectrum (just another person who could be "a little bit Aspie"), so I'd say it's definitely more of an identity, especially considering that simply "framed" my experiences in a completely new life. My first 34 years of life were under a cloud of doubt and confusion. I feel MUCH less disordered now that I'm aware of my autistic mindset, it's been extraordinarily freeing. I'm not ashamed of being "weird" or a loner...it's part of my autistic "condition", and that's the word I would prefer to be known as....someone with a condition that simply needs to be reflected on (or just "social distance" away from me and don't judge)

If someone tells me their neurological brain damage is their "identity", I will probably side eye them. Neurological problems are disabilities that often puts us at a disadvantage, and makes us more vulnerable to a myriad of things, like mental illness and relationship problems. It is a part of us, yes, and it affects who we are, but I'd trade it away for a fix immediately. My ADHD is not _who_ I am, and my brother is _more_ than his autism. None of us chose this, and we would still be us without damaged brains, just better functioning versions. Additionally, I feel like making neurological problems into an "identity" like many people tend to do online, in many ways commodifies it, instead of making people aware of the real differences and difficulties. It is annoying, _at least for me._

I am autistic. I did not consider myself disabled. I realize now that I am. I edited this and explained why in the last paragraph. I have always been able to hold down a job. With most jobs, I would go home and shut down or melt down. Most of my problems stem from too much noise, busyness around me and stress because of trouble communicating, especially when in a situation where it counts against me if I take a second or two to process before speaking or answer, then try to explain in a way they understand. We speak a different language than neurotypicals. It sounds the same at the surface level because I work so hard at it. If they gave me the same consideration as they would someone whose first language is from another country, I feel I could adequately be understood and be given the chance to phrase it better if I wasn't understood the first time. If I was given the chance to clarify, they would understand that I wasn't intentionally rude or lacking intelligence. It takes both NTs and NDs working together to find common ground. Very few NTs are willing to do that. Reading what I just said, I do consider myself disabled. There are things I could be successful at with accommodations but can't without them.

You make some valid points there. I usually say I have autism, mainly because being autistic does not seem to be such a clear statement for everybody to immediately understand. If, for example, you say you are an introvert, there is enough common knowledge for everybody to understand what situations and interactions you might or might not enjoy. Through my work (I have a masters degree in psychology, but can't work anymore) and my treatments, I've met a lot of people with an autism diagnosis. And because they fall on their own individual point on the spectrum (or rather, their own points on several areas with which you can have issues as an autistic person), the differences are very pronounced. Additionally, the public has a very skewed/stereotypical view of what it means to be autistic. So, although saying you are autistic/have autism can be an efficient way to communicate you have issues with sensory processing and social/communication difficulties, you do need to explain a lot about how YOU experience that to avoid assumptions and therefore miscommunication. Beside, autism is different from other labels with which you can identify with. If you are gay/straight/trans or introvert/extravert, etc. you can just discover that for yourself and use the label to put words to how you think/feel/prefer to behave. With autism, there is generally a diagnostic proces with a clinician which you go through to get the label/diagnosis. To me, autism is a big part of my life, but not my identity. I hope I made myself clear without insulting anybody, because I truly intended to be respectfull to all.

I think it is both, it's very difficult to overcome the internalized ableism of not wanting to identify our autistic identity as an disability most of the time. I've learned how differently I am, and how it affects my life, it is part of me as well and still, I'm proud of it and it is my identity, but it will always be my disability as well, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I’m considering your question about autism and disability - and how to share with others if, in fact, I am autistic. Two months ago I had no idea of my being autistic. You and a couple of others have offered me great insights - and, in this video you’ll have helped me to decide how my condition may be thought of (at least by me), assuming I am on the spectrum. Thank you!

From my perspective I find that I actually don't really mind it much from a social perspective. Socialization is defiantly alot harder for me but I've still always been able to find friends I enjoy being around and maintain a close although small social circle. Generally I find the hardest things to deal with aspergers being alot of the sensory issues. I can only eat a limit amount of plain foods, high pitches noises freak me out and I get digusted very easily. The worst thing by far is difficulty of sleep. I always dealt with insomnia my whole life and it wasn't until I learn of my AS that I found out it was tied to the conditions.

