New Video: Asperger's and Anxiety

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I worked on this for four hours, even though it's short. I did my best to express the anxiety many of us go through.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnmBhjrNaJg[/youtube]

That was great. It was a little hard to understand what you were saying when you were sitting in the chair, but I liked that bit where you were drawing. I could hear you a bit clearer at that part.

The drawing part was great and it sounded like my experiences as i have to wear my sunglasses and it is still very bright. My anxiety level is always being pushed up by light and clothes not quite right i can feel if there is a strand of hair stuck inside my tshirt.

Thanks everybody!

I really need a better camera. The quality of my vids when I'm talking isn't quite what it used to be. Still, I hope I made some good poings.

That's a really good video, although my stress levels rarely leads to a meltdown I can still relate to what you're saying. And I like how you compared autistic people to white tigers, it's so true.

Great clip Laura, great analogy

Something odd that I've noticed, and I'm not sure if others will agree or not, is that the typical things that stress typical people, hardly move my son or myself. And the things that NT's would never even notice, are the things that cause he and I a great deal of anxiety.

From the end of 2004 to the end of 2006, I lost every member of my immediate family (childhood immediate, Mom, Dad, both brothers) and I can't tell you the amount of times I heard things lie "You're such a strong individual", "You're so strong". It really bothered me that people mistook my outward indifference as strength. It's not to say I wasn't sad, as their deaths have been the saddest things that have ever happened to me, it's just that I experienced it differently than the typical person might. I didn't need to walk around with an endless supply of kleenex. I made jokes and laughed throughout parts of the going's on. I did each funeral arrangement as a series of steps. One step lead to the next.

Yet, if I'm resting on the couch watching TV and I notice my own heartbeat, I have to fight tooth and nail not to let noticing it throw me into a full blown panic attack. If I walk through the perfume section of a department store, I almost have to hold my breath to avoid the same feeling. I get angry when my son's got the Tv on, Keith is at the table practicing his guitar chords, the phone starts ringing while I'm trying to read or understand something that's important to me. Every winter at work, people ask me if I'm nuts when I'm standing outside on a smoke break, not wearing a coat. I have to explain all of my strange reasoning, and they still look at me like I'm weird. Turtlenecks make me feel as though I'm being strangled, the sun is my enemy, and every single meal I eat (Keith and I now laugh at this one as one of my many oddities) I always leave one mouthful on the plate when I call it quits.

My stresses, or lack thereof, always seem to be inappropriate to what typical people would be accustomed to.

Thanks! I'm glad you can all relate. This video has gotten more hits than the one I made the day before, but no one comments and I only have 1 5 star rating, while the other video has 7. I wonder if people just can't hear me when I talk in the middle, so they turn it off and don't hear the cool part at the end. I've thought about editing and re-submitting it.

Great work.. I think. Loved the facts that you put up. As someone who got anxiety diagnosed as problematic before the Aspergers, I find this an important topic! Will scroll to the end and listen to that too.


I think I might have comprehension/aud processing difficulties (completely untested) - was I the only one who only understood about 10% of what you said in the chair in the beginning, almost none of the chair in the middle, and about 70% of what you said during the drawing? Sorry Whitetiger probably would help if I listened to the second half at another time but just couldn't hear above the noise of the computer. @_@ Maybe it is because I'm on my fiance's laptop and the fan is louder here.

Will try again D:

EDIT: explains very well, can't underscore how important this sort of clear, real explanation is! The drawing was a neat, really useful and meaningful explanation. (Autism Speaks should listen to it :P) I understood a bit more the second time around (around 30% in the beginning, 10% in the middle and 85% of the drawing). It might be the music that was playing at the same time, it's sometimes louder than your voice. Also I realise I might not have adjusted to your accent (I am from New Zealand and the Oregon accent is quite foreign to me).

(And maybe I should test my auditory processing!!)

EDIT#2: Also, I partially lipread to supplement comprehension, probably not used to listening without seeing lips. Keep making those videos!

I do not cry very often.
I am in my room on my own and i welled up with tears as i watched the red autistic girl being drawn, with her little sunglasses and the bright sun shining. it encaspulates the struggle some of us have with the sensory issues and anxiety.

i appreciate your vids so much.

thanks laura. it was fantastic to identify with.

Thank's for the nice video whitetiger !

Great clip Laura, great analogy

Something odd that I've noticed, and I'm not sure if others will agree or not, is that the typical things that stress typical people, hardly move my son or myself. And the things that NT's would never even notice, are the things that cause he and I a great deal of anxiety.

From the end of 2004 to the end of 2006, I lost every member of my immediate family (childhood immediate, Mom, Dad, both brothers) and I can't tell you the amount of times I heard things lie "You're such a strong individual", "You're so strong". It really bothered me that people mistook my outward indifference as strength. It's not to say I wasn't sad, as their deaths have been the saddest things that have ever happened to me, it's just that I experienced it differently than the typical person might. I didn't need to walk around with an endless supply of kleenex. I made jokes and laughed throughout parts of the going's on. I did each funeral arrangement as a series of steps. One step lead to the next.

Yet, if I'm resting on the couch watching TV and I notice my own heartbeat, I have to fight tooth and nail not to let noticing it throw me into a full blown panic attack. If I walk through the perfume section of a department store, I almost have to hold my breath to avoid the same feeling. I get angry when my son's got the Tv on, Keith is at the table practicing his guitar chords, the phone starts ringing while I'm trying to read or understand something that's important to me. Every winter at work, people ask me if I'm nuts when I'm standing outside on a smoke break, not wearing a coat. I have to explain all of my strange reasoning, and they still look at me like I'm weird. Turtlenecks make me feel as though I'm being strangled, the sun is my enemy, and every single meal I eat (Keith and I now laugh at this one as one of my many oddities) I always leave one mouthful on the plate when I call it quits.

My stresses, or lack thereof, always seem to be inappropriate to what typical people would be accustomed to.