I either stare at the floor when talking to people or stare directly into their soul. There is no in between.

For a long time I thought that I couldn’t be autistic because I liked small talk but then in therapy one day I was talking about how I felt like I nailed a conversation with a barista and realized that I treat it as a performance and as an actor I only liked small talk because it was an easy script 😂

Autism is so varied and I hate how people have a very strict idea of what it is and dismiss other autistics that experience the world in a completely different way of what this idea is

I was told to make eye contact then reprimanded for staring.

My husband and I watched this together. He is in the process of trying to get his professional diagnosis. Every few minutes he would pause the video and expand on his viewpoints and felt validated.

Yes I want to see you reciting the Barbie movie

broooo. The excessive eye contact. It's great in class because my teachers like that I'm paying attention, but unfortunately I'm paying so much visual attention that I process nothing they're saying. Also, I have family and partners who constantly ask me to stop staring them down when we're supposed to be having a casual conversation/hang out.

I think one of the things that I've been really caught up in in my journey of a potential autism diagnosis is the friend thing. I want friends. I crave friends. I want a girl group. I want to be in a group of girls who all hangs out and are all touchy and give big hugs and cuddle and watch movies and are all the cliches of TV and movies but I struggle SO MUCH. I don't know how to talk to people. I hyperfocus and annoy people. Being touched drives me nuts if I'm not comfortable with you, and then I assume all physical touch is romantic because the only person who ever touches me is my boyfriend. But I want to be social, and I want to be neurotypical and I want to have those "normal" friendships, but my brain just won't let me. Anyone else on the spectrum feel this way?

"you can just *tell me* how you're feeling *LIKE AN ADULT"* im WHEEZING, tell em girl

It's really funny to me what you said about reading face expressions or mimics. So i am seventeen and was diagnosed with asd (my official diagnosis was asperger's but... yknw) about 8 months ago. And so when I was growing up, I was so frustated with not understanding faces that I spent years uncounsciously learning what every single little face movement meant which means that now, i can read social meaning in every slight movement and deduct what the person is thinking. I am more skilled at understing other people's emotions than NT because I've had to learn it. But now, people often get freaked out by just how much i can get in their head. They think i'm a wizard with telepathic abilities and honestly, i'm not mad about it.

Repetitive and restrictive behaviors: getting Disney plus and scrolling through all the programs and movies for hours and hours to make a complete watchlist of everything you want to see, without actually ever watching any of said programs/movies.

I'm autistic and obsessed with ethnicities, language families, etc... it gives me a feeling of understanding the human social structure. I feel like a part of a big family since I like everyone have an ethnic background lol

This is making me feel like I should go get tested for autism, just so I'd know. It would explain a lot. A LOT. I had to "learn" so much about how to interact with people in a "normal" way. I feel like most of my social skills were from people explaining to me how humans worked. I'm good at it, but it was never natural for me.

I use to be so ashamed of myself for doing this but, I often live my life through tv shows, books films etc. So I will pretend to a character when I do anything for example walking my dog I always imagine I'm this other tv book or film character doing it. I always have. I can spend hours in my own head just imagining how they would live there lives. Just found out it has a name "maladaptive daydreaming"

I’ll probably never get diagnosed but your KZfaq channel brings me comfort

“Boxes were the shit” * Paige and cats agreeing * 👩🏼🤝😼

For me in a a social gathering I’ll take in the situation and decide which mood, smile, voice fits but after the event I feel exhausted from having to match what is socially acceptable

Me : Man I wanna be her friend, she seems fun Paige: I DONT NEED ANY MORE FRIENDS 😅

“Do social gatherings have context?” The story of my life

I think I played pretty typically as a kid, but as an adult one of my favorite ways to feel accomplished/soothed during times of trouble is to "nest." This can look like tidying the space around me, trying to set the atmosphere in different ways like lighting or scent, and figuring out how to utilize a space the best way for me.