Personally, I reject the idea of diagnosis. To me it's just a way of medicalising and categorising me into a box for purposes that other people feel comfortable with. As a qualified Psychiatric Nurse I have had experience of a wide variety of so-called disorders and deficits. For example, when I worked in the community with heroin users, the consultant in charge of the clinic maintained that all of our clients had Personality Disorders (which is why they were drug users). This wasn't vey helpful in terms of what we were doing but I expect it made great statistics. It was also a way of maintaining an 'us vs them' attitude, even though I and many of my colleagues were routinely using socially acceptable drugs like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. If it came down to it, I would probably identify as having an ADHD/Autistic profile, but at 64 years old does that really matter any more ? After a recent heart attack I identified myself to the ward staff as an ex-nurse, but nothing more than that as I felt it would be unhelpful to complicate these busy people's work any further. I greatly admire these videos though, not just because you bring a lot of clarity, but also for your courage. It's good to see how your confidence has grown since you started doing this stuff. Thankyou.

It is part of my identity in that it is simply a fact of who I am. As for it being a disability, it depends on my environment. In certain environments I thrive in others I completely shut down.

0:48 The first thing I say (to myself :D) to begin to describe the autism spectrum to anyone who doesn't have knowledge about it is to say it is NOT a mental condition. It is a neurological condition. A unique 'wiring' in the brain, and that makes the perception of things in every day life externally and in internal thoughts and processes a different experience to what anyone with a 'neurotypical' wiring has. And there are benefits to having either.

You do what I do Paul, break down words and try to understand the meaning that they hold. Great vid :)

Great explanation! You've helped me come closer to an understanding of why I do not consider myself disabled (though I still struggle with whether part of my reasoning is inherently ableist).

Thank you for the video. Imho, i used to think it just as an identity, but now i think it depends. If severe autism whereby you can't manage yourself or can't stop hitting yourself or have severe sensory issue, it can also be considered a disability, but it's not something to be ashamed of. it just means more help is better. If high-functioning, then well it depends. Identity as a person. Maybe disability in romantic relationship or marriage. It's difficult to explain, but spouses usually would feel the disability in the marriage. In other areas, it's just being different. Though needs more awareness in marriage, because you live together under one roof, managing a family together, which is hard enough and it's supposed to be more than that.

I think when it comes to being autistic, and whether or not I view it as a disability and/or identity, it's both. Tho that comes with significant caveats. I excel in many areas, with many traits and skills, but I also have equally extreme dysfunctions as well. How those dysfunctions effect my life is where the disability part comes in (and sadly, I have a few other conditions which combine to land me solidly in the disabled category). But that being said, I am also proud to identify as an autistic person, because it IS a community with shared understandings, and things I can relate to with others that NT persons just can't relate to, no matter how much they empathize. The more I learn about autism and how others experience it and the things they do to manage this or that, the more tools I have to help deal with issues I find problems with too. I also like being there to help support my autistic friends when they have a difficult time. Knowing there are others that not only relate to the experiences you have, but have their own similar ones they can share significantly reduces the feeling of being different or alone. And to me, that's an identity and community worth being a proud part of... even tho it comes with some debilitating factors to manage.

