Andrew Reams is a famous Youtuber. His channel has over 82 million views, his 41 videos have over two hundred and fifty thousand views each. To the world of children and young adults with autism, he is a superstar. His secret to success? That is the elevator. 

Reams, a friendly-faced 37-year-old man working for the Norfolk Southern Railway. However, his real passion is traveling around the country and filming elevator videos. One of Reams’ clips shows himself going up and down a glass elevator in Virginia while telling a story. The five-and-a-half-minute video has garnered more than 600,000 views. Reams’ clips made him famous and made many new friends. 

In his bedroom at his home in Roanoke, Virginia, Reams maintains a small elevator museum, packed with controls, lights, recordings, locks, and keys. This small museum is frequented visited by tourists. 

James Brock, 23, drove ten hours from Mississippi to visit the Reams museum. Not just a visit out of curiosity but because Reams has indirectly helped Brock change his life for the better. 

“I was pretty lost,” he said. “I don’t know what I would be without Andrew.” 

For Brock, like many others, Reams’ YouTube posts about elevators connected him to a large community who also felt similarly isolated. “I thought I was the only one,” Brock said. “Without Andrew and without other people with the same interests, it seems more or less… I would have a more boring life.” 

“I mean, I thought I’m the only one who likes to ride the elevator, to be honest.” 

Peak 

Reams posts his videos online under the account name DieselDucy and with over 27,000 subscribers. This channel mainly has videos about Reams and friends in the elevator; They take the elevator in the hotel; Using the elevator in the hospital; They take elevators in office blocks and public buildings; They filmed their trip in the elevator; They filmed each other filming their ride in the elevator; There was even footage of their group being called in for questioning by the police for their odd filming behavior in the elevator. 

DieselDucy YouTube account attracts a large number of members. 

“I’ve loved elevators since I was a kid,” says Reams. My first elevator ride took place at a mall in Des Peres Missouri.” Ten years and 82 million views, Reams’ YouTube channel is at the center of a tiny, tightly-knit universe of elevator-loving teens. 

Reams talks About His Asperger’s and why he loves elevators 

Elevators and Autism 

“80 to 90 percent of the people who make these elevator videos are autistic and so am I,” says Reams. 

Elevators have a range of attributes that make them attractive to people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 

“For people with ASD, the core symptom is a difference in how they process sensations,” says Dr. Amanda Bennett, who works with children with autism at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

Until 2013, doctors focused on the sensory avoidance aspect of ASD, but a recent shift in diagnosis means that doctors have become more concerned. “The sensory expression of ASD means seeking out certain sounds, senses, or sensations,” says Bennett. In the elevator, the lighting is different than usual, there is a click of the button and the sound of the elevator moving up and down.” All of that, she says, may contribute to making elevators so appealing to this group of people. 

“I’m interested in stimulation,” says Reams. It’s a multi-sensory experience, the pressing of buttons, the noise emitted, the light, the sense of motion, the mechanics involved. That’s why these kids are attracted to elevators.” 

A large portion of Reams’ fans are teenage boys who are also drawn to elevators due to autism. “It’s very appealing to them to feel like they can control something,” says Reams. 

Reams receives a constant stream of calls and emails from parents of elevator-obsessed children. To these people, he is both a celebrity and an icon to learn from. 

Join the world 

Having obsessive interests is a common feature of people with autism spectrum disorder, with their common themes including trains, buses, and other mechanical objects. 

Regularly taking the elevator, they have the opportunity to meet the elevator repairmen. For these people, they can ask extremely difficult questions related to technology. They will try to get their hands on elevator parts such as keys to unlock elevator cabin control panels and other devices. 

And while saving these children from obsessions is a primary concern, this obsession can also be a strength. 

Nurturing the obsessive interests of adolescents with autism can help them transition into adulthood effectively. 

Dr. Bennett agrees that even strange hobbies can make relationships with peers difficult. “If a child is very interested in elevators and all they want to talk about is elevators, while other kids want to talk about other topics, this can be a big obstacle for them to integrate,” she says. But as adults, it is these children who can design the most modern elevators.”