I hope Murray writes a book. He writes beautifully. I loved what he wrote about his connection to horses. I suppose he might feel more at home with animals because of the non-verbal communication. He can bond with them without words. The episode is so moving, I cried

thank you for this! my son is autistic and mostly non verbal and he understands a lot more than people give him credit for.

I live with ASD. The closing remarks of the video, “but not being able to respond in time.” So relatable, and might I contribute my experience has been “not able to respond without offending/or a response that is more socially appropriate.”

There's a massive influx of non-speaking people being allowed access to better communication now, and I truly think more people need to hear the perspectives of people like Murray. Too many autistic non-speaking people are assumed to have intelectual disabilities, but Murray and many others are showing that that isn't as common as we have all assumed it to be.

My son was diagnosed at two and was non verbal. Through years of speech therapy he talks and he is now in highschool and taking college courses. My five year old daughter is also autistic and my three year old is on the spectrum but is very high functioning. What he said at the end put me in tears....Years of everything Ive went through, what they go through. Its heartbreaking but liberating to know that we are not alone.

Ohhh that hit me hard. He wants so much to communicate.

I can't help but think of those who don't have access to AAC and are treated like they don't have their own thoughts and things to express. Supporting communication is so important.

Thank you for this...as an autism single parent, this somehow helps us in so many ways,to show to people that children with autism are just different not bad. Most people mistakenly addressed them as bad especially when they show different behaviour to public this is based on my experience many many times.

I'm autistic and occasionally non speaking. For me I don't know what to say and because of my experiences with saying the wrong thing gets me into trouble and people become angry which is scary in an already overwhelming situation I'd ratger not talk. I view all verbal communication masking. Writing is easier but it's still strenuous and a form of masking. It takes a long time to recover after talking. I would rather express myself through art, I find most of what people say to be quite boring and I like to talk and listen about my intrests, not personal life and relationships and such, I find romance and friendships and family usually to be more trouble than they are worth because they don't understand me and I don't understand them. I like trees the best.

I’m autistic and I agree, autism should be accepted by society

I was diagnosed at 26, even though I spend all my days alone I don't feel lonely I took up rowing and mountain running which I do daily that keeps me occupied, sometimes I just think what if I was neurotypical but when I look at society everyone gets led by one another it's very contagious no one really holds onto their true identity of who they are cause they get influenced by others actions and thought processors to the point they have to change their ways to fit in, I feel autism is a protective barrier maybe we were never meant to fit in and WHY Would we want to fit in to a society that's going crazy.

It's very interesting because I had autism and I sounded like an animal and I only spoke English at the age of 4 years and yes I think autism should be expected in society and it changed my life I'll never forget this moment watching this video 📹

Autistic here, I am a strong communicator & professional creative writer. But even I find when I shutdown, I just can't speak to anyone. Sending so much love to this family xxx

Its a shame you can not watch this anywhere else but BBC.

I have a learning disability partially sighted and autism We are all human beings and should be treated like one and with respect

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This was enlightening and informative. So much better than reading about autism in text books. I have learnt so much about two people's experiences I feel like my confidence is growing more after watching this.

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome age 4 years old in 2001 but luckily I managed to knock out the nonverbal autism spectrum before I turned 5 in 2002 And now as of this year I’m fully independent and I am still communicating just everyone around me

I myself am autistic and cannot argue with Murray that this country needs more awareness on autism and all other disabilities and conditions. We are entitled to the same level of respect and understanding that everyone else is. Now, I understand our social difficulties and we may accidently be a bit rude at time. And whilst I’m not saying our social difficulties give us the right to be rude, however, a bit more understanding and acceptance of our difficulties would be more appreciated.

"being heard" is a lot like "empowerment" in that its no substitute - though it is often used as one - for LIBERATION. Being heard is not enough if the people aren't listening and empowerment in an oppressive system is not the same as bringing that system down. So, for autistic people, its not enough to just explain what its like to people ad nasuem, or fight for basic concessions in the wider society like not being treated like dirt by institutions and strangers, its about people on a basic level having an understanding and patiance that allows 1) for a less brutal childhood 2) doesn't make wierdos of autistic people in adulthood. Years of that makes everything worse. In fact, there's even a bit of fetishisation going on especially in big business where they think autistic people are good with systems or numbers and lock them away to fondle spreadsheets all day. Again, empathy not sympathy or worse, pity. If 'autism' is going to be a thing at all, it shouldn't be seen as some kind of illness, its a natural variation in how peoples minds work, and should be respected as such. And I'd go so far as to say, that natural variation brought up in a harsh society makes it deviate, isolate or lash out even more, creating the illusion that it is an illness.

I am just watching the series over on bbc iplayer. What Murray wrote about the horses breathing understanding gave me goosebumps. It was beautiful and amazing!

Every time I'm about to meet someone to have a day chill out an adult time.i get excited for the moment but yet deep inside my mind I begin to start to get nervous and my mind just completely shuts down. I don't mind the physical and mental communication of being around someone..the only thing that bothers me is that I want to be around whomever I feel comfortable but I don't wanna communicate I just wanna be around without saying anything..I get frustrated due to the fact that I've been autistic since birth but I was never diagnosed and nor did my family ever considered the fact that I was a little separated from everyone one..

I'm a carer, who works with autistic clients, and I think this documentary should be used in our training. I have learnt so much from it x

I feel like when we converse with autistic people about autism, the only ones who ever get the chance to speak are the ones with low support needs and the *caretakers* of ones with high support needs. It makes me happy to see actual effort being put into having a conversation directly with nonverbal autists. Also, I'm not sure if it was the case during this recording, but I've heard some high support needs autists say they prefer the term nonverbal to refer to those who've never been able to speak, not those who suffer episodes of speech loss or speak minimally. While the distinction is confusing even to me as an autistic, I think its important we acknowledge their preferred language.

