Health & Fit How Doing Stand-Up Comedy Changed My Life as an Autistic Person

I’ve been told two things my entire life: that autistic people can’t be funny, and that women can’t be funny. Well, I guess two wrongs make a right.

© The Mighty Siobhan Neely doing stand-up comedy.

Autism is something I’ve dealt with since the day I was born. The world wasn’t geared for me, and I did years of therapy just so I could learn to survive. Times did get tough, of course. But I managed to get through it somehow, even if just barely. But then life started getting better.

I stopped seeing my autism as something that made me inferior and worthless, and I started to realize I can do anything I put my mind to. And I put my mind to one thing: being funny. I have enjoyed humor since I was little, even if I didn’t get all of it. I would watch sitcoms as a kid just for the jokes, not really for the plot. As I matured, I started watching shows like “Saturday Night Live,” where the goal is to make people laugh and entertain. I always enjoyed seeing the stand-up comedians on shows like “America’s Got Talent” as well. And one day, I decided: I wanted to learn to be funny.

An autistic boy wouldn't sit still on a United Airlines flight. The crew and passengers stepped in to help.

Braysen is a 4-year-old autistic boy who usually loves to fly. But he had a meltdown on a United Airlines flight from San Diego to Houston. © From Facebook That was when the aircraft's crew and passengers came together to help him. require(["medianetNativeAdOnArticle"], function (medianetNativeAdOnArticle) { medianetNativeAdOnArticle.getMedianetNativeAds(true); }); The boy's mother, Lori Gabriel of Cypress, Texas, told CNN that Braysen removed his seat belt just before takeoff, saying he wanted to sit on the floor. "It was impossible to restrain him.

What does this have to do with stand - up comedy you may ask, well I’m getting to that you need to be more patient. First, everyone told me how funny I I made some good friends, laughed a lot, really found my voice as a comedian , and all that time on stage has made me more confident around people.

I had grown up with a healthy respect for the Monty Python collective and as a European, loved And when he laughed, I confided my ridiculous idea of doing stand - up . I still didn’t go until I recalled I’ve always been a numbers person , so I failed, at first, to see how it’s about improving on delivery and

I tested the waters of stand-up in 10th grade, and people thought I was somewhat funny. After 11th grade, I took a rest for a while to pursue other goals and finish high school. In college, something in me went off that I should try again. I joined a comedy club called UpChuckles, where we workshop our jokes every week. Around this time, I also really discovered I enjoyed comedians who had disabilities and were able to make fun of themselves and the world around them, such as Drew Lynch, Ryan Niemiller and Brad Williams. I decided to give it a try at my first stand-up show, and the audience roared with laughter. In that moment, I felt immense joy and satisfaction.

There may be some things autism makes me worse at than the rest of society, and that’s OK. Others have things they are bad at too. I discovered turning my experience into jokes helps ease the overall tension surrounding my disability, and even erases some of the stigma. Comedy has done amazing things for me, and I can’t wait to see where I can go with this!

Why Society Is Failing Autistic Children

Nicole Day addresses how society is not meeting the needs of children with autism who are verbal and may not seem autistic.

Unanswered Questions. How do I come up with clean jokes as a standup comedian ? People started to enjoy my show, and now I earn 4 dollars per person and 10 dollars for 15 minutes " My life is a day to day comedy routine. My wife says I'd be a good stand up comedian ; I often think about

How do I know if standup comedy is right for me? How do I find my voice as a comedian ? How do I write autobiographically without alienating the audience? “And the comedian is simply the courageous person who gets up in front of a large group of strangers and admits to, simply

Related video: School janitor comforts elementary student with autism [via TODAY]

Good Doctor - Freddie Highmore: How did he prepare to play an autistic surgeon?

This Wednesday, November 6, 2019, fans of the series "Good Doctor" have an appointment on TF1 to follow the adventures of Shaun Murphy, played by Freddie Highmore. In various interviews he gave, the young actor spoke about his role. How did he prepare to embody a surgeon with Asperger's syndrome?

© Non Stop People Good Doctor - Freddie Highmore: How did he prepare to play an autistic surgeon?

On October 2nd, the medical series "Good Doctor" made its return on TF1 for a second season unpublished. The opportunity for viewers to find Freddie Highmore in the role of Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with Asperger's syndrome.

In an interview with Le Figaro, the one who was seen in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Tim Burton or in the "Bates Motel" series had revealed whether or not he was ready to stop the series. "For my part, as long as 'Good Doctor' will remain of this quality, as well as through her hero and the situations she portrays, the series will change the negative that seems to spread all over the world, I do not really know why I would stop, "he replied.

In another interview with

TV 7 Days , Freddie Highmore spoke about her role in the "Good Doctor" series. Has he encountered any difficulties to slip into the skin of his character, suffering from Asperger syndrome? "I felt a huge responsibility, I wanted Shaun to be as authentic as possible, but at the same time he can not be representative of all people with autism. series we tell a story ... His story, "he said.

This role allowed him to learn more about this handicap, as he explained to

Paris Match . "I learned a lot about autism, and the most interesting part of it was going against the prejudices that people with autism are emotionless, Shaun is universal, we tell his story to he and his journey to learn to live in this world, but he speaks to all those who feel different or marginalized by society.It's fine if the series can show autism in a better light, but the message of the series is larger ".