hi I’m sorry I didn’t do a good job explaining what I meant when it came to self diagnosis - it is valid and I self-dx’d myself for the longest time because my past therapist (who was not educated on autism at all) refused to have me evaluated because she said I “didn’t look autistic.” I saw a new psych who actually studies autism, and I was properly diagnosed. The point I meant to make was: self diagnosing and faking a disability are two different things that I feel become conflated by others who aren’t in our position - because they have access to diagnostics and doctors who listen. And I only “agree” that self diagnosing is wrong if someone is knowingly faking a disability. I used the fake service dog scenario to illustrate this because this is a common issue my friend in the video experiences way too often: people claiming to need a service dog, so they buy a fake vest online, put it on their untrained pet, and that untrained pet will attack and pick fights with my friend’s service dog, sometimes resulting in her and her actual service dog getting denied service places. This is the behavior I’m against- KNOWINGLY faking a disability; not self diagnosing. Thanks!

i heard someone tell a girl with asd, “well, you don’t ACT autistic” and she just went, “Oh sorry! One second.” and then started hitting her head while listing off train facts. 10/10 response

I told my allistic friend I thought I was autistic. He narrowed his eyes, looked me up and down, and said "I don't think so". I told my autistic friend I thought I was autistic. She looks at me for a second and says "No yeah that makes sense".

As a fellow auDHD who also wears glasses, I absolutely loved your analogy about people who only need glasses to read vs those who need to wear glasses all the time and both of them being valid. I might just start using that to explain stuff to people in my life.

I was diagnosed 12 years ago at the age of 18. I definitely relate. Stay strong sister

"It felt like the phrase 'just be yourself' applied to everyone except me." I cannot express how much I connected with this.

Important note. The things that people see as autistic and are the main diagnostic criteria are the things that happen when autistic people are overwhelmed and unhappy. Those "symptoms" go away when they are able to communicate, cope, and are happy.

In the “you don't seem autistic” conversation I saw Eda Clawthorn (from Owl House) and started excitedly saying “oh my god- it's eda!!” 😂

The owl house references popping up in the bg just put a huge smile on my face through the entire video 💜💜💜 thank you so much for sharing your experiences and having this awesome animation

My little sister is autistic and she was so happy when she watched this and was smiling ear to ear saying ILY IS JUST LIKE ME! and you don't know how much that's means to me thank you so so so much you deserve the world

“It felt like the phrase ‘just be yourself applied to everyone except me specifically’” oof i feel deep in my core. I connect so deeply with your experience. It aligns with so much that i went through too.

This was intensely personally relatable. It gives me a strange sense of comfort some others feel the same, not like in a sadistic way, but it feels less isolating. Talking about this is hard, not only does it require bravery, but its also like... really hard to word and accurately explain. Im thankful for this video and the other people on the spectrum that have come to share their experiences.

I hate it when people use 'autistic' as an insult because, SO WHAT we might be a little different, but we're still a human with thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Also, this video is one of the most relatable videos I've ever seen. Thank you, illymation.

For anyone who needs to hear this, ADHD and autism have a surprising amount of overlaps: sensory issues, lack of focus, hyper focus, issues with socialization, and so much more. If you researched autism and thought “well, it kinda fits me, but not perfectly” I would recommend looking into ADHD, because that may be what’s up.

“It’s like the *be yourself* quote applied to everyone but me” Honestly that hit very close to home. I’ve always been labled as annoying and I never understood alot of things the way other people did, I get called stupid and/or slow for not understanding questions or following conversations properly/differently. I always thought maybe I had some sort of mental problem with me. Maybe I do, I don’t know. I’ve never been diagnosed with anything (yet)

I know this is an old video and you might not see this, but I had to comment after watching it just now. I actually cried a little at the end, because you just describe my home and school life growing up, pretty much perfectly. I am now 53 and have been to several therapists who never saw it, and was diagnosed with gad, ptsd, had an assessment for adhd and was mis diagnosed with borderline, and now adhd for which i am being treated for finally. But i also felt as you did, that it explained a lot, but not quite everything. I am learned to mask so well over the years that it does not show so much like it did in the past, which as you said is good and bad. I remember all the mimicing of my peers, doing and saying what they did to fit in. I remember being talkitive but being teased so much for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, that i became the quiet kid because I didn't want my feelings to get hurt anymore. I have said these things to therapists, but I could never say it nearly as well as you did in this video, so thank you so much for this. Liked and subbed btw.

