Male Presenter: Um... Now this is a story
that I absolutely love... love... love...
love... because a new social campaign... Social
Media campaign has been launched, trying to
stop people who are Autistic feeling they
have to suppress their needs and difficulties
to hide the Disorder
Female presenter: Yeah It's called Take The
Mask Off and it aims to spread positivity
and combat mental health within the community
in a series of blogs, vlogs, and posts over
the next 6 weeks
Male Presenter: Let's talk to Hannah Molesworth
who was diagnosed with Autism at 23 and is
behind this campaign... One of the people
behind this campaign, it's really good to
see you this morning.
Hannah: Thank you
Male Presenter: Explain to us a little bit
about what you are trying to achieve here.
Especially because as most people now know
the term 'Autism' is such a big umbrella.
Why do you want to embrace it in this way?
Hannah: Well, I think, we've been told that
we're Autistic and this all the kind of problems
that you have that goes with it and I think
it's time that we embraced ourselves, embraced
the good bits with the bad and it aims to
just empower Autistic people and let us own
our own identitiy and be ourselves without
having to worry about... you know... what
anyone is going to think about us, really.
Female Presenter: It's called Take The Mask
Off and that's because you've experienced
and many others with Autism experience this
idea of Masking, where you have to pretend
to be someone you're not or not have... the
kind of issues... that you may have and what
is that like?
Hannah: It's like you're constantly on camera,
it is like you're acting on a stage and you're
analyising every single little thing you're
doing; every hand movement, eye contact and
you end up over-analysing your behaviopur
so much that you don't even focus on the conversation
and that gets you in trouble aswell, because
you're not actually doing what you're trying
to do in the first place. So... Yeah...
Female Presenter: You're trying to appear
to be, I suppose to be, what we would describe
as 'normal'... There's no such thing as 'normal'
is there. But is that the idea?
Hannah: Yeah, we're trying to appear that
we're not Autistic, we're trying to hide things
that we would do and little signs and trying
not to be awkward. Another thing is Autistic
people often Stim. It's quite a...Um... Sterotypical
sort of thing, that people move their hands
and flap their hands. So it would be trying
to suppressing all the urges you have to,
you know, kind of be naturally you, so that
you appear to be normal. Like you said 'Normal'
Male presenter: Yeah, yeah
Female Pesenter: It must be exhausting
Male Presenter: Yeah. Stressful I would imagine.
Hannah: Yeah, absolutely. I mean. It depends
on the situation. There are some situations
where you have Mask to get through life but
some people are literally forced to do it,
even when they are at home...
Male Presenter: See, what struck me, even
with your first answer was you said... Um...
You know embracing being Autistic, the good
and the bad. Now, some people know I'm a Type
1 Diabetic and I oftent alk about the good
side of being Diabetic. We label, these conditions,
don't we, as just being a very bad thing,
a negative thing and it's interesting what
you say, that, that, there are some positives
from being Autistic, isn't there?
Hannah: Absolutely, I mean, everybody is different
and I can only speak from my own point of
view, but personally I have a really good
memory and I don't think I would have that
if it wasn't for being Autistic... Erm...
I also have a really keen eye for detail,
so if somebody changes their appearance, even
very slightly, I'll be like "Oh you've got
a new haircut!" and people are like, Oh you
make me feel good because you've noticed that
about me, so i think that is... You know...
a really good quality as well, erm, alot of
other people have conditions like Synathesia?
Where they have colours and music... I don't
if you've heard about that kind of phenomonom
and that's related to Autism, or it's thought
to be. Erm so that's a good positive aswell
and often we have incredible talents, often
in kind of, niche section.
Female presenter: Maths and numbers
Hannah: Yeah absolutely
Male presenter: I mean it's quite nice that
this campaign is and because it's going over
six weeks there's a lot of scope to it, a
lot of range to it, that it's about being...
I... I ... I... Correct me if I'm wrong, but
it sounds to me like it's a case of turning
round to people and saying whatever... Wherever
you are on the spectrum, be proud of who you
are, be proud of your condition.
Hannah: Absolutely. That's completely the
aim and I do understand that I have some privilege
that I'm able to be myself and that there
are going to be some people that are not going
to be able to for whatever reason, but it
is about kind of owning your own identity
and taking back your, you know, the label
and being who you want to be as much as you
possibly can, whilst being safe.
Male Presenter: Yeah... Ermm... can I just
you said that you were diagnosed at 23, all
of this even for people that aren't Autistic
it's about raising awareness as well I mean,
it seems shocking that, to be diagnosed as
Adult, to be diagnosed so late.
Female Presenter: So Late.
Male Presenter: And obviously issues as a
child, that has not been addressed?
Hannah: Well, I think this, is the reason
why me and Kieran, whose erm... my kind of...
Autistic partner in this campaign, because
he was also diagnosed late and both of us,
erm, Masked as children and kind of into our
teenage years and adolescant years and he
was even diagnosed later than me, so erm,
I think Masking has a lot to do with, kind
of, hindering diagnosis, because they speak
to the schools and the schools are "Oh, they're
fine!" and you know, they not. Whe they get
home and it leads to parents being kind of
labelled as worriers and or overreacting and
things like that as well, so i think that's
also important to remember, that Masking can
actually hinder a diagnosis, because you end
up looking like you're not Autistic.
Female Presenter: Um Hmmmm
Hannah: You end being too good at it.
Female Presenter: Do you hope. What do you
hope for people who, erm, are 'Normal' (Laughs),
who maybe aren't Autistic. Do you hope that
we end up having more sympathy.... That...
That awareness grows within society, so you
know, people can be themselves, genuinely?
Hannah: Yeah absolutely. I don't think I kind
of want sympathy, because I don't think it's
neccessarily a bad thing.
Female Presenter: No... Maybe sympathy is
the wrong word... Maybe more an understanding.
Hannah: Yeah
Female Presenter: So you don't feel like you
have to put on act.
Hannah: Absolutely
Female Presenter: Or other people with Autism.
Hannah: Yeah, I mean there has been situations
erm... Kind of in America aswell... Where
people have been shot or, you know, approached
by the police because they've been acting
in an Autistic way. There was a... An Autistic
man who had a toy truck in his hand and he
was, kind of playing with it and the police
thought it was a gun and shot his carer, so
that's the kind of thing that, kind of, really
needs to be addressed. Coz, you can't be,
you know, approached by the police and possibly
put in danger because of a condition like
this.
Male Presenter: Do you know what the most
important thing... I... I would say is from
whatever condition you're talking about, you
know my area and your area, the most important
thing is to be a positive role model and you
are being exactly that and it is a real pleasure
to see you this morning , Hannah. Thank you
very much indeed.
Hannah: Thank you so much for having me
Male presenter: Hashtag #TakeTheMaskOff. Get
involved. I love it, I love this positivity,
it's really important.
