(neon words buzz) - So, you want some common autistic traits you never knew were signs of autism. Okay, how about 64 of them? I've got 64 things that you didn't know were autistic traits. How many do you have? Let's go. (slow rhythmic electronic music) Welcome my friend. It
is so great to see you. Thank you for stopping
by to watch this video. I'm Orion Kelly, That Autistic Guy. I'm all about helping you raise
your level of understanding, acceptance, and appreciation
of the autistic community. So, if that sounds like
something you'd be interested in you're welcome to join my most
amazing YouTube community. And, don't forget to check
out my purpose-built, dedicated video podcast YouTube channel, "Orion Kelly Podcasts." Here we go. 64 things that you might not have known were signs of autism. I wonder how many will apply to you. I guess we'll find out now. Sign number one, difficulty
with eye contact. Do you avoid eye contact
during conversations. Do you find it hard to
maintain eye contact, understand when to use eye contact, or does it just make
you feel plain strange? Number two, trouble
reading facial expressions. This could be not understanding, or struggling to work out
how someone's feeling, based on their facial expression. Number three, sensory sensitivities. Very common as autistic people, that we experience sensory
sensitivities in all manner, and at all extremes, and
levels, and manifestations. It's different for everyone. Though, universally we experience them. For you, it could be certain
textures, certain touches, or it could be certain
sounds, certain brightnesses, certain stimuli in the environment. Sign number four, social anxiety. Do you experience social anxiety? That feeling of nervousness
in social interactions that uneasy feeling of
anxiety and nervousness in social situations
can be a sign of autism. Number five, literal thinking. Do you struggle to understand
figurative language, or things, like, "whoa, it's raining cats
and dogs out there?" This can be based on a literal
thinking, autistic brain, a brain that stays in the
literal and logic part of our brain, rather
than the emotional part. Sign number six is a difficulty
with abstract thinking. This can manifest in many different ways. It could be struggling to
understand the concept of money, or understanding the concept of time. Things that you could look
at as abstract things, again attributed to that
literal logical thinking brain. Sign number seven,
difficulty with transitions. And, I don't mean how I edit
my videos, (nervous laughter) so, 'cause that is a difficulty of mine. Do you get upset, have
challenges, struggle with changing activities,
changing routines, moving from one thing to the next. Building on that, sign number
eight, difficulty with change. Whether it's anxiety, or stress,
or just plain challenging, changes to anything can be very
detrimental to your ability to regulate yourself, and more
to that, unexpected change. That's a big one. Things that you weren't foreseeing, that you didn't expect to happen, to change or alter your day. Not good. Number nine, do you
have a need for routine? Do you feel more comfortable
when you're following a set routine, a stringent
plan that's carried out, day, after day, after day? Is that something you
yearn for? You thrive in? Sign number 10, difficulty
with social cues. So, you may struggle to understand when someone's communicating
in a non-verbal way. So, it could be by body language, it could be by non-verbal
cues, facial expressions, those types of non-verbal communication. Number 11, difficulty with small talk. I don't have a difficulty
with it, I hate it. Why do I hate it? 'Cause I'm really bad at it. So, yeah. Do you struggle to make conversation, about everyday topics,
with, just, everyday people? Sign number 12, difficulty with sarcasm. Now, this is a tricky one, 'cause I find myself
very naturally sarcastic, although I'm sometimes
the last to understand if someone is being sarcastic to me. And, I definitely
experience this with my son. My autistic son doesn't know
when I'm being sarcastic a lot of the time. I have to explain it to him. But, it's so entrenched in
my natural way of being, that I do it without thinking. Nevertheless, not realizing,
or not always being aware when someone is being sarcastic. Another sign. Added to that, sign number
13, difficulty with humor. And, basically, this is a
challenge in understanding jokes, understanding puns, understanding people, attempting humor in a way
that's not obvious to you, or, in fact, obvious to most people. Number 14, do you have trouble
understanding or relating to other people's emotions? This is a challenge, and
this is where the myth came that autistic people have
no empathy, we lack empathy. That's not true. What we lack, or we are challenged with is the ability to properly
identify the emotions of others, be able to process that, and convey something
proportionately appropriate back to them, about what we've conveyed. And, that sounds very complicated. Sign number 15, difficulty
with emotional regulation. Do you become easily upset, dysregulated, or overwhelmed by emotions? Sign 16, difficulty with impulse control. Acting impulsively without