Thank you for making this and leaving helpful resources in the description. I related to a lot of this when I saw it and then started getting alot of recommendations on my insta and KZfaq feed with Autistic creators. I took and retook the test in your description so many times and got the same results every time and today I finally got a formal diagnosis. So many things about my life and childhood feel so much clearer thanks to you. Thank you so much. I feel better about myself in large part because of you. Thank you for all your content.

10:45 - *speaking french* the caption - beyonce 😊

I didn't realize I was potentially autistic until I was 31. I went onto autism subreddits and forums and, what do you know, all those little "quirks" that make me "unique" are actually SUPER COMMON in this specific group of individuals! Who would've known!

Wow. Your character looks just like me...down to the hair color and length. I was diagnosed autistic at age 20 (I'm 25 now) and watching this video made me realize how far I've come. Autism is so idiosyncratic and unique to every person it touches and I'm so glad you're finally healing. Welcome to the club.

"i dont fit in and I dont want to fit in." She is so relatable, and everyone knows this

I wish i could get a diagnosis because hearing "you dont act like my nephew" or "my 'daughter' isnt autistic" every single day is so frustrating

At 4:38 "why would you joke about that?" really hit me hard. I'm ADHD and questioning if I'm autistic (close to self dx and pursuing formal assessment) and even though I make bad or mean jokes, most of the time if my boyfriend or others makes them then I get upset and ask why they would joke about something so terrible. It's to the point my boyfriend and I agreed to preface these jokes by saying "bad joke" then saying the joke. I logically understand its a joke and even make these jokes myself, but sometimes I just can't comprehend the joke or why it should be funny since it's mean. (Overexplaining myself and my behavior, another ding.) I'm also the king of sarcasm but half the time I can't understand it. What kind of logic is this lmfao

The dishes thing was kid and still sometimes is me among other things as well. Didn’t realize I was on the spectrum until I placed things together and actually realized that something about me wasn’t like others. I was different, but was taught to be anything other than perfection. I’m glad you made this. It speaks for every undiagnosed and overlooked autistic and makes awareness of both the existence of people on the spectrum, and those who say they have it for clout and a trend.

I really love this video. I never feel like I can explain how I am feeling myself or what I am going through. The small explanations or metaphors (I think it is??) really helped a lot. It makes me feel understood, which is a nice feeling between all the fear of faking it or telling anyone. I am suspecting things and I have researched for almost a year now, yet I don't always know if I am just tricking myself into thinking that or if it even is important to 'know'. I am doing fine and I can take care of myself mostly. Sure, breakdowns or whatnot happen, but compared to other people I often don't feel like I have the right to 'need' anything? (Once again I'm bad at explaining so sorry). This video helped me feel reassured and it was funny too. I almost started crying. It somehow made me happy and sad at the same time, and I want to thank you for it, even if I'm a year late. Thank you for the video and I hope you are doing well. (Also, I really loved all the small pokemon and TOH references, it made me squeal out of happiness)

Another important note. The spectrum isn’t linear!! The autism spectrum isn’t “low functioning to high functioning” or “more autistic to less autistic.” A lot of people like to say it’s more like a color wheel. But personally I like to use the sound board analogy. Each slider is an autism trait/symptom. Each trait or symptom is a spectrum of its own. And the amount you experience each trait can change. So your personal spectrum can look different and change day to day.

man, im so glad someone else hates jeans tbh, i have C R I E D about jeans before

I may not be diagnosed with autism at the moment but I do know many people with it, and I have so much sympathy for you it sucks how people treat you and anyone on the spectrum for that matter, hopefully we move in the right direction soon! Also I love love love LOVED All the toh references!!!