Yeah i don't have pride in having autism, it is something I have, not something I have achieved. However, like you, I am also doing an engineering degree, so I guess I am proud of what I have achieved despite having autism. Pride for me, culturally, is a bad thing, i would rather seek humility, there is still so much I want to learn from people and the world. I notice many people fall into this pattern of thinking; I am guilty of it too. "I have autism so I can't do this, I have autism so I can't do that" at first when I just got diagnosed it was liberating to say this to know that there was a reason why I behaved a certain way but as time has gone I find it is a limiting factor. I would rather work the problem and overcome it in my own way much like an engineering problem. I have found myself a lot more fulfilled learning new things than repeating the same things. Now, that's not to say that it isn't a struggle, and I have come to realise my limitations but what I have learnt is people are very accomodating when you explain your difficulties not by diagnosis but by situation: "could you speak slower please?" "could you write it down for me? " "can we go somewhere quieter?" "Sorry I am feeling overwhelmed" etc. is much better than saying "I have autism" in my experience, NT people don't hear your diagnosis and then spend the night researching what it all means! 😅 I do agree though, that finding a group of people with common interests is really important, being at uni has been so helpful to my mental health. I spent years hanging around people who only wanted to talk about football, girls and clothes and was miserable, especially when I was told that I needed to stop isolating and talk to people. Yeah? About what? I had nothing in common with them. But now I have friends who will happily sit and talk about calculus, robots or spaceships all day if we want.

I live with an Autistic house mate and I know and always publicly affirm that Autism is not a disability or an illness from which one can be ‘cured’ but a different way of functioning as an authentic human being and if there’s a problem with that then it’s the neuro-typicals that have the problem and need to adapt …but sometimes it’s a real struggle living with an Autistic person and there are times when (in moments of frustration) I want to think that Autism is a disability but, in truth, I will NEVER allow myself to think that. I learned that about Autism from watching your videos, which have been extremely helpful. Simonline 🇬🇧😀👍

I mean, it can be both? Autism is an identity, and in our society, that identity is disabling.

First: thank you for nice and tought worthy words. My daughter was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 17. Myself I am not diagnosed but I identify myself as such. My psychologist sent me for diagnosing and I made an initial investigation indicating that I was. but they did not want to do the complete diagnostics as I currently manage my life with small problems. In the past it has been cripling though, I would not say that it qualify as disabling but still. Being autistic can sometimes be an asset and sometimes a curse. Being with good people it is an asset, but when meeting the problematic people then...

Paul, you explain this concept better than I ever could. I have directed people in my life to your videos so they can understand what I am trying to explain.

