Autism Explanation Attempt

I have previously made videos talking about my PTSD so I wanted to try and make a video about Autism, I have a degree in social sciences and I am Autistic myself so I figured why not have a pop at it, its my hope that it will raise awareness, particularly awareness that all of us who are Autistic are in fact different people with different experiances.

I hope this helps and look forward to any and all feedback on it.

Came across well put and easy to follow to me

Plus Kirby

OrangeRKN wrote:Came across well put and easy to follow to me

Plus Kirby

Thanks for the comment, I am really glad it came across well .... yeah with Kirby I didn't want to have to record myself saying all that as its harder to edit if you go wrong, and I thought what can I use for the background that no one can really take offense at, and kirby seemed perfect lol

As someone who's quite high on the spectrum, I liked the video and appreciate any attempt to explain it from an autists perspective. I think a lot of people with autism spend a heck of a lot of mental energy on maintaining parity with people around them. It's an invisible struggle, one that can be a ferociously active battle on the inside, despite even a silent and still exterior - I could simply be standing there drinking in a room full of people, to the casual observer, but there's often an intense amount of effort being dedicated to upholding just that alone.

There are autistic people who, despite their brains not allowing them to speak verbally, are supremely intelligent, observant and insightful. Such contradictions that occur along the autistic spectrum can be astounding, honestly. My personal affliction, in terms of how my brain is wired, is that it quite often controls me. It debilitates me in so many ways, not just socially but emotionally as well - there's no switch I can flick to save me from falling into complete disrepair over having certain expectations subverted, plans altered at short notice or any sort of hurdle that emerges without being given a decent initial run-up.

An interesting and informative video that, thanks for sharing it with us Kerr.

excellent explanation kerr. exactly the sort of thing i would say only more eloquent.

I found that to be an interesting piece about autism, kerr, and I felt that you delivered it an an easy-to-follow way, too. Great stuff!

Yubel wrote:As someone who's quite high on the spectrum, I liked the video and appreciate any attempt to explain it from an autists perspective. I think a lot of people with autism spend a heck of a lot of mental energy on maintaining parity with people around them. It's an invisible struggle, one that can be a ferociously active battle on the inside, despite even a silent and still exterior - I could simply be standing there drinking in a room full of people, to the casual observer, but there's often an intense amount of effort being dedicated to upholding just that alone.

There are autistic people who, despite their brains not allowing them to speak verbally, are supremely intelligent, observant and insightful. Such contradictions that occur along the autistic spectrum can be astounding, honestly. My personal affliction, in terms of how my brain is wired, is that it quite often controls me. It debilitates me in so many ways, not just socially but emotionally as well - there's no switch I can flick to save me from falling into complete disrepair over having certain expectations subverted, plans altered at short notice or any sort of hurdle that emerges without being given a decent initial run-up.

Thanks for talking about this, reading your perspective on it was really interesting.

I'll check out the video later Kerr.

Yubel wrote:As someone who's quite high on the spectrum, I liked the video and appreciate any attempt to explain it from an autists perspective. I think a lot of people with autism spend a heck of a lot of mental energy on maintaining parity with people around them. It's an invisible struggle, one that can be a ferociously active battle on the inside, despite even a silent and still exterior - I could simply be standing there drinking in a room full of people, to the casual observer, but there's often an intense amount of effort being dedicated to upholding just that alone.

There are autistic people who, despite their brains not allowing them to speak verbally, are supremely intelligent, observant and insightful. Such contradictions that occur along the autistic spectrum can be astounding, honestly. My personal affliction, in terms of how my brain is wired, is that it quite often controls me. It debilitates me in so many ways, not just socially but emotionally as well - there's no switch I can flick to save me from falling into complete disrepair over having certain expectations subverted, plans altered at short notice or any sort of hurdle that emerges without being given a decent initial run-up.

The plans being altered at short notice thing is something I can really relate to... My main emotional thing for me is mostly being awful at reading if people like me or not, if they are interested in what I'm saying or not, probably leads to me talking too much and just presuming nearly everyone hates me..

I get told I'm not Autistic I'm just eccentric by a lot of people but it's like you said people can't see the inner struggles and efforts they are just drawing conclusions from what they see.

I'm really glad you liked the video and thank you for sharing some of your experience.

