Writer, actor and comedian Josh Thomas has shared with his fans that he is autistic. Josh was previously diagnosed as having ADHD when he was 28 years old, now he’s shared that he is also autistic.
Writing on his social media accounts Josh said since he received his diagnosis it had helped him better understand himself.
“I have known for a while now that I’m Autistic,” Josh said, “It’s been a nice experience for me, figuring it out. I’ve learnt to understand myself better and it’s helped people around me do the same.”
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder characterised by behavioral and communicational affections that impact a person’s ability to navigate social interactions and also causes repetitive and restricted behavior. April 2nd was World Autism Day, a time when around the world attention is called to misinformation about the condition.
Recent studies have suggested that around 1 in 59 children are somewhere on the autism spectrum and the condition is more common in boys than girls. Increasing many people are being diagnosed later in life as psychologists diagnostic tools and methodologies improve.
Josh said he wanted to share his condition because there was a lack of representation of people with autism in the media.
“There’s been a lot of emotions but the most dominant one is relief. I’ve decided to share this with everyone because the range of Autistic people and characters we see in the media is very slim, when the autism spectrum is huge and varied. So here I am, another Autistic person for people to see. Hopefully this helps further colour in and add texture to society’s idea of what an Autistic person is.” Josh wrote in his post.
The writer has already been making a difference in the representation of people with autism, he included a character in his US television show Everything’s Going To Be Okay. In the series he plays Nicholas, a gay Australian man whose life takes an unexpected turn when his American father dies. Nicholas is left as the guardian of his two younger half-sisters, one of whom is autistic.
In the series Kayla Cromer played the part of younger sister Matilda. Cromer is autistic and the production was praised for their casting choice – picking an actor who is actually autistic for the role.
The second season of the series is set to premier on in the USA later this week.
OIP Staff
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