I saw your video talking about being invited to join late but other than that and maybe seeing an FM video or two by Kev I didn’t have any idea who any of you guys were before the panel. - I thought you were all great and brought different perspectives/experience/knowledge to the panel. I have studied on a Special Educational Needs & Disability studies BA and have had a diagnosis of BPD/Bi Polar since around 19, however I’ve always felt this wasn’t particularly accurate for a variety of reasons I won’t bore you with. I’ve spent the majority of my life slightly out of step/time with those around me and masking/hiding a lot of me out of embarrassment/shame/wanting to be “normal” I’ve gone through a few big life events in the last couple of years and despite consistently facing the challenges I have and having the Academic knowledge that I do it was listening to you guys talk over the weekend first hand of your experiences that has brought on the epiphany that even if the diagnosis I received in my late teens is correct that it is in conjunction with a form of neurodiversity. We picked up Bex’s book, my partner has finished it and is processing her own thoughts and feelings about it and how it relates to her, but when I started reading it today I couldn’t get past page 44 as some much of what was being said hit so hard and was echoing so much of what I’ve felt over various points of my life. I was just sobbing and felt so overwhelmed, although not nessercarily in a bad way 🤷‍♂️ I’m 33, if I hadn’t attended the panel I have no idea how many more years I would wait before acknowledging this and starting my own journey to get a diagnosis. Thanks to you and everyone on the panel - more neuro diverse voices need to be heard. You can tell someone what autism looks like to the point where their head is crammed full of academic knowledge and they have spent years of their professional life enabling/supporting autistic young people, but actually hearing someone experiencing autism describe how it *feels* and how it effects their life and the lives of those around them in the eloquent way you and your fellow panel members did is profoundly powerful. ❤️

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for writing this Luke, I was lost for words at first, I still am! I am so pleased I got to be a part of helping you like this and I really hope you find the answers you need. If there’s anything I or the others can help with moving forward please reach out.

Hey!! You were literally so so good on the panel, I felt like you had so many really unique perspectives which made good answers, you absolutely killed it! There were times when I felt like there were gaps in my answers and then you filled them in and it was good!! I'm so excited but also nervous to watch it back as well hahahaha but like you said, I also received 100% positive feedback so I think we were both probably better than we think we were xD Also, thank you for shouting out the book and also for being so kind about my work fdhgjsrh LOL I'm glad that Sensory was helpful!! Self diagnosis is valid!!!!! I will fight anyone who says otherwise huaha Also also, just adding to this as I'm watching lmao, I have the same thing where people think I'm wearing the same clothes but I just buy like 3 different versions of the same thing. I was wearing a black turtleneck + black shorts all MCM but it was 3 different sets >:3 I absolutely hated clothes shopping as a kid too and now I'm like *oh* it's autism LOL. Anyway!! Sorry for rambling looool it was super nice to meet you aaa I hope our paths cross again and we can hang out or something at somepoint :>!

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

Ah thank you! I hope we get to hang out in future too. I really appreciate the kind words, I totally convince myself that my perception is wrong or everyone else probably thinks the opposite, it’s exhausting! If we both felt it went well and everyone is positive, we’re probably good haha. I was nervous about messaging you and Rach this week, even though you literally told me to. Thank you for watching my rambles, let’s keep in touch!

@charlottevicarage1331

2 жыл бұрын

It was great meeting you both. When you mentioned autistic in the media, I thought it was interesting, and it reminded of a project I was doing throughout April where I had each character that I headcannoned as autistic throught each day. Also, when you guys talked about representition in kid's shows, I wanted to ask, have you tried adult media or indie movie for representation? One of these, would be Mary and Max, where the one of the protagnists, is a confirmed Aspie and the movie does showcase part his struggles with Aspergers, which was part of the speech he gave about him not wanting to be cured, but the movie contains a lot of dark moments, and some triggering ones too. It really is a beautiful movie and I recommend it regardless as it is heartwarming in a few places too. The movie is from the guy behind Harvey Krumpit, Adam Elliot. Also, some headcannons: Nathan Explosion, the frontman/vocalist of Dethklok from Metalocalypse. He is implied to have a learning disability and Aspergers. Hank Hill is another, as while he is a very traditional man, he does struggle with affection and is very rigid in the things he says and does.

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

@@charlottevicarage1331 that’s a cool project. I sometimes wonder if in certain cases the writers didn’t realise they were writing character traits that showed neurodiversity, like Hank Hill I agree he’s a good fit, but I wonder if they based him on a combination of stereotypes they felt showed a type of dad, and now 20-25 years on we’re like “ooooh, ok!”

@charlottevicarage1331

2 жыл бұрын

@@SheepdogSays Thry probably didn't, although with Hank Hill, they were writing him as a very traditional man who believes in hard work and honesty, which he laments America lost, although he does his best to support his son who he struggles to understand.