thinking things through, without considering the
consequences, or ramifications, can be something experienced
by an autistic person pretty regularly. Certainly, something I can struggle with. Number 17, do you have a strong interest in very specific topics? And, I'm talking about almost
obsessively researching, learning, coming to
understand a particular topic, a topic that's taken your fancy,
isn't just a passing shot, it's like, "okay, now I will
disappear for three weeks of intensive research, and
I will reappear an expert on this particular topic, back soon." Sign number 18, difficulty
with executive functioning. And, this is a massive
challenge for autistic people. Executive function, uneven productivity, the ability to manage time and tasks. It's a clear challenge, faced
by a lot of autistic people. So, an example would be, finding
it hard to plan out tasks, or projects, and more generally, struggling to manage
your time effectively. Building on that, number 19,
a difficulty prioritizing. Do you find it hard to identify what task is the most important? This is a big issue for
me as an autistic person. I prioritize the task I'm
doing, and that's the priority. It doesn't matter if
there's seven other tasks that are more important, in
the grand scheme of things, according to my family, or my
wife, or work, or whatever. It's not how my brain looks at it. Number 20, challenges making decisions. Do you struggle making decisions? And, I'm talking even about small things. Sign 21, difficulty with problem solving. For me, and in general
terms, for the most part, this comes down to finding it hard to solve problems independently, so without the support of others. Keeping in mind, the idea
of a diagnosis of autism comes down to the premise that
you have daily support needs. Sure, they may be different to others, some may have high support
needs, low support needs, but they're fluid and changed by the day. The fact is, for these types of things, you require the support, the assistance of others to
complete the particular task, whether it's making a
decision, prioritizing, whatever it may be. Number 22, difficulty in multitasking. Even though, in my mind,
multitasking is a myth, a fallacy, an utter joke. You can't multitask. You can switch tasks, rant over, before it even started. I guess the point is, do you struggle to do
multiple things at once? Number 23, difficulty taking turns. Oh, slightly differently put, a challenge in understanding
when it's your turn. Do you find yourself interrupting others, and not realizing you've
actually done that? Because you are talking,
something's popped up, and you've just said it, and they've said, "hey, you cut me off." And, you might not even realize that. Or, you might have done it,
not wanting to offend them, but you felt like you had no other option, because something's popped into your head. You struggle, or you have a challenge, remembering that it's about give and take. And, is it your turn? Isn't it your turn? You might not wait for your turn to speak. Another example, or you might
monopolize the conversation. Sign number 24, a difficulty in sharing. This is interesting. This isn't just about kids
and not sharing toys, right? So, for adults, autistic adults, this can manifest like
you have a difficulty, or you feel challenged, in your want or ability
to share possessions, to even share experiences. You know, I might be in
the car with my family, see something out the
window that's amazing, and I might not even mention it to them. It doesn't occur to me,
I'm just enjoying it. Should I, "hey guys, look in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, no." You know, do you know what I mean? It's honestly, and even as an adult, you feel like, "no, I don't
want to share, this is my thing. These are my things, I don't
want you to touch them." Number 25, do you have a
difficulty with joint attention? Hmm, what's that? So, basically, it's
having trouble focusing on the same thing as someone else. Number 26, a difficulty
with imaginative play, or role playing. As a dad, this is not my thing. Do you struggle, like me, to
engage in imaginative play, or role playing, with others? I do. Number 27, it's obvious, but worth noting. Do you have challenges
with social activities. Now, as a kid this might be social play, as an adult it might be social activities. In other words, do you
struggle to know how you engage in social activities, in social play? You don't actually know the
rules of how it all works, and you don't, you're, kind of, you're standing there watching. You are there, but you are not there. Sign number 28, is a difficulty with
cooperative play or work. This is great for not only autistic kids, but autistic adults. Let's move away from play, and let's take it to the adult world. Do you struggle to work
together with other people? Do you struggle to work well with others? Do you hear that at work you are great, but you just aren't a team player, or don't work well with others? And, this isn't a malicious thing. You know, as a rule, if you are an undiagnosed autistic person, you are not doing this 'cause you want to, you want to work well with
