 Hey there, thanks for joining us here at Psych2Go, just by watching this video you're showing a curiosity about others, which makes the world a better place. You've heard about the spectrum, phrases like, I'm on the spectrum, or phrases like, maybe they're on the spectrum, but what does it really mean? Firstly, a spectrum in this case is a condition or scale that suggests variance, meaning there are wide varieties of types that can fit within. Autism is itself a spectrum. So although awareness of its existence has increased recently, so have the misconceptions. This has led to harmful myths and stereotypes, mostly around the use of all-inclusive generalizations, such as any statement using all or never. You may not even realize they're not true. So come along with me to learn more about the spectrum. Here are six things autistic people want you to know, written by our autistic specialist writer and based on his experiences and the experiences of others on the spectrum. Number one, we're not all geniuses. Don't deny it, I know you're mentally playing scenes from the movie Rain Man right now. Stop. Desist. Please? I mean, we're flattered you think we're superhuman observers with computer-like abilities of calculation. But most of us aren't, trust me. This belief simply sets us up for failure and disappointment for the both of us. It doesn't benefit anyone. The reality is that we're finding certain basic activities like speaking or making appointments incredibly difficult. If you're expecting this uberhuman, we'll both just experience uberdisappointment and frustration. Additionally, this pedestal gives the impression that we don't need any sympathy and support because we're so gifted. Number two, we're not all beyond hope. Alright, so we've established that we're not all human supercomputers and on the flip side, we're not all completely, utterly, hopelessly incapable either. Remember? Variance. Unfortunately, even well-meaning experts can dismiss those on the spectrum as being eternally a drain or load with no ability to learn or improve. You might recognize it when they use the word never too much. Like they will never graduate, never get a job, etc. We appreciate that our increased difficulty with these normie activities is being recognized. However, calling them impossible or never's deny us the encouragement and guidance needed to see if it's even possible. We're at risk of being locked out forever. This never assumption forces us to be less self-sufficient. Number three, we're just as varied as you. Remember the whole spectrum thing? The whole point of recognizing the spectrum is to show there is a range. Thinking we're all the same thing is exactly the opposite of a spectrum. We're not a you've met one, you've met them all kind of group. Individuals on the spectrum have just as much variety as those outside it. And it's not just a simple scale from high to low functioning. A whole bevy of variable factors make up each individual profile, including but not restricted to issues with sensory overload, physical coordination, or communication. Also, sorry, not sorry, Hollywood. We're not mostly young Caucasian males. The spectrum doesn't discriminate, not by gender, race, or age. There is no typical. Cramming us all into a typical cookie cutter isn't helpful. Number four, we're not trying to make you uneasy. It's a well-known trope that the unknown or unfamiliar is the scariest thing ever, but it could be illogical. No spock jokes, please. Basically, social things that are automatic to you, things as natural as breathing, are things we have to execute as consciously as writing an exam. Stress much? All right, here's the scenario. You talk to someone. You naturally stand or sit a certain distance away that is acceptable to the culture you live in. You look them in the eye and break eye contact every few seconds. The other person reacts to something you say with a surprised facial expression of wideened eyes and open mouth. You pause and adjust your tone and volume to continue the conversation in accordance with this reaction and the environment. Did you think about any of that? I mean, did you seriously in your head say, oh, they look surprised. I have to react appropriately? Likely not. You just do it. You know what happens with us? We think consciously of every aspect as that paragraph reads. I have to break eye contact now and now. And again, am I too far away to close? Oh, okay, the person's eyes widened. Their mouth is opened. They are shocked. All right, how do I respond to this? And our neurology means this can't be learned as an autonomous response. We consciously memorize rules and scripts for your comfort so you can feel we appear normal enough to communicate with us. Otherwise we appear unnatural, possibly creepy to you and we're shunned or worse. When someone stands way too close or laughs and smiles at totally the wrong time, sure that can be creepy and sometimes threatening, but only if that person is well aware naturally that these behaviors are not acceptable and does them anyhow. With us, we actually have no idea and there's sometimes a delay before our conscious thought kicks in and says, hey, not the right time to laugh and you're standing too close. Look at yourself. You are now just staring at the person. You haven't broken eye contact in time. Okay, how are you going to adjust now? Unfortunately, our neural differences aren't readily visible and awareness isn't to the point yet where people automatically consider, hey, is this person on the spectrum? It's still for the most part an automatic jump to danger, danger. And this is especially dangerous for us because we are seven times more likely to encounter law enforcement. These encounters often turn violent when our mannerisms and stress responses are misinterpreted as suspicious or threatening. Just a side note here, the most dangerous people are often actually perfectly charming and charismatic. You know, the too good to be true types. Number five, we're often more not okay than we let on. Does doing all that extra processing sound exhausting? Well, you're right, it is. We're constantly navigating a reality that expects things that aren't natural and neurologically can't be autonomously learned by us. It's not a choice. We are forced to manually mask our behavior to blend in with neurotypicals. When we mask, we hate to hear that we're acting normal or less autistic, like it's a compliment. In reality, it just means we're very good at hiding the constant stress, hours of prep before an activity and hours of burnout after. The endless over analysis, years of trauma and development of major psychiatric and health problems. Our average lifespan is only 36 years, which can be partially explained by the increased suicide rate. It's nine times higher than the general population for adults and 28 times higher for children. Those of us who have been labeled high functioning or mild by others aren't necessarily struggling less, we're just better at faking it. Number six, our reality is not your joke. Autism is a real, medical, neurological condition. It's not a choice and it's not some curable illness. Joking about it or using the term autistic as an offhand insult lessens its gravity and reality. The unthinking burns allow the stigma to fester. It also allows our actual medical condition to be lumped into other stereotypes and slurs that belittle our struggles. Ignorant people see our social difficulties and label us loners. They see our awkward interactions and label us creeps. Or they see our troubles with self-care and label us neckbeards without giving a second thought to the difficulties that are beyond our control. We're already putting in daily Herculean efforts to make you comfortable and maintain the basic social norms of your neurotypical world. We are running a 24-7 equivalent of a marathon crossfit boot camp combo. And this is all for you, the normie. So imagine what it's like despite all this that we're dismissed, humiliated or villainized to avoid doing this. All you'd have to do is ask or at least care enough to get some facts. So there you have it. Six things autistic spectrum people want you to know. This isn't a lecture. We just wanna raise awareness and understanding which we hope leads to true acceptance. Have you learned anything new? Let us know what you found most interesting in the comments below. Don't forget to like and share this video if it helped you and you think it could help someone else too. If you're interested in learning more, check out the reference list below.