Is YOUR Best Friend AUTISTIC?

Which of your closest friends is autistic? How would you know if they didn't tell you? If you think you'd know for certain, maybe this video will prove you right?

#EngageAutism #AutismAcceptance #actuallyautistic

00:00 Intro
01:22 They look different
03:25 Not that kind of "look"
04:53 The mask
06:07 Nerds - everywhere!
07:34 The socials
09:45 Little circles
12:04 Why not?

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[ArjanKop]

One thing people should know is that, according to the double empathy hypothesis, which actually holds quite a bit of water, having an autistic best friend may be the best sign you’re autistic yourself.

[Authentistic-ism]

I remember being super heartbroken when my "best" friend at age 12 told me i wasn't her best friend, and was in fact one of two "good" friends. She never mentioned her other friend before, for a whole year. Turns out it's her neighbor. I took it really hard. Didn't know I was autistic and needed the friendship defined sooner. I let that friendship fade because i was so embarassed i'd been mistaken about my "bestie" status.

[RaunienTheFirst]

3:04 me wearing the decade-old hoodie with the design that's almost completely faded, because it's really soft inside and the fabric doesn't touch my neck.

[NBWR]

When things reach that critical mass where people break into groups, the Auditory Processing Disorder kicks in and I can't hear what someone is saying. I also experience anxiety because I don't think I fit into any of the groups

[AlexirLife]

She told me. We've been BFF's since we were 13 & 14. We're 48 & 49. She wasn't diagnosed until we were in our 40's. We were weirdos in different ways but our weirdness fit. They still do

[nozhki-busha]

Thanks for the interesting video! It took me 48 years to realize I was autistic. I assumed everyone else thought and experienced life like I do. I told my few close friends on my Birthday and they all basically said "We know". My autistic friend John first suggested I might be too over a year ago. Months of research, self reflection, and talking to friends, family, and the community later and I finally know who I am :)

[hank_]

Since me discovering my own autism…all of my friends are suddenly coming out of the woodwork with diagnoses too 🤣😂 my sweet kindred spirits - sharing about yourself inspires others to do the same ♥️

[PatchworkDragon]

If they don't know either, and you follow the suggestion at the end of the video, they might just go on an information exploration and find out for themselves - which could be really helpful for them, especially with a best friend to hash it out with.

[Thitadhammo]

Briefly mentions science fiction conventions and then minutes later sounds the Star Trek red alert. Nice

[Synchrodipity]

I am autistic and I have a friend who I also think is autistic, but she doesn't think she is, because she can read people (but hey, so can I, sometimes, I think, perhaps).

She can believe whatever she wants to believe, her happiness is none of my business. She knows everything there is to know about the Titanic though. :)

[TheRawChuck]

I live in a town of about 5, 000 people. The closest city where I might be able to meet other Autistic people is 45 minutes away driving but I have major anxiety with driving so that's actually way too far. I'm very much alone here.

[Robotogram]

I have known I was autistic at an early age. This was in the 70s My diagnosis was my own since it wasn’t really recognized at that time.
I got kicked out of Second grade just for reading. I wasn’t supposed to read yet according to my teacher. I never actually attended middle school. I was just beginning ninth grade at new school. After the first month there I found out about a nation wide testing in high school. I ended up taking the test too because our 9th graders were put in the same school as high school because of overcrowding.
I was the last one to get my test scores. They wanted to do one more test on me. The results were hand delivered to my parents and principal. I was told that my lucky numbers are 16. SAT-1650. IQ-165. I didn’t even know what being in the upper 99% meant.
I was told that I really didn’t have be in this school. I wasn’t being challenged enough in their curriculum. So here’s the bottom line: I had only had 5 classes in elementary school. I never really attended high school. My high school gave me the red carpet treatment. Anything I needed they’d go out of their way to get it for me. I could wander around the school and stop in any class I wanted to. But I couldn’t tell anyone or I would have to attend classes. Here’s the rub, I found out that I was a part of the upper 99%. In the Midwest but I was the highest scoring in all Minnesota! I was told that I have put their school on the map for having the highest score in Minnesota. I was also told, that I had to keep it SECRET or it would crush the honor role students who had been studying for this all year. Although I could leave school anytime, I decided to stay and hang out with my friends. So how do I know if I’m autistic? I never really went to school but I could be accepted by any college in America!

[historymajor]

I've come to realize that all the long-lasting friendships I've had were with other ND or autistic individuals. My two closest friends from college have OCD and ADHD respectively, and my close friend I met back in middle school suspects she is autistic as well.

[spluff]

My best friend of 12 years was recently diagnosed as autistic and neither I nor he even suspected. The weird thing is that I'm autistic but still didn't notice.

[CDHpetcare]

Lack old fashioned sensibility that I've been trying to explain to people for years. I had co-workers and a few people that were friends at the time and even a boyfriend tried to help me put things together, but nothing felt right or looked right. I just couldn't tell the difference of what was in style, and would look good on me, and what was trendy. 46 years later and now I've accepted the fact that my lack of a 'look' is my look

[graemesutton]

Late diagnosed of 4 years ago. So cruel when you form a close friendship and they act like they reciprocate but don't really see you as a friend really

[ryutak]

In middle school I met my best friend for the first time. I had no clue he was autistic and sure he was a bit different than other people but I just accepted him for who he was and moved on. 5 years later in high school he mentioned that he was autistic out of nowhere. Apparently he thought I knew since we first met. I did not know at all but ultimately it didn't change how I treated him. Funny enough about 3 years after that I learned I was autistic. The world just works wonders sometimes.

[JustClaude]

Or maybe the viewer is thinking, "Should I tell my friend that I'm autistic?" and thinks it would be easier if the friend were autistic, too.

[autiejedi]

Great advice not just for showing solidarity and openness for autisrics but folks from other marginalized groups. Thanks Quinn! 💜

[wolfhound]

There is also the fact that Autism is used as a derogatory slur. We are factually seen as lesser and used as an insult. That adds to the burden of telling anyone. What surprises me is it isn't okay to say the n word though you can literally take an entire group of people and use them as slur to hurt others. I don't see a difference. Sure the former word has a deep history though it's nowhere near the same as taking a literal group of people and using them as a slur. There are so many reasons we might not tell you. Over text they blend in very well and you would never know.

There is also the fact that in telling people think we are stating we need special treatment and there is a stigma in just telling people. I just want you to know so you know why I do things a certain way. I don't care about special treatment. If I mess up tell me so I can correct it and avoid doing it again. Don't just yell at me and expect me to know what I did wrong. Don't just think I want you to coddle me. Help me grow as a person. It's all anyone of us want.