I’m autistic and my special interest back when I was young WAS autism. I watched so so so many documentaries about it. Every time they said it was “rare in females” I always got upset because I thought that meant I couldn’t have (not that I wanted it, just that I related to a lot of the struggles these people faced and I wanted an answer myself but I thought I would just have to deal with it on my own because I was female). Looking back today I believe the statistics were very off because little to no research was on females with autism, so obviously the only people being diagnosed were males and females that had “severe” enough symptoms to act like the males did. I even remember telling my mom on multiple occasions I thought I was autistic but she just shrugged it off. I don’t know why she wouldn’t believe that, I only wore basket ball shorts and knee high socks for nearly 4 years of my life, plus a winter hat even if it was 100° outside.

“You don’t seem autistic” this boils my gears and grinds my blood

As a fellow animator on the spectrum just finding it out, I commend you for giving to both communities in the way that you have. It was a tremendous feat in and of itself for me to get accepted into animation school on my second attempt (currently finishing up first year), and I got all exhilarated about it--but then I inevitably came to a point where being on campus was just getting too overwhelming in ways I wasn't hoping for it to be, and it had me concerned regarding how the animation industry just expects you to withstand being in a socially busy studio environment all the time. For us, that means excessive endurance-testing (or masking, as I discovered later on) to prove ourselves worthy of offering what we have as artists in a table of predominantly neurotypical people who expect us to follow the same standards they have to keep up to pace--and milk us for it once they know what we're capable of once we reach peak productivity. I hear a lot about animators (including a hefty portion of my classmates) having ADHD, but I never (or rarely ever at best) heard of autistic animators getting talked about and I thought, "well, maybe not a lot of us are cut out for the [aforementioned] standards [said] neurotypical animators set...?" The success stories of autistic people in industrialized animation are just so sparse & few and It seriously feels so utterly & indescribably heartwarming to see someone like me make it so far doing what they do best. Thank you. ♥

I’m autistic too and throughout the video I saw owl house character and bluey which are two of my favourite shows and it made me so happy

“It felt like the be yourself quote applied to everyone but me.” As someone who has ADHD and many overlapping symptoms with autism (sensitivity to certain sounds and bright lights, hyperfixations, auditory processing disorder, overly emotional, stimming.) That hit me hard. The amount of times I was the "weird" girl during school was a lot, and I found myself either the target of pranks, or left out of social events happening. And I sometimes find myself still struggling with feeling accepted nowadays.

I never knew I was autistic until I asked my sister a few weeks ago. She told me every one of my siblings are also autistic, including her and me, and my parents never told me.

The beginning bit when you want to feel the textured stuff at the grocery store was so relatable! It’s the little details that make your videos great!

Hi illy!, I'm a person who has A.D.D (Attention Deficit Disorder) and i have a boy in my school (no name) whom is ALSO autistic and this video you made on Autism and the Autism SPECTRUM is REALLY important and inspiring.

I love how “non traditional” topics are being talked about by Illy. I definitely find these videos more personal and really helps those who can compare. This SHOULD be normal conversations. Amazing video and thank you for using your platform as a bigger voice for those who cannot!

god, i just realized how I'm still masking all the time. the whole copying what people do is a thing that I do in basically all my social interactions, including commenting on KZfaq videos, which takes like 5 minutes every time because I'm thinking about how people say things and how do I do that

why... why is this so relatable? i often have problems with "reading the room", saying things that are inapropriate or not knowing what to say when i get in trouble, i become nonverbal, just unable to say anything at all. i've been told "SAY SOMETHING" once when i was berated for something, and i just didnt say anything it's hard to stop me from talking about my interests when i get started, even though i know the person im talking to doesn't really care i sometimes have periods when i straight up don't want to be around people, including my own family, which makes me seem like i don't want to talk to them (i am in one of those right now) i too have been bullies in school, and i don't know why i get really attached to pieces of clothing. i've had one winter jacket for like 5 years even though it was so damaged from wearing it so much i hate change (which im sure is nothing, it's just that some people don't like change, and im one of those)

