Paige Layle Explained

Paige Layle
Birth Name:Paige Hennekam
Birth Date:2 August 2000
Birth Place:Kawartha Lakes, Canada
Years Active:2015–present

Paige Hennekam (born August 2, 2000), better known as Paige Layle, is a Canadian ADHD and autism acceptance activist and author. She is known for discussing her experiences with ADHD and autism on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube since 2020. Her first book, But Everyone Feels This Way: How an Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life, was released in 2024.

Early life

Layle was born Paige Hennekam in Kawartha Lakes on August 2, 2000. She attempted suicide at the age of 15, after which she was diagnosed with autism,[1] OCD,[2] and ADHD.[3]

Career

Layle started making TikTok videos about autism in March 2020,[4] [5] after hearing an audio clip on TikTok that mocked autistic people.[6] She created a four-part video series on autism in girls to address common misconceptions about the disorder.[7] In 2020 and 2021, she joined other members of the autism community in weighing in on the controversy surrounding Sia's film Music.[8]

In 2021, Layle and other autism advocates such as Chloé Hayden criticized Color the Spectrum: A Livestream to Support the Autism Community, a fundraiser launched by Mark Rober in support of NEXT for AUTISM. She critiqued NEXT for funding Autism Speaks, an organization that has received backlash for its attempts to "cure" autism. To counter Color the Spectrum, Layle and other advocates planned to host a fundraising livestream on the same date and time to raise money for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).[9] [10] The livestream was later cancelled due to allegations that ASAN had plagiarized work from Indigenous creator Autistic, Typing.[11]

In 2022, Layle was a performer for the audiobook version of Wendy Walker's American Girl, produced by Audible.[12]

Layle's first book, But Everyone Feels This Way: How an Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life, was released in March 2024.[13]

As of November 2024, Layle has 2.7 million TikTok followers,[14] [15] 173,000 Instagram followers,[16] and 183,000 YouTube subscribers.[17]

Personal life

Layle is pansexual and uses she/her and they/them pronouns. She continues to reside in Kawartha Lakes, where she works as a teacher.[18] [19]

References

  1. Web site: Mui. Christine. August 5, 2020. Where Are The Autistic Women in the Media?. December 5, 2020. Harvard Political Review. en-US.
  2. Web site: Perry. Tod. March 11, 2020. Teenager creates eye-opening videos that shatter stereotypes surrounding autism and girls. June 27, 2020. Upworthy. en.
  3. Web site: @paigelayle. 2020-12-02. paige? a trend and not an autism video? ya idk! #fyp #HomeCooked #BackOnTrack. TikTok.
  4. Web site: Favaro. Avis. Neustaeter. Brooklyn. St. Phillip. Elizabeth. June 25, 2020. Canadian teen shatters autism stereotypes with candid videos on TikTok. June 27, 2020. CTV News. en.
  5. Web site: Tucker. Olivia. January 20, 2021. TikTok Creators Like Paige Layle Are Redefining Narratives About Autism. January 31, 2021. Teen Vogue. en-us.
  6. Web site: Bode. Lucy. This Woman Is Using TikTok To Educate Her Followers About Living With Autism. September 18, 2020. June 27, 2020. Women's Health. en-us.
  7. Web site: Emanuel. Daniella. March 10, 2020. A Girl On TikTok With Autism Is Going Viral For Talking About How Autism Is Different In Women. June 27, 2020. BuzzFeed. en.
  8. Web site: Moore. Andria. November 24, 2020. Paige Layle, An Autistic TikToker, Weighed In On The Sia/Maddie Ziegler Movie Drama. March 6, 2021. BuzzFeed. en.
  9. Web site: Holcomb. Rebecca. April 24, 2021. TikTok Star Page Layle Plans Livestream Fundraiser For ASAN To Protest Jimmy Kimmel's NEXT For Autism Fundraiser. April 26, 2021. TheThings. en-US.
  10. Web site: Turner-Cohen. Alex. April 25, 2021. Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Sandler among celebs slammed for supporting autism fundraiser. April 26, 2021. 7NEWS.com.au. en.
  11. Web site: Beck Spectrum. April 26, 2021. Accountability.. Instagram.
  12. Web site: Associated Press. January 11, 2022. The top 10 audiobooks on Audible.com. February 7, 2022. ABC News. en.
  13. Singh . Manvir . 2024-05-06 . Why We're Turning Psychiatric Labels Into Identities . 2024-05-28 . The New Yorker . en-US . 0028-792X.
  14. Web site: Pham. Elyse. September 26, 2020. 'What does autism look like?' 20-year-old confronts stereotypes on TikTok. September 29, 2020. 7NEWS.com.au. en.
  15. Web site: Adams . Josie . 2021-09-17 . Normal feelings, or ADHD, ASD or PTSD? Social media is here to diagnose you . 2023-08-08 . The Spinoff . en.
  16. Web site: Thompson. Dillon. March 13, 2020. 19-year-old's inspiring TikToks break down autism stereotypes. June 27, 2020. In The Know. en-US.
  17. Web site: Paige layle - YouTube . .
  18. Web site: March 2, 2021. Young actors with autism respond to Sia's movie Music. March 6, 2021. CBC Kids News. en.
  19. Web site: Goldstein. Joelle. March 11, 2020. 19-Year-Old Woman with Autism Goes Viral on TikTok: 'A Lot of People Don't Understand' Autism. June 27, 2020. People. EN.

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