Defined or undefined is how I like to refer to being autistic. I also define myself as a “Grateful Aspie” even though I’ve had some within the neurodiversity community say that identifying as “Aspie” or acknowledging themselves as “having Aspergers” is offensive because of its namesake. However as someone who has adopted a live-and-let-live philosophy and way of being, how I personally choose to be defined or identify is mine alone to decide, and as I respect another person’s choices to be defined or identity however they choose, I expect the same respect in return. When I began my ASD Discovery Journey just over five years ago, I was actually researching ways for helping my autistic nephew, however when speaking with his mom she asked me if I knew that one of my sister’s sons had been diagnosed with Aspergers a year before this conversation, which I hadn’t heard, but this deepened my research even more. The more I read about autism, the more things began to click in my mind; all of the “why’s” in my life were being answered in a beautiful explosion of new understanding and acceptance. It took me a few years and several hundred miles of relocation to a better home state before I got my ASD Level 1 diagnosis, with PDA, and the learning disability in mathematical calculations diagnosis which confirmed that I’m not dumb as my sixth grade teacher said I was, but otherwise have around a 141 IQ. The way I look at disability is a bit different than some, because I have physical disabilities and am a Grateful Aspie who cherishes my Aspie Superpower skills that “Normies” aka, neurotypicals or non-autistics, don’t generally have in the same way as I do. Ironically my physical disabilities happened in part because of being completely unaware that I was autistic; being misdiagnosed and put on SSRIs which scrambled my unrecognized autistic brain and contributed to my snapping one day and driving off of a bridge trying to permanently check out. Instead I woke up in the hospital three weeks later, missing a few parts; my left leg and my spleen. And it wasn’t until I was in community college that I discovered that just because I failed English in sixth grade, didn’t mean that I wasn’t any good at writing. I had enrolled in “Desktop Publishing” thinking that it was a computer graphic class, only to be utterly mortified in discovering that I had just enrolled for the college newspaper class 😱 So when the advisor/instructor gave me a news story assignment, I was like, “Ok, I’ll try, but I’m no good at this kind of thing; I failed sixth grade English…..” He just smiled and said to just try anyway. So I gave it my best shot, and when he handed back the graded assignments, I was completely astonished to see a giant “A+” on mine! I looked up from my desk with the accompanying expression, and he gave me a huge smile and said that this was one of the best articles he’d seen in the class and that, “You’re a natural!” That experience completely changed my whole trajectory for college and beyond. Then getting confirmation of the “why’s “ of so many of the questions I had throughout my life with my ASD discovery journey and ultimate diagnosis has helped complete the healing process and acceptance of who I am and why I’m NOT all of the things I had been accused of over my lifetime. I’m not a slacker or lazy, I’m not overreactive or throwing tantrums for attention or because I’m not getting my way. I’m a musical savant; self-taught drummer and percussionist who can not only hear and feel every percussion instrument being played in any piece of music, but when I close my eyes I can see each percussion instrument and know which one is being played and when. I’m a writer who “just knows” how to construct written work; I just need to see an example of the structure and format for those which are unfamiliar to me. Don’t ask me what the “rules” are; I have no idea, nor do I care to, as these just as with trying to read drum music only stifle my creative flow. I’m a visual learner and apparently have the “extra” rods in my vision for seeing subtle differences in shades of color and can therefore have a much keener color perception and range. This is probably why I’ve been an avid lover of photography and other visual arts, which I developed into technical drawing and later, graphic design in college. I’ve blended these into the photographic art compositions I create for my website, in which I also blend my own original photos and prose for some of my pieces. I was once told in college that I’m not there to learn HOW to write or create graphic design; I’m there to learn how to fine-tune the best way to use my natural abilities ☺️ So yeah, for me, being autistic is definitely NOT a disability; I just happen to HAVE disabilities which occurred along the way to discover my Aspie Superpowers 😁 Well I tried to not write another novel…..🤷🏻‍♀️ But like Billy Crystal said in Throw Mama from the Train; “A writer writes”….. And just maybe, I’ve answered your question about how I feel about whether autism is a disability or not 😂 ✌🏼🫶🏼🖖🏼

My sons and I are autistic. When we get together, our conversations are wild. So much fun. I know to the rest of the world our talks probably would seem strange, but they are delightfully so.

Wow, this was so excellent! You are such a good explainer. I kept thinking, how can I put these two opposite things together -- the idea that this is a disorder, but also, a (valued) identity. You also addressed very well how it is that some people choose not to identify as autistic (and others find great relief and joy in the identify). All these questions were going round and round in my mind and I did not know how to sort it out. You are good at analyzing, taking it apart, but also -- putting it back together (the most important part!)

It totally depends on how you view it. At times I consider my asperger to be a disability. Especially when I'm confronted with how can only work for 4 days a week if I don't wanna get burned out, and how I have very little energy left to do anything else. Or how I'm practically chronically stressed and overstimulated in order to live a somewhat normal and worthy life. But it also comes with great qualities. It's more of a trade off rather it being a disability. A trait. It's very much like being left handed, society just isn't designed for you. But being left handed isn't a disability.

When I received my diagnosis (at the age of 57) I was very happy as well (and wanted to tell people). I also feel it is both a strength and a weakness. I would also say that with the increasing number of autistic diagnoses, one way to interpret that is (based on what-ever your belief system is) that the universe or nature or God decided humanity needs more autistic people to make the radical changes that human society I think needs. Perhaps that is something we autistic people can share with sceptics of autistic advantages.

I identify as Autistic, and I'm proud of it, it explains so much how my brain works. I also feel like I'm disabled, not necessarily by autism itself, but by society expectations I just can't keep up to with my autistic + ADHD + high IQ profile.

