Autism and Emotions with Autism From The Inside (Paul Micallef)

Thoughty Auti - The Autism & Mental Health Podcast

Are emotions felt differently in Autistic people? What is Code Switching? Is logic superior to emotion?

Paul Micallef (Autism From The Inside) is a popular autistic creator, speaker, and coach on YouTube, recently becoming the largest Autism-related channel at 238k subscribers in March 2023. Born out of Melbourne Australia, he seeks to make Autism education and personal development more accessible to autistic individuals, their partners, parents, and professionals.

Paul’s Links - https://autismfromtheinside.com.au/ // My Links - https://linktr.ee/thomashenleyUK

Thomas starts the episode by diving into Paul’s history, making his mark on YouTube with a charity video where he shaved off his signature dreadlocks. Autism From The Inside explains the strange rise in social invitations, conversations, and connections during his dreadlock phase… the two share a similar experience, with Thomas’ story of improving his fashion sense, grooming, and physique.

Many autistic people believe logic is KING, especially when compared to seemingly illogical emotions. Thomas and Paul share that they tried to think their way into understanding the social/emotional aspects of life through careful observation from the sidelines… realising that many people do things that feel good, just for the sake of feeling good, and not necessarily following contemplation by weighing up the pros and cons!

Emotional needs are difficult to meet as an Autistic person, with Alexithymia, social issues, and a lack of cognitive empathy… it’s easy to see why we tend to focus on logic and ‘blanket approaches’ to dealing with negative emotion. The two agree that socialising is the primary way most humans go about managing complex emotions and events, making it difficult for autistic people to meet those needs independently.

Autism From The Inside explains the concept of Code Switching, whereby complex social interactions with neurotypicals can be navigated through learning about our cognitive/emotional differences and finding ways to relate to and socialise successfully with neurotypicals. Whilst navigating neurotypical communication is useful for daily life, workplaces, and socialising, Thomas highlights that there are a lot of situations where neurotypicals can and should meet us halfway.

Paul talks about the utility of fast emotional VS slow logical thinking, and how many autistic people will run into issues with executive functioning, social anxiety, and overwhelm when they don’t use their emotional brain for smaller tasks.

They end their podcast by speaking about the strange positive of Alexithymia in crisis situations, but also the issues when it comes to placing boundaries, building verbal trust, and navigating the social world.

Song Of The Day (Listen Here) - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UDIyN5TSYN4zMcRoQPrG8?si=9255ed3480d840b5

Interview me, 1:1 Autism coaching, public speaking for events, workplace training - https://www.thomashenley.co.uk