The Truth About my Son

If I look younger here it's because this video is actually 2 years old and it's just taken us this long to feel comfortable releasing it since this is the internet. So please be kind and please consider sharing and donating :)

I’m proud of you for this! Very informative and genuine, idk what to say but this is easily one of your best videos!

Almost two years ago, I watched this video while my son, who has autism and epilepsy, was in the back of the car, having another tantrum. At that point in my life, I wanted him to be fixed as though there was something wrong with him. I was bitter watching this video because I wanted my son to be "normal" and resented Marks great attitude. It took me a while, but I now know that my son is perfect. He has brought me more joy than anything else in my life, and I am grateful for every day I get to have him. Life is hard with a special needs son, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for your shining example Mark!

I'm autistic and although I'm not as far on the spectrum as your son is, it is nice to be able to relate to a celebrity. That made me cry. Thank you Mark Rober.

I am autistic, and to be honest, this is the most ive ever been understood.

As someone also on the spectrum I just want to mention that autism is a HUGE spectrum and sometimes you cant even tell if someone is on the spectrum just by “looking” at them. Never judge someone just by their looks. Everyone is going through something.

I am blessed to have 2 grandkids with autism the joy they bring to the world is unmeasurable I wouldn't change one thing about them...thank you for bringing the awareness that you do

As an autistic adult with debilitating hyperacusis, I appreciate this.

He's not just autistic. He's unique and gonna make his own mark on the worl with the help of his dad. Keep helping him and he'll be perfectly fine and he'll know where to go for help.

Mark. I love your videos, I’m a mech engineer who worked at GE aircraft engines. My brother is Down’s syndrome and is the most loving pure of heart guy I know! Thanks for bringing people with special needs into peoples hearts who didn’t know before!

I relate to your son a lot. Because I’m also autistic. So I know what some of the problems he may get from some people. I hope he stays positive and doesn’t let people bring him down.

I absolutely love how mark cares for his son like no other, he totally understands his son. He treats him the best he can, a lot of people don’t. ❤

Hi, Mark I am from Australia and my son is on the lower end of the spectrum. I just want to say it is a wonderful thing that you have these opportunities for the older kids and adults. My son was diagnosed by my neighbor when he was 17. I could never understand his stubberness or his lack of responsibility or lack of social skills. It all fell into place once we looked into it. You have a beautiful son and family. I pray and wish you all the best.

Thanks Mark, from another special needs Dad.

I just want to thank you for this. I am one of three kids in my family, and the only one without Autism. One of my sisters is very high functioning, while my other sister is low functioning. It can be tough sometimes, but it is so rewarding. More people need to know how amazing these individuals truly are!! Thank you so much, Mark!! ❤

I have autism and adhd and it’s made almost everything I do daily so much more frustrating. I always misunderstand situations and sometimes hurt the people I love because of that. It’s made me hate the way I am and feel jealous of everyone else but this helped a lot with remembering the supportive people that care about me and help me through the things I struggle with. Thanks mark

I’m a bubble blowing baby! 😭This is beautiful. It’s no wonder I get a sense of genuineness with every video. Mark, thank you for sharing your beautiful boy with us.

Such an incredible dad.

As a single parent and a dad, I know exactly how precious our children are. No matter who they are they are special. What connects us to our children is a bond of unconditional love and respect for who they are. It was a joy to experience the love and joy in your family. Our kids rely on us and it is our lifelong destiny to be there for them. I am sure you are your sons biggest hero......and rightly so.

My 8 year old is also diagnosed with autism. Thank you for making this and raising such sensitive, humanizing awareness.

Don't worry mark, we are very supportive about your son! And we will always be 😊

I can't describe how much this video matters to me, an autistic person. I'm glad that you're very supportive of your son and that you help to spread awareness

This vid made me cry this is such a amazing video ❤

Hi Mark, thank you for articulating that "regardless of your religious or political beliefs or your favorite sports team or any other way we like to divide ourselves into tribes, I think we could all agree that a successful life is one where you leave the world better than you found it. Sort of a net positive effect due to your influence. There [are] a lot of normal functioning people who are critical and seek to tear others down or who have made a ton of money but are just terrible people, and by my definition, they're not successful." This is the best video to prod us mortals to understand and support autism. Kudos to Jimmy Kimmel and all who support this great cause. Mark, you deserve respect and praise for being brave enough to publish this.

It’s enough to make a grown man cry... and that’s ok

Your son seems like a great gift to your lives.

