When The [....] Hits The Autistic Fan (A Tale of Accessibility, Burnout & Hope)

Profanity free 😊
How do I make videos to accommodate both ND & NT viewers?
What's been going on in my life for the last 6 months?
And just why DID I grow my hair back?

#EngageAutism #AutismAcceptance #actuallyautistic
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[holmavik]

Now when I’m in my fifties my nd traits keep getting Worse and I suffer badly from burnout. Some days I don’t even manage to get out of bed. I work as a researcher at a university and used to be very productive and independent. Now I am a wreck and it is all quite humiliating

[jayjaychappo]

I burnt out last year and am still recovering. A couple of weeks ago my son came home from the drs with instructions to do some adhd and autism online tests. For support and fun and curiosity I did them also and yep shock horror I scored high on autism and adhd while my son indicated traits for adhd. You might be able to imagine my world and sense of identity (58 years of depression, 'failure' and discomfort) has been turned upside down, and so much more makes sense. I am glad to have found your channel while I deep dive into all this. Thank you for sharing your story and I am so sorry about your loss.

[myworldautistic]

I am so grateful you dropped the background music. I can't thank you enough for that. There are so few videos i can actually watch because of my severe auditory sensory sensitivities. Thank you so much. ❤

[autiejedi]

As a fellow 50-something autistic I can relate so much. Burnout is awful at any age, but the older we get our reserves make it harder to bounce back to a functional level. (Maybe that comparison could be a discussion topic?)
All the best to you and the missus. 💜

[katieyoung]

I’m so very sorry for your loss, Quinn

[TheLastEgg]

Am I the only one who isn’t autistic but just loves autistic youtubers because you can just “vibe with the vibe?” There’s just something about it that is so calming, refreshing and soothing. Adhder though, I don’t know if it has any connection with that (the fact that I really like the autism community on youtube, is what I mean).

[Green_Roc]

Me: Audience, Autistic, Neurodivergent.
Your voice is soothing to me. I can imagine you could narrate some documentaries.
I thank you for making videos. I like the topic of autism, spoken of positively (not the deficit model that so many others blather out) so I can help myself have reason to stay alive.

[ninabrownsilberman]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I feel like our animal family members are on par with the human ones. I know this is only one part of the video, but I completely understand why you had another person explain that.

[shimmerpop]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss and the absolute whirlwind that's been your life behind the scenes. I'm so happy to hear things are looking up and deeply appreciate your candour and vulnerability at every turn. I'm an Asian woman in her mid 20s who received her diagnosis just earlier this year, and it's really fascinating watching autists of vastly different demographics be so...incredibly similar at our core. Even more so than my own non-autistic kin. It's surreal watching a middle-aged white man "ramble" in much the same way as my most authentic self, and I can picture the getting bored, "get on with it!" responses which almost got a bit triggered in myself. But actually it's much needed. Thank you for being so open about all this and showing us it's not only okay but human and wonderful even to be vulnerable. Even if it seems foolish to do so on the internet, especially as a middle-aged man. I'm so happy you're met with so much warmth and acceptance in this community, as you should always be. I wish you and your family great health, great success, and a great reach that always gives you back the way you give to us. 🙏🏼

[greatmeatball]

You're the only autism channel I watch. Never found anything even close to your quality.

And as an autistic person, I'm astonished at your personal strength and resilience.

Thank you so much for your honest work and for being vulnerable.

[Autistic_AF]

Hello Quinn, thank you for posting this. I am sorry, I didn't realise you were unwell. Your video was posted in my autisticat community by a lovely viewer of yours. Listening away, I felt absolutely seen - I completely understand how you feel regarding YT video time consumption. For me, I'm around one hour per minute of produced video. At first, like you, I accommodated as many changes as I could. Eventually culminated in a rather amusing thread where viewers debated between themselves on the merits of closed captioning, colours and sound and finally agreeing that it's impossible to produce one piece of content that pleases and suits everybody. Fortunately, there are a variety of creators on YouTube, each with our own styles, experience and audiences. And whilst there is some overlap, there is a content vibe to suit everyone, should they browse around YouTube a little. Thank you, Quinn, and I love your shirt.

-Mike x
Edit:I'm so sorry to hear about your news :(

[HaakonOdinsson]

I’m 60 and in the burnouts are getting longer and I have lesser energy to deal with them than I had when I was younger. Also have to deal with those around me who don’t get it and misinterpret it as me being difficult, selfish, drama queen, attention seeking etc….god! It’s so blasted frustrating. Being dismissed, not believed, misunderstood etc etc is very upsetting for me.

I enjoy watching autistic channels (your is great btw), as they are very validating for me and my self-doubt, which is quite debilitating. I like your calm and paced delivery, thank you 🙂🙏 Other channels, although good informatively, the pace can be somewhat frenzied, if I’m allowed to say, and I find myself having to rewind them at times. Some channels, not necessarily autism ones, have blaring background music on the as well, and I find that extremely grating! lol.

Take care, all the best

[Tormekia]

Thanks so much for what you do. Your voice is always calming and enjoyable to listen to ad you go over such important stuff.

I wish more people could see your channel. It's been a real light in the dark for me. Thanks! ❤️

[IrethAmandil]

Thank you Quinn for being here. I don't know if I'm autistic or not, but your videos have helped me relate to myself and a few others in a world where I haven't been able to relate to most other people I've come across.
Thank you for helping me accept myself; my sensitivities, my strengths, and my quirks, oddities, and eccentricities.
Thank you for helping me feel less broken as a human and just more differently-made.
And thank you for standing up for your unique type of content and protecting the accommodations you've made for this community in spite of popular YouTuber expectations. It's a sacrifice you make for us; doing less of the things that curate for more views and likes, and more of the things that are meaningful and bolster integrity. It's so rare these days.

Thanks man.

[autisticMargo]

Lol, aging goth, Quinn, I appreciate your content and insights. Thank you for helping folks like me 🦋

[Synchrodipity]

I had that dalek - unfortunately my dyspraxia broke it when I wasn't paying attention. :(

Good to see you on here, I don't have the attention span to watch all this right now (having my own challenges), but I'm sorry to hear you've been having a hard time of late.

[victorkulkosky]

Glad to see you back, Quinn. You're my favorite autistic YouTuber, in part, because we're closer in age -- although I've got a few years on you, so respect your elders, whipper-snapper 😜 -- and your style is like what I might use if I made YouTube videos. That is -- with a mix of information and personal experience, delivered at a measured pace. Some of the younger autistic YouTubers have adopted the common YoutTube feature of speaking very quickly, but they've taken it to a nerve-wracking extreme, combined with manic editing that makes me jittery. Plus, I'm so far removed from the culture of 20-somethings that I miss their cultural references.. Should I start a channel called "The Autistic Curmudgeon"? 🤔 But seriously, I have no plans to get into videos. I'm concentrating on writing, or trying to. Thanks again. Your presence on YoutTube definitely makes this almost-on-Medicare autist's life better.

[unapologeticallyautisanal]

Hello friend, so very sorry for all of the shitty things. Glad you are, hopefully, feeling a bit more hopeful. Sending love.

[towzone]

Condolences on loosing your friend, especially during such a traumatic time. Just know how much you have and do help those of us learning who we are in this ridiculous world, that what you do is important, appreciated, and needed.

In addition, I block channels that are “too YouTube”, because I require substance.

[loricat]

I'm very happy that you're planning on bringing back the darker backgrounds! Thank you for explaining the reason for the change to a white background. And yes, the lighting made it much less harsh on the eyes this time!