others, you just struggle to. Number 29, do you prefer to
work, rest, or play alone? Do you prefer the company of yourself? Alone time, is that important
to you in an unhealthy way? (mischievous laugh) "Well,
maybe to them, not to me," then yes, (giggles)
welcome aboard my friend. Number 30, is difficulty
with self-regulation. In other words, finding it
hard to control your emotions, your behaviors, the
things that come inwardly, and go outwardly. Sign 31, is interesting. It's a difficulty with self-awareness. Do you struggle to understand
your own strengths? Your own weaknesses? Do you have a blind spot? An inability to create a
level of self-awareness that allows you to thrive. Adding to self-awareness, number 32 is a difficulty
in self-monitoring. An example could be do you struggle to reflect on
your own behavior or actions? Number 33, low self-esteem, bad
self-esteem, no self-esteem. Do you always feel down? Do you always lack confidence? Do you always have a dim view of yourself? Sign number 34, a difficulty
with self-advocacy. Now, this is very different
for every autistic person. Some autistic people are very good at advocating for themselves. Others struggle to communicate it in a way that other people are able
to understand and help them. Others communicate in different ways, that the neurotypical
world refuse to understand, or accept, or learn. So, there's many different issues here. Number 35, difficulty
initiating conversations. Do you find it hard to start
conversations with people, let alone continue them, or
finish them, just starting them. Don't cha' hate starting conversations? Oh man, it stresses me out. Number 36, maintaining conversations. Do you struggle to maintain conversations? In other words, the act of
keeping a conversation alive, going, is that hard? Yes it is. And, my favorite one outta this three-set conversational sign, number 37, a difficulty
ending conversations. Do you find it hard to work out when to end the conversation? How to end the conversation? Yeah, that's me. I'm the dude on the phone
that has absolutely no idea when it's supposed to finish,
how it's supposed to finish, and, in my life, I don't feel like I've ever
had a phone conversation end in any fashion that
wasn't 100% awkward, and icky, and. (dramatically fake gags) We should just make it
a rule in conversations. You state what you wanna
state and then you leave. How could that be? Just me. Number 38, difficulty with body language. Now this is not only
about struggling to read the body language of others, this is also about struggling
to use body language, whether it's appropriately,
correctly, or at all. Sign number 39, difficulty
with tone of voice. Keep in mind my passion,
my special interest, my background has been in media, so I've learnt the skills
required to work in radio, TV, multimedia, whatever. Struggling with tone of voice is still a concern and an issue for me. Don't get me wrong, you
are watching a video that's been edited and recorded. It's not normal situation here. Struggling to use tone, the correct tone to convey what you're trying to say, what you mean, what you
need, what you want, is a real challenge for autistic people. Number 40 is difficulty with
inflection in your voice. Again, this is cultural. Many countries have different
inflections on the words, and the way they speak and talk. And, that's normal, right? Wherever you may be on the planet you're going to sound different. Cool, but it's that difficulty
in varying your tone to emphasize certain words or meanings, to convey what you need to say, by not only using tone,
but varying the tone. Number 41, difficulty with volume control. You don't need to tell this to
my wife, (scoffs humorously) as an autistic person,
who has an autistic son, it's pretty much every second
of the day where it's like, "please don't yell, inside voice." And, this is just bottom
line challenge, my friend. Speaking too loudly in general terms, speaking too softly in general terms, without realizing it, without knowingly and
willingly trying to do that. The idea that someone would
go "don't yell, stop yelling." I'll go, "I'm not yelling. I
didn't realize I was yelling, I was talking, I'm getting a
bit passionate and excited. I didn't know I was yelling. The idea that it's not even,
doesn't even occur to me. Difficulty with pitch is another sign. And, this can manifest in
speaking in a monotone voice, a seemingly robotic voice, or just with a limited range of pitch. Number 43, difficulty with intonation. So, struggling to vary the pitch or speed, to convey the appropriate
meaning or emotion that you are trying to convey. Sign number 44, difficulty with prosody, which, in effect, is struggling to use
the appropriate rhythm, intonation, and melody in your speech. Number 45, difficulty in articulation. This is basically
struggling to make clear, and distinct speech sounds. Sign number 46, a
difficulty with vocabulary. Again, every autistic person's different. For some, this may manifest as
having a limited vocabulary. For others, it may manifest
as having a difficulty in retrieving words. Word retrieval, so you know the words, you've got a vocabulary, you are just struggling to
