Tag: autism

Sia, the renowned singer and songwriter, has disclosed that she has received a diagnosis of autism, two years after apologizing for her portrayal of the condition in the film Music.

In an interview with Rob Has A Podcast, known for discussing the US reality show Survivor, Sia expressed that her diagnosis has provided a sense of relief.

“I’ve felt like for 45 years, I was like, ‘I’ve got to go put my human suit on’,” she said.

“And only in the last two years have I become fully myself.”

Sia, also known as Sia Furler, has gained fame as a singer-songwriter, with popular hits like Chandelier, Titanium, and Cheap Thrills.

However, in 2021, she ventured into the realm of film-making with her debut film, Music, a musical drama centered around a woman who becomes the primary caregiver for her non-verbal autistic half-sister.

The film sparked significant controversy due to Sia’s decision to cast the neurotypical actress Maddie Ziegler, known for her appearances in Sia’s music videos, in the lead role. Many criticized this choice, arguing that it overlooked the opportunity to cast an autistic actor who could authentically portray the character.

Additionally, one particular scene in the film drew widespread anger. It depicted Ziegler’s character being subjected to a controversial restraint technique known as face-down prone restraint during a moment of overstimulation. This restraint method has been associated with physical harm and, in extreme cases, the risk of suffocation.

These aspects of the film garnered significant backlash and raised important discussions about proper representation and the portrayal of individuals with autism in the media.

At the time, Sia defended the film, saying it was “completely” based on the experiences of a “neuro-atypical friend”.

However, after the film was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards in 2021, the singer issued a series of apologies on Twitter before deleting her account altogether.

“I plan to remove the restraint scenes from all future printings. I listened to the wrong people and that is my responsibility, my research was clearly not thorough enough, not wide enough,” she stated at the time.

She also promised that a warning card would be added to the film, saying that it “in no way condones or recommends the use of restraint on autistic people”.

At the time, the Australian singer did not allude to being neuro-atypical herself. But in her podcast appearance, she stated: “I’m on the spectrum, and I’m in recovery – there’s a lot of things”.

The 47-year-old appeared on the podcast to congratulate Carolyn Wiger, a runner-up in the recent 44th series of Survivor.

She had previously called Wiger her “favourite player”, and offered the single mother $100,000 (£80,900) to help with her financial difficulties.

During her appearance on Survivor, Wiger’s quirky, unfiltered personality endeared her to many fans, some of whom asked whether she had been diagnosed with autism.

She later responded that she is not on the spectrum, but has ADHD and is in recovery from addiction.

On the podcast, Sia congratulated Wiger as someone who “didn’t put her human suit on. Who just showed up and was willing to be rejected, and to be the weird one”.

“The kook in me recognises the kook in you,” she added.

The behaviour she described, of learning and practicing certain behaviours to “fit in” with people around you, aligns with the concept of autistic masking.

Psychologist Dr Emma Colvert previously described masking to the BBC as “things people do to hide or disguise aspects of their behaviour that might seem different to non-autistic individuals”.

Sia, who is a recovering alcoholic, also responded to Wiger’s own struggles with addiction and recovery.

“I think one of the greatest things is that nobody can ever know you and love you when you’re filled with secrets and living in shame,” she said.

“And when we finally sit in a roomful of strangers and tell them our deepest, darkest, most shameful secrets, and everybody laughs along with us, and we don’t feel like pieces of trash for the first time in our lives, and we feel seen, for the first time in our lives, for who we actually are – then we can start going out into the world and operating as human beings with hearts, and not pretending to be anything.”