*THREAD TIME* As some of you may know, last year I won a game show. When this clip was shared, I was met with comments about my speed and some even questioned if I was on the autism spectrum. I didn’t know at the time but it turns out that I am

I’m not going to get into the racial implications of mental health but I will say that I was never really taken seriously until I was about 19/20. My difficulties were always reduced to teenage hormones and exam stress without any regard for neurology or socio-econ factors

I’ve always known that my brain was wired differently to others but I never considered that I might be autistic until others suggested it based off that clip. I just assumed that because I wasn’t like the mostly white male representation of ASD that I couldn’t possibly be

I’ve always struggled to understand why I’m always getting things wrong. Questioning whether it was something that a ‘real human’ would do and being unable to ‘read’ people. It’s always seemed as though everyone else is (pardon me) sitting on a ‘bad boy piece of information’

While I was a shy kid, I just forced myself to act ‘normal’, meaning that the possibility of me being autistic was never flagged. What were really symptoms of ASD were reduced to ‘quirkiness’ and I was just resigned to being ‘a bit weird’ at best, but a ‘problem’ at worst

I say all this to say that there have been so many instances in my life, in childhood but perhaps even more so in adulthood, where it would’ve helped both myself and others involved to have known that I was on the spectrum

The way in which we (mis)understand ASD, particularly in regards to how we raise young girls, is detrimental to the happiness of those who have it and those they’re interacting with. This clarity now means that I can try to find ways to combat my social and emotional issues

So if someone doesn’t seem like they’re on the same wavelength as you, they’re probably well aware and it likely causes them great anxiety so be kind and patient with them as they’re probably trying to figure themselves out. Basically, don’t be a dick