My special interests have always involved different medical conditions, disabilities, or mental disorders. I became obsessed with autism before I was diagnosed lol. I think these topics were relatable to me since I always felt different from the “typical” person. So I liked the learn about other ways people’s bodies and brains could work differently

I feel like I definitely have autism but unfortunately everyone in my life thinks that I don’t because they don’t understand how good I am at masking. I can match anyone’s personality almost immediately and I also have ALOT of the same things that you have. I have anxiety, depression and ADHD. I also am sensitive to loud noises and as a kid I wouldn’t even flush the toilet or use the blow dryer. I also HATE small talk, I don’t even know how to do it. It’s really hard for me and doesn’t come naturally at all. I’m very content not having many friends at all. I constantly question my entire existence and I just feel that I think differently from most people.

“I have like 3 friends and that’s more then enough” haha, I felt that one.

My psychology peeps have danced around the word autism because I’ve already been diagnosed with Tourette’s and anxiety, but I’ve been reading and writing since I was three, have been obsessed with poetry and biology- since I was three, and I cannot STAND eye contact, tags, loud noises, bright lights, and denim 🤮 I know it’s bad to self diagnose, but I’ve shown all the signs and asked my therapist about it and she’s just kinda glossed over the topic- like, dude, being diagnosed with autism doesn’t suddenly make me autistic, it means I’ve already been autistic and I can get help for it now? Also, it’s not a swear word??? This has been my TED talk please come again

I’m not autistic but I was so surprised when I found out that people actually played with their toys. I just set mine up and then didn’t touch them. EVER. My American girl dolls stayed in the exact same place and didn’t move unless I decided to reorganize everything.

I love when you ask if different social situations have context, this actually got me thinking about my personal method of masking, by sophomore year in high school I would spend a month or two observing a group of people I had begun spending time with, creating a sort of separate mask for each group. I would watch them interact like a scientist might watch a group of animals, then I would increase my interaction because I was determined to be normal and have friends and be acceptable, the advantage was I seemed sort of like a social butterfly, the disadvantage was that if people from two or more groups were suddenly in the same place my brain would short-circuit and I would stop being vocal. The other one that caught my attention, I had totally forgotten that sometimes as a kid I would build with legos or k'nex, other times I couldn't handle the jumble of colors and shapes in one box so I would sit down and spend hours sorting by shape, size, and color. K'nex were my favorites because the different shapes and lengths were color-coordinated.

I can feel the satisfaction through the screen that she feels from reading those lines. Exactly what she felt and struggled with her whole life, and the validation in form of a real, acknowledged fucking diagnosis on paper that says "you are NOT 'lazy' or deliberately sabotaging your life just to piss people off after all".. it feels good even second hand. I'm glad you got the diagnosis, many lives messed up because they never find out or very late.

i hated math i was never good at it yet when i was a child i always loved drawing i had my own cartoony unrealistic style, singing as well.

“Boxes were the SHIT” - top 10 best lines😂😂

i finally got my parents to understand that i could have adhd or be autistic, but it’s hard because my parents’ understanding of being neurodivergent is based on stereotypes and stuff that was outdated years ago. it doesn’t help that my dad and brother are both autistic and fit the stereotypes, so they think that autistic people only act like them. i feel like i’ve subconsciously spent my entire life changing my behavior to be socially acceptable and so i seem neurotypical, but i feel like doing that has been draining me for years and i just want to be understood and seen as the person that i am. but i’m also scared to try and get a diagnosis because i think that the doctors won’t believe me and they’ll think that i’m just trying to excuse my bad grades or something. i wish that the adults in my life paid more attention to me as a child, and then maybe i would’ve been diagnosed sooner

I have two younger autistic brothers and they both have different forms of it. My youngest brother is really intelligent and you would be shocked at the things he knows, his biggest problem is he can struggle to express his intelligence and can get easily frustrated when he cant get it out. I used to and still sit and be patient with him and let him tell me in his own time and he has taught me more about certain subjects than I ever learn in school.

