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While visiting Justin Sylvester on his podcast Just the Sip for E! News, Amanda Seales was asked about being a precocious child and whether or not she felt like she received the support she needed as a kid to think outside the box and express her opinions, which she does passionately now. The 38-year-old revealed she did get a lot of encouragement and was told to lean into what made her different.
“My mom, she didn’t spank me but I just was argumentative. I just always had things to say and I think for my mom’s sake, she was low-key annoyed because it was like, ‘Damn, she’s making sense’ but it’s also like, ‘I don’t want to hear this!'” she said. “At 11, I distinctly remember the day that this happened. I had these UNICEF calendars and I decided I need to start writing what I’ve done every day on the calendar because I’m going to be a noteworthy person and people are going to want to know how I got here. I remember decisively saying that to myself. ‘And so I need to let them know that I went to Turkey Lake Park today and went to the pool because they’re going to want to know.’ Who does that? So, I wouldn’t say that I fully understood myself, but I always understood, you’re on some other sh-t. You’re on some other sh-t. My mom always knew that too and I was very very fortunate that I had people who made it their business to be like, ‘You’re different and you need to know that and love yourself for that.’ So I had a lot of encouragement.”
The comedian also noted that some of her behavior, which wasn’t discouraged, she now wonders if it was due to behavioral issues. She has even considered looking into getting tested to see if she’s “on the spectrum.” For the record, being on the spectrum usually refers to certain challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder, where a child’s communication, social skills and more are impacted. According to the CDC, “red flags” of autism spectrum disorder include everything from getting upset by minor changes to having trouble understanding the feelings of others or their own. However, she could also be referring to a behavior spectrum of other disorders like Tic disorders, which include anxiety disorders, mood disorders and disruptive behavior disorders. Whatever she may attribute past and perhaps, present behaviors to, Seales embraces it.
“I’ve always felt like there may be some value in me even like getting a test to see if I’m possibly on the spectrum in a certain way because I think there were certain things that I just reacted to so strongly, that always felt like, damn, that was a bit extra. You know, and as an adult I’m like, that’s still a bit extra,” she said. “But that being said, yes, I definitely had a long journey and its continued. I know that I will always be misunderstood by most. And that is okay until sometimes it doesn’t feel okay and then I’ve gotta like deal with it not feeling okay until I get to the next time where it’s okay again.”
You can check out her comments below around the 19-minute mark.
