But Everyone Feels This Way: How an Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life

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Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 15, Paige Layle is an advocate and influencer for a better understanding of Autism on social media. Paige began making videos in March 2020 in response to a degrading post about autistic people. She initially created a 4-part video series to address common misconceptions about Autism, and her platform has grown from there. Now at 22 years old, Paige is an Autism acceptance activist, YouTuber, and TikTokker. 
 
Paige also works part-time as a dance teacher and shares her home in Kawartha Lakes, Canada with her dog, Macey, and cat, Mikado. An avid bookworm, she is thrilled to have recently put her public speaking and theatrical skills to work as the narrator for the Audible Original audiobook American Girl, by Wendy Walker, “an instant #1 Audible bestseller.”

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Autism acceptance activist and TikTok influencer Paige Layle shares her deeply personal journey to diagnosis and living life autistically. 

“For far too long, I was told I was just like everyone else. But as much as everyone tried to convince me, I knew it couldn’t be true. Living just seemed so much harder for me. Whilst the people around me seemed to have no problem being calm and happy, I had panic attacks multiple times a day, where my hyperventilating made my legs numb and sometimes I lost consciousness. This wasn’t okay. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t functioning. And it certainly wasn’t fine.”

Paige Layle was normal. She lived in the countryside with her mom, dad, and brother Graham. She went to school, hung out with friends, and all the while everything seemed so much harder than it needed to be. A break in routine threw off the whole day. If her teacher couldn't answer "why" in class, she dissolved into tears, unable to articulate her own confusion or explain her lack of control. 

But Paige was normal. She smiled in photos, picked her feet up when her mom needed to vacuum instead of fleeing the room, and received high grades. She was popular and well-liked. And until she had a full mental breakdown, no one believed her when she claimed that she was not okay.

In But Everyone Feels This Way Paige Layle shares her story as an autistic woman diagnosed late. Armed with the phrase “Autism Spectrum Disorder” (ASD), Paige challenges stigmas, taboos, and stereotypes while learning how to live her authentic, autistic life.