Not all aspies are alike. U mentioned "small talk". I actually dont mind small talk cuz after a while, it gets a bit lonely when nobody wants to talk to you. Makes no sense yes, but id rather force myself to chat and say dumb things than not saying anything at all. As you get older, you pay more attention to what not to say and what to say as well so you dont upset anybody

I used to take those Buzzfeed quizzes where you had to identify what emotions people were feeling just based of their eyes over and over again until I got 100% so I could understand faces and thought it was totally normal 😂 so now I can identify people’s emotions based on their eyes and change my eyes to express emotions better which is great during quarantine and we’re all wearing masks lmao

I was diagnosed at age 4 in the early 90s at the time it was called asperger’s syndrome. Girls get diagnosed later than boys because they mask and develop social skills faster than boys. My experience being autistic is having a long term memory, average IQ, hyper focus, zone in and out, sensitive to bright lights, loud noises, and stimming.

I wasn’t diagnosed with formerly known Aspergers Syndrome until I was 24 because I was one of the rare boys who was able to mask my traits by observing other people. The older I got the less traits I showed, so it got harder to diagnose me since I appeared and acted neurotypical. Nowadays, I believe autism is a strength and I use it to my own advantage when it comes to achieving my ambitious goals in life. Going to be 35 in 2 months and I believe if I knew what I know now and how my mind works, then I would’ve achieved my best life right now, but I strongly believe it isn’t too late to live the lifestyle and become who god made you to be! 😇🙏

"I don't want to put in the effort to talk to you and hang out with you" bruh I felt that.

Glad to know you are in Canada ! I’m in the works of finally getting a diagnoses at 23 years old. I’ve been diagnosed with all sorts of anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, OCD. Finally found my people and can understand my self better. Unfortunate since they didn’t diagnose under 18 it costs around 3000$ to get a diagnoses and that’s with a year waitlist

"you can just tell me with your words how you're feeling.. like an adult!" SO relatable

That bit about not needing a lot of friends struck home with me. I can count my close friends on one hand. I've come to realize that the Neurotypical need to have lots of friends is (to them) a reflection of their own self worth. The more friends they have, the better they feel about themselves. Personally I believe in quality over quantity. I'd rather have 3 really good friends that I understand and who understand me than 30 friends I barely know and who never contact one another.

I came from tiktok, I was really happy to see you made a channel! THANK YOU for doing these videos!

When she said "to find out what's wrong with me" I felt that too well

This reminded me of watching my son grow from a toddler into a child, and it really made me smile, recalling how awesome it has been to get to know him. You have a gorgeous brain.

Most of my special interests over the years and to this day have been involved with understanding people and myself. History, mythology, sociology, psychology, neurology, brain chemistry and the mechanisms of actions of certain medications.

I am so happy that i have found your channel! I feel almost exactly the same way as you about relationships and people used to make me feel horrible for that, as if i was a bad sociopath. You managed to put my feelings into words an helped me to feel better about myself, and i am really grateful for that!

Hey Paige! I'm a pediatrician from Canada (I went to McMaster too!) Great job explaining the diagnosis of autism :) This is a great video for young people who want to understnad what autism is and the spectrum of it, and you do a great job normalizing talking about it! So nice to see young patients who get involved in their health and advocate/spread awareness.

Your sunglasses story made me break out crying. It’s exactly what I went through when I was 12. I really appreciate your videos, thank you 🖖🏽 Discovering that I’m autistic these past years has been lifting a big weight off my chest and healing my heart.

We support you, Paige! We love the way you use your platforms. Thank you for spreading autism knowledge correctly and appropriately. ❤️

I got diagnosed about a month ago (I’m 20) and I am obsessed with Economics. Just figured it was a special interest but your comment on having humanities based special interest to understand people better makes so much sense!

OMG WAIT I WAS OBSESSED WITH ANATOMY AS A KID!!! I had this little anatomy textbook that I got when I was 8 and I wouldn't go anywhere without it for probably a year or two. I read it cover to cover and back again and memorized several pages of it. My parents didn't even have to give me The Talk cause I just learned about it scientifically. And then growing up I never understood why other kids thought certain body stuff was weird or gross cause I was just like "uhh it's science"

I know there are topics you are not supposed to discuss while someone is eating. But they seem to be different for everyone! People are so complicated, when I am around some that I don't know super well, I just never talk. Not a quality fix, but you can't say something wrong that way... Great video, I hope you'll do many more! I really like your voice :D

OH MY GOD i love the fact that you’re so positive and energetic and watching your videos actually make my mood improve a lot, so even i had no interest in autism before NOW IM TOTALLY INTERESTED AND IM GONNA WATCH ALL OF YOUR VIDEOS GIRL YOU’RE AMAZING

you always go above and beyond with your content and i thank you for that. seriously, i haven't even watched this video yet but i already know it will be very informing!

