Professor Matt Lerner, PhD joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about neurodiversity. What are some signs of autism? What did people with autism do in the past? What does reading with dyslexia feel like? What does it mean to be “on the spectrum?” Can I diagnose myself with ADHD with TikTok videos? Answers to these questions and many more await on Neurodivergent Support.
0:00 Neurodivergent Support
0:16 What exactly does it mean to be neurodivergent?
0:59 What dyslexia is actually like
1:58 Autism social masking
4:00 What is a “real” doctor anyway
5:48 Love On The Spectrum
6:51 Signs of autism
8:50 What is and isn’t stimming?
9:48 Autism: On the rise or just better diagnosed?
12:18 What exactly is ADHD?
13:22 What did people with autism do in the past?
14:30 Tourettes onset
14:55 Tics
15:56 ADHD and hyper focus
17:09 Does reading improve with practice for dyslexics?
17:47 Is there an autism gene?
18:49 Why is profanity a Tourette’s tic?
20:46 Medication
23:13 On the spectrum
25:55 Autism diagnosis age
27:15 Autism and IQ
28:12 Autism myths
Director: Justin Wolfson
Director of Photography: Kevin Dynia
Editor: Alex Mechanik
Expert: Matt Lerner
Line Producer: Jamie Rasmussen
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas; Brandon White
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Casting Producer: Nick Sawyer
Camera Operator: Lauren Pruitt
Sound Mixer: Rebecca O’Neill
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Supervising Editor: Erica DeLeo
Additional Editor: Samantha DiVito
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
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autism has become the new adhd.
i had to convince my friend she is not autistic. she finally went to a doctor for a diagnosis and he said it was trauma not autism
5:11 exactly!!!!
the people posting misinformation online are regular (usually young) people who need help. they’re struggling and either don’t have the means to seek diagnosis/treatment, or they have in the past and were treated like a hysterical, attention-seeking liar (ask me how i know 😀). it’s infuritating that unwell people are shamed for googling their symptoms and trying to figure out what’s wrong with their own brain in a deeply broken, for-profit healthcare system. have some compassion for the people trying to figure it out themselves. we created the environment and conditions to allow these things to happen. i wish every one of us could call up a doctor at the first instance we realize something is wrong, but we don’t live in that world unfortunately! and a LOT of people are suffering those consequences every day.
I need to watch this guy talk for 10 more hours
The thing with adhd and focus is that we have trouble managing it, not that we cannot focus at all. It’s more like sometimes we cannot do it on command, and other times we cannot stop focusing on something in particular. Other times, rarely, we find the comfortable middle ground.
Why do people think TikTok or any kind of social media is a legitimate way to diagnose any medical issues? Go to a real doctor ffs, if I was your personal doctor I would be rolling on the floor laughing if you told me you believe some guy on TikTok claims he’s a doctor and says if you do or have these things than you have x mental disorder
1:38 There’s no appreciable difference in comprehension for most of those words for me, even if I start with the second paragraph.
I wonder—- at what point should one seek out a diagnosis? Like- if someone exhibits traits associated with autism, but is not hindered in life to where they need intervention or help.
4:52 In fact, there are a lot of those features that are not presented in the diagnostic criteria, because it is simply unfeasible to make an exhaustive list of those features for diagnostic purposes. Furthermore, some of the features can be caused by many different thing independently, and thus cannot be used as a diagnostic criteria. For example, when I sit down with people, I often hold my arms crossed over my chest. Stereotypically that would mean I’m withdrawing and “protecting” myself, or otherwise uncomfortable, but in my case none of those are true. It’s all caused because I’m autistic and I like to hold my hands so, not caring if I look awkward. So, crossing my arms is one of my autistic features, but it is not found in the medical diagnosis criteria.
But this still doesn’t mean all the information found in the Ticktok would be correct.
My categorical inability to maintain eye contact without conscious effort is why I fit in so well in Tokyo. lol
Autism feels like that first cigarette puff in the morning or that first sip of coffee
Autism feels like a warm blanket on a cold day or that first shot of heroin.
Autism feels like that lazy Saturday morning in your jail cell breaking in a punk.
I think they are how people should be angels they live without forming to abusive hateful modes the world pushes on everyone and calls normal.They are so smart and beautiful I believe autism is due to poor nutrition in mothers be exposed to chemicals and it worsens bc they have their eating preferences of the same foods that don’t help brain development. That’s what I believe
i think its a bit late for that one chiefey;
hahahaha 🤷♂🤷♂
I thought this was really helpful
I might be a bit autistic. I do have ADHD. With me i have an odd quirk or two. Like i like to quantify things. Like instead of saying “almost done” with a task i might say ” I am about 85% done”. Things like that.
As far as ADHD is concerned the best way to describe it is trying to watch TV but someone else has the tv remote. I want to watch the news. The channel flips now it is ESPN. Now it is an infomercial. Now it is a cooking show. Back to local news. Now a music video.. now Cartoon Network. Now back to news for a bit. Now a movie on HBO. Now news..
The Tiktok doctor question killed me 💀 but he answered it perfectly. I can imagine it’s not the first time he’s been asked that lmao
ADHD hyperfocus makes a lot more sense when you understand that ADHD isn’t a lack of attention, it’s a lack of _control_ over attention.
In my experience, it’s closely related to being in a flow state. Being in flow feels really good, and when I get there it can be hard to escape if I need to do something else. Forcing myself to think about something _other_ than what I’m hyperfocusing on takes constant intense effort, like climbing a hill of slowly pouring sand. One misstep and I’m back at the bottom.
LOL! I have dyslexia, and I had to read the second paragraph 3 times to see how it might be hard to read. After 51 years of living with dyslexia, that second paragraph may as well have been written perfectly.
Is there a free test to take to see if someone is on the autism spectrum?
He was my professor in college. He’s an amazing professor and very kind person! So glad he has his own episode