Viewing YouTube videos is one of my favourite pastimes so over the past few years of watching the popular video sharing website I was thrilled to discover that there are quite a few YouTubers who are on the autistic spectrum, which makes me look up to them a great deal.

Here are my favourite YouTubers who have autism or Asperger Syndrome

Jambareeqi

I have mentioned Jambareeqi on my blog before, most notably in one of my YouTube videos posts and my Alcon 2017 post. He is a YouTuber whose main content includes reviews of animated films and TV shows. The first video of his I ever watched was his review of ‘Mary and Max’ (2009), an Australian stop-motion animated film where a lonely young girl named Mary and an older obese man named Max, who has Asperger syndrome, become unlikely pen pals. When Jambareeqi discusses the characters in the film he says he also has Asperger syndrome, which I find very reassuring. Jambareeqi is a cool, underrated and highly opinionated YouTube film reviewer and I was lucky enough to have met him twice at Alcon conventions in 2014 and 2015.

Jambareeqi’s Mary and Max review video

Holly Smith from Holly Vlogs

I heard about Holly when my friend Anna, who has Asperger syndrome, mentioned her on Facebook. Holly is an extreme couponing lady who is “currently the most followed female money saver in the UK” on social media “with over 600,000 followers on Facebook,” 9000 Twitter followers, 7000 Instagram followers and 30,000 YouTube subscribers. On her YouTube channel Holly’s vlogs typically involve her visiting shops (she is sometimes joined with her husband Callum and their daughters Mollie and Bella), showing her viewers the items she finds and pricing them up as well as comparing prices so an item she finds in one shop is usually cheaper than it is elsewhere. I thoroughly enjoy watching Holly’s vlogs and I am a proud part of the #HollySquad.

Holly’s Poundland vlog

Zoe Drake

I came across Zoe when she replied to my comment on Holly’s B&M Bargains and Home Bargains vlog from June 2017. Zoe explained that she started making YouTube videos because it helped with her OCD and Asperger’s and Holly has inspired her to do her own bargain haul videos. Both Zoe and I shortly subscribed to each other’s channels. On Zoe’s channel there are several haul videos of products she bought from shops like Holland and Barrett, Superdrug, Wilko and Lush. I particularly enjoyed watching her chatty Superdrug unboxing video below.

Drawing With Micah – The Autistic Artistic

Micah is an autistic teenager who lives in Florida, USA. I first heard of him when his dad commented on one of my videos and I soon subscribed to Micah’s channel. On Micah’s channel, that currently has over 500 subscribers, are videos where he draws animals by request from his viewers such as an iguana or an otter in his unique style, ‘Retro Micah’ videos of his young childhood days and videos that promote autism positivity such as those that feature his pet bird Jazz. At the time of writing this post Micah and his family are on a well-earned trip to Walt Disney World as a break from the hard work they put in his videos. Not only have I enjoyed watching Micah’s videos but I have also enjoyed the interaction between him, his dad and me in the comments of his videos.

Micah’s channel trailer

All in all these YouTubers may have fewer than 100,000 subscribers each as do I but they are all a positive influence on me by telling me my autism won’t stop me from creating my own YouTube videos.

Jambareeqi’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Jambareeqi

Holly’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ukcouponing

Zoe’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS2-5hj1apJi-qc6flgfp9g

Micah’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jdl31autism