I can’t tell you enough, of how much I appreciate your videos 💜 you’re absolutely amazing ! And making a change

I have a son who is autistic. My daughter is on the list for evaluation and I relate to SO MUCH of this! Thank you.

I have read these over and over and over again both for uni and to understand myself better. but I've learned so much more about myself only by you reading and giving examples! Thank you!

my best friend was recently diagnosed with autism and this video is an invaluable resource. i always had trouble understanding the way autism affects processing of situations and scared that i could unintentionally make her uncomfortable or feel hurt by things she doesn't even realise could appear cold to non-autistic people but this has really helped me... thank you so much for spreading information! hopefully i can be a more accomodating and informed support to her ♡

@paigelayle Some of the stuff you mentioned in this video & hearing your personal experiences is stuff I relate to 100%! One thing kinda relating to the box thing for me is popping bubble wrap. Although I'm very hypersensitive to loud noises like this, it's was super fun for me! Also, I'm really glad to see you doing more KZfaq videos about autism this year. I can't wait to see even more in the future. 😊💜👏

that’s why i grew up having a special interest for psychology and i still have it. it’s the only way for me to understand why people behave in a certain way and make sense out of it. otherwise i would be completely lost. thanks for explaining the criteria and talking about your experience. i discovered i’m autistic a year ago but i still have to get an official diagnosis (money problems). i hope in the near future i could finally get one 🤞🏻

I was 15 when I got my diagnosis too!!! Also thank you soooo much! Your Chanel has helped me so much. I can’t even explain how much you helped me throughout my autism journey ♥️♥️♥️

I have learned a lot about myself by watching your videos, Paige! I can’t thank you enough for all you do, being yourself and sharing this knowledge!

Wow. I saw this on my recommend feed, decided to give it a go, and SO glad I did. First of all, I was diagnosed with the syndrome formerly known as Aspergers (now ASD) exactly 10 years ago. Alot of questions were answered at that point for sure. Despite the term alteration, I still consider myself an "Aspie". And, I still seem to be discovering quirks of mine that fall under the autism umbrella. Your presentation here was absolutely brilliant. I love your spunk, charm, manner of speaking..not to mention humor. About people/ friends..well... I couldn't handle a bunch of friendships either. Not only am I lousy at multi-tasking, the same goes for multi-people-ing hehe (NO offense to all the wonderful, sweet, kind folks out there! It's me not them! Well, certain people can be scum too) . I don't have actual physical friends, and while I enjoy my solitude, I definitely wouldn't mind one or two close companions to spend time etc. Being introverted, shy, unemployed and living with family..aren't exactly conducive to forging genuine friendship. I have my share of virtual pals (thank you internet)..and I suppose it's tiding me over until I establish my actual "niche" in life. I (and my family) have found out that waiting lists for state services/programs do indeed make you wait. lol Also since my autism co-exists with anxiety.. that leads to more issues, affecting stuff such as driving..which I don't do at all. Anxiety on top of autism can be similar to gas on a fire. ( am on medication, which does take the edge off the real bad days) But this covid social distancing thing..I may have a market cornered on that LOL. But yeah, I too prefer structure, routine.. I get easily overwhelmed, am prone to sensory overload, have difficulty processing spoken words sometimes, also not the most coordinated (or fastest) person on the planet. Due to my age, there are still those who insist autism magically goes away once you hit adulthood. There's the myth that we lack empathy. Another thing that needs to be dispelled. Empathy is something I don't lack. So you're a math whiz, I cannot say the same for me :) Ask me to spell something or locate a country and I probably won't let you down. Well I better let my rambling stop before I break the comment section! geez. if this is read, thanks so much. Looks like your sub counter is going up one :)

