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Within recent years, Holly Madison has been open about everything in her life, from her past in the Playboy mansion to her latest diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
During a recent appearance on the Talking to Death podcast, the Down the Rabbit Hole author explained how she was diagnosed, and how it affects her daily life (specifically with her social activities).
“The doctor told me that I have high executive functioning, which means I can pretty much go about my life and do things ‘normally,’” she said. “I think because I’m more quiet, I’ve only recently learned to make eye contact, I’m often in my own thoughts, things like that, so people take that as offensive. They’re like, ‘Damn, you’re not super interested in me, f— you.’ Like, I’m just not on the same social wavelength as other people but don’t take it personally. So I like being able to explain that.”
The former Playmate continued that she wishes people had more patience, because you never know what they’re going through. “That everybody operates differently and [when] interacting with anybody, just have a little bit of patience because you don’t know what they’re dealing with or what their level of social function is,” she added.
According to the National Institutes of Health, ASD “is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave,” which means it can affect how you handle social situations and everyday functions.
Per the CDC’s findings, it’s been found in many people, and 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with it. While it is more relevant in boys than girls, over 5 million adults total have been diagnosed.
Since ASD is on a spectrum, the symptoms can vary. Some symptoms include making little eye contact, trouble sleeping, mismatching facial expressions, certain difficulties in social settings, and more. However, studies found that along with the symptoms, people with ASD excel at different types of learning, along with the arts and sciences.
We love that Madison has opened up about this, and has shown people that ASD is more common than people realize!
