Can you spot Autism? (in less than one second?)

Can you spot autism in under a second? Have you ever met someone and recognized immediately that they are Autistic? People may or may not be able to spot signs of Autism in an instant but you might be surprised what is possible with a first impression.

In this video, I share some of my experiences in recognizing autism in just a couple of seconds and how first impressions and snap judgments can affect your relationships and how people see you.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Can you spot autism in under a second?
00:15 - Introduction
02:46 - First Impression
04:40 - What we can spot in under a second
08:47 - Importance of recognizing the power of snap judgments
09:42 - One of the tragic outcomes of snap judgments
10:27 - Leave us a comment

CHANNEL LINKS:
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// WELCOME TO ASPERGERS FROM THE INSIDE!!

My name is Paul and I discovered I have Aspergers at age 30.

Yes, I know, I don't look autistic. That's exactly why I started this blog, because if I didn't show you, you would never know.

As the name suggests, this channel is devoted to giving you insight into the world of Aspergers.
This blog started off being just my story, but I've learned SO MUCH about my own condition
from meeting others on the Autism Spectrum that now I make sure to feature their stories as well.

I've come a long way in my own personal journey.
Now I'm sharing what I've found so you don't have to learn it the hard way too.

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// WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS BLOG

You can expect me to get to the point with concise useful information.
I focus on what is most important and don't shy away from difficult topics.

The best way to learn about Autism is to see it in real life ( i.e. via the stories of many, many people on the spectrum).

In this channel I endeavour to show you what Autism and Aspergers look like in real people and to also give you some insight as to what's happening on the inside.
I upload a new video every weekend with some bonus content thrown in mid-week too.
There's always new stuff coming through so be sure to check back and see what you've missed. (Is this where I'm supposed to tell you to hit that subscribe button?)

Topics Include:
- What is Aspergers/Autism?
- Aspie Tips, coping strategies, and advice on common issues
- Learning Emotional Intelligence (this is my special interest!)
- Autism in real life: stories from special guests

Everything I do is and endeavour to go deeper and take you 'behind the scenes' to understand what may, at first glance, seem 'odd'.
oh, and I love busting stereotypes and turning preconceptions upsidedown :)

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// ABOUT ME

I discovered I have aspergers at the age of thirty.
It has been my life's mission to understand these funny creatures we call humans.
My special interest is a combination of emotional intelligence, psychology, neuroscience, thinking styles, behaviour, and motivation. (I.e. what makes people tick)
My background is in engineering and I see the world in systems to be analysed.
My passion is for taking the incredibly complex, deciphering the pattern, and explaining it very simply.
My philosophy is that blogging is an adventure best shared.

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// EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING

I also run autism friendly online emotional intelligence training. So if you like my direct, systematic style, and would like to improve your own emotional intelligence skills, check it out here:

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// CONTACT

Blogging is an adventure best shared which means I'd love to hear from you!
Feel free to leave me a comment or send me and email at any time and I'll do my best to respond promptly.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this channel!
I look forward to hearing from you!

Peace,

~Paul

[SirBoden]

I toe walk, bouncing gate, smile at everyone, I’m expression blind, always wear loose clothes, play in creeks and generally have my head up enjoying life. I’m almost 50, Yea everyone notices

Why would I want to blend in? I’m awesome 😎

[mimesthaisilva]

On my first day in a class (PhD program, so we were all adults) my classmates and I were talking and getting to know each other before class. One of them said he was autistic. I asked him a few questions and it became obvious he wasn’t lying about it. My brother is autistic, so I recognized the traits. It was surprising to me that the other students couldn’t believe him and said he had probably been misdiagnosed. Well, this guy and I became best friends. He’s one of the best human beings I know.

[LordMotte]

I smiled at your anecdote about the man who felt he was passing so well. The same happened to me. I was speaking with one of my staff, who has been a teacher for about 30 years, and I decided to open up to her saying that I was thinking that I was on the spectrum and was considering going for a diagnosis. She looked at me blankly for a second, then said “oh, I thought you already had one.” Having had exposure to various neurodiversity, she saw it right away in me. The wonderful thing was she said it in such a non-judgemental way like she was saying “you didn’t realize you had brown hair?”. It made me feel that I could unmask and it would be all right.

[burtonmacready]

I was only able to “spot autism” in people since my daughter had her diagnosis. And it STILL took me 8 years after that to realise *l* am bloody autistic 😂
It’s been so glaringly obvious but I was too busy being excited at spotted possible autistic signs in other people lol

[jim_jam_dseries]

Working at a special school, I like to see how long it takes for students in my class to say, "you're weird! You're not like the other teachers". First time this happened, I was very embarrassed and upset. Now... it makes me feel genuine.

[tris]

I am seen as highly eccentric, but never autistic. People pick up on the ADHD sometimes, but even that's rare- I have only known about either condition for the last three years. "They think they are too good for other people, " is something I have heard throughout my life, when in reality I have no idea how to talk to strangers. Even with people I know we'll, I'm rarely the first to call or strike up a random conversation because I can never tell how other people are feeling. I wait for other people to interact with me, that way I know if they want to talk to me.
When I meet someone new, I unconsciously do a lot of mirroring/mimicry, picking up their mannerisms and speech patterns. I get really embarrassed when I realize I'm doing it, because it's usually a sign that I really like someone and want to be their friend. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to go about it. Other people tend to think I'm socially adept, apparently I'm "cool" as an adult, but I literally have no idea what I'm doing.

[barose]

We spot each other. I encounter other people on the spectrum that will not talk to anyone else except for me in a crowd of people or in a gathering. It happens at the gym, at the store, in meetings, or on the street. It’s like we’re -/+ magnets for each other. They, if verbal, approach me and bring up mundane topics. No eye contact, no introductions.