I study psychology and have read the DSM-5 criteria hundreds of times, yet I always had difficulties differentiating between autism and adhd if someone just said the word. Yeah, after thinking about it I could tell what is what, but I did have difficulties. After watching your video everything is much clearer - thank you

You are so wonderful at explaining all this! Im so excited for anymore content you come out with 😊

I can't even begin to explain how much this has helped. My daughter is 11 years old and was tested at the age of 5 when she was held back a year from kindergarden for testing. She was not diagnosed at the time and was told she just had developmental delays. I have been fighting to have her retested for almost 2 years now and they are beginning her re testing this spring as there is a long wait list here (We live in a remote location). Going through the DSM-5 for ASD and every single category I can name numerous things that they would call "deficits" but I don't like using that word as deficit makes me think it's something wrong with her. So many things you spoke about when talking about your own traits and experiences I began to laugh and at times cry because that's exactly my daughter! As a mom who is trying her best to fight and advocate for her daughter, THANK YOU! You made so many things so much clearer and assured me I am on the right track for whats best for my little girl

I got diagnosed with ASD when I was 8 and no one ever explained it to me properly so this helps a lot

Hi paige. I love your content but english is not my first language so it takes me a lot of time to translate the videos. I would highly appreciate it if you could enable me and many people around the globe to watch your videos with auto translated subtitles. Thank you for creating a more inclusive world

As someone who works with Autistic children, your videos are incredibly helpful and i appreciate everything you do. Love ya girl

I’m 18, I found out I’m autistic this past summer, apparently I got diagnosed when I was 3, and I really just didn’t know, I found out because of a show my family was watching and being just like the young autistic kid, I brought this up to my mother and she expressed that I’m not a lot like that kid, but that I am autistic. Because of my personal brain functions, I struggle with most social interactions, I also quickly attach to people but struggle to express that. I relate to your story and appreciate you so much, you’re awesome and I only learned of your existence from Kristina’s video, I’m so grateful for someone like you... because you’re someone like me, and so... yeah... I don’t know, point is, same, and you’re awesome. Though I care a lot about making friends personally, though I’m quite sh*t at it, and because of my mental struggles I also can’t maintain them. But yeah, so, also love your top, it’s very cute.

One of my best friends of a decade has autism. Five years into our relationship, he told me he has "slight autism". I always figured he was a little weird which is great, I am a little weird (with ADHD). I have always attributed some of his social interactions with "autism" but never really understood what autism was. He and I don't really talk much about our brains and how they function differently than neuro-typical brains and are fine friends just as we are. Thanks for this video. It helps me understand a bit more.

this makes me want to get a professional diagnosis cause i relate to a lot of these but i don’t want to self diagnose. alsoooo i’m a new subscriber. thank you for your educational content🥺

This is the video that put me on the path to discovering I am autistic. 6 months ago, I had no idea all the difficulties I've had my whole life were due to being autistic. It ALL makes sense now! Thank you so much Paige, this video change my life for the better!

I cant believe how beautiful you are and i think it‘s actually a blessing because it seems like you are really focused on yourself as no one could stop you from doing what you want to do what is actually a good thing in todays world. Just to make things clear, dealing with autism is for sure not easy and im not trying to make it look easy. What im trying to say is, you seem incredible smart and confident and as you would really know who you are and im really admiring it!

"i don't want to make friends, i don't care." perfect, that is exactly the type of friend i'm interested in :) i hate 'maintaining friendships'.

Hello! I’m trying to self diagnose myself because I think I might have autism of some kind. I’m still learning and I follow another KZfaqr. This video was so interesting and I can’t wait to learn more. Thank you!

This is a great video! My son is getting evaluated for autism a second time. He came back as not having autism at his first evaluation. He is very high functioning and I think that’s why it’s been so tricky to diagnose him. He shares a lot of these autistic traits though and they have only become more obvious as he gets older. This video explains autism more clearly than any other video I’ve seen.

The more I watch this the more I wonder if I'm on the autistic spectrum. This was way more informative than any article online. Amazing video. Thanks for sharing!