Great sharing and animation too :) i m getting informed bec i have an autistic friend and i just love realizing how i was not informed back then and also questioned why they didnt teach these stuff in school or inform us. This videos helps me ( i hope for other people too) to understand different perceiving and receiving styles and solutions to them :) everybody is just different and we need to give time to know person we are sharing and spending time to, so we can connect more and be in a healthier relationship with eachother. Love the video, keep it up ❤

The thing with you saying “I can’t wait to see you fall” is REALLY relatable. I also tried to mimic people. When I was 10 there were these girls I would hang out with and were always saying “mean” things to each other. In a joking way. So I called one of them big bum. She looked really offended and called me fat arse. I was really shocked and skulked away trying to figure out what I did wrong, while they all looked at me probably talking about what a rude weirdo I was. Eventually I just gave up trying to be friends with people and sat alone more often than not. Teachers would sometimes find me alone and force me to sit with others. I guess because I wouldn’t be “lonely and sad”. Honestly, I’d rather be “lonely and sad” than in company that didn’t even talk to me and be confused why.

you dont understand how nice it is to see someone i really look up to have the same things as me

Your voice is awesome! You are articulated and the sound is great! 🎉🎉🎉 keep doing videos!!

Just found this video and I really appreciate how well you explain things. I recently brought up ADHD and Autism to my therapist and it seems like next session we are going to have a more in depth talk. I always just thought it was anxiety/depression. Also I had to chuckle a bit at “talk to your autistic friends” while I’m sitting here like “but…but I have no friends.”

As a husband of someone on the spectrum, and a father of someone on the spectrum, this video is both heartbreaking to watch and wonderfully endearing. I love them both so much and wouldn't change a thing about them. They can do things I can't, and I can do things they can't. And we all love each other. Thank you for making this video. :)

“It felt like the be yourself quote applied to everyone but me.” Hits way to close to home. Over the years I’ve been very selective about sharing my interests with people because whenever I went on long rants they’d ignore me or tell me that I was annoying. I’ve only ever opened up to one close friend, who I’m still in contact with even though they moved 3 years ago. I just feel like there’s no safe space for me to express my feelings and ideas. There’s certain thing I know I can’t say because I’m me. Like, if i said a certain joke they wouldn’t laugh, they’d just give me a polite smile. If my friend said that joke, everyone would act like it was the funniest thing in the world. Edit: also the ‘You don’t seem autistic.’ Reminded me of an experience. I let slip that my brother was autistic (something that still haunts me to this day) and we had this kid in our class, he actually had Down syndrome but everyone thought he was autistic. He was closer to what people view as typically autistic, he had trouble talking and doing certain things. One of my friends immediately got it into their head that my brother was like that kid and asked about it. The others, who had met my brother, were pretty shocked (which I don’t really blame them for), but they all said stuff like; ‘Wait, hold up! He acts so normal, not like (insert kid in our class’s name)’ ‘Are you lying? But he doesn’t have any trouble with school!’ ‘He was probably diagnosed wrong’ I was so mad at them but didn’t speak up, because I was afraid. I’ve always been afraid of my friends because I’m if I tell them what I’m really thinking, they’ll hate me.

It’s funny cause people don’t even consider you’re autistic until you have a meltdown or get overstimulated etc.

This is the video that made things come together clearly in my head after my diagnosis as an adult. What an awesome video! Thank you so much!

ok but the whole thing about "not wearing jeans until you're older and forced to wear them bc of sensory issues" is so goddamn relatable and really explains why i never wore them when i was a kid (and still dont) also i wanna mention that another aspect that prevents some people from getting properly diagnosed is lack of access to anywhere that would give me a diagnosis. like for example, i'm 99.999% sure im autistic, i related to nearly everything in this video, ive looked at lists of symptoms and experienced a ton of them throughout my life, but finding somewhere to get diagnosed where i live is extremely tough, in addition to the fact that i'm a girl, which as you mentioned in this video, makes it even harder to get diagnosed

AuDHD here, I feel you. So called "experts" didn't think I had autism because I was female. I didn't get anything close to an answer until I was 15!