You were all great!! I’ve suspected I had adhd/autism for a while but going to the panel and subsequently reading sensory has given me the final piece I needed, I’ve made an appointment for a referral and I’ve started my diagnosis journey. I knew lots of the stereotypes of autism and didn’t feel a lot of them fit- since I’ve been on tiktok, and after going to the panel/reading sensory, I gained more information from people with autism about what they experience and how it *feels* to be autistic! You were all great, kind, and I felt like a lot was covered- I wish we had more time! I caught bex after and she talked to me about characters we like who represent autism (cannon or not) Thankyou so much!

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, i hope the referral gets you the answers you need! I’m so pleased I got to be a part of it and the impact it has had, if you have any questions along the way please ask! We definitely could’ve done with more time during the panel, but we all will continue to help any way we can moving forward.

@happyhoney2000

2 жыл бұрын

@@SheepdogSays thankyou!! I will, first step is getting the GP to understand the NHS right to choose pathway 😩😂

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

@@happyhoney2000 if your GP doesn’t quickly refer you, finding who they were supposed to refer you to and asking them for help is what I had to do to get somewhere.

I never thought about that with Frozen, but honestly the way you described the movie basically makes it make sense. A lot of times in movies and TV shows especially, it just seems like they want to make autism seem like a novelty, and makes a character autistic to make money off it. Like they have little to no experience with the spectrum, and that they've googled "traits of autism" and jammed that into the character with no consideration about the fact they're stereotypes. It really bugs me, and is one of the reasons I've recently been looking at ways to get into acting (y'know I've spent my entire life masking and acting like the supposed me, can't hurt to make it professional!) Also, to add onto the answer you gave about the should you get your teenager diagnosed question; yes. I got my diagnosis at 14, and just the weight lifted off my shoulders knowing I'm not broken, not weird, and that there's an explanation for why I'm the way I am has meant a ton to me personally. I get that some people might not "want to be autistic" because of the way society portrays autistics, but being open about it when you don't fit the stereotypes is one step closer to making people accept that it's a spectrum. I've now also talked to my doctor about a possible ADHD diagnosis, he gave me a simple adult diagnosis "fill in yourself" sheet, and at 24+ points, you show very strong indicators that you've got ADHD, and I got 40 points. My sister (who seems to have an opinion different to mine no matter what it is lol) suggested that it might not be ADHD, but untreated PTSD, as apparently PTSD can show some similarities. I don't really know, but PTSD has been a thing my family wanted me to check out before.

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

It’s hard to know isn’t it. A good therapist would be able to help you figure it out but presumably whichever it is you need support for the specific obstacles it creates for you. Acting is a cool shout. Lots of actors are autistic for exactly the reason you mention. They’re used to acting! Dan Ackroyd from ghost busters, and wentworth miller from prison break / flash come to mind.

@charlottevicarage1331

2 жыл бұрын

Symmetra, Max Horrowitz (Mary and Max, a movie I strongly recommend), Nathan Explosion (Metalocalypse), Billy Cranstoun (the Power Rangers movie reboot) are confirmed autistic characters.

Love Dr. Pepper 😊

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

I wish it was served more widely, definitely an S Tier drink.

I wish I was able to get a ehcp in college as they got rid of mine when I left school college made math and English horrible as I needed extra help I ended up Dropping out in second year due to not getting the help I needed i failed math and English first year even tho I was going to them weekly almost daily at one point to try and get help 🙄they just told me to go to classes after college when I had other work to do I wouldn't of had ant free time either and I had evidence of my ehcp from school I'm 19 now nearly 20 so I won't be able to go back as I would have to pay Sorry about my rant I just wish the college had listened to me 😒

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

Really sorry to hear that! If you ever feel you want to return to education you could look at university in future and get support there with your needs. I know people who didn’t do GCSEs but applied to uni as adults and had to do maths or English GCSE catch-ups alongside the course in year one (year one grades only have to be passes on many courses these days too as they don’t count towards the degree grade ) - I went to uni in my early 20s and it was so different compared to college and school. I also only had a pair of D grade A Levels to my name but my degree grade was a First. I was just able to find my personal way of learning etc.

@lilliwilkins5972

2 жыл бұрын

@@SheepdogSays oh nice I'll think about it tbh I think I just wanna work on my own cookie Business for the time being and see how fast it grows etc I love working for myself it might be slow growing but it's worth it 😊 thanks for replying to me I wish I had gone to comic con just to see the panel but I can't wait till it comes out on KZread 😊

@SheepdogSays

2 жыл бұрын

That sounds awesome too, I wish I had my own business idea but having an idea of what to do is a huge mental block for me. As soon as the panel is available we will all be tweeting it 👍🏻