@Geaners100

I can usually tell when someone "is like me." You will know if you are around other autistic people. Somehow, it feels "normal."

@micknordstrom2591

My biggest "problem" as an autist is that I can not lie. I am always totally honest and that does not come down well.

@alecogden12345

"One of the reasons I need stability and routine and secutrity is because I am so flexible."
Wow that makes a lot of sense. I really do need routine but I also feel quite malleable and open, and I couldn't reconcile the two.

@markwiddicombe5594

I met this girl who said, "You're on the artistic spectrum." I thought it was a compliment until I realized she was Irish.

@nkhmiel

I'm always the odd one out in social gatherings. That's why I avoid them and just enjoy my personal hobbies.

@JanisFroehlig

"Amusing oneself is ways that are unlikely to be amusing to other people."

That's a keeper.

@briellerl034

I was just diagnosed with autism and it’s changing my life for the better, my schools, psychologists and primary doctors refused to even entertain that I could be autistic and/or adhd just based on me being “social” (masking) and being a girl. Here I am almost 15 years later with my diagnosis, thank you for posting :))

@luchadorlibre-k4x

You forgot TOE WALKING LoL. Great video. My behavioral analyst, soon to be ex, wife cracked the code a few years back. My folks never got a diagnosis for fear of me being labeled. High IQ autistic is not the most fun combo in modern society.

Pretty sure my parents figured it out around third grade. I was the best math student in the class but “couldn’t” read. School was puzzled and sent me to the literacy specialist. The literacy specialist made it clear that reading was required. I had simply “opted out” of reading. After a mere few hours, I was kicked out of the special literacy program because apparently I could read. I recall my annoyed third grade teacher standing over me shortly after this silliness and watching me in disbelief read a book to her. Bless her heart for forcing the issue.

Autism is just a different way of thinking. I’ve completed 4 college degrees (one Masters), had a high paying career and started a successful business. It’s the education system that is failing, not the unique individuals subjected to it. Never let anyone tell you that you’re lesser.

@Lev-t2t

I've written a book that was recently published 'Living with Autism Undiagnosed '. Got my diagnosis at age 57.

@varietynic17

The unusual associations one hits hard, sometimes the connection/reference will genuinely be the funniest thing in the world to me, but the joke falls completely flat for others lol

@Jeg-Elsker-Deg

So painful to hear #7. Suffered my whole life as “different“. Very lonely. Own family holding me at arm’s length. Luckily intelligence came with it – could think out of the box – was very needed in corporate setting – had a great career but no lasting relationships. Outcomes not so great.

Thank you very much for this video. I am 74 and recognized that I might be on the spectrum when I found I plotted in the Asperger's field on the Baron-Cohen tests. My parents sent me to school at 3. I was always ahead of my high-school class in subjects like geography and geology, chemistry, nature study, Latin and other languages. I started doing chemistry experiments at home when I was about 11. I got very excited about the links between the orderly periodic table and atomic structure. In fact, I loved structures and patterns.
I ended my academic career as a full professor of climate science (strictly, biogeochemistry). My particular skill was high-speed intuitive pattern recognition - recognizing very fast that disparate pieces of geological evidence fitted into a systematic pattern of change through time and space, and sensing what caused it. I learned to trust my subconcious instinct to dive deep and opt for unconventional explanations. This upset a lot of colleagues who relied on logical reasoning.
I always felt dismayingly "different". As a child, I hated being touched. I resented social pressures to be "girly" (I loathe pink!). I feared being watched doing practical tests (music exams, chemistry pracs, driving exams). I am overly sensitive to loud noises (jazz, traffic) and find social events really difficult. I have always found that most people (especially men) could not actually "see" me as a person. If they did, it usually alarmed them, so I needed to mask a lot. I have trouble enquiring or expressing my feelings to people I care about. On the other hand, I love studying the language of dogs, horses, elephants and whales.
I hope my story makes sense to some of the people who watch your videos. If it does, my message is: be true to yourself and stick with it!

@olgachanturia7788

I don't avoid social gatherings because of not being able to fit in... I just find people incredibly uninteresting to the point that I have much more fun on my own.

@dustinc7036

LOL!!! Yes, that IS a valid 8th category. I LOVE amusing myself. Sometimes ill be messing around with my wife or son, and I'll be making myself laugh hard (I often do), and one of them will let me know that they absolutely don't see the humor. I'll laugh even harder and say, "I know! That one was for me!"

@Sypherz

I always feel like everyone else knows exactly what is going on except me - like they all had a meeting I missed.

@IanDMcCormick

"This is me" I live in the UK, and I looks like you made this video about me. I am 55 and I have gone through my life not quite being able to put a finger on what it was that was making me feel how I feel. I have mentioned this to management where I work and sent them links to this video. Tuesday, I have got an Ocupational Heath Review at work around autism with the view of getting a test. I am 100% sure it's autism thank you very much.

@scoutdias4160

I’m not sure if anyone else feels the same, but I just wanted to say how grateful I am for your videos. I used to be really ashamed of the face that I was on the spectrum, and these videos have helped me not only accepting my autism, but also helping me be proud of it.

@silicon212

#9, the quiet dude in a lobby somewhere that just bursts out laughing for no obvious reason.  That's me.  My brain is a constant source of amusement, and there will be times that I run scenarios that just happen to make me laugh out loud.

@mootbooxle

Thank you so much for all that you share! You are doing a great service to humanity. 
My ADHD diagnosis last year at age 40 led to the discovery that I am also autistic and have masked it reasonably well enough to fool everyone…especially myself. I just didn’t know much about autism and thus never suspected it. 
Every person’s story I read and every video I watch explaining the autistic experience is like hearing my own life story in granular detail. 
This has changed my life in profound ways! It’s been a grieving process, reframing my entire life story…but I’ve come around to accepting it and embracing it…I’m not broken, I’m not selfish, lazy, irresponsible, or crazy, as I had been led to believe…I’m AuDHD and that is ok. So blessed to be celebrated for the things I excel at! Thank you again, the validation has set me free! 🎉

@popeymadethis

That meltdown “leave me alone for 2 hours” thing really hit home. I have to do this to avoid letting my stupid upset behaviour affect the people I care about, because I know I’m just going to spiral for a while