I am crying! This was beautiful and thank you for sharing something so personal. 💜
My nephew has autism and it's been a beautiful journey for all of us to know how we can better support him and how he supports us in his way.
We all have different abilities and it's about understanding that we all do! ❤️

As an adult in my 30s getting diagnosed, this had me crying. It wasn't my parents' fault that we didn't know when I was a kid, but seeing you be so supportive and understanding makes me happy that some kids out there are getting what they need.

My girlfriend is autistic (asperger), and she is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me.
She's such a bright and positive soul, always striving for personal improvement, and pushing me to improve too!
She's so supportive in everything, and I wouldn't be who and where I am today if it wasn't for her :)
Watching this video makes me so happy, I see a lot of what she brings to the world in your son too!
Her superpower is creativity/arts! I've never seen anyone as talented as her, she just seems to pick up and learn in minutes.

I am also autistic, but on the lower spectrum, and I completely understand how your son is feeling, and I overcame my autism and now living a normal life

Didn't think I could respect you even more than I did.

As a father of a child with silent disability - deafness, I appreciate this.

I admire the love and care you showed in this video. Thank you for making this, Mark. Thank you for sharing this with us, your son is a beacon for those around him.

I have autism as well and I thought not many people have it because according to Clip-Share, 2% of people have it but I was told wrong by many people. I never thought I was that normal because the only other person I’ve met that has autism is my bff❤ Thanks for your support Mark. It really helps me understand that I am different but not weird. I don’t know anyone else that has this but when I scratch something with me nail or maybe when I touch it with hard skin I normally have to go back and touch it again in a more comfortable way. Not many people would understand me but I’m just happy that your here to help autistic people and make them understand that their not weird, their different, and everyone is different🎉😮❤

I love to know a little bit more of him! ❤

Mark, you are so great and remarkable!
Some things like this are very hard to say
out loud and I just wanted to you are
amazing.
Wish your son a great rest of his life!

Thank you for educating and spreading awareness at the same time

This video is just amazing, i watch it probably every 3 months and cry the whole time. And I'd like to share something from my life when i was a child. I was born with a congenital heart defect, I remember my dad telling this occasionally.
"yes, your limited in what you can do in life, be it astronaut, Olympian or professional hockey player in the NHL....but at the end of the day your my son and that's all that matters to me"
Thanks for sharing this little slice of your life.

Your son is so lucky to have you as a dad! and I suspect that you are equally lucky to have him as your son.

My uncle is on the spectrum but I've never thought of him as having something wrong with him, we're only a few year apart and I've always thought of him like a big brother. He's been an inspiration to me my whole life and honestly he's doing way better than I am 😂 this video brought me so much joy and I appreciate you Mark

I may be a year late but your son is great :D the clips of him make me smile and laugh. I hope his smile never fades because its a contagious one and will probably make other people around him smile too!

I'm watching your video for the first time and just, thank you. It's an emotional rollercoaster being a sen parent. It took me 2 years to go from "why me, why my kid" to "he's a blessing, not a burden". You said it best, "they keep us grounded" and make us appreciate their little achievements even more.

You’re a great father. ❤️ Love and support for your amazing work.

Mark I appreciate you throwing this message, having a child in the spectrum isn’t easy. I’ve started to love everything my son does being able to watch him express his feelings and emotions even interactions to everything makes me so happy I always talked about how blessed I was to have him and to learn more about the autistic spectrum, I cried the whole video and I haven’t expressed this feeling. Thank you for sharing your experience! Always love your videos! Blessings to your family!

Mark, I am currently 16. Well, almost. I was diagnosed with having ADHD and Asperger's syndrome when I was 13 or 14 and they are on the autism spectrum. And I have to say, I couldn't have worded things better myself. The way you've explained things here is incredible. I am not as severe a case as others might be but I still feel all of this and the fact that you're bringing attention to all this and properly explaining everything we feel has sincerely moved me. Thank you for this video. And, I have to say, your son is adorable.
Edit: by the way, what you said about us having no filter is very accurate. And, it also applies to speech. When I'm having a conversation with someone, I don't really know what to say. I say whatever's on my mind. Even if it's entirely unrelated to the conversation. And not everyone can handle that, so, I've been shunned and pushed out of friend groups quite often. That's why I, and most other people on the autism spectrum, don't do well with groups. One, it's hard for us to know everyone and understand what to say and two, we prefer the people we're always with because, familiarity.

