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Autism is something
that many people know about.

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For example, some people think

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that autistic people
are fair-skinned males

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that speak in monotone

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and constantly go on and on
about the same topic.

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Some people think that autistic people
do not know right from wrong,

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avoid attention

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and usually say the wrong thing
at the wrong time.

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Some people think that autistic people
are socially awkward

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and lack humor and empathy.

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Now if you agree with what I just said,

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I'm sorry to tell you,

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but you do not have
the right impression of autism.

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How do I know?

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Because I have autism.

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I do have my own obsessions
with things like electronics

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and public transit,

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but that does not define me.

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Each of us are different
and unique in our own way.

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However, there is not
a lot of information out there

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on what an autistic life
actually looks like,

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so people often resort to stereotypes.

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And we see these often in the media.

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Some of the more common
stereotypes in the media

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include being socially awkward,

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lacking empathy

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and even being a supergenius.

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And the lack of knowledge
on autism doesn't stop there either.

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Did you know that some people
are trying to find a cure for autism?

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That's because they see it
as a negative thing,

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as a disease.

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Many people are challenging the idea

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and to us, we think autism
is not a disease.

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It's just another way of thinking
and looking at the world.

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Our brains function differently
from most people's brains.

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Think of it like comparing
and Xbox and a PlayStation.

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They're both highly capable consoles
with different programming.

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But if you put your Xbox game
in a PlayStation,

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it won't work, because the PlayStation
communicates differently.

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When I look in the mirror,

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I see someone who thinks differently.

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Oh, and I also see nice hair.

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(Laughter)

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(Applause)

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But the question is,

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am I really diseased
if I just think differently?

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The main problem with living autistic
in today's society

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is that the world just isn't built for us.

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There's so many ways
that we can get overwhelmed.

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For example,

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the thing that makes me overwhelmed
all the time is loud noises,

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which means I never
crank up my music really loud

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and I usually am not a fan
of large parties.

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But other people on the spectrum
might get overwhelmed

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with things like bright lights
or strong smells

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or gooey textures

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that all have the potential
to create anxiety.

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Think about all of the social gatherings
you've been to in the past.

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Was there loud music playing?

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Were there really bright lights?

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Were there lots of different food smells
going on at the same time?

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Were there lots of conversations
happening all at once?

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Those things may not
have bothered you guys,

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but for someone with autism,

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they can be quite overwhelming.

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So in those situations,
we do something called stimming,

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which is like a repetitive
motion or a noise

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or some other random fidgeting
that may or may not seem normal.

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Some people will flap their arms

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or make a noise or spin.

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Ya, it's basically our way of zoning out.

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It can often feel necessary
for us to stim.

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However, it's often frowned upon,

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and we're forced to hide it.

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When we're forced to hide
our autistic traits like this,

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it's called masking.

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And some people mask better than others.

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I mask so well sometimes
that people don't even know I'm autistic

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until I give them the big reveal. (Laughs)

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But at the end of the day,
it gets really stressful.

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Even something like
doing my homework at night

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becomes very tiring.

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Some people think,

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because of our ability to mask,

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that this is the cure to autism.

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However, all it really does
is makes us ashamed

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of showing our true selves.

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Another common stereotype
that is often associated with autism

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is that autistic people lack empathy.

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And again, this is not true.

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I actually have lots of empathy.

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I'm just not really good at showing it.

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Whenever a friend is trying to tell me

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some of the struggles
that they're going through,

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I often don't know
how to express my reply.

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And that is why I don't show
as much empathy

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as my nonautistic friends do.

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Emotional expression,
however much or however little,

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is difficult for me.

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And that is because I am bursting inside

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with every single emotion
one feels at all times.

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Though of course,
I cannot express it that way.

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Otherwise, let's say,
happiness, for example,

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would come out as a huge burst
of gleeful wheezing,

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hand flapping and loud vocal "woohoos."

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(Laughter)

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Whereas you may just smile.

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(Laughter)

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Whether it be receiving
an awesome birthday gift

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or listening to a tragic
story on the news,

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I cannot really express my reply
without bursting,

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so once again, I have to mask it
in order to appear normal.

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My inner feelings are unlimited,

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but my mind only lets me
express extremes or nothing.

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So my ...

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I am not great with my emotions,

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and I communicate differently,

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and because of that, I was diagnosed
with autism spectrum disorder.

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This diagnosis helps me
and my friends and family

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to know how my mind works.

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And in the world,

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approximately one percent
of the population

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is diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder.

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And this number is growing.

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However, we are still a big minority.

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And there's still lots of people
that do not see us as equals

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to other people.

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This is my family.

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And in my family,

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there is one other person
who is also autistic.

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My mother.

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Yes, adult women can also be autistic.

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My dad and my brother
are both nonautistic.

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Sometimes it can be a bit difficult
for us to communicate with each other,

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however.

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Sometimes I'll say something like,

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"Oh, Toronto's Union Station, right?"

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thinking that I can

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help them to remember
certain aspects of it.

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When they get confused, I often
have to elaborate myself on that.

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And we often have to say things

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in a number of different ways
so that everyone understands.

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However, despite all that,

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we all love each other
and respect each other as equals.

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In his book "NeuroTribes,"

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author Steve Silberman states
that autism and other mental conditions

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should be seen as naturally human,

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naturally part of a human spectrum

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and not as defects.

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And this is something
that I agree to completely.

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If autism was seen as part
of a natural human spectrum,

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then the world could be designed
to work better for autistic people.

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I am not ashamed of my autism.

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And I may not think like you,

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or act like you,

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but I am still human
and I am not diseased.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)