Holly Madison revealed that she was diagnosed with autism in the Friday episode of the podcast “Talking To Death”.
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Madison, 43 years old, explained that she is “highly functional” and understands that her diagnosis may not be “as extreme” as others on the spectrum.
“I’m not the spokesperson for everyone. They call it a spectrum for a reason,” she noted.
Madison continued sharing that, when she first received the diagnosis, she remembered how the signs had been there since she was a child.
“So, I am very introverted. Like, it’s always the way I’ve written about myself.”
However, she explained that some of her social relationship problems – now explained by her diagnosis – saying that people sometimes misunderstood her.
“They think I’m, like, snobbish or think I’m better than everyone else,” she recalled. “I think that, because I’m quieter, I’ve only recently learned to make eye contact [and] often I’m stuck in my own thoughts, so people take that as offensive.”
She added that she doesn’t “have a gauge” to tell when others are finished speaking, which leads her to interrupt and accidentally annoy people.
Continuing, Madison asked others not to “take it personally” when she’s not hitting the right social cues because she simply “isn’t on the same social wavelength” as other people.
“Everyone operates differently and maybe when interacting with someone, just have a little patience because you don’t know what they are dealing with or what their level of social functioning is, you know?”
Video: Reproduction Instagram @talkingtodeath