Topics: Celebrity, Health, NHS, TV And Film, Mental Health,
Bella Ramsey has revealed they were diagnosed with autism while filming The Last of Us, after noting they had always been 'watching and learning from people'.
The actor, 21, has opened up about their autism diagnosis, after suffering with feeling out of place as a child.
Ramsey spoke about recognising they had the condition while on set for season one of The Last of Us.
Speaking with British Vogue, the actor noted that they felt 'free' upon learning about the neuro-developmental condition.
Advert
The star said: "It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do."
The NHS notes that while there are common symptoms of autism, such as difficulty communicating, empathising, getting overwhelmed easily, and doing the same things over and over, as it is a spectrum disorder, it can look very different in each person.
The former Game of Thrones actor said: "I’ve always been watching and learning from people.
"Having to learn more manually how to socialise and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting."
They did admit that they had 'always wondered' about autism and whether it affected their life, and cited experiences of feeling like a 'loner' and a 'weirdo' growing up.
But it was a crew member working on The Last of Us, whose daughter suffered with autism, that advised the actor to get a formal psychiatric assessment.
Reflecting on the outcome of the assessment, Ramsey said: "My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person.
"There’s no reason for people not to know."
The NHS states: "Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people."
It also noted that signs and symptoms that someone may have autism may not be picked up until they are an adult.
Experts have also noted that women are much better at masking their symptoms and attempting to learn social cues.
The cause of autism is currently unknown, or whether there even is a cause.
Ramsey also noted having 'sensory issues common to people on the autism spectrum and … painful hyperawareness of other people’s micro-expressions and body language'.