I'd honestly love to watch a video of tips for romantic relationships. Like, friendships are hard and long term relationships just feel so strange to maintain sometimes. Would love to hear your experiences?

S O When i was like 5 or 6 years old, a close friend that was a psiquiatrist told my mum: "Hey, your girl here, have many aspects and behaviors that could show that she might be autistic" And my mum didn't do shit about it (Don't be mean with my mum, we live in a country that still thinks Psicologists are not necesary) So I can relate to a lot of those things, and very very very very hard..? So Idk if im or im not autistic Im kinda having a breakdown Edit: i watched Toy Story 2 like 32 times in one day when i was like 9 to memorice it and i can recite it too

I love you Paige🖤. Thank you so much for everything you do. You were one of the first ppl who taught me about my true self and I am forever greatful 🙃!

I'm so happy I found your channel, my younger brother is autistic and this really helps me to understand autism and most importantly my little brother.

My biggest special interest is in psychology, specifically mental disorders. I’ve always loved reading about different ways the brain can work and comparing it to neurotypical brains to see how they are different. I think it’s my way of rationalizing how my brain is different. I could talk for hours about different brain disorders. So I started learning about autism along with this, because I needed another brain condition to learn about. Every time I’d read something, I’d be like “oh cool I’m like that too”. I did this for years and not ONCE did I think “hm maybe I have autism” until I went through online quizzes that were like “how autistic are you” (btw don’t always trust those they’re dumb. It just got the gears turning in my head). Now I have to talk to my therapist to see how I could go about getting a diagnosis, because I absolutely have autism😅

My mother is a retired special ed teacher. I have been volunteering at the Special Olympics with her since I was a small child, and I have been coaching for Special Olympics Missouri since I was in my early 20s. I have seen a lot of truly debilitating disabilities in my day. I've seen a lot of disabled people who are INSPIRATIONS... and I've seen a lot that are in fact so unfortunate and live lives of such sorrow, difficulty, and otherness that it's hard to draw inspiration at all... I do my best to not pity them, but some people's circumstances are just so dependent, so limited, so underequipped... and they live lives of nonstop confusion and difficulty all day every day... and they KNOW that not only do they not get to make most decisions for themselves now... but they NEVER WILL. They will NEVER leave this state of utter subordination and need, and it's simply impossible (as an able-minded, able-bodied person) not to pity them and feel PROFOUNDLY sorry for them. Now I look at you... a pretty, charismatic, healthy, influential, young, privileged, wealthy, independent, blonde haired, bright blue eyed, white woman with "1.1 million followers" on a competitive platform (Competing in social media is a highly complex endeavor that is well beyond the abilities of most able-minded people, even in your age group)... and your first thought is to highlight your disability? Because you don't like a hair on your nose? Got news for you. You are NOT disabled. There are ZERO truly disabled people in this world that can do what you do. You are COSPLAYING as a disabled person. Go to the Special Olympics sometime, and you'll see what disabled is! Spoiler Alert: It doesn't look like... "I don't like stray hairs on my body" I, personally think your diagnosis (If it ever happened at all) was a means to an end for parents or a teacher that wanted to medicate you. I've seen it happen literally hundreds of times. If you think that a disabled person can be capable of the competent management of your image, persona, social networking, and monetization/promotional use of these things... you have no reverence for the institution of disability. You... are about as able as they come, and it sickens me that you would assume this "mentall illness" victim role as a tool to bolster your points. This is disgusting. Truly. You are APPROPRIATING "mental illness" while you DRAW BENEFITS from your clear able-mindedness.

I really, really appreciate this! I'm AFAB/fem and was diagnosed with autism at 8 years old, but my parents didn't think autism was a real thing, so I didn't ever get to hang out with other autists growing up This is so well explained and so relatable! I have not come out to my partner about being autistic yet because I **hate** the stereotypes and assumptions... Though I do describe symptoms and challenges as I go through them... but if I ever do decide to tell him the name of the "disorder" I refer to without ever saying them name, I will totally show him this video first because I feel like it's the explanation that most fits who I am... even down to the eye makeup! I used to do my eyeshadow just like yours is in this video!!! Anyways, I wish there had been someone like you I shared a class with when I was in school... we probably would have never talked since I pretty much only spoke to students if they came up and talked to me first, but at least I would have seemed less like the one weird alien in school! lol In some of the stuff you were saying, you seemed to be describing "scripting" which in this context is when an autistic person plans what they are going to do, say and feel before doing it... I wondered if you knew that term, because I found it super helpful when I learned it :) There are a bunch of awesome autism groups on Facebook... I highly recommend joining some since they have a lot of terminology that applies to us Cheers! & Thanks for representing us so well!

