Therapy Deep Dive: What is Autism?
Added 2025-04-09 15:00:08 +0000 UTCLicensed therapist Jonathan Decker shares a primer on autism, and Alan joins to learn with y'all. What did we miss? What is your experience? What are some portrayals of autism you'd like us to react to on YouTube?
Comments
Mercury Rising - the height of stereotypes. I would love to see a female depiction, or better yet a more diverse neurodivergent adult, rather than only a difficulty a child needs support with, that suddenly disappears when they hit adulthood. Adult life as a neurodivergent is exponentially harder than childhood, as there is little to zero support, especially for those not in e.g., supportive residences or already have established carers/supportive networks. Many of us just go about our somewhat subjugated and unsupported lives, working and paying bills like everyone else. Also, those of us with ASD and ADHD (AuDHD) can feel alienated from those that have solely ASD or ADHD because having both really is different. Having conflicting neurodivergences (AuDHD) is very complex and not particularly supported in society, especially for adults (and less so for those from diverse backgrounds, especially for females). Sometimes things can get lost in the more theoretical aspects, such as terminology, and I think it's important to focus on meeting the needs and supporting those already existing with neurodivergence, and struggling to navigate their lives alone. It is also often depicted as a thing to overcome. "That person did so well, in spite of their autism", etc. It is the very nature of "twice exceptional". It is never appreciated for what it is. The focus is often on what caused it and how does society get rid of it or medicate it or normalise it, and not just accept it for a natural, biological and neurological difference. Autistic people have done wonderful things, just like neurotypical people have. I would like to see appreciation for things such a person can do due to their autism, not in spite of it. It would be ideal for this to be normalised in media and general representation, rather than the current trends of having autism as being the main feature of a character.
AstroAster
2025-09-17 20:29:57 +0000 UTCQuinn Dexter (Autistamatic on YouTube AND Patreon) has an amazing and quite frankly overdue view of autism that he calls "The Triad of Distinction" (as opposed to the usual list of deficits we get saddled with). I highly recommend you watch his video series (How I Made Autism Make Sense parts 1, 2, 3) about it. He was diagnosed at 13. One of his points (very well-made) was this: "Most of the foundational beliefs about autistic thought, feelings and behaviour didn’t come from people who actually KNEW. They were the theories and assumptions of non-autistic academics based on one-sided observations of mainly institutionalised, largely non-speaking children. Forty years of progress from my own diagnosis hasn’t seen those core assumptions of deficit, impairment and poor life outcomes shift very far, and you have to ask yourself… Why DIDN’T they just ask us?"
Zain Orion
2025-08-20 01:39:12 +0000 UTCRain man, Dustin Hofman
Wiwik Anggraini
2025-04-11 18:50:34 +0000 UTCGreat episode. So happy to hear the cincy children part as a dude from there.
Kannibal Kory
2025-04-11 03:02:08 +0000 UTC
