Top 5 Well Meaning Things People Should Stop Saying To Autistics

Something a little different this week. My top 5 list of things that are well meaning but should stop being said to Autistics.

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[sbsman]

My favorite, "oh yes we had one in the family but he grew out of it." Right!!!

[hattercat_]

The one people say to me is “you’re so smart for being autistic”
It’s annoying and I don’t like how they assume people are stupid or dumb just because they’re autistic, it sorta goes along with people who say “oh you must be high functioning”

[Ani-rqwv]

“You’re autistic? But you’re so” normal, well spoken, smart, creative, etc. I get those all the time and it makes me want to tear my hair out

[arielbridges]

As someone, who is woman diagnosed with autism. This list is everything I had deal with for years. Thanks for being some one who brings awareness!

[mango_]

I will totally use the "me suit" response. Thank you for that one.

[danielle]

My son is 6 and I have had people say 1 through 4 to me multiple times. Including my own family. Just going to send them this video . Oh and love the skyrim shirt .

[patchoulicolt]

00:09 "I made a list!" My boyfriend loves to make lists! Full page, three columns, tiny handwriting, front and back, sometimes multiple pages. Usually about shows, anime, and music. ❣️

[rslynch]

"Are you sure you're not just an introvert?"

[middleC]

I just don't tell anyone, saves me the trouble. I had a hard enough time dealing with my family who I know love and support me, never mind a bunch of people barely in my life.

[SnowySpiritRuby]

All from people I expected to be at least a small bit knowledgeable (some are more than just "micro" aggressions):

The best one I've gotten so far: "It's [just] a discipline issue".
-As. If. Go study ADHD, autism, SPD, migraine, asthma, and all their co-morbidities, then come back and tell me that it's still a discipline issue. Also, not everyone is a workaholic, and I refuse to neglect my body when it needs care. You may be able to work through a chronic headache, but some people's migraine conditions incapacitate them during episodes.

Or this one: "Everyone's a little (fill in the blank with disability of your
-Haha... no. Some people may have one symptom or another occasionally, but no, not everyone is

Or this one: "You're just making excuses."
-No - I never have, nor do I now, use my disabilities as excuses. Plus, it's kind of hard to use it as an excuse when you haven't even been diagnosed yet (I wasn't diagnosed with anything until I was almost 17, and was just grateful to get an explanation for why school was so difficult, and to be able to get the help I needed to graduate from both high school and college successfully and on time with my classmates).

Or this one: "Doctors these days are over-diagnosing and putting kids on medication just to make it easier for teachers to handle them."
-While this may be true in some instances, it might also seem like it's over-diagnosing because doctors (and people in general) have more knowledge about now than they did 40-50 years ago (when the person who said it to me would have been in school).

Or this one: "We're all disabled."
-This one is probably the one that makes me the maddest, because it's obvious that the person saying it refuses to believe that there even is such a thing as a true disability, and they're completely denying and discrediting the fact that the legal disability is actually present. The time this one happened, I felt like (but didn't end up) saying "You really don't believe me? Open that drawer right next to you - the proof is in there."

[penglingwhisperer]

The fact you’re wearing a skyrim tshirt is enough. I’ve been following you for a few weeks and really love how you explain and articulate what I need people to hear. I did a TED talk in autism. Search Carrie Beckwith autism on youtbe if you want to watch it.

[SunnyDCurlesrainbow]

"You don't act Autistic, because you don't spin around uncontrollably."
"Have you ever seen 'The Good Doctor'?"
"'The Good Doctor' is AMAZING! It was eye- opening and inspiring!"
"''The Good Doctor is SOOOO educational about Autism!"


Ok, please read a book or an article online about Autism, written by one of US who are actually AUTISTIC. Please and Thank You!
We do not have all the same characteristics or act the same way. Not every autistic person keeps spinning around or does the hand- flapping and not all of us are like Dr. Shaun Murphy from "The Good Doctor". We are all different.

[sussybaka]

Number three and four is why I don't disclose my Autism to anyone. Too many ignorant neurotypicals do this to me when I used to tell em. My favorite one, is "oh I do ___ too, everyone does" which diminishes autistic folks experiences and difficulties.

[mariw]

I just found your channel through you're service dog tales series and I think you're great and deserve a way bigger following, you're genuinely really funny and you can tell that you put a lot of effort in to your videos :) I subscribed

[HarleyQuinn-znpk]

I told my Grandad that the health visitor thinks my son has autism and he said 'oh, I don't think so he's not spaced out or anything.' This comment deeply hurt me because I still don't fully understand autism myself and don't have the right words to explain it to him. My son still isn't fully diagnosed but we saw a doctor last week who also thinks he has it as he has symptoms e.g. rocking whilst repeating words/noises over and over, speech delay and sleep issues. He also has a rare disease called mastoctocytosis and it's apparently very common for kids with it to also fall on the spectrum.

[auburneytuckerson]

I didn't need diagnosis for autism because I showed so many severe signs as a child, and I still do (not the same ones, but different signs).

[nonih]

Automatic like for the 'hip' joke lmao

[tangerinefizz]

I've been called "Rainman" by people who don't even realize I'm autistic. i worked for many years as a cashier, and I was nearly always able to calculate the change I owed the customers without looking at the register. This is apparently a lost art or something, because my customers and coworkers would act like it was so unusual.

[SMKaye]

I've been told "You're to Smart to be Autistic", "You can't be, Because you can Talk!", " You're just Shy!", & "You Should go to Church & Pray to Jesus to get better." -_-

[autisticjoeyyo]

Yeahh! I agree 100%

I’m always gonnabe bold on this, without a doubt!