Ben Canham: from bullied autistic man to empowered advocate

Ben Canham, an autistic disability activist from Melton Mowbray has in recent years built up a notable following on X for his courageous journey from being a victim of severe bullying to becoming a vocal advocate for the autistic community.

Meet Ben Canham

Having had his whole world tipped upside down at the tender age of 17 when his beloved father passed away from lung cancer, Ben Canham was left devastated and reeling.

Then the heartache deepened further as only a year later, on the cusp of adulthood, he also lost his mother to heart failure.

At just 18 years old, Ben was not only grieving two unimaginable losses, but navigating life entirely on his own as an autistic man – who was parentless, orphaned, and facing a future of uncertainty.

To make matters worse, the system that was supposed to protect him catastrophically failed, as he was left to completely fend for himself which allowed for cruel bullies to step in and abuse him for his weight and his autism.

The abuse got so bad that the gang of thugs attacked him with rocks and even a knife, whilst hurling horrific insults at him that completely destroyed Ben’s self-esteem, confidence, and even his ability to leave his house.

Locked away and alienated from society, Ben was left with mental and physical scars which made him too afraid to leave his home, as he feared he would be targeted again.

Receding into self-isolation in a bid to protect himself and suffering from PTSD and flashbacks from the attacks, Ben eventually discovered a community of people online whom he could confide in.

Solace in social media and activism

In a world that must have felt heavy, dark, and utterly cruel, Ben found solace in sharing his story and connecting with people from all over the world.

Therefore, as his social media presence continued to grow, so did his ability to speak out against the grave injustices that disabled people face.

Now, aged 28 Ben Canham still uses his platform on X and Bluesky to raise awareness about grief, trauma, and ableism, and is even followed by famous faces such as James O’Brien, Angela Rayner, and Mary Trump, to name just a few.

Speaking to the Canary, Ben said that he was inspired to become an autistic activist because of seeing other people’s experiences online and wanting to share his story also:

I think the thing that inspired me the most was just seeing people post about their experiences, and I felt like sharing some of my experiences as well.

Still reeling from the grief and trauma of losing his parents, Ben says there are good days and bad days and that life is still incredibly challenging and lonely without the nurturing love and care of his Mum and Dad:

I suffer more from the grief and sadness especially during anniversaries, you know things like birthdays and Christmas. The pain has never gone away.

Ben, who thinks about his parents every day and the void they left behind in his heart, said that he would:

like to think that my parents would be proud of me now, knowing how much I’ve gone through and how much I’ve done which have led me to be a stronger person today.

Passions and progress

All the grief and challenges Ben Canham faced in his life didn’t stop him from being a powerful voice and champion for the autistic community and with the help of his support worker, he has been able to venture out of his house twice a week:

They mainly take me out, so I can get out the house, but also so I can do more walking.

This has been a lifeline for Ben, who at times gets lonely and struggles to go out by himself, and he has recently discovered that being out in nature has improved his mental and physical wellbeing.

Speaking about his experiences with social media, both the good, the bad, and the ugly, Ben said:

I feel that for me personally social media has been the biggest help for me in getting through a lot of the things that I have experienced. Like the bullying and the loss of my parents.

After all the tragic events that went on, I feel like when I turned to social media to share those experiences, that’s when I gained these followers and people reached out to me, and social media became like a lifeline for me.

With friends all over the world, in Germany, Canada, the US, and as far as Australia, Ben believes he found a supportive network of like-minded individuals who share both his passions and challenges.

One passion of Ben’s is the US, a country that he loves dearly and has a special interest in:

I love America, there’s a lot of things that I love about it, I love the history, the people.

This special interest is one that brings Ben a great deal of comfort, and even his bedroom is adorned with American memorabilia and NYC bedding. It has also allowed Ben to make a lot of friends in the US, who he communicates with on X:

I speak to people a lot online; I really enjoy it especially because I live on my own, it’s almost like having someone in the room with you.

The darker side to social media

However, as much as Ben Canham loves connecting with others online the darker side of social media has not been without its challenges – with consistent online criticism and trolling occurring on daily basis.

The cruel trolls and social media bullies consistently leave nasty comments on his posts, targeting Ben for his weight, appearance, and autism.

Recently for instance, Ben shared a post about his health and fitness journey on X, and after receiving hate comments he was left feeling heartbroken and insecure about himself.

As someone who already lives avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and a lack of body confidence, this took a huge toll upon his mental health:

I worry about how I look to other people, I get very self-conscious, I might be fat, but at least I have basic human decency, unlike those who judge.

But despite receiving negative comments and abuse on X and other social media platforms, Ben is determined to not give up on his activism and hopes to encourage others in similar situations to also share their stories and personal experiences online.

Ben Canham: autism is a superpower

Ben Canham has a clear message to autistic people:

You may face challenges, but you can focus on the strengths of the condition, autism is like a rainbow, it has a bright side and a darker side, but every shade is important and beautiful.

He says he doesn’t let his autism hold him back as he views it as a “superpower” that allows him to look at the world in a different way from neurotypical people.

I don’t shy away from it, and I am really proud of the person I have become, I feel positive about being a man with autism and learning to become the best version of myself.

Featured image and additional images supplied