“I’m weird. I’m a weirdo. I don’t fit in. And I don’t want to fit in” Saaaammmeee!!!!

I have panic attacks. I wont ever forget my old crush saying "youre doing it for attention. again!?"

My sister has autism and is really nice. People shouldn’t judge people for having autism cuz my sister is really nice but in middle school she was bullied. It makes me sad because she is the nicest person I’ve ever met.

I loved the owl house references! And thank you for bringing up the “it’s not just young white boys” part. It ignores so many other people, especially when someone’s looking to be diagnosed as an adult. Our needs change as we grow, and an adult who has trouble with socializing would be able to mask or adapt more than, say, a six year old. Our struggles still exist, they’re just sometimes harder to see

Hey, I just wanted to mention that I genuinely adore the hidden details where you showed showed like the owl house, Steven universe and more. I adore that you made this video and thanks.^^

I relate to this video! I’m also Autistic and had very similar experiences! I did the same things to hide my Autism. I got formally diagnosed October 2023(2 months before my 34th birthday). I self diagnosed first and was told by several psychiatrists and therapists that I wasn’t Autistic. Then after a decade of explaining myself to therapists one of them finally suggested that I get an assessment. I was then validated after years of advocating for myself.

I'm 37 and I feel like I'm finding out that all the things I thought were my personality are just a collection of undiagnosed symptoms.

My friend who has autism, has been recently been telling me that I might have autism and that I should look into getting diagnosed. I've been doing some research and it makes a lot of sense, and tbh it's kinda overwhelming learning this part of myself I never really understood.

Try combining undiagnosed autism with being bullied at school and living in a home where the parents don’t notice and just assume you misbehaved just to screw around with them because they’re unstable, and he bullies followed you home. It’s a beast especially when you begin to think you are undiagnosed with autism but no one noticed! Where was Illysa or at least Michael Turko when I needed them?

Everything about this video hits so close to home, it's like going down memory lane

I like that you put so many references to the Owl House and other shows into your videos. I also like that you make videos covering topics like this, that so many people seem to skirt around or take at face value. They legitimately help so many people. Thank you.

I also recently realized I was on the spectrum. Even though I was literally told by my college counselor out of the blue on like my first day with her, it still took me like 4 years to finally get it because I just had so little understanding of what ASD is. Still learning more and more everyday 😊

This sounds fairly similar to some of my experiences. Not going to say "that's me", just saying it's cool to see the similarities. Always had the thought in my mind so this is nice to see some slight validation. Thank you for making this video!

I relate to so many autism things I see. But mum won’t get me diagnosed or anything like that, it’s so difficult because none of my teachers understand how I function or learn

I relate to literally everything in this video, even the part about not wearing tight jeans because they're itchy and wayyy too distracting. My mom knew I had ADHD from a young age but never did anything (or told me) about it because I still did "okay" in school. Little did she know that I struggled to listen to teachers, couldn't make eye contact with most people, could barely take notes, hyper-focused on unimportant details, and struggled in social situations; just to name a few things. This is actually why I got into reading in middle school, I couldn't make mistakes if I was reading a book. QUICK NOTE FOR PARENTS: please please please PLEASE tell your child if they are diagnosed with a mental disorder. Not telling them WILL LEAD to low self-esteem and negative thoughts about themselves. Think about it; If you are told over and over to not talk so much, to stop being over-dramatic and such, you are going to bottle your emotions up and isolate yourself. THIS IS BAD. HELP YOUR CHILD. They need support and keeping this a secret might lead to them thinking that you are ASHAMED of having a child with a mental disability. PLEASE take this into consideration.

I have been diagnosed with adhd, and i think i have autisim. Though people just say your being dramatic, its so frustrating sometimes tbh. I always wear headphones and ive been bullied and hated for no reason. Im so glad this video was made, because it is so relatable

A psych once brought up whether I might be on the spectrum maybe a decade ago, but never really followed-up on it. But watching the video, it's almost like you're describing my life growing up.

