people go through life accidentally ignoring, belittling, mocking and hurting actually autistic individuals whose lives and brain architecture can’t be summarised in a thirty-second video online or a mediocre character arc in a sitcom.
This !! The oversimplification of what it means to be autistic is a huge reason why existing as an autistic person is so challenging. Whilst online videos did help me to feel "seen" and begin to understand myself pre-diagnosis, I also fear that people see a couple of videos and feel that they're either an expert, or come out with the classic line "we're all a bit autistic!".