Hi Kerr. Really appreciated this video - I was chatting with a mate the other day whose stepson has a form of autism and I was very clear in that I don't really understand all the different aspects of autism.

One question; you noted you have difficulty differentiating between different voices/sounds - this is something which has hindered me for a long time now - if I am in a room with multiple conversations happening, I really have to focus very hard on who I am conversing with to understand what they're saying. For example if you were standing right next to me, talking, and someone else was for example ~15 ft away also having a conversation, I will hear both of those conversations at the same volume. I don't know if there is a term for this (have previously Google'd with little success) but wondered if it's the same for you.

Drumstick wrote:I don't know if there is a term for this (have previously Google'd with little success) but wondered if it's the same for you.

The ability to filter out other conversations is called the Cocktail party effect

Yep, struggling to focus on a person's speech when other noise is present is a very common autistic trait. I remember in my early adult years when ending up in pubs, everyone else was in conversation while all I could hear was a wall of sound, like a blob of noise with no discernible meaning. I mean, I was never really one for going out much anyway due the constant stress of keeping up with the social side of it, but still it was a major downer. I perhaps got slightly better at listening as I got older though.

Plus I can't talk myself if there is loud noise nearby, it's like I lose the ability completely. And I'm very high-functioning, so god knows how bad the sensory side of things is for those worse off than me.

I have that thing with noise. But it's more my gooseberry fool hearing. I can understand what it is like.

That was really interesting.

You mention Rainman but I remember a BBC documentary from the 90's about a family who had an autistic child and he was hurting his parents as he was getting bigger and only made noises and couldn't really communicate.

That is what I thought autism was for many years.

OrangeRKN wrote:

Drumstick wrote:I don't know if there is a term for this (have previously Google'd with little success) but wondered if it's the same for you.

The ability to filter out other conversations is called the Cocktail party effect

Yeah everything has always started blending together when I am surrounded by lots of different conversations and noises... I can like pull the conversation I need out of it but it takes a lot of mental effort which can be stressful and give me a headache sometimes, this has been further hindered by being pretty deaf in one side now (that came about due to damage to my brain from being repeatedly struck in the head with crowbars) but it was always there. I sometimes find it very hard when my daughter phones me she will phone me in loud environments and try to talk to me and I can hear other conversations, bus sounds shouting etc and it all bleeds into this audio soup and I often come off the phone with head pain... I always try to go to quiet places to talk on the phone as that really helps.

Orange beat me to the punch with the terminology

Drumstick wrote:For example if you were standing right next to me, talking, and someone else was for example ~15 ft away also having a conversation, I will hear both of those conversations at the same volume. I don't know if there is a term for this

It's called super hearing, and it's a power that should be used for the good of the world. Perhaps become some kind of spy?

poshrule_uk wrote:That was really interesting.

You mention Rainman but I remember a BBC documentary from the 90's about a family who had an autistic child and he was hurting his parents as he was getting bigger and only made noises and couldn't really communicate.

That is what I thought autism was for many years.

Yeah the inability to communicate your thoughts feelings and desires is frustrating so I can see why some none verbal people might lash out... that's exactly why I made this because I think lots of people will have seen one film or one documentary and have a very fixed idea of what Autism is and I thought maybe I can help a few people expand there personal definition and understanding.

shy guy 64 wrote:excellent explanation kerr. exactly the sort of thing i would say only more eloquent.

Thank you very much Shyguy glad you liked it

Jezo wrote:

Drumstick wrote:For example if you were standing right next to me, talking, and someone else was for example ~15 ft away also having a conversation, I will hear both of those conversations at the same volume. I don't know if there is a term for this

It's called super hearing, and it's a power that should be used for the good of the world. Perhaps become some kind of spy?

Reminds me of that episode of Heroes, the woman had super hearing. Then the bad guy proceeded to kill her to gain her power.

What I'm trying to say is, watch out lads.

I can relate to some of the challenges that you guys have mentioned.

> Listening/talking in crowded/busy places. Yep, no fun at all; I end up just hearing a wall of noise.
> Preferring to do things to a schedule; or, at least, with some notice. Dang, yeah, I really dislike it when some people always seem to decide to do stuff on the spur of the moment, regardless of what other people have planned. Do I want to meet up for a drink right now? No. Next week? Yeah, okay!