Not sure I have a favourite, although I do know that a number of historical figures (Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Mozart, etc.) probably had autism and several well-known actors (Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dan Ackroyd) and other celebrities (Susan Boyle) have been diagnosed.

I definitely admire Susan Boyle for the courage it would have taken to front up on stage and perform the first time. The amount of stress I’d be experiencing if that were me would have made me physically ill.

I feel like I can somewhat understand Dan Ackroyd, though, as he has said his “obsession” with ghosts is what provided the drive for the original Ghostbusters films. Even though I don’t share that as a special interest, it does make me smile to think that his level of enthusiasm in the films was probably genuine enjoyment of being able to do something he was passionate about at the time.

Temple Grandin is also worth a mention for her accomplishments and autism advocacy.

I think I understand. It sounds like “family” movies or shows with emotional content are particularly intense for you (I don’t think they “pander to your emotions” as such, just that NTs experience and regulate their emotions differently and these films are not made with the autistic experience in mind). Books and comics are likely much easier to process since it’s just visual sensory input (and typically not intense input at that) without the auditory nor all the body-language cues.

One of my relatives (now deceased; he was never diagnosed but in retrospect some of the traits are obvious) always struggled with shows and movies aimed at children and families - he found them too emotional - where as crime shows, mysteries and documentaries were far more palatable. Certain scenes in films are overwhelming for me as well (emotional montages are often the most likely trigger), but usually it’s the just overall volume level or if there’s a lot of visual flashes/flickering that is taxing for me.

I can’t be sure what will work for you, but based on my past experience, people have less familiarity with the sensory issues associated with autism than they do with individual sensory issues (e.g. flickering lights and epilepsy, or sounds and hearing/balance complications). Perhaps you could mention that you have sensitive hearing and that loud noises like shouting are painful, or rapid movement/visual flashes are very distracting. What have you tried thus far when trying to explain the issues to people around you?

Ugh, I hate it when that happens.

Sounds like Luke and I would get on well.

I’m sorry to hear that people aren’t respecting your needs by turning down/off the TV when you’re visiting. It sounds like you respond a lot more strongly than most to sensory input and particularly the combination of visual and auditory styles used in TV and movies. I definitely do not respond as strongly as you, although am still quite sensitive to visual and auditory input.

Could you clarify whether you’re seeking assistance with managing the sensory input, or in trying to explain the impact it has on you to other people (so that they don’t have the TV on in the background, for example)?

Some selections from my report (I was diagnosed as an adult, but my mother was interviewed as part of the process):

• Sitting in small places/repetitive movements e.g., as a child sitting for hours under mums sewing machine playing with buttons
• Limited playing with toys but fixated areas of interests
• Not allowing foods to touch each other, noted issues with colour and texture of foods
• Very formal language even as a child no child talk