This is an excellent video. I am blown away by your description. BRILLIANT. Thank you.

I love how she said she went in to and thought they would say she had depression, anxiety and OCD. I have been diagnosed with depression anxiety OCD and an "odd personality". Hmmm? 🤔

"Deficits in normal social communication." i.e. doesn't act exactly the way everyone else wants them to.

I would like to thank you for your vulnerable videos. My 11 year old son is autistic. I always wondered if I was till I had him. If he was "high functioning autistic" then there was no way I was too... until I saw your videos that were posted on facebook... I was assessed three weeks ago and received my diagnosis of ADHD, ASD, OCD, and Chronic Anxiety. I found out that my fibromyalgia may not even be fibromyalgia but more so that I carry my anxiety so strongly in my physical body that it causes widespread pain. I thought you had to be a super clean person to be OCD. Nope! So much of my life makes sense now! I feel like we are similar though in the sense that I too am too autistic to fit in with NT people and too high functioning to fit in with Autistic people. Your video changed my whole perspective of myself. I am so grateful that you are willing to be so vulnerable.

I just came across your channel and I’m so glad :) I started doing work in ABA work and my client is currently 2 years old. I never corrected the "weird"behavior like lining up toys. I always saw it as that’s how he like to have fun. He is such a genius at already 2 years old and I can see him growing up to have qualities like yours. This gave me more knowledge about my clients, thank you for sharing

thanks for the reupload, i watched until the cutoff in the original video lol

not that i’m holding back tears at work because MEEEE. i used to have an unhealthy obsession with taking our dishwasher detergent liquid that was lemon scented and just HUFF that stuff.

I'm sat here like.... oh. The thing about having special interest in history, or memorising a whole film script, or eating a whole tomato, or cutting the labels out of all my clothes... I am FLOORED. Because that's me too! You are perhaps the most relatable youtuber I've ever come across, which is strange for me because until recently I thought I might have ADHD. This time about five months ago I didn't even think I was ND, but I'm getting more sure all the time. Perhaps my ADHD assessment may point me in a different direction, if this video is anything to go by. Thank you xx

I have my DSM-5 appointment tomorrow. I’m from the UK. A few of what you’re describing really resonates with me. Thanks for creating this ✨

"I think when I was younger I was taught that this is what you have to do, so this is what I'm going to frickin do." Yes!

Seen psychologists since I was a kid and they thought I had autism.but refused to get me tested. I relate to alot of this actually

I can't begin to explain how well done this video is. The way you explain things is great and clear. I want to thank you for making this video, my sister was diagnosed with autism and I want to know how I can help and what to do in certain situations. So, again, thanks for this video, it's very helpful.

I absolutely love these videos!!! You are a great inspiration to us ASD peeps that don’t believe they can function in society. With hard work and persistence you def can!

You’re so beautiful 😍 and your voice is like a Disney Princess 🥺

My parents tell me to look at a person while I talk or I'm being talked to so many times, and I really try, but I end up staring weirdly and without noticing, I'm staring at the floor again.

I'm really glad that I found this video. I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until I was 22 and at the time I wanted my Dr to assess for autism. He told me that 'I didn't have it because I'm too good at making eye contact/talking', and this is right after I told him that I've been an actor for 10 years. I also dealt with a lot of emotional abuse growing up and now that I'm doing better at processing that constant childhood trauma I'm noticing ways that I display autism now and remembering ways that I used to display it as a kid. I'm definitely going to write down some notes and personal experiences to talk with my doctor about it at my next session.

very informative! love your tiktoks & this video. you've taught me so much about myself paige :) been following you since the beginning