I love how you’ve got all the owl house characters and a steven universe reference😂this is a really good video❤

9:24 WILLOW

When you talked about 'shutting down' when overstimulated I definitely felt that. But at the same time, I have different overstimulation reactions! Some days I just curl up with my music and go silent. Other days I need to move a lot and pace around for 40 odd minutes listening to music while my brain goes nuts. And sometimes (Internally or externally), esp when I can't leave, I get very mad and snap at people around me.

I don't like how much I relate to everything in this, getting a diagnosis soon though and I hope I can put a label on my mental problems. thanks for all the vids you make.

As an autistic person myself, this is pretty accurate. I never liked the texture of certain objects (most notably powered stuff like sugar), I've always been obsessed with cartoons/animation and would try to talk about it whenever I can, they're some instances where I find certain situations to be overstimulating, and they're some past instances where I didn't pick up on when people were using sarcasm. Also considering illymation herself did talk about her experience being autistic is one of the main reasons I wanted to check this channel out for so long. That and also because i'm a life long animation fan.

My brother has autism, and this is a very good explanation of autism. He gets bullied at school and soon is going to middle school. I’m glad you are spreading the word of what autism actually is.

One of my family friends has this "funny" story about me when I was a kid. One time my dad put some ketchup on my plate but he didn't make sure the food was out of the way so the ketchup was touching the food and I started bawling my eyes out and refused to eat it. My dad had to wipe the ketchup off my plate and redo it properly. My family friend always tells this story as if it's soooo funny but it's always made me so uncomfortable. Only this year did I figure out that I'm autistic and that this funny situation was an actual sensory problem, one of many sensory things that I continue to struggle with. Shout out to everyone who's on this journey of discovery. I've found it quite difficult but it feels so good to finally be able to understand myself.

man i'm not diagnosed yet but when I see this type of vids or look up my "quirks" (reasons why people doesn't like me) I just want to cry because its hitting home so hard, its not like I'm weird or not liked... is just that I might be autistic and the world isn't very kind towards anything that is not too ¨normal¨ for the majority. thank you creator, it made me feel less alone

The sound of automatic flushing toilets is literally my worst fear. When I say fear I mean phobia. It sends me into a panic attack, sooo knowing that, trying to get used to it with my mom (yes I needed my mom) in middle school, truly made me know how bad this actually was. I definitely didn't sit in the ground rocking back and forth and quietly whimpering. (Definitely didn't do that...)

I have ADHD and people think I'm just stupid and say I don't seem like I have ADHD which is very sad and its hard to cope I'm glad she made this video to make this more aware. Thank you Illy.

The problem that makes autism “self diagnosis” different from other disorders, especially in the US, is that the testing is cost prohibitive and providers have a hard time justifying it to insurances if you aren’t “disabled enough.” If you don’t need enough services then even providers will scoff.

I related to this SO MUCH, especially the sensory overload. Using noise cancelling headphones and gloves (and socks!) Are game changers - dish time is panic attack time otherwise. Also I think I've found my twin 😂 I also have strawberry blonde wavy hair, need glasses all the time, used to wear braces, have always struggled with fitting in due to HFA, and have always been very into art and cats. I'm so happy to have some representation finally 😭

i absolutely love the background art in this

As someone who is autistic, this is all so true. I am happy to see someone who feels the same way I feel during my years in 4th-7th grade. I hope more autistic people see this cause this is really special.