This is really wonderful to see, and to remember to be compassionate with those on the spectrum. I know even now it can be challenging to understand how my own daughter resonates with the world around her and it can be frustrating at times when seemingly inconsequential sounds can trigger an episode. She's still young, yet has come a long way in processing things that may affect her, and we've learned a great deal of patience along the way. Considering the uncertainty of resources for her as she gets older it's extremely heartening to see this post and to find out more about NEXT.
Btw, my daughter's challenges are mostly social and we've been working a lot on communication and emotional regulation. Luckily these things have been manageable with the proper tools and guidance from counselors and teachers. Academically she's been excelling, which is wonderful in so many ways, but I still think her superpower is storytelling and art. She's seems to have inherited my pension for art making, but has been so much more prolific in the realm of making comics and tall tales. Love her, absolutely!

From one dad to another, thank you for helping raise awareness. Strive to be half the dad you are to your beautiful son

Thank you for this. I understand as this is the hardest thing to explain to people about our children. You did it very well ❤

Thank you so much for sharing this, Mark.

I just found this video and now I am crying. Thank you for it. I worked with special need people when I was younger and it was an experience that humbled me forever.

As a kid I was diagnosed with aspergers which is now considered to be apart of the autistic spectrum, and although it affected me a lot more in my past then it does now (since I used to have a phobia of large audiences and clapping) I still feel the effects of the disorder to an extent. Even though my disorder never affected me as severely as the individuals in this video, it was nice to remember that I wasn't alone in this struggle. Thank you Mark not only for the very accurate description of what me and many others deal with 24/7, but also having the courage to spread awareness about autism since it is very misunderstood by many people in our modern world

You are almost making me cry! We are very supportive for your son!

WHY AM I CRYING SO HARD THIS IS SO CUTE❤

I think you are brave for sharing this sacred information with the world, taking a chance there are more kind souls than haters. Sending a giant bubble of love to you and your family. A little corner in my mind is more enlightened because you took a chance. I knew nothing about autism, but I do now. Thank you for posting. 💕

Here to support you and the stream in any way that I can. From one father to another, much love Mark.

I really appreciate your opening to us as an older brother of a special needs sister I understand some things that you're going through

You seem so busy making your videos even though you make only a few a year. I'm glad you get to spend time with your family and friends. You're doing great stuff and I have been watching you for 6 years. I hope you keep doing what you do .

i have watched this a billion times and i'm still in tears. this is so sweet and really spreads awareness about what we have to deal with all the time. i keep it all in my head, and sometimes, i just snap. i have autism and adhd, so i can relate. my "special ability" is perfect pitch and perfect rythm, but i'm so much more than that. Thank you so, so much for this and this video is one of my favorites. the message really needed to be out there.

Thank you so much for doing this! It will mean the world to my daughter. She was recently diagnosed.

Wow Mark, just wow.
Much love guys.

I absolutely LOVE everything about this

Mark, we don't know each other, but from what you have shared in your video is a life parenting achievement, your son will always cherish these moments, and that's the greatest legacy you can leave to your child. Thank you for sharing.

This video makes me cry. I am on the spectrum myself, and it may not be obvious, but overload sets in so easy, my confusion can completely tear me apart when in conversation as I misunderstand people. My flaws are definitely shown rather easy, but my strengths as well, because I do try my best to make people smile, because it makes me happy when I have had a positive effect on people. I wish the world was kinder, I have met a lot of special needs people, and they are just that, people. Some have life harder, some easier, but they are still human, and I still try and make them smile like you do to me. Thank you for making this Mark, and please keep up the great video work, it is truly amazing to watch every video.

This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for being vulnerable in sharing and educating us about their perspective. ❤ They truly are giants in comparison to us.

My son has cerebral palsy he was born with it because I was 4 months pregnant with him when I flew out the passenger windshield so I ended up with a t4 injury but I feel ill walk again and my son loves everyone plus anime and video games plus his iPad he's now 26 and we're grateful to be alive! I have a friend with a son who's autistic he's amazing too my son's half sister is autistic as well I couldn't love them more! They light up my world!

He looks so sweet, I hope he's doing wonderfully.

Your boy is beautiful inside and out. You are lucky to have him and he is really lucky to have you. Thank you for sharing his story and raising awareness.

Thanks for sharing this with us, wish the world was full of parents like you, for sure it would be a better place.

I’m not crying, you’re crying! Your love really shines through Mark, bless you and your family!

My daughter has autism and I know exactly what you go through. Our other daughter doesn’t have autism. So we get both worlds and it’s been an interesting 5 years going from not knowing anything about autism to being thrown into this world and it’s been a ride.

