A 12-Year-Old Girl Starred In This Moving PSA To Inform Her Classmates She's Autistic

With so much still unknown and misunderstood about autism, it’s difficult for a child to realize how the condition affects them, let alone how to discuss it with their friends. But after 12-year-old Holly starred in a PSA revealing the sensory overload she frequently endures, she decided to let the video tell her story to her classmates and teachers.

The PSA, entitled “Make It Stop,” was inform the world some of the many manifestations of autism. For Holly, however, it also served a more personal purpose—sharing her story with those close to her who were previously unaware that she suffered from the condition.

The video was created to help those unfamiliar with autism understand what sufferers are going through so that they can better interact with them. It was produced by the National Autism Society as part of the “Too Much Information” campaign. Once the video was finished, Holly, along with her parents and several school officials, decided to screen the video in an assembly on Autism Acceptance Day.

While the video speaks to autism at large, it’s a deeply personal reflection of Holly’s own struggle. The producers and writers of the video consulted with her to ensure the video accurately conveyed her daily struggle. The stylization of the video intentionally creates an overwhelming bombardment of words, sounds, and images for the viewer. The anxiety this effect causes mirrors what Holly faces.

"I'm autistic, and sometimes I get too much information," she says in the video’s narration.

The big takeaway from the video is for those interacting with autistic people to slow down and offered measured responses and dialogue to avoid the scenario presented.

By presenting this video to her friends, Holly’s taken a big step, not just in educating her friends on the nature of autism, but also in ensuring that her friends and teachers understand what’s going on internally when they don’t take into account her condition.