Really nice video and animation. I'm 35yo white "dude" and had to figure out myself I have ADHD one year ago after a decade of misdiagnosis, which was confirmed by docs, and just figured out I'm most likely autistic too. So, if even being on the target you get missed, must be rough for a lot more people meaning more education and study on the subject certainly needs to be done. I'm really thankful to all the people sharing their experiences and knowledge. Also, to my friends, whom strangely enough none were surprised about my ADHD or ASD (with those having either saying "oh, I thought you knew." or "Well, yeah, obviously." xD ) Thanks again ! Keep the good work ^^

I was in Special Ed Classes when I was Younger, I never knew why. But until recently I've been actually diagnosed with ADHD (and most probably Autism, they don't really talk to me about these things, just my parents and I'm quite a forgetful bean) but now I know It's not just me that has differences and difficulties, It comforts me in an odd way to know I'm not alone. Times pass and Times Go, But life is life, uniting, beautiful, chaotic life.

the Jean thing isn’t just you illy, we are here for you. ✊

“it felt like the phrase ‘just be yourself’ applied to everyone but me” MAN that hits hard-

Autism looks so different and that’s what makes the disorder more complex.

It’s really refreshing hearing some one have what i have thank you

It's extremely hard to get a proper autism diagnosis when you're an adult. I was lucky to get my diagnosis when I was 17 at Seattle children's. All the things you talked about are things I go threw too. I recently learned that apparently the feeling of macron batter on my hands makes me panic, which it never did before, so that was fun to deal with. My whole life I was told I'd never be able to accomplish anything in life by teachers because I couldn't focus on the task at hand, because I'd take things too literally, can't talk to people I don't know with ease, act too childish for my age, etc. In fact when I was going threw schooling for ece the professor I originally started with, who was an amazing person that worked with everyone's unique differences and helped me get threw a lot of things that were hard, got moved to a different department and the new professor flat out told me that because of my autism I wouldn't be able to work in childcare. Flash forward to now l, I have a full time job as a co-lead teacher at an amazing daycare working with an amazing group of Pre-K kids. I find that my autism helps me to better understand kids because kids tend to have similar sensitivities as I do, plus kids like having an adult that actually plays for real with them and is fully invested in said play. Don't remember what my original point was but now it's don't let people say you can't achieve a goal simply become you have differences that'll make it more difficult. Keep working towards that goal and eventually, with help from trusted people around you, you'll get there

i’ve been diagnosed as Autistic since i was 7 years old, but because of my masking and ability to function independently, no one around me could tell i was struggling, or that i needed any help. so many of these examples echo my own experiences and it’s a really relieving feeling to see that there are others who are like this, and that i’m not alone, broken or just “weird”. this video will really help me in explaining my symptoms to neurotypical folks, and i’m sure it will help many others. so thanks Illy, and thanks to the rest of your team.

As a kid, I never thought too hard about why I never got into the hang of fitting in with the rest of the class, and was lucky enough that I was just introverted enough to not stand out which usually meant getting bullied. Over time though, I felt like I was doing things wrong somehow, and couldn't for the life of me understand what exactly it was, or why. It was just a persistent feeling that suddenly made itself known at the back of my head seemingly overnight when I was around my teens, because it was when I noticed I don't 'behave' the same way the others do, the wavelengths that I operate with doesn't seem to match. I don't understand their jokes, or how whatever I said was an innuendo when I didn't understand what an innuendo was (at the time) in the first place. Some basic concepts to me were a struggle and then more, and seeing how most others understood them nearly off the bat, and could handle themselves better than I ever could even at my best, affected my self-perception. I was convinced I was just stupid, and I had to work hard to play the eternal game of catching up. I've only recently read into what autism was as an adult, and to find that autism hadn't been a 'fixed' thing where only super smart, eccentric people might come packaged with, and is instead a spectrum where anyone may have it for years without knowing, was quite the surprise. Then, finding that I could relate to the possible symptoms to a painful degree was a mind boggling experience. After giving it several dozen times of reading through articles related to autism, I really think I could be on the spectrum, because my life would then make sense. But the two people I shared it with, where one is my best friend, I was met with responses that made me a little sad for one, and frustrating for the other. My best friend said, "...Are you sure? You don't seem autistic. But alright, you would know yourself better". Its a little sad that the first response is disbelief, but I'm incredibly grateful that they were thoughtful to mention that one would know oneself better. The other said, "You're kidding, right? Labelling yourself doesn't make you cool, especially if you're self-diagnosed.". This one had got me a whiplash, because given the circumstances that they trusted me enough to tell me that they identified themself as another gender and confided to me things they wouldn't tell most others, I would have thought that they would be understanding when I trusted them enough with this information. But it is what it is, I suppose. I'll need to consider if getting an official diagnosis to confirm my suspicion would be beneficial or disadvantageous in the long run. On the one hand, having official validation would feel like the world would actually make sense and I'm not simply an idiot who can't catch social cues and whatnot, but on the other, I wouldn't know how to even broach this news to my family or my SO... It is so, so frustrating. Sorry for the wall of text. I doubt anyone would bother reading, but if you did, I hope you have a good day/night. Cheers.