Thank you for this video, it was a little more cut & dried than having nuance, and this serves a purpose in explaining to family members who are doubtful or don't know anything at all about it. When I told my daughter who is a registered nurse, she simply said, 'you can't be, you look at me when you talk and you can be around other people'. Something like that which surprised me. I didn't know she had basically no knowledge of ASD. The fact is that at holiday parties or other family get togethers, I don't go in the dining room where the adults are always gathered, I hang out with my grandchildren, I really enjoy them. If there is someone present that I don't know I usually don't even go, and it upsets my children, but it seems too much to handle for me.

glad im back! (resubscribed). im autistic adult working w autistic children. trust me, we know who we are and there is great love and appreciation in our presence. its awesome.

I have found so many more people that i connect to since starting to research autism around 6 months ago. Its such a good feeling to finally be able to find people who think like I do after feeling like an outcast almost my whole life. I find myself reluctant to call myself disabled though because i guess i dont feel like i have earned it. I have lived this long without being called that, so its hard to justify it.

I’m autistic. It’s who I am as a person. It makes up a large portion of who I am, but it doesn’t make me disabled. I have legitimate medical conditions that are recognized as a disability, super severe IBSD being the main one that plagues me daily, but that doesn’t mean I am disabled in my eyes. It means I’m different for sure. But I’m not disabled. I have to take different approaches to things and that’s okay.

Logically it makes sense. Growing up struggling to understand people and over-analyzing variables in other people. Understanding variables you did not previously consider in the viewers (yourself) perspective makes understand others easier. As a more self aware individual, it seems to be accepted as additional good information and utilized to communicate more effectively. 😊

I identify as autistic, but I’m not disabled. I consider being able to communicate my needs directly a good thing. I hate the song-and-dance head games that society attempts to impose on everyone. I’m not being “mean”. I’m telling you directly and honestly what I want/ need.

I am an autistic ADHD artist, that is how I see my identity. I discovered my ADHD at 40 and my autism at 43 and I am very glad I did. I see it as a disability only when I have to interact with the neuro-typical world, so not really as a disability so much as a difference. I am not made for this world and this world is not made for me, both feels right.

I have issues with the word "identity", probably in part because of the political ramifications that it have in the present. I have no so much issues identifying my autism as a social disability; as I also have a physical disability due to an accident. And despite it, I feel like I'm just a human that can't do the same stuff that I could do before the accident... It's similar to my autism; I cannot do the same thing that most people due to my neurology, but still I can do many other things that most people can't do.

Who here agrees there needs to be support for adult diagnosed autistics. I was given wrong labels, no support , physically, psychologically and sexually abused and suffered sexism. All autism is a case of NTs not understanding us and we are expected to fit into a brain pattern we are not. Autistics will give 200% and be honest but NTs will exploit us and when we have 0 diagnosis we get deeply persecuted. I’m working class so not had privileged protective upbringing and family. I have had 0 community. I was a fecking combat medic. I did 100 mile marches. I knew I was different and everyone scapegoated me for things I didn’t do and twisted stuff because they didn’t know. I didn’t know. I’m likely ADHD, too. My life was destroyed. The nhs had opportunity to help me in 2000 but chose to blame bully and gaslight me. Autism disability team said I have PTSD it’s probably CPTSD , I suffered with suicidal thoughts even now. I’m black listed in the NHS I loved at the time. I didn’t fit I was an agency worker. I gave everything and got what on. I had no reasonable adjustments, no childhood support, I was refused PIP and character assassinated by everyone and it destroyed me. I have no one I’m in a flat with 0 good bus services. I lived in poverty and stress 14 years. I got decent at singing and bullied and publically sexually abused snd laughed at . All I wanted to do is share the music. This state , this NHS , the community , my family rejected me. And social services say there thinking I’m a liar, refused spinal MRI scans 8 years and labelled by government state and benefits system a scrounger. I’ve always been honest and honest when I wasn’t , when it was survival. I hurt I have no one.

