Unfiltered Feels
The podcast where we talk about the quiet stuff out loud.
Unfiltered Feels
Autism
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Ally from Unfiltered Feels Podcast and Sam Mitchell, the host of Autism Rocks and Rolls, discuss the daily struggles related to autism, incorporating personal interests and coping mechanisms.
Welcome back. Today we're diving into a topic that so many people think they understand, but very few actually do. Autism. For this episode, we're not going to define autism by a list of symptoms. We're here to explore what it means to live it, love through it, and understand it beyond the labels. When most people hear the word autism, they picture one version of it. But autism is a spectrum, not a single experience. Every person's brain processes the world in its own unique way, through sound, light, emotion, and connection. Some people might be highly verbal and logical, and others might find comfort in patterns or routines. Some might communicate through art, movement, or emotion, rather than words, and none of that is wrong. It's simply different. The truth is, autism isn't something to be fixed. It's something to be understood. Today, I'll be joined by a special guest who will show us a little bit of insight into his daily life and will show us how he's using his autism diagnosis to his advantage. So without further ado, here we go. How are you doing today?
SPEAKER_00Good, good, how about you?
SPEAKER_01Not too bad. So I'm Allie. Thanks for coming today. If you want to just start by introducing yourself and then we can go on.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so hello everyone. My name is Sam Mitchell. I run a podcast called Autism Rocks and Rolls. It's a podcast about autism, how you cope with the struggles that you may or may not understand. We have a podcast, it's grown so much. I develop sponsors, a board, I do events in any answers where I'm from, and motivational speaking services too.
SPEAKER_01Oh wow, that's great. How long have you been doing the podcast for?
SPEAKER_00Since October 2019.
SPEAKER_01Okay, awesome. And you said that you uh it's like all about uh your day-to-day life and things like that.
SPEAKER_00I've covened daily struggles, but there's also some interviews on there. I've interviewed several professional wrestlers, several actresses, several AGT contestants, and then I've had some fun on the podcast by comparing stuff to autism, but it's really stuff I like and the hobbies of mine.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's really cool. That's so cool. So um what do you wish more people understood? Like what it actually means to be autistic?
SPEAKER_00I wish people more people understood that being autistic means actually kind of fun and not derogatory. You get to be more creative than others and think outside the box.
SPEAKER_01Okay. And do you have any um I know you said you do have some everyday struggles, but what would be like the most common struggle for you throughout the day that maybe other people wouldn't realize?
SPEAKER_00The socializing.
SPEAKER_01Socializing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, socializing in big groups. So I mean, I went to a conference last week and I'm pooped out from it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I can imagine. Wow.
SPEAKER_00And I had to do Thanksgiving family dinner today, and I'm wondering how the heck I'm gonna do that. It's an early one because our cousin's back in town. I'm thinking, oh boy. Don't don't hate my family or nothing. It's just I've done a lot of socializing. Can I just have a day where it's by myself, please?
SPEAKER_01Right, yeah. You gotta re- rebuild that battery back up.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and the battery bandwidth for those on the spectrum of socializing is a bit low.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, okay.
unknownAll right.
SPEAKER_01And what do you think some of your strengths are or uniqueness?
SPEAKER_00Well, one of the strengths that I see is I tell you how it is and what's gonna happen. You may not want to hear it, but do I care? No.
SPEAKER_01That's good.
SPEAKER_00The this podcast is called Unfiltered Feels. Well, I'll give you the unfiltered feel, period.
SPEAKER_01I like that. We need people like that, so that works. Um And then what do you think people who might be dealing with um their self-acceptance or having an autism diagnosis? Do you have any tips or pointers for them to help you know boost them up or help them to figure out that maybe because they're different, it's not actually a bad thing, like you said?
SPEAKER_00I would say the biggest tip I can give is use your autism to your advantage. There's something out there for everyone. We used to believe when I was younger, my special interests were obsessions, but now we call it practicing for future skills because those skills that they're doing over and over and over again, and that's all we want to talk about, can lead you to something. For the longest time I talked about professional wrestling. Where's it led me to be today? Interviewed and known the knowledge so I can interview 11 professional wrestlers.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's really cool. Um, congratulations on it. That's a big thing. And how do you feel like you handle situations where maybe you're feeling misunderstood?
SPEAKER_00Well, getting misunderstood, first of all, really does stink. But I think the way I handle the misunderstandings is I just try to educate by telling them the facts. And also, okay, I'd still tell you, let me show you what I can do. You've heard the phrase actions speak louder than words, well, I use that phrase as much as I can.
SPEAKER_01Okay, that's a good idea. Because you're right, actions, in my in my opinion, actions do speak louder than words, because you can tell me you're sorry a million times, but if you continue to do it. Do you feel like there's still a lot of misinformation around autism out there?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I feel like if you go online, they got a lot of bad stuff, but not a lot of good stuff. They'll tell you you have meltdowns, but they won't say what to do what about the meltdowns. They'll just say they're gonna have meltdowns. Thank you, have a nice day. Not the case. We need to know what to do.
SPEAKER_01And are you able to um tell your family, you know, how they can support you, or was that hard to do at first?
SPEAKER_00Hard into me at first. Then they taught me how to self-advocate for myself. And I would say I've been self-advocating since I was about eight or nine.
SPEAKER_01Okay. And how would you empower you know others to maybe self-advocate for themselves?