retrieve the words that you want. Therefore, that manifests to people like you don't have a good vocabulary, 'cause you don't use
lots of different words. Sign number 47, difficulty with grammar. And, I don't mean the parent
of your parent, I mean grammar. You know, like, struggling
with the rules of language, and structure of language. 48 is a difficulty with syntax. Do you struggle with the order and arrangement of words in a sentence? Difficulty with syntax. Number 49, a difficulty with semantics. You ever hear this, "hey, in
the end, it's all semantics." Word games, words,
struggling with the meaning, and interpretation of words and phrases is an example of
difficulties with semantics. Sign number 50, echolalia. What? Repeating the words,
phrases, sounds of others. Sounds, words, phrases you've
heard from other people, or other things. Sign number 51, difficulty
recognizing faces. Now, this has a fancy word, but when I say it doesn't sound so good. Don't make me say it. Please don't make me. Prosopagnosia. You made me say it. What is wrong with you? Number 52, a difficulty
with central coherence. Hmm? Do you struggle to see the big picture, or do you struggle to connect
details into a larger context? Sign 53, intense interests. Do you find you spend the
majority of your time, deeply engrossed in a particular passion, or a particular interest? As an autistic person, I
don't really consider myself someone who has hobbies,
who dabbles in things, who does activities with
others on the weekends. I spend time doing my special interest, my intense interest, my passion. That's what I, and when the world gets in
the way of me doing that, I'm not very happy. Number 54, sensory seeking behaviors. Do you seek out sensory inputs, whether that's taste, or
smell, or sound, or brightness? Number 55 is hyposensitivity. Do you find yourself less sensitive to certain sensory inputs? Things like pain or temperature? Number 56, lack of coordination. Are you just plain unco? Having difficulty with physical
coordination and movement can be signs of an autistic person. Certainly something I experience. You can get better, but
it doesn't come natural. Sign number 57, building on our last one, a difficulty with fine motor skills. This could be anything from struggling to tie your own shoelaces,
to do little fidgety, small things with your fingers and hands, or something as simple as handwriting. Have you always struggled
to do handwriting in a way that's appropriate to others? Is it messy, or does it make
you feel weird and icky? I find if I hand write for too long, my whole body feels really agitated. Number 58, difficulty
with gross motor skills. Maybe you're one of those people that's had trouble all their life, doing things like jumping, whether it's like jump rope, or running. These types of gross
motor skill exercises, or actions, or movements. Sign number 59, I can relate
to this one, big time. Difficulty with balance. I reckon I'm stepping off
a ship most of the time. I said ship. Do you struggle to maintain your balance, especially during physical
activities or movements? Another sign. Number 60, difficulty with proprioception. Did I say that right? It's close enough. In other words, do you have difficulties
with your spatial awareness, or your body position,
where you are in the world? Number 61, let's talk about that. A difficulty specifically
with spatial awareness. Do you find it challenging to understand, or navigate physical spaces? Understand where you are
in the physical space, or navigate physical spaces. I'm always walking into door frames. It's, they haven't moved. They're always there at the same spot. It's like I, or bumping into people. How is that possible? Am I trying to start a fight? No. Sign number 62, difficulty
with visual processing. Do you have trouble processing or making sense of visual information? Number 63, difficulty
with auditory processing. This is massive for autistic people, and absolutely autistic kids. And, it can really frustrate
parents and teachers if they don't actually
understand what's happening here. Bottom line is, autistic
people can absolutely struggle to process, to make sense
of auditory information. In other words, information
that we are listening to, or hearing, giving us verbal
instructions might not work. We might struggle to sit in a lecture and absorb what you are telling us, or get verbal commands
at work, or at school. That's a clear and genuine struggle. And, our 64th, and final thing
that you may not have known was a sign of autism, is a difficulty with tactile processing. Do you find it hard or
challenging to process, or make sense of, tactile information? As always, I'm not a
healthcare practitioner. I can only provide you my own
personal lived experiences as an autistic person. If this video has resonated with you, your next step would be to discuss it with your family doctor, or GP. Hey, if you've liked this video, share it with your family and friends, And, If you have an idea for a topic you'd like me to cover
in an upcoming video, well let's see it, down in the comments. Thank you so much for your support. Until my next video. Thanks for watching, we'll talk soon.