1:32 I have literal trauma from automatic flushing toilets 😂

As someone who is autistic and deal with everything mentioned here, thank you so much for explaining things I cant put into words because explaining anything about myself is an absolute nightmare and my brain completely forgets how to organize any information. So, i usually tell people to "specify what they want to know" in order to give a reply but for anyone completely ignorant (not in a bad way) to autism has no idea where to start. Now I can just link this instead!

I really admire some of the analogies you used during this video. The "symptoms are like ingredients, just because you have 2 things doesn't mean you can make spaghetti" and the "just because you need glasses only for reading doesn't mean you're faking having vision problems" were really good ways of explaining individual experiences

I love animations and is how I ended up here. I'm in my 30's now and I've been dating my partner who has autism now for around 2 years, I've been wondering recently if I may have had it undiagnosed for my whole life as I share many points of it, I was diagnosed with ADD when I was in elementary school which I've learned recently is an outdated term not really used much anymore, not that I did any treatments for it anyway. I resonated with so many points in this video and many things my partner has. I currenly only self suspect it, no formal diagnosis, but I fit many points, but at this point in my life, I don't truly think a formal diganosis is required. As long as I have supportive family and friends, I've had whatever since forever and continue to deal and live with it. I'm going to keep loving my partner and we'll get through all of it together. Great video.

Ben de küçükken herkesten farklıydım, kimse beni sevmezdi, beni satar, kullanırlardı. Bu yüzden benim de hiç arkadaşım yoktu, çizgifilm karakterlerini ve oyun karakterlerini yıllarca en yakın ve tek arkadaşım olarak gördüm. Şimdi de onların gerçek olmadığını ve hiçbir zaman da olamayacağını kendime kabul ettiremiyorum…

The “getting overly passionate about something to the point you need to dominate the conversation with it despite everyone ether not caring or moved past it” hit me HARD

I'm still learning to not mask. Realized I was on the spectrum about a year ago, and a lot of things clicked. I'm positive my father has more symptoms then I do, and the realization really helped us connect. He only talks about and cares about sports, I've gotten more involved in sport subjects and we have much longer conversations. The service dog thing holds a special place in my heart. My bestie has one for mobility support, and she passes out randomly. All 3 have been attacked by another 'service dog' it really amped up her anxiety. She no longer goes to the store without an able bodied person to create a wall/take over because she can't handle the confrontation. Please leave your untrained dogs at home! We love our dogs, but she needs hers to live a semi normal life.

I just started going through the options to get tested for Autism. So far it's pretty likely after my therapist did the pretest...though deep down I kinda always knew. This video, despite being light hearted, hit me like a train and now I can't stop crying. I really wish I could reach out to younger me and give her a big hug because I struggled so hard at different points of my life.

Just wanted to say I HIGHLY appreciate all the toh character cameos in this video. I might be autistic (there's a reason I'm watching this!) and if so the owl house is one of my special interests so I got super excited when I saw them. Thank you for that little joy!

I've always hated my clothes and felt incompetent at basic tasks and social skills while consistently being one of the smartest people in my class. I feel like I like things to such a more intense degree than most people, and I've always felt different, and desperate to know why. I've always felt like its easier to connect with other autistic people, and since I've recently found videos of autistic people describing their experiences, I couldn't relate more. Thank you for making this, and have a good day everyone.