What it's really like to have autism | Ethan Lisi

Translator: Victoria Sánchez Picazo

Autism is something that many people know about.

Molta gent sap què és l'autisme.

For example, some people think

Per exemple, alguns pensen que

that autistic people are fair-skinned males

els autistes són homes de pell clara

that speak in monotone

que parlen d'un mateix tema

and constantly go on and on about the same topic.

en un to monòton i constant sense parar.

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

Altres pensen que els autistes no diferencien entre bé i mal

avoid attention

eviten cridar l'atenció

and usually say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

i, normalment, diuen la cosa equivocada en el moment equivocat

Some people think that autistic people are socially awkward

Alguns pensen que els autistes no saben com relacionar-se

and lack humor and empathy.

i manquen d'humor i empatia.

Now if you agree with what I just said,

Bé, si estàs d'acord amb allò que acabe de dir,

I'm sorry to tell you,

Lamente dir-te que

but you do not have the right impression of autism.

no tens una idea correcta sobre l'autisme.

How do I know?

Què com ho sé?

Because I have autism.

Doncs perquè tinc autisme.

I do have my own obsessions with things like electronics

Jo també m'obsesione amb l'electrònica, per exemple,

and public transit,

i amb el transport públic

but that does not define me.

però això no em defineix.

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

Cadascú som diferents i únics a la nostra manera.

However, there is not a lot of information out there

Tanmateix, no hi ha molta informació

on what an autistic life actually looks like,

sobre com és la vida d'una persona autista realment.

so people often resort to stereotypes.

Per això, la gent es basa en estereotips.

And we see these often in the media.

I també els veiem als mitjans de comunicació.

Some of the more common stereotypes in the media

Els estereotips més comuns que apareixen als mitjans són

include being socially awkward,

no saber relacionar-se socialment,

lacking empathy

la falta d'empatia

and even being a supergenius.

i ésser un super geni.

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

Però la falta d'informació sobre l'autisme tampoc no acaba aquí.

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

Sabieu que hi ha gent que intenta trobar una cura per l'autisme?

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

Això és perquè ho veuen com una cosa negativa,

as a disease.

com una malaltia.

Many people are challenging the idea

Molta gent ja contradiu aquesta idea

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

i, per a nosaltres, l'autisme no és cap malaltia.

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

És simplement una manera diferent de pensar i de veure el món.

Our brains function differently from most people's brains.

El nostre cervell funciona diferent.

Think of it like comparing and Xbox and a PlayStation.

És com comparar una Xbox i una PlayStation.

They're both highly capable consoles with different programming.

Les dues són consoles capaces programades de manera diferent.

But if you put your Xbox game in a PlayStation,

Si fiques un joc de Xbox en una PlayStation

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

no funcionarà perquè la PlayStation es comunica diferent.

When I look in the mirror,

Quan em veig al mirall,

I see someone who thinks differently.

veig a una persona que pensa diferent.

Oh, and I also see nice hair.

Ah! I també veig uns cabells bonics.

(Laughter)

(Rialles)

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)

But the question is,

Però la pregunta és,

am I really diseased if I just think differently?

estic malalt sols per pensar diferent?

The main problem with living autistic in today's society

El gran problema dels autistes avui dia

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

és que el món no està construït per a nosaltres.

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

Hi ha moltes maneres què ens angoixem.

For example,

Per exemple,

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

alló que a mi més m'angoixa és el soroll,

which means I never crank up my music really loud

això vol dir que mai pose la música alta

and I usually am not a fan of large parties.

ni sóc un gran fan de les festes amb molta gent.

But other people on the spectrum might get overwhelmed

Tanmateix, altra gent en l'espectre pot sentir-se angoixada

with things like bright lights or strong smells

amb les llums lluents o les olors fortes

or gooey textures

o les textures apegaloses.

that all have the potential to create anxiety.

Tots aquestos tenen el potencial de crear ansietat.

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

Penseu en les trobades que heu tingut últimament.

Was there loud music playing?

Hi havia música alta?

Were there really bright lights?

Hi havia llums lluents?

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

Hi havia olors de diferents menjars tots alhora?

Were there lots of conversations happening all at once?

La gent parlava al mateix temps?

Those things may not have bothered you guys,

Potser, aquestes coses no us molesten gaire

but for someone with autism,

però per una persona amb autisme

they can be quite overwhelming.

poden ésser prou angoixadores.

So in those situations, we do something called stimming,

Per això, en aquestes situacions, fem una cosa denominada "autoestimulació",

which is like a repetitive motion or a noise

que consisteix en un moviment o so repetitiu

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

o qualsevol altre tic que pot semblar normal o no.

Some people will flap their arms

Alguns aletegen els braços

or make a noise or spin.

o fan un soroll, fan voltes sobre ells mateixos...

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

Bé, és una forma d'evadir-se.

It can often feel necessary for us to stim.

De vegades necessitem l'autoestimulació.

However, it's often frowned upon,

Tanmateix, es veu malament

and we're forced to hide it.

i ens sentim obligats a amagar-ho.

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

Quan amaguem els nostres trets autistes

it's called masking.

se'n diu "emmascarar".

And some people mask better than others.

Alguns són millors que altres emmascarant.