SPEAKER_00Well, I don't think you really can get around it unless you want to be screwed screwed. You have to do it. Because if you don't, the system isn't gonna come to you. Sometimes you have to come through the system by asking the teacher kind of the modified vocabulary test, because as an adult, it's our responsibility. That's how we grow up. So I can't really give you life of wisdom other than the biggest slap on the back and say, it's hard growing up, deal with it.
SPEAKER_01That's good. Because sometimes, you know, we are my family, sometimes, you know, there was like, oh, okay, you know, it's okay, just keep going. But if maybe if I would have just kind of sat down and did it, it would have been a little bit different for me. Um, but that's okay. And then uh let me see. Do you do you know of any resources for people where that are like good resources for them to look up maybe online to see a little bit more about themselves or how to help?
SPEAKER_00I know speech therapy is a good one. I'll give you that one right there. And then I know a lot of ABA therapy, I've heard mixed reviews about it, but I've heard nothing but positive, so I'm not gonna say go to ABA. If ABA doesn't work, don't use it, but it's worth a shot, in my opinion. And then speech therapy is something else I believe I said if I remember correctly, and then trying another resource for you. A lot of online resources if you look really hard, because I have through my podcast being able to find some really good online resources. You just have to figure out if they tell you how it is, make sure they're giving you a solution too, or they're not being so negative that they're blaming the child with autism because some behaviors is not their fault. Believe me, we wouldn't have meltdowns if we couldn't help it.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. Okay. And do you have any specific um strategies that help you um either calm you down or cope with anything?
SPEAKER_00Lots of music, lots of mus lots of music, lots and lots and lots of hanging and away from people.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So that alone time is necessary for you.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Um well, we went through all my questions that I had so far. So is there anything you want to share or anything?
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean, something I can't share as I know a TEDx talk we had do it virtually because of COVID, but it's still qualified as a TED Talk. You can find that on my website, which is where you can find me too, on autismrocksandrolls.com.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Perfect. And is that where they can find your the information for your podcast and all of that too?
SPEAKER_00Yep, they can find everything on there.
SPEAKER_01Okay, perfect. All right. Well, I'm just making sure I feel like you you touched on all my questions, so thank you for that.
SPEAKER_00My answer is short but sweet.
SPEAKER_01Hey, you know what? That that's okay.
SPEAKER_00And you're not like my friend though, he's pretty good at elaborating. Me, I'm like the polar opposite. I just tell you how it is, and then there you go. Have a nice day.
SPEAKER_01Right, that's okay. Well, it works out for you because now you get some time back, hopefully, to rest before your Thanksgiving a little bit.
SPEAKER_00A little bit. I probably have to eat some breakfast beforehand, and you got some other work to do, so not a whole lot of resting, but I did a little bit last night before I came up with my family.
SPEAKER_01Okay. All right. All right. Well, I hope you have a good Thanksgiving and then a good Christmas too, okay?
SPEAKER_00All right. You too, buddy.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Bye-bye.
SPEAKER_00Uh bye-bye now.
SPEAKER_01I always love hearing stories like that because I am struck by how much growth happens when we just start listening without trying to fix everything. I think he's gonna be a great resource to everyone out there who's listening who might be struggling with their diagnosis or who might be feeling like just because they're different, that their life is gonna be very different from everyone else around them. But he is proof that he's not letting his diagnosis control him. And in fact, he's using it to his advantage as he stated. So let's get back to it. Autism isn't just a diagnosis, it's a way of experiencing life. It's feeling the world differently, sometimes more intensely, sometimes more beautifully. And yes, it can be hard, but it can also bring out the most authentic kind of love and creativity that doesn't just rely on words, eye contact, or expectations. Sometimes presence is just enough. As we heard earlier, he needed time to reset. He needed time alone, and his family members honor that, and that shows a different kind of love to him that he needs that he knows to recharge his battery. When we take time, as family members or friends, or even strangers, to understand someone else's world, we realize that communication isn't about changing them. It's about meeting them exactly where they are. Whether you're a parent, a sibling, teacher, or a friend, you can help build a world that's more inclusive for people with autism. Here are some small but powerful ways. Listen more than you label. Not every silence needs filling. Advocate with empathy. Ask how you can support them rather than assuming, and empower them to be their own advocate. We learned that that was a very powerful thing with our guest speaker. Learned from the lived experience. Autistic voices are the experts. Follow them, read about them, and amplify them. They're the ones living this day in and day out. And maybe some of them aren't as vocal about it, or maybe some of them don't want to speak about it, but there are people out there who would like to speak about it and who would love to answer your questions, especially if you don't understand. And last but most important probably, let go of perfection. Progress might not look like what you expected, but that's okay. Be there, supportive, listening, caring, and maybe you'll learn something along the way. To anyone listening who's walking through this journey, whether you're autistic yourself or someone you love is, you're not alone. Your story matters, your experience matters, and you deserve to be seen exactly as you are. If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who might need to hear it. And if you'd like to share your story for an upcoming episode, you can find my guest form in the link. Alright, that's it for today. Next week, we're gonna talk about why one size does not fit all when we're talking about mental health. And it's a conversation we all need to have. Thank you for being here, for being human, and for letting yourself feel. Just a reminder: this podcast is all heart, not healthcare. Please talk to a professional for medical advice. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Patreon at Unfiltered Feels Podcast, share this with someone who needs it, or leave a review. And don't forget, the things you're feeling, you're not alone. I'll see you next time.