[annarosex]

People typically just describe me as awkward and quirky and most of the time just add it up to me just being an eccentric/weird/artsy person. I've spent my whole life trying to be really good at masking and I've only gotten far enough that people just think that I'm a weirdo.

[fluffyworm]

When you said "he was just thinking an processing a lot more than others who would just act on instincts"
I realized that this is exactly how I feel. Other people just know what to say quickly but I go quiet for few seconds because I need to process information and find words that I want to respond with. Sometimes I have that I'm slower than others it's irritating.
Also I'm looking around when I'm speaking.

[LH-Oz]

I generally go unnoticed as being on the spectrum, it is so frustrating. Only took me 33 years to get diagnosed! But I have been called all types of crazy under the sun over the years. I even went to see a psychotherapist when a friend suggested to me that I might have BPD and even they told me that although I had traits, it wasn’t enough to be diagnosed with BPD or bi-polar, so I walked away screaming in frustration and wondering “What is wrong with me then? Why do I feel so different to everyone!?”. One quote I love is “The worst thing about having high-functioning autism is that you’re too weird to be considered normal, but too normal for people to believe you’re autistic”. Never a truer word spoken in my case. 😔

[Mrs.Silversmith]

I am a high-functioning aspie and most people seem surprised when I tell them I'm autistic. I usually have a policy of not telling people unless they have gotten to know me a bit first. I will say that I do often come off as a bit unusual and aloof to others. I have been told by some that they thought I was a snob before they got to know me (assigning a motive to the aloof behavior). I have also found that there is a certain percentage of people that are just not interested in socializing with me. I can just tell that they find talking with me uncomfortable on some basic level, even if they couldn't exactly say what it is about me that is bothering them.

[theautisticpro]

I wish I could have a camera follow me around for a day while I interact in the world, so I could see what others see. I think I pass as neurotypical pretty well in public, but I may be fooling myself.

[theautisticpage]

My mothers autism was so obvious we were stared at in public ALL the time. People looked at me with....I don't know. It was very uncomfortable. I have always been good with the "mentally ill". When I worked at a prison they sent me to deal with "the crazies". It's really funny. I thought it was from being around my mother.. Now I understand I was speaking to them on a level playing field! I did not discover I am autistic until a few months ago.

[lordexmouth]

Spot autism in less than a second? It took me 28 years to spot it in myself!

[ginablanshard]

People have always thought I'm weird - and I embraced that from childhood. However it took me 70 years to figure out why I am how I am. My fidgeting alone is probably a giveaway. Plus I am usually more interested in my own thoughts than what others are saying. I never "got' parties. Although I've generally fitted in OK, I now see how my (undiagnosed but 99% certain) autism has impacted all of my life. It feels good to at last have some relief, just from understanding better.

[leaglem]

People spot I'm "weird" straight away. I never understood what exactly gave me away, though, and never managed to "fit" for prolongued periods of time. And although nobody has come to me and told me "hey are you autistic?" directly, they have said it to my sister or family (mostly as an insult, or dismissively). I myself consider that I can spot *some* weirdness quickly, but I often have trouble identifying if it's autism or ADHD, as some behaviors are very similar.

[TeiscoCurlee]

That part about not standing in the right pattern within a group really struck me, I've had that thought a number of times lately, like "am I positioned correctly in this group of friends?" the answer was obviously no!

[kms]

My asd radar has always been incredible and I’ve always felt safer around people with asd. It wasn’t until this year that I realised that’s because I am one too. 🔥

[stivo]

I used to walk to university classes alone every day, always wearing headphones.

At the time I never realized that I came across as "different" in any way, and wondered why I would be stopped and asked for ID by police. I later learnt that it was mainly my clothing that drew unwanted attention from police, and it got better when I changed my cupboard.

One day, there was another "different" looking guy on my way home who looked at me from a distance like he recognized me, kind of smiling but more amused as though he had made an interesting observation... I thought he was going to say something to me so I pulled my headphones around my neck but as we passed each other he blurted out something about "auditory sensory overload". I thought, "How odd!" and carried on walking. When I turned around he was still looking at me like he could see into my future and had an important message for me.

I had a mathematics professor who also came across as kinda different. He asked to see me after class and he strongly recommended that I consider taking mathematics as one of my majors. When I asked him why, he gave a deep sigh and looked at me like he didn't want to say what was on his mind, paused and then responded like he was giving me an alternative answer, "because I want to increase the number of students in my classes".

Lots of people who get close enough often tell me I'm "kinda different" or "a bit strange" or "kinda odd" or "a bit weird"... always in a kind or nice way... "green hair! only you could pull off something like that".

I had no clue what Asperger's or autism was until I had a conversation with my niece about a really difficult day I'd had with extremely noisy kids and then bright lights in busy traffic on my way home, and how after that experience, all I wanted to do was lay on my bed in silence with the lights off coz I felt so overwhelmed and exhausted and disconnected from reality... and then she paused and quietly asked me if I'd ever heard of Asperger's. At the time, I was wondering why she would bring up Alzheimer's in that conversation, "Isn't that the thing that older people get?"

Lots more instances of people making observations about me (memory, routines, language, challenges with using phone and email and WhatsApp, getting overwhelmed) but stopping short of saying what's on their mind and then just dropping a hint or diverting. I started connecting some of those dots after my niece mentioned Asperger's and after seeing YouTube videos like this one.

Never been diagnosed.

[patirving]

First and foremost I have been crazy in love with my husband for 46 years. Although I knew from the start that he processed things differently, it wasn't until just 5 years ago that we both had an "aha" moment and realized that he is on the spectrum. We both wish we had figured it out sooner, only because it did sometimes cause frustration between us. In hindsight, it is so obvious now. Please keep spreading the word on autism and how to understand the differences between us all. Thank you <3