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

Jo ho faig tan bé que de vegades la gent no sap que sóc autista

until I give them the big reveal. (Laughs)

fins que faig la gran revelació. (Rialles)

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

Però, al cap i a la fi, és molt estressant.

Even something like doing my homework at night

Fins i tot, fer els deures a la vesprada

becomes very tiring.

és esgotador.

Some people think,

Alguns pensen que,

because of our ability to mask,

per la nostra capacitat d'emmascarar,

that this is the cure to autism.

hi ha cura per l'autisme.

However, all it really does is makes us ashamed

Tanmateix, el que realment pasa és que ens avergonyim

of showing our true selves.

de mostrar com som realment.

Another common stereotype that is often associated with autism

Un altre estereotip associat amb l'autisme

is that autistic people lack empathy.

és que ens manca empatia.

And again, this is not true.

I tampoc no és veritat.

I actually have lots of empathy.

Jo en tinc molta d'empatia.

I'm just not really good at showing it.

El que passa és que no sóc bo mostrant-la.

Whenever a friend is trying to tell me

Sempre que un amic intenta contar-me

some of the struggles that they're going through,

qualsevol problema que té,

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

normalment no sé com expressar la meua resposta.

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

Per això, no mostre tanta empatia

as my nonautistic friends do.

com el meus amics no autistes.

Emotional expression, however much or however little,

Expressar les emocions, encara que siga poc,

is difficult for me.

em costa.

And that is because I am bursting inside

Em resulta molt difícil perquè, per dins,

with every single emotion one feels at all times.

estic sentint cada emoció.

Though of course, I cannot express it that way.

Encara que, obviament, no puc expressar-les d'una manera normal.

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

Per exemple, la felicitat

would come out as a huge burst of gleeful wheezing,

jo l'expressaria explosivament

hand flapping and loud vocal "woohoos."

amb aplaudiments i cridant "wuuuuuuh".

(Laughter)

(Rialles)

Whereas you may just smile.

Potser vosaltres només somriurieu.

(Laughter)

(Rialles)

Whether it be receiving an awesome birthday gift

Ja siga rebre un regal d'aniversari

or listening to a tragic story on the news,

o escoltar una història tràgica al telediari,

I cannot really express my reply without bursting,

no puc expressar la meua reacció sense explotar.

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

Així que, si vull parèixer normal, he d'emmascarar-la.

My inner feelings are unlimited,

Els meus sentiments són il·limitats,

but my mind only lets me express extremes or nothing.

però la meua ment només em deixa expressar extrems, tot o res.

So my ...

Per tant...

I am not great with my emotions,

no sóc molt bo amb les emocions,

and I communicate differently,

i em comunique de manera diferent,

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

per això, em varen diagnosticar trastorn de l'espectre autista.

This diagnosis helps me and my friends and family

Esta diagnosi m'ajuda, i a la meua família i amics també,

to know how my mind works.

a comprendre com funciona la meua ment.

And in the world,

Aproximadament, al món

approximately one percent of the population

1% de la població és diagnosticada amb

is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

el trastorn de l'espectre autista.

And this number is growing.

I les xifres augmenten.

However, we are still a big minority.

Tanmateix, encara som una gran minoria.

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

I encara hi ha molta gent que no ens veu com iguals

to other people.

a la resta del món.

This is my family.

Aquesta és la meua família.

And in my family,

I, en la meua família,

there is one other person who is also autistic.

hi ha una altra persona amb autisme.

My mother.

La meua mare.

Yes, adult women can also be autistic.

Sí, les dones adultes també poden ésser autistes.

My dad and my brother are both nonautistic.

El meu pare i germà no són autistes.

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

De vegades és difícil comunicar-nos els uns amb els altres.

however.

Tanmateix, de vegades,

Sometimes I'll say something like,

dic coses com:

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

"Ah, l'estació Union Station de Toronto, veritat?"

thinking that I can

creient que puc ajudar-los a recordar

help them to remember certain aspects of it.

alguns aspectes.

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

Quan no saben allò que vull dir, he d'explicar-me millor.

And we often have to say things

De vegades, hem de dir les coses

in a number of different ways so that everyone understands.

de diferent manera per a què tots ho entenguen.

However, despite all that,

Malgrat tot açò,

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

ens estimem i respectem tots com iguals.

In his book "NeuroTribes,"

Al seu llibre "NeuroTribes",

author Steve Silberman states that autism and other mental conditions

Steve Silberman defen que l'autisme i altres condicions mentals

should be seen as naturally human,

haurien de concrebre's com naturalment humanes,

naturally part of a human spectrum

com una part de l'espectre humà

and not as defects.

i no com defectes.

And this is something that I agree to completely.

Cosa amb què jo estic completament d'acord.

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

Si l'autisme fos vist com una part natural de l'espectre humà,

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

el món podria dissenyar-se per a funcionar millor per a la gent autista.

I am not ashamed of my autism.

No tinc vergonya del meu autisme.

And I may not think like you,

Potser, no pense com tu

or act like you,

ni em comporte com tu,

but I am still human and I am not diseased.

però sóc humà i no tinc cap malaltia.

Thank you.

Moltes gràcies.

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)