Heartbreaking 😢

1. 0:00 – 0:30

   Autistic people labeled as a ‘burden’ in official documentation

   1. APAlex Partridge0:00

      The feeling of being a burden, God, that's a big one that I think a lot of autistic people will probably relate to. I think in, i- it's even in some NHS documentation, did you know? Not in a good way, not in like, "Oh, you know, the, the patient may feel a burden." Actually written in some paperwork about how autistic people are a burden. Their being a burden will impact their family, et cetera, et cetera. Awful, horrible stuff, and I think we feel that very deeply. We feel broken. I have a genuine feeling, and I think a lot of autistic ADHD people do, that I don't bring anything

2. 0:30 – 0:33

   Internalizing stigma: feeling broken and harmful to others

   1. APAlex Partridge0:30

      good to anyone's life, that all I ever bring is more stress-

   2. SPSpeaker0:33

      Mm

3. 0:33 – 0:43

   The ‘net negative’ belief: stress outweighs any good intentions

   1. APAlex Partridge0:33

      ... you know, to friends and family, that, you know, it doesn't matter how nice I try to be or how helpful I try to be, that ultimately the net gain is purely negative.

   2. SPSpeaker0:42

      Mm.

4. 0:43 – 1:02

   Naming it without self-pity: you’re not alone in this feeling

   1. APAlex Partridge0:43

      You know, I bring people down, I make people stressed, I make people tired, you know, people get fed up with me. You know, a- and I'm not saying that to be kinda self-pitying, might be a little bit, but mostly because I, I think that I'm probably not alone in that. I think that many neurodivergent people will feel that we are just bothersome

Episode duration: 1:02