I think what is most important is to be clear about the difference between the definition of autism and the individual feelings of autistic people about their condition. I start seeing autistics advocating for not calling autism a disability and that "people" should refrain from even calling it a diagnosis because "diseases get diagnosed". While I have a good understanding why some autistics don't see themselves as disabled and don't want to be refered to as such, I don't think they should try to speak for the whole community, which is very diverse and has a good part of people who are certain, they are disabled - unlike people wearing glasses. That was an excellent example. I am very shortsighted and have been wearing glasses since I was a child. But yeah, I'd take my hand down too if I were asked whether I'm disabled because of my poor eyesight. But I see autism a bit different. While I can wear glasses and see as good as everybody else with these aids, there is no Simulation thing for autism. No medication, no tool, not a thing I could do, to be or even seem neurotypical. Of course, there's strategies like masking, but that does damage to oneself (unlike glasses). There's managing your energy, which is very helpful, but it also means that you can't just do everything NT people do. Autism is a vital part of every autistic indiviual and all of us have impairments we can't "cure" but only work around. Some might be OK with that on a level that they don't feel disabled and that is fine. But I believe that they're a small minority who makes a lot of noise in the community. We need to be careful that they don't speak for the community and when we see it, we should call it out. "I am not disabled because I'm autistic" is a whole different (and valid) statement than "We should stop seeing autism as a disability." I mean, who the f*** are you to tell me, how I and others should see things? Personally, my autism is a very profound part of me, it's how my brain works and it has so much impact on my daily life that it's definitely a part of my identity as a person. And sometimes it's very disabling too. So, yeah, I see myself as disabled - just a matter of fact, without being ashamed or proud of it. And yes, after my diagnosis I didn't like that fact at all. But Singen nothing is gonna change that, I might as well accept it. (Still in the process and almost there. On another note, this changed how I view disability in general. Not that I was ableist before, but it's always different whether you belong to a group or you just watch them from the outside...)

It took me my entire life to finally tell my family about my anxiety and trouble i have been dealing with all my life. Having a mental problem isn't something to be proud of or something to be ashamed of either. I was raised to be tough, thick skinned and independent which was one of the reasons i hid my problems from them, not because they wouldn't understand but because felt like I would be letting them down. The reason why i need an official diagnoses is because i need my family to know why I'm the way I am and that the trouble throughout my life wasn't just because I'm difficult. I feel like if its official they'd understand more in stead of thinking its just me making excuses up not being able to keep a job for more than 5 years at a time without needing literally years to recover from the last. Yes, it literally takes me years to get over a job before i can bring myself to get another one simple because just the fought of it makes me feel physically sick. I'm not lazy, not by a long shot and while in a job I'm normally one of the best or in a position of authority, but i just can't handle doing the same shit day in day out with the same people talking the same shit day in day out without eventually getting so stressed out about it i do something that gets me fired or i just walk out. Not to mention i barely get any sleep because of the stress of work and other things keeping me awake. Its not easy working 9 hours a day 6 days a week for 5 years when you're only getting a good nights sleep maybe twice a week and that's simply because i eventually pass out from exhaustion. My anxiety keeps me up all the time, my brain just won't shut off and thing that happened 20 years ago can be running through my head all night. Having things racing through my head that happened 20 years ago but feeling like it was yesterday is extremely frustrating because i feel the same as i did back when it happened but know it was 20 years ago. Its not normal to have nightmares about old jobs and workmates but this shit happens to me all the time. I don't know what it is but once i have left a job i can't go back or even see the people that i used to work with, i can't explain it but i will avoid them at all cost. Seeing them gives me an overwhelming feeling of dread and its the same if i see the places i used to work. I can't explain what this is or why it happens to me but it just does. I might not have really had a bad experience in that job or with those people but the feeling is still there. Work to me feels like being in prison, i know a lot of people say the same but it really does feel like prison to me. I used to wake up in the morning after a few hour sleep and quite often have to spend 5-10 minutes face down in the toilet because i felt sick because i knew i had to go to work and was dreading it, i would actually be sick on occasion but most of the time it past before i was. I have tried to explain this to people over the years but they always brush it off and down play it saying they feel the same sometimes and I actually used to believe this was something everyone went through because of that. It has gotten to the point several times in my life where i have actually deliberately injured myself to get out of work, that's how bad it sometimes gets. I once broke my hand in a door and another time i hit my head on a metal bar a few times to cause a lump claiming that i fell and felt sick meaning i had to go to hospital for a check up because of work policy. Even a trip to the hospital to me at the time was better than being in that place, this shit isn't normal and even i know that. There are many other problems i have and coping with society but this comment is long enough lol.