I haven't seen the whole documentary but I feel that whenever autism is discussed, there's too much emphasis placed on the social and communication aspects of it. It's almost all you hear about. I'm more interested in the obsession with certain (often obscure) subjects, the need to perform certain tasks in a specific order and in a specific way, why autistic people need to process information and how they do it, etc.

Murray is such a sensitive soul😊

I'm autistic ADHD and though I can usually speak my mind, I frequently experience processing delays during social conversations. So while I can hear everything (incl every tiny noise in the space around who's speaking), it can be enormous pressure to respond 'appropriately' to social cues when I'm challenged to piece together the slew of auditory details and extract what's actually needed. Often ater a social event, I need alone time with sound blocking to essentially clear my brain's sound cache. And if I'm pressed to sustain more social time past breaking point (never a healthy thing), no matter how much I want to respond, it's physically painful and mentally impossible to speak. I'll have the words half-baked but my body won't follow through. Some call it 'selective mutism' but there's nothing about it that I'm choosing. When I have the energy, writing out my thoughts and using other nonverbal forms of communication are immensely useful alternatives to speaking with others.

I’m autistic and I’ve been autistic my whole life

Thanks for making this

We have autism in our family, but my great nephew is non-verbal. It's a whole other challenge! (and he's an absolute sweetie) :)

I love this very much and can't wait for April to come.💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

I was non verbal too until i was 4 years old :(

I have dyspraxia and occasionally it causes speech problems. It is torture to not be able to explain my thoughts the way I think them

Thanks so so important.

Of course, he´s intelligent, don´t sound so surprised!!!

Please please can anyone help! The national autistic society are closing down all respite facilities at the Robert Ogden in thurnscoe south Yorkshire, we have only been given 30 days notice! Caroline Stevenson has made the reckless decision based on finance, some children are now suicidal because of the imminent closure, some parents will be on itv calendar news and BBC look north on the 3/7/23 If anyone can help you will be helping young people to manage navigate through a difficult world.

My little girl lily has autism and globe development delay speech delay but now is talking a little bit. I'm am so scared for her future with school.

Is There Any Way To Watch These Episodes In Ireland? :\

Could u show the next part plz.

i'm thinking about the older i get the more non verbal i become. i value connection and feel non autistic people talk to hear their own voices and never to deliver useful information. im high functioning and people have always told me to shut up or that i was wrong because i didn't talk in a pleasing tone to them, so i've lost interest in talking.

Does he need support in activities of daily living? I live outside the UK and can't watch the full episode.

Murray is handsome! 😍😍

Two words - kodi Lee 💖

I wonder if there is some way for him to feel more comfortable. I wanted to scream when that woman touched him, she is adding to the overwhelm. I wish I could see this whole episode. I hope he is OK

Where can I watch the documentary in its entirety? (I’m based outside the UK)

Where he got the help for collected words in tablet to write what he feels and how did he learn how he learn the alphabet?! Can you please tell us about that . My brother also none-verbal ( we are Turkish) where can I get help to direct me ! Need a help . Thank you

...hmm... some parts like me.

You can read with reading glasses in a moving car?! Lucky! Just thinking about that makes me ill.

Thank You 😪...😏

Thank you Very Much Chris Pacham.They should be Absolutely Accepted in todays Society. But problem is People are too Stupid and too Brutaly Dam Ignorant.

US release?

how can i get this video on spanish?

❤

where to watch fully im in ireland

i remember going with my cousin decades ago to his doctor, who showed us this book about skull variations in autistic people; there seems to be a correlation with flatter temporal bone development so while "normal" people have "rounder" skull, autistic people have a "cuboidal" skull. anyone came across this?? forgot the book, it was around 20 years ago

Parents need to back off stop touching him and stop speaking into his head while he is trying to think. Don't they see it hurts him?.. I am severely Autistic and I am personally against this over-assistance. I like to be independent as much as possible. Everyone is different of course but adding stimuli such as touch or sound when person is already anxious and overwhelmed is a bad idea.

🌹🌿🇮🇸😘

So he had “dyspraxia… supposedly fine motor neurological. But… Wondering has anyone in his care team considered something such as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome? Potentially the connective tissue is the issue with his lack of ability to manipulate hands and throat muscles due to laxity in the tissue and joints and muscles not getting the support necessary? We cal it autism, but is it? Is it EDS?

I hate to be this person, but it must be said: Where are the black and brown people? Where are the women, femmes, and nonbinary people? I will always support education and awareness efforts, since there really isn't as much understanding, basic respect, or resources aimed at autism-specific efforts for adults, in my opinion, but this cannot continue to be overlooked. It is great to have featured these individuals for this project, but gaining knowledge from a wider pool of people also matters. Edit: At 2:31, I think Murray himself says it best: *"I would like to speak on behalf of people who have autism, and for people who have difficulty in speaking. Every person with autism should be made welcome to contribute to the world as much as those who consider themselves intellectually superior."*

Heard enough from Chris Chan, thank you.

Why did Murray type intellectully superior? It's not, autism is socially inferior. The first thing I thought was that this man could be a savant.

I'm not autistic but because of that I can see that Chris is not Autistic

We are all children of man no matter what difficulties we have and will face in the future we must love each other and understand one another in a way animals couldnt what does make us thus any wiser from them if we cant?