Other Neurodivergent Creators
It takes a lot of voices to even begin to paint a picture that reflects the spectrum of experiences. These are just a few of the videos I've found relatable or important to understanding the vast topic that is neurodivergence.
ND content creator videos
Autistic_AF - What if Neurotypicals are the disordered ones?
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Mike delivers a powerful thought experiment with a touch of humor... by flipping the script and describing Neurotypical behaviors as the deficits! He shares social traits inherent to Neurotypical Spectrum Disorder (NSD) like “having a noted difficulty in engaging in deep and meaningful discussions, often defaulting back to small talk as a default interaction mode”, or, “having diverse, but superficial interests.” Mike exposes the absurdity of these juxtapositions in an impactful way, leaving us to rightfully re-think viewing autism through a lens of deficits as opposed to differences.
Alexander Avila
TikTok gave me Autism
With a title like that, how could we not click on it? This video gives a deep philosophical insight into not only self diagnosis, but the profound considerations behind man given 'labels' to begin with.
It was Rene Descartes that said "I think, therefore I am". What can really be proved outside our own thoughts and existence? And just who are these gatekeepers that have the power to define our reality anyway?
Olivia Hops
How Discontinued Products hurt autistics
In this video Olivia explores how our struggle with change can present itself in quite a unique way that's rarely discussed. It can be hard for us to find things we like - from scents in shampoos, certain foods, to certian clothing styles. What do we do when the products we rely on get discontinued? This topic may seem trivial and dramatic to most - but to the neurodivergent person this can be a major deal.
TEDx - Why everything you know about autism is wrong
"I am not disabled by my autism... I am disabled by my environment" Looking at the paradigm shift of the medical model of deficits surrounding autism. The neurodiversity paradigm is an alternative way of thinking about autism. It describes autism as a part of the natural range of variation in human neurological development. There's no right or wrong types of brains." The social model shows that an autistic person might be disabled by a noisy crowded shopping mall... But if that shopping mall was quiet and suddenly not crowded, the individual would still be autistic but no longer disabled by their environment.
Autistimatic
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Regression and the mask behind the mask
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For everyone that likes to think of themselves as high functioning there's still a low functioning conspicuously autistic person hidden away. All it takes is the right combination of stress and trauma... that specific bundle of cognitive demands that can strip away the mask that was hiding the struggles we thought we had put behind us.
Foster on the spectrum
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Masking + Unmasking Autism
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Foster talks about how a friend told her "We all mask sometimes. Like sometimes I pretend to not be tired." But news flash, you can't sleep off your autism.
There are many videos on this subject but this is one of the best I've seen that describe what it is and why we do it. She even rolls in how to unmask, if appropriate, by asking viewers to consider what felt natural that they suppressed before.
Am I Neurodivergent?
ASD vs. Aspergers - the circular firing squad
Exploring the unintended consequences of changing the terminology, stopping the worsening divide, and understanding the identity of those previously diagnosed with aspergers. In this video we learn to acknowledge the controversial nature behind this term while simotaneously examining how we can come together and support one another as a community, as opposed to pulling ourselves further apart through these distinctions.
Yo Samedy Sam
Adult Autism Diagnosis: When people don't believe you
Sam is one of my favorite creators and this topic is one that I feel passionate about. When someone doesn't see autism in you it's a reflection of them, not you. Also, did you know Anthony Hopkins was diagnosed with Autism in his '70s? Concepts like this might be an easier conduit into helping people re-shape their idea of what Autism looks like.