I refused to accept the diagnosis of autism for five years after receiving the diagnosis at the age of 48. I was forced to embrace the diagnosis when I ended up with a boss who made me sign some thing that said, I would completely change how I go about doing my work to go about doing my work the way he does it or he would fire me. I told him “I can’t do that.” His reply was that I simply would not do it. in return I repeated that I can’t do my job that way. I ended up getting HR involved and leaving the company with a severance package after 18 1/2 years at that company. Since then I have identified as autistic pretty freely. My subsequent bosses at other companies seem to understand me better when I am upfront with my diagnosis, and allow me more latitude in how I perform my job in order to achieve the goals.

Autism is an identity. There are so many things that autistic people can do!

I think that the disability/identity argument totally will depend on experience. I have just been diagnosed at the the age of 66 as in a few days ago receiving the formal diagnosis, I haven't even had my feedback session yet. For me , not having a diagnosis led to years of self hatred and lots of times of depression, breakdown, agoraphobia. So now I will be grieving as well having a sense of relief that I now know why and all the emotions that go with a life altering diagnosis. I can now get OT help for my sensory issues, I can get specialised psychological assistance tuned to my needs. After years of ineffective CBT and psychotherapy and anti depressants, I may have a chance to gain an understanding and acceptance of who and what I am (which is not this ugly, horrible useless person I thought that was my lot). I may be able to accept who I am and finally be proud of what I have achieved in this combative world that was never designed for me. So whether the diagnosis recognises the disability or the identity doesn't matter to me yet, I'm just grateful for the feeling of relief it has brought me.

It’s a wonderful identity, but it can be a disability when we are asked to fit into a NT environment

I am dyspraxic and was diagnosed only 2 years ago aged 70. I find your I videos very insightful. I can take much of the vocabulary and phraseology you use to describe your experiences and conditions to describe mine. Thank you.

Your videos really speak to me, this one especially, and I think after 43 years it's time to figure it out. I'd prefer to find a place in this world but I really operate on a different wavelength and as soon as my mask comes off I start being avoided

I’m differently abled. Difabled❤.

As an autistic, I agree with thae identity statement. It's both a blessing and a curse for me, but mostly a blessing. It's given me immense academic knowledge and a highly advanced vernacular with technical terms as the fundamental nucleus. My love and fascination with numbers allows me to travel very far, on account of my currently 960-digit numeral system. This means a lot. Sidenote: When he said "Australian", I instantly shouted out, as the American I am, "Well crikey and blimey and a didgeridoo!".

In order to have some help in this unforgiving capitalist society, you often have to accept to be called disabled, even when you know inside that, in reality, society's rules really are disabled. Even for most neurotypical people.

I am more disabled by society's attitude to and treatment of me as an autistic, than I am by my autism. Chinese Australian or Australian Chinese depends on which aspect is more important to you, or your nationality. A Chinese Australian is an Australian who is Australian first and Chinese second. An Australian citizen who describes themselves as Australian Chinese is an Australian who more strongly identifies as Chinese than Australian. It can also be dependent on context. I am either an autistic Englishman or an English autistic depending on the context.

Another helpful video at just the right time. Thank you. I recently self realized, and this question of disability is one I think about now. I've been on government disability for years for my depression. But I never saw depression as an expression of who I am, not part of my identity, any more than catching a cold makes me a "sick person." The eyeglasses example is very helpful. I'd say autism is part of who I am, like being a man, or American, as you say. I'd venture to say that, in the future, NT will be seen as a myth. The myth of "normal."