Although we often hear that autistic people struggle to find employment and a meaningful role in the world, Max Green is proof that it is possible to create a fulfilling and productive life despite the challenges of neurodiversity.
Max is autistic and at twenty-seven years old, has already had an impressive career. His achievements include acting roles in the BBC series ‘Holby City’ and ‘Doctors’, starring in autism awareness adverts for Ford and Santander and also appearing in a video for the National Autistic Society.
He’s an ambassador for the NAS as well as Wrestling Travel (wrestling is one of his passions) and is an expert panellist for Dimensions UK, an organisation that supports people with ASD and learning disabilities. He won the Coronavirus Learning Disability Autism Leader of the Year in 2020 and a Diana Award in 2021.
If that wasn’t enough, he also undertakes regular public speaking engagements across the UK, runs his own YouTube channel ‘MaxiAspie’ and works as a senior IT administrator!
A Love of Performing
Performing, however, gives him the biggest thrill. “My dream is to continue to act and make a positive impact on the world, leaving it better than I found it,” he explains. “I love to tell stories that resonate with people, evoking deep emotions and connections. Interestingly, my entire life has involved masking, which is, in itself, a kind of acting.
“Whenever I take on a role, I immerse myself fully in the character. I ask myself questions like, ‘What is this character feeling?’, ‘What drives him?’ ‘Why does he act this way?’ This process not only helps me understand the character’s behaviour more deeply but also teaches me a great deal about myself.
“Public Speaking is another passion of mine – spreading awareness and understanding is very important to me. IT work keeps me on my toes and can drive me mad, but I love a challenge. I’ve been running my YouTube channel since 2008, and though sometimes I feel like I haven’t achieved as much as I’d like, my mottos are ‘never give up’ and ‘I still have time’.”
School Struggles and Anxiety
Despite his many successes, Max has faced difficulties along the way. He agrees that people often mistakenly assume that all autistic people excel at maths and science and confesses that he always found maths tricky at school – it took him seven attempts to pass his Functional Skills exam.
“If I was asked, ‘John has 7 apples, he gives 3 away and gets 2 back. How many apples does John have now?’ I would struggle. However, if the question was simply, ‘What is 7 – 1?’ I could answer that. Even now, I sometimes struggle with these kinds of word problems. Additionally, having different terms for the same operations – like add/addition, multiply/times – was confusing. All I can say is you wouldn’t want me as your accountant!”
Like many people with autism, Max also battles with anxiety which manifests itself as OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). “It affects me daily—I often check things multiple times, fearing I haven’t done something right or that something bad will happen if I don’t do it correctly,” he admits. “When this happens, I ask for help from family and friends, people I trust not to judge me, and that always helps.”
Challenging Misconceptions
He says that many people mistakenly believe that autistic people can’t achieve what others can. “People often dismiss us before we’ve even had the chance to prove them wrong. Other widespread myths include the notions that we are unemployable, can’t make eye contact, or lack social skills. To that, I say, once you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism!”
Max aims to keep developing and trying new things. “I would love to try presenting, as I enjoy performing,” he enthuses. “Honestly, I’m open to anything and everything. I believe we’re only here once, and we should give everything a try as long as it’s something we want to do and it makes us happy. At the moment, I would say I am doing everything I can so I can say I’ve done everything I wanted to do. I’ve been on TV, radio, adverts and in a short film. I’ve done skydives, ziplines and abseils for charity. This year, I’m flying a plane!”
Visit Max’s website – https://www.maxjgreen.com