"His superpower is making people happy"
Like father, like son

This is one of the most heartwarming stories I've ever heard. I truly admire your bravery. I would love to support the "Color the Spectrum". :) ;)

Hey Mark, thank you for sharing this and as a dad of two little kids, I can feel you so much on the part you almost started crying. You seem to be such a great and smart person and I think there are not many people out there that would make a greater father than you are for a kid with special capabilities like your son. It was awesome to see you two and get the information you shared. Thank you!

Mark, this made me cry. You are such a great human and great dad. Thank you for educating the world.

That description of what it's like to be on the spectrum re: a conversation in the park is amazing. I've always done my best to understand those with autism, but it's never been so simply and clearly explained that that's why having a "normal" conversation can be so difficult for them. The idea that my brain wouldn't automatically tune out background noises so I can focus on someone or something specifically is just something I -- and I'm guessing most of us -- take for granted.
Thanks for being brave enough to put this awesome video up.

As someone who never comes into contact with people with special needs, this was a really inspiring video and the lessons he’s taught you are beyond invaluable. Thanks for taking the time to share those lessons with the world.

As someone with autism, a video about how we aren't just idiots like it seems the world seems to perceive us makes me feel really happy. It's scary because sometimes I feel like I'll never be successful and seeing this video helped me realize that I am enough and I'm not just defined by autism. Thank you.

This made me cry. I just wish we weren't labeled special needs. We're just different...I like how you shared he's empathetic because as someone with Asperger's, we often get mislabeled as not being empathetic....we can be in our "own bubble"...but like your son, I love having parties for other people and it being perfect as possible. People like us aren't broken...but we do live in a world that's conditioned to breaking people..especially when you're different.

I have ADHD but i cannot imagine what this must be like, and all power to all of you! I have friends that judge special needs kids and don’t understand how much they persevere, and just seeing someone smile so much gives me one.

I admire your power. Yours and your son's. Touching and encouraging in ways we don't know we need. Truly remarkable how people can lose hope these days, yet we are way stronger than we'd like to give ourselves credit for. Thanks for reminding us :)

This shows me again that there is nothing stronger than parents love to their childeren

i almost cried.That was so nice of you and showing us your AMAZING son.He is fr cute and don't even look special soo stay like that SUPORT YOUR SON like you are already doing cuz. u r realy great person!

I wish them happiness always

You're a great dad Mark.Congrats

I thought this was beautiful and brave and am very grateful you shared this with us. It reminded me of my uncle who passed away. My uncle was very special needs. He was born normally but unfortunately became ill as a small child and a very high fever essentially boiled his brain. He couldn't talk anymore or move properly. But was such a beautiful person. I miss him dearly 😔

You have a wonderful family!

Can’t imagine how emotional this video had to have been for you I am so glad that you are so smart and brave and outgoing 😊

This touched my heart to the deepest levels ❤️

Mark is an absolute specimen of a human being. Brilliant scientist, charismatic man, awesome dad, great humanitarian. I salute you.

Thank you❤ Your boy is lucky to have you and your wife as parents, and you both are lucky to have him as an amazing son

I cant believe i missed this.
Thank you for sharing this about your son and your family with the challenges and fun and success. Its awesome to hear these stories about kids and special needs people. I feel like just listening to their story, their experience changes us and everyone for the better. I love it, my son i feel like is on the spectrum as well but we have not yet looked into getting him diagnosed but we have talked to an occupational therapist that has made life a lot better in terms of quality and fun for our son. Its interesting to see when you talked about your son and i look at my son. There are some similarities. My son has a keen focus on a lot of things, he will remember things ive told him many months or even a year ago, as well he loves his recent introduction to pokemon and just collecting, organizing. Its wholesome to see this how they develop over the years and to be there to support them every step of the way.

I can't believe I found this (albeit a year late). As a parent of a child with autism, this really touched my heart. Thank you Mark for your work, you're a fantastic person.

what a special thing it is to be a dad! you've got a wonderful kiddo. he reminds me of my boy jaxon. i love this video & am very glad it came across my suggestions

This is so precious. That you take the time to get to know your son the way he is and know his superpower. Every child has one. Just not every parent cares enough to get to know it. Thank you so much for sharing.

Your son is awesome!

This is hands down one of the most beautiful heart warming videos I've ever seen thank you Mark and to you're Son ❤️

Your son seems like an awesome kid and will be an amazing friend to have

Mark your son is the cutest, sweetest thing!!!

I love this. My son also has autism but as you said, "people with special needs ground the rest of us". That is so important to say. I see many others forgetting this important aspect of life

What a beautiful story! Your son is handsome and your family is so awesome! Thank you for sharing!