Interview: Quinn Dexter

Today, we have interviewed Quinn Dexter, who is a YouTuber that runs the channel, Autistamatic, which is a great resource for learning about the autistic experience for both autistics and non-autistics alike.

Neurodiversity News: Tell me about yourself and what you do.

Quinn Dexter: I’m 50 years old and have an unquenchable thirst for tea – usually Earl Grey and preferably a biscuit (cookie) on the side. I’m happily married to my neurotypical wife of 12 years and have a black & white cat with enormous feet.

I was diagnosed as autistic in 1984 by a young psychologist who was very enthusiastic about Lorna Wing’s work, long before the “autism spectrum” was added to the ICD & DSM manuals. Because of my early diagnosis, I didn’t really learn much about what being autistic meant until I started to meet other autists online in the mid-90s.

I have a day job which pays my way but I identify far more with the work I do to increase public understanding of our lives and edge us closer to the normalization of being autistic within our currently blinkered society. That’s my vocation. It took me a long time to find it but it’s a course I’m now firmly on.

NN: How has your YouTube channel been going?

QD: YouTube is a challenging endeavor for a “niche” interest like autism. I’ve never wanted to sensationalize it with “10 things you NEED to know” type videos because I respect my fellow autists too much to trivialize our struggles that way, but there’s no doubt that it would have grown the channel faster. In the last few months, things have really taken off though and the subscriber and watch count has accelerated rapidly. I couldn’t be happier about it. The faster the channel grows, the more people get to learn about autism and autistic lives from an authentic view but, I hope, fair and unbiased voice.

I started the channel in late 2018 following a traumatic event in my life which left me in no doubt about how difficult life can be for us living in an uncompromisingly hostile world. I had floated about on an oblivious cloud, borne up by the warm updraughts of a very effective mask for most of my life. I suddenly found my future placed in jeopardy. My autistic nature became a problem to someone, and I fell to Earth with an almighty crash. I knew I had to do something to fight back. Like all autists, I have a spiky skill set and communication has always been one of my highest peaks so I played to my strengths and Autistamatic was the result.

Before I started the channel, I’d never made films before, but I knew from the start I wanted to produce content that was not only relevant but high in production quality. I’ve done my best to achieve that goal and the feedback I’ve had has been very appreciative of it. I could put more out if I went down a simpler route, but I want to be accessible to both an autistic AND a non-autistic audience and to do that, I need to be visually engaging. That’s why I present the videos on camera too, which wouldn’t have been my first choice. Most people find information far more accessible if there is a human face talking to them rather than a disembodied narrative, so I bit the bullet on that one. It’s paid off though judging by the feedback.

Most of my work is carefully scripted and planned in advance, but recently, due to external pressures, I’ve done a number of unscripted or loosely scripted films which have been really well received. Last week’s video actually had by far the most views in the first few days of anything I’ve done so far, so that’s really encouraging.

I now produce new films weekly, of around ten to twenty minutes in length, which go live every Wednesday at 9PM UK time.

NN: What video have you made that you feel is the most important?

QD: That’s not an easy question to answer. I put a huge amount of work into every film and all of them make points I’m passionate about. I think that audience feedback is probably the best indicator, especially when people have told me they felt better about themselves or learned something that made them rethink their opinions or decisions. I’m particularly pleased when I hear from NT people who have been touched by my work, and if that’s any measure of importance, then the videos “ABA – Why is it Controversial?” and “The ‘Autism Parent’ Controversy” are probably the most significant. I’ve had emails from several parents who changed their minds against accepting ABA for their children and from others who have learned how better to understand the trauma underlying the anger they see from some autistic people on social media.

From other autists, the ongoing series on “Autism & Relationships” has been one many have found helped both them and their NT friends, relatives and partners and “What’s so HARD About Being Autistic?” seems to have been incredibly cathartic for so many people.

NN: Who are your inspirations?

QD: I follow a great many other advocates, blogs, and channels, and every one of them offers something unique and valuable.

If there’s one individual within the community who’s been more supportive than any other it’s been Terra Vance of Neuroclastic. What they established there has become the single greatest resource of autistic-led information anywhere in the world and their encouragement to be part of it was a huge boost.

In general, though, rather than the work of specific individuals, I gain inspiration from the sheer number of different voices in the autistic community, all singing from the same song-sheet, promoting acceptance, understanding and hope.

As long as autistic people are disadvantaged in society, as long as we find ourselves playing second fiddle to neurotypical people in work and education, as long as there are autists being abused, brainwashed or suffering at the hands of the ignorant, the unseeing and the downright cruel, then everything I and every other autistic advocate and creator do will remain important.

NN: What do you hope to achieve in the future?

QD: On a personal level, I’d like to be in a position where my advocacy and creative work was self-sustaining so I wouldn’t have to also work a full time job to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. An extra 40 hours a week would allow me to achieve so much more than I do now, but ultimately the achievement every advocate wishes for is to be redundant. We want to become an anachronism, to no longer be needed because the issues we have fought for and against are no longer a problem in society. Sadly, I don’t see that as at all likely in my own lifetime. I have seen tremendous change in the 30 odd years since I was diagnosed, but there is still a long way to go.

I often see others expressing anger and frustration at the injustices we still face, and I share those feelings, but I also know how hard it was in those early days before the autism spectrum was formally recognized and the years following as the establishment slowly caught up with the changes in the way we see autistic people.

We have come a long way down the road we need to travel, despite the lengthy stretch we have ahead of us. Even 20 years ago, there weren’t the resources available that now allow so many people to self-identify and seek further confirmation, should it be appropriate for them, through diagnosis. We now have a vibrant, supportive community online and slowly, but steadily, more and more professionals in the field and parents of autistic kids are coming on board to join us in the fight for fairness and equality. It never feels like enough, but I have hopes that the trend will continue, and we will prevail one day.

The frustrating, yet hopeful aspect of doing what I do is knowing that I won’t see the full benefit of the work that I do now, but I do it for those to come. The young autists of today and those yet to be born don’t deserve to struggle against prejudice, ignorance and segregation the way my generation has had to. If we succeed, then their future will be one of being an integral part of the very same society which has, up to now, pushed us to the fringes.