Autistic Man interview-Adib

Soft White Underbelly interview and portrait of Adib, an autistic man in Atlanta, Georgia.

[deanwilson]

My son is 10 and high functioning autistic, school is very hard, lots of bullying and teasing. No friends, the kid that is never invited to a birthday party, not wanted on youth sports because of the emphasis on winning. My son is my hero, through all the ups and downs(mostly downs), he gets up every day and does his best, even though it seems most people aren’t on his side. We are father/son, but also best friends. Wish society was more excepting of people that are different, different is not bad.

[PRC]

What an eloquent and intelligent man. I wish him the best!

[bg]

Blown away. When he said “Autism mishandled” my mouth dropped. What a profound realization. What he describes as “pre-fetishes” seem to have begun as a need for sensory input. Many children with autism use weighted vests and blankets because their bodies crave that sensory input. Had these feelings been addressed, he may not have gone down that path. No shade to mom who may not have had the money or resources to get him the appropriate therapy. I have a young teenage son on the autism spectrum. This is a special interview for me. All parents should heed his warning about the dangers of the internet - not just porn addiction, but gaming and violence, especially for those sensory-seekers and those with addictive tendencies. Good luck to this man. What an amazing interview. Thank you!

[thompsonappliance]

This has me crying. He verbalized my oldest son. Thank you

[elmorej]

There's a saying in the autism community. "If you've met one person with autism you've met one person with autism". We're like snowflakes. No two are the same. I lived 54 years on this earth knowing I was different and finally received a diagnoses late last year.

[c.randall]

This is a perfect example of how Autism is a "Spectrum Disorder." There are many levels of functioning that can fall under the umbrella diagnosis of Autism. This man is very articulate and intellectual. He really gives insight into the struggles he has faced and continues to face. Everyone can learn from him and develop understanding and empathy. Thank you for sharing.

[nicolasp]

Videos like this NEED to be shown in schools. We need to humanize people who come from difficult walks of life. Once we are able to understand why people are the way they are, we can open our hearts instead of ostracizing them.

[bobbywhite]

My step brother has autism. He can’t speak that well and has a lot of sensory issues. School was rough for him. Now he’s a solar engineer. His memory and problem solving skills are crazy.

[royhybrid]

As a fellow autistic black man, I can fully relate with this wholeheartedly, been through multiple mental breakdowns with little help dealing with it at all, misunderstood as a selfish pos for simply looking out for myself, my self-worth, and my boundaries.

I just simply wish that this world(especially in the West) would just kill their toxic egos and work with us better that's it. But sadly that's too much to ask.

Kudos to this young man for speaking up on this experience, we have to protect our narrative more than ever.

[CivilDefenceCanada]

We need more interviews and people willing to share their story like Adib here. Thank you for being brave enough and comfortable enough to share your story. A close friend has an autistic sibling who was misdiagnosed as ADHD for about 30 years and it's had a profound impact on his life and opportunities. So glad we now better understand and accept autism. Have a good one!

[stupka]

As an autistic person I wasn't really bullied when I was a kid, the most bulling I ever experienced was at a work place from other adult people. Autistic people are frank and honest, some "normal" people really hate us just for that.

[TBizzle]

As a mom to a 4 year-old Black autistic son, this gives me hope and a better understanding of how to raise my son. He's hyperlexic and very active but he's also a very kind soul like Adib. A lot of the things Adib mentioned certainly apply to my son, like needing to sleep with us and with the covers over his face. His dad and I try our best to be accommodating to his needs but I'm glad Adib focused on the need for being independent. All the best to you in the future! We need more autistic voices of color to raise awareness!

[dertythegrower]

You can tell already by 3 minutes he is very intelligent.
Most people, even after watching this... still will not understand the full subject of autistic spectrums.
But this is a great film and he is not a slow man...

[ryanestrada]

This hits home for me having a Autistic child and finding myself with the same issues as my son growing up. I thank god that kids nowadays are raised with the awareness of Autism. I was bullied very badly for my awkwardness. My mom took me to the school psychologist in elementary school and he said I was just a weird kid. Because of the education people are getting about Autism my son won’t be treated the way I was.

[porlawright]

I was trapped in a prison of autistic anxiety until I was 30 & was prescribed fluoxetine. It was miraculous. I went from a person who left school at 16 with zero qualifications to now writing scientific papers

[LH]

My son is in the spectrum. I myself am high functioning but did not realize it until I was in my late 30’s. It’s not easy. It takes a lot to conquer it… a lifelong battle. Improvement is gradually being made. God bless this guy, he has a good heart. Beautiful soul.

[becl]

I have a beautiful 16 year old son with level 3 Autism. He is unable to express (through speech) what he is thinking, feeling or experiencing. For the first time, I have had some true insight into what my son is feeling. I’ve wondered a billion times about what is going on in his head. Adib, thank you for this gift.

[malamaurer]

As a mom of an autistic child this was such a gift for me to listen to this morning. Thank you... immensely...for having the courage to speak. 💙 I wish someone like you was in my son's program. Parents of autistic children need you. What an incredible resource of experience and understanding 💙

[christahewitt]

My whole family is Autistic, husband and all the kids. People need to listen to Autistic people more when they speak. We will never have a society that protects and respects their differences if we continue to ignore them and infantilize them. It’s a neurological spectrum condition. Each one experiences it differently. We need to listen to and respect their differences. There’s nothing “wrong” with them, just differences. It CAN come with disabilities too, and we can accommodate them better if we learn what they need from the Autistic community.

[amasvodka]

No one should be bullied, period, but we really need to raise our collective standards if our society cannot include someone like Adib. It pains me that he has had to suffer all this abuse when he is obviously such a kind person. I send you all my love, Adib.