Thank you for this! I am kind of in autism limbo right now, my mom always thought I had it but never acted on it, I meet all the dsm-5 criteria, need support in all areas of life and cannot function by myself, my only friend is autistic, and I failed 1 out of 3 parts of my assessment due to my masking recently, which lead to them saying I did not have it, so I still have no access to support I very much need. I struggle with very intense meltdowns and this video has really helped me grasp and understand what exactly I am feeling when I have meltdowns (even though this was kind of made for friends of autistic people). Everything you’ve explained in this video is how it feels for me, which i’ve never been able to put into words, so thanks so much for sharing! The embarrassment you mentioned is extremely relatable. I am unable to control my actions or even really process speech while in the middle of it but when it cools down the embarrassment of knowing my family members saw me like that is so so intense to the point where i lose the ability to speak. Thank you again for this video, it’s been helpful in understanding the way my meltdowns work and how my family can potentially help de-escalate them before they get too destructive! Hope you have a nice day :]

What can you do when it's actually family members who cause your meltdowns? Someone in my family keeps springing sudden expectations on me (despite the fact I've explained so many times that this is causing me extreme difficulties). I get totally overwhelmed by these sudden demands and then have meltdowns as a result. And I don't have the option to just remove myself from the situation most of the time. There is no understanding of the support I need however many times I explain it.

This was really really helpful. My cousin was diagnosed with autism and I just met him for the first time today. Hes a sweetheart and pretty antisocial which I have learned is perfectly normal.