Dr. Alex George

Many actors are coming out and saying they're autistic.

I've worked with many doctors who are autistic and are fantastic communicators with patients.

And one of the questions I was asked, actually, and I want to be careful not to kind of share too many questions from the assessments.

It's important that people might be going through it and might influence things.

But a common question I think that's talked about is like, do you enjoy kind of social situations?

Are you good at social situations?

And it's interesting because I think I'm good with people, but I'm good at people often in a superficial way.

I find it hard to take social interaction to depth, not depth of conversation, but to the next level where I feel like a deeper bond with someone, that I'm going to hang out with them, they're going to become my friend.

virtually all my friends virtually everyone that's a close friend to me i've known all of my life i'm not very good at making deep friends and you know there are there are important differences i think there that that become highlighted it's like yeah i'm good with people i've learned how to be my mum is fantastic with people with respect my dad is a wonderful man and isn't naturally a person that is like he's good at like chatting but he doesn't form deep bonds with that many people

And I grew up looking at my mom going, she's really good at talking to people.

I need to be like her.

So I copied her.

And I learned my skills of communication from my mom.

But that doesn't mean as a person that I'm able to feel a depth of feeling or able to take something from us chatting here today to me and you hanging out all the time.

We could be good friends, but I wouldn't necessarily naturally know how to take it to that level.

And again, I'm saying this now, I might be told that I don't have autism.

I'd still say it's an invaluable experience because regardless of what happens at the end of this, I have learned so much of things that I am actually masking, that I actually am doing to please other people or to bend and be.

So actually, even the assessment is actually giving me a huge spotlight of stuff and making me question stuff and look at things that I know is going to benefit me in the long term.

And I think this is something we talk about in the medical space and often working in A&E.

It's not the known, unknown that's the issue.