CELEBRITIES WITH AUTISM

Although autism is a common condition (more than one in 100 people are on the autistic spectrum in the UK, according to the National Autistic Society) it is often very misunderstood.

Many people wrongly believe that autism is a disease or illness, but the NHS website explains that having autism actually means that the brain just works differently to other people’s.

«Being autistic does not have to stop you having a good life,» the NHS emphasises. «Like everyone, autistic people have things they’re good at as well as things they struggle with.»

Signs of autism

According to the NHS, autistic people may act in a different way to other people, and people with autism may:

• Find it hard to communicate and interact with other people
• Find it hard to understand how other people think or feel
• Find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable
• Get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events
• Take longer to understand information
• Do or think the same things over and over

«Autism is a spectrum,» the NHS adds. «This means everybody with autism is different. Some autistic people need little or no support. Others may need help from a parent or carer every day.»

What causes autism?

Another misconception about autism is that it can be caused by certain lifestyle choices – but this is incorrect. «Nobody knows what causes autism, or if it has a cause,» the NHS explains. «It can affect people in the same family. So it may sometimes be passed on to a child by their parents.»

Autism is not caused by:

• Bad parenting
• Vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine
• Diet
• An infection you can spread to other people

Thankfully, autism is becoming a better understood condition in the UK, with a recent YouGov poll finding that 83% of adults in Britain believe that autism is different for everyone. As for what’s behind the improvement in understanding, this could be in part due to more and more celebrities opening up about being on the autistic spectrum themselves.

Celebrities with autism

With that in mind, here’s all the famous faces who’ve spoken out about being on the autistic spectrum…

1

Celebrities with autism – Tallulah Willis

Tallulah Willis has been diagnosed with autism, the actor revealed in an Instagram post.

Sharing a sweet throwback video of herself and her father, Bruce Willis, on a red carpet, when she was a child, Tallulah, 30, quipped: «Tell me you’re autistic without telling me you’re autistic «.

In the clip, she can be seen repeatedly rubbing her dad’s head while he grins for the cameras.

Opening up about her diagnosis in the comments under the post, Tallulah shared how she found out she has autism as an adult.

«This is the first time I’ve ever publicly shared my diagnosis. Found out this summer and it’s changed my life,» she wrote.

2

Celebrities with autism – Sia

Pop icon Sia (real name: Sia Kate Isobelle Furler) recently opened up about her autism diagnosis, saying on the Rob Has A Podcast podcast: «I’m on the spectrum.«

Although Sia did not share when exactly she was diagnosed with autism, she hinted that this was a recent development. «For 45 years, I was like, ‘I’ve got to go put my human suit on’,» she said, «and only in the last two years have I become fully, fully myself.»

Sia added that «knowing about which kind of neurotypicality you may have or may not have» has helped her to live a more authentic life.

3

Celebrities with autism – Elon Musk

Speaking about his experience of life on the autism spectrum, billionaire businessman Elon Musk said that he’s learnt how to work with his brain, not against it.

«I did not have such a happy childhood to be frank. It was quite rough,» Elon said of how autism impacted him growing up. «Social cues were not intuitive… Others could intuitively understand what was meant by something. I would take something very literally as if the words that were spoken were exactly what they meant. But that turned out to be wrong.»

He went on: «[People are] not simply saying exactly what they mean. There are all sorts of other things that are meant. It took me a while to figure that out.»

Although he was sadly bullied for being autistic as a child, the Tesla founder credits the condition in part with his success, as this fuelled an intense and specialised interest in science and technology. «I found it rewarding to spend all night programming computers, just by myself,» he said. «Most people don’t enjoy typing strange symbols into a computer by themselves all night. They think that’s not fun. But I really liked it.»

4

Celebrities with autism – Christine McGuinness

Opening up about being diagnosed with autism during adulthood, TV personality Christine McGuinness said in her biography that it has been both «emotional» and «a relief».

In a later documentary about her experience, titled Unmasking My Autism, Christine said that her diagnosis helped her to understand «why I am the way I am».

Because of her diagnosis, and her deeper understanding of herself, Christine later broke off her marriage to presenter Paddy McGuinness. «As an autistic woman, I like to stay where I’m comfortable, I like things to stay the same,» she said at the time. «I know I’ve stayed in a place where I was probably unhappy because it was safe and I don’t like change and ultimately I wanted to keep my family together.»

She went on: «I understand myself better now because that’s where I was comfortable just knowing that it was me, Patrick and the children – but sometimes change has to happen. You just have to deal with it in the best way possible.»

5

Celebrities with autism – Melanie Sykes

TV presenter Melanie Sykes is another celebrity who was diagnosed with autism later in life. Taking to Instagram to announce her diagnosis at 51 years old, Melanie told her followers: «This week has been truly life-changing. Or rather, life-affirming.»

Melanie went on to say that after her diagnosis «so many things made sense.»

«I cannot begin to tell you the sense of relief this is for me and how much I celebrate this diagnosis,» she added. «I now have a deeper understanding of myself, my life and the things I have endured.»

6

Celebrities with autism – Wentworth Miller

Prison Break star Wentworth Miller was diagnosed with autism during the coronavirus pandemic, and took to social media to open up about this to his fans.

«I don’t know enough about autism. (There’s a lot to know),» he wrote. «Right now my work looks like evolving my understanding. Re-examining five decades of lived experience through a new lens.»

To that end, he said he planned to turn to the autistic community for knowledge, and hoped to platform the community’s voice. «The autistic community (this I do know) has historically been talked over. Spoken for. I don’t wish to do additional harm. Only to raise my hand, say, ‘I am here. [I] have been (w/o realising it)’.»

Notably, the actor also commented on how difficult it had been to receive a diagnosis, partly due to being an adult rather than a child. «This fall marks 1 year since I received my informal autism diagnosis. Preceded by a self-diagnosis. Followed by a formal diagnosis,» he said. «It was a long, flawed process in need of updating. IMO. I’m a middle-aged man. Not a 5-year-old.»

7

Celebrities with autism – Susan Boyle

Singing sensation and Britain’s Got Talent star Susan Boyle has, throughout the years, spoken candidly of her Asperger Syndrome diagnosis, which the NHS says is a term «used by some people to describe autistic people with average or above average intelligence.»

Susan, who is now 62, was not diagnosed with the condition until her fifties, and was wrongly diagnosed as having brain damage as a child. «I was told I had brain damage when I was a kid. It was the wrong diagnosis.