I am neurodivergent and I’m curious if any other folks on JA are
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Neurodivergent?
Yes59%
No29%
What is “neurodivergent?”12%
17 votes
•JA Neurodivergent Roll Call?
I will go with a self diagnosed yes from myself and everyone that knows me, but no not officially. I wouldn't be surprised though.
I have thought about taking work up on the offer of their free "neurodivergent pathway" to get a diagnosis or not, but ultimately decided not to bother as I don't want or need any help. I also don't want to behave any differently than what Is my natural way of interacting with the world and people.
I wrote a huge response, but evidently when you edited your comment while I was writing mine, site had a freak out lol. Suffice it to say you’re not alone and if you ever feel alone, @ me
O no! Yeah that has happened to me before as well! I only changed 1 letter!
Haha I was just saying I’m not “officially” diagnosed either, but a close family member works as a ND advocate and behavioral analyst and they helped me a lot to realize that my brain isn’t the only brain what works the way it does lol
I was probably a bit defensive when I say above I don't want or need any help. I mean I'm don't have the need or desire for any formal help obtained after a diagnosis and I've learnt to mask and adapt where required through other means.
In reality my wife has helped me a lot in various social situations. In the workplace I like to think any good people manager recognises the strengths & weaknesses of who they manage and how to adapt get the best out of each person.
I know the above is not the case for all. Everyone's needs and situation is different and they should get the help they want and need.
I am 100% but that's diagnosed Autism so. That's a yes from me :)
Largely self-diagnosed, but my previous partner is diagnosed autistic and I definitely shared some traits with her. I'm not actively seeking an official diagnosis yet, but there may be a way through my workplace to get one. They're very understanding on all of it too!
Good on you! Self realization and acceptance is important. We should eventually have a "Just About Neurodivergence"
I'd love to get the diagnosis official, but since I'm high functioning (my work isn't affected), my insurance won't cover actually looking into it. I have a close family member who works in the field and they have been pivotal in helping me realize and work on my ND traits.
To anyone who voted "what is neurodivergent," it is a wide spectrum, typically referred to as "autism." It is difficult to define fully and succinctly, but suffice it to say neurodivergent people don't feel/function the way most folks do.
It means a myriad of different things across a massive spectrum and I personally cannot speak to all of them, but for me, it presents as an acute awareness of people changing the way they communicate, an inability to appropriately process certain strong emotions, an intense aversion to the strong emotions of others, overly emotional responses to issues involving animals, and a general social awkwardness which I've worked for a VERY long time to make seem like it doesn't exist.
Good summary Horror and Cats! And thanks for starting such a wonderful thread 🙏
I'd go one step further with my definition and say that Neurodivergence is any mental profile that differs from the 'average' human profile (known as the neurotypical profile). The human race is neurodiverse as it includes many distinct neurological profiles but only some individuals are neurodivergent.
Autism (also known as Autism Spectrum Condition/Disorder or ASC/ASD) is often the most notable neurodivergence but conditions as diverse as ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and even acquired brain injuries fall under the umbrella term of neurodivergence.
I'm not an expert but I do have a handful of qualifications relating to ASC and a lifetime of experience and research under my belt so if anyone has any questions about Neurodiversity, I'd love to help out ❤️
Hey that is a fine step further to take haha. A wonderful elaboration 🫡
NEURO SPICIES UNITE !!!
SO SPICY!
Hahahaha indeed !!
For context, I have Diagnosed ADHD, the combined type , which is Fun !!
Suspected Autism, many traits which could seem ADHD but also conflict with the ADHD.
Also both my Kids are on the spectrum, varying levels, plus daughter is going thru ADHD diagnosis, but she is basically a mini me so it is VERY likely ! loool.
Either way , defo Neuro Divergent here, but I liked the whole Neuro spicy thing that was happening on Tiktok so I adopted the phrase ! hahahaha
I FEEL for you on the ADHD bit, bud. I am not ADHD, but my good friend and her daughter are. We all lived together during the pandemic for monetary reasons and man, I learned a lot about it.
Hope you have a good support system! If there is one thing I learned, it's that being an understanding advocate isn't commonplace. ADHD is so commonly shrugged off as laziness/a personal choice.
Appreciate that dude, My wife is AMAZING at helping me, she also has similar conditions and symptoms so it very understanding and helpful, we also have some serious differences that she is very helpful with too ! I was diagnosed VERY late in life and only really after seeing how the kids were and when they got diagnosed I was like, uhhhh yehhhh, better get myself checked !! loool Turns out all the years I was called, explosive, Childish, Lazy, A handful, Difficult, etc, etc there was a reason to it, I mean they were right as well but there was also a reason to it, so 50 50 !! hahahah Thankfully my wife does her very best to understand and I now have the support I didnt have growing up and even thru my 20s, plus now we can use what we have learned to help our kids in the future and break the cycles we faced ! well that is the plan anyways ! lol
Never had a diagnosis, and never really thought about it until most all of my social circle started getting diagnosed in some way shape or form.
I'm sure there's some element of ND about me but much like others, I don't feel I need that diagnosis. I've got my coping mechanisms and ways of doing things that, thus far, seem to do me ok.
Totally get that. It's a spectrum and some shades of that spectrum are a lot more mild than others overall. So long as you're good, well hell, you're good, aren't you :)
Exactly that. I imagine the ND stuff got muddied in amongst the depression and anxiety stuff as they've always been the prevalent things for me in that sense. But yes, I'm here, I'm good and that's good!
I was diagnosed ADHD inattentive type a couple of months after starting at JA.
This might sound like I'm distractable, but I've actually found I thrive when I've got something to dig into. I'm also a bit of a dreamer, but I'm learning different strategies to help keep me pointed in the right direction!
This is all very new to me, so it's nice hearing from other folk that share similar experiences 🧡
Like I was saying to Kings Court, I don't have ADHD, but I lived with a friend and her daughter who both are during the pandemic. It's a SUPER misunderstood ND flavor so I've got loads of empathy for you. And as I love to say, WELCOME TO THE PARTY, PAL!
yeh the Dreamy and distractable bit really resonates ! but also so does the hyper focus on something that matters and is in front of us ! Something I have learned is to always have a goal and a deadline, if something is open ended it is SO hard to start and get working on as there is no pressure and then the other ideas that need to be done before you forget or because they are time limited then take priority, making the big project fall to the back of the line and inevitably gets either left because its now too late or just forgotten. This being said, just like everything else it is a spectrum and we all do things a little differently even if some things we do the same ! I only got Diagnosed in the last 2 years, have since tried meds, if you ever wanna chat about it at all feel free to hit me up !
Special interest unlocked 🔓
I'm AuDHD - Diagnosed dysgraphic as a kid (which I think would now be diagnosed as dyspraxia). Diagnosed with ASD last year after several more anecdotal diagnoses as a kid. Currently in the queue for an ADHD assessment too.
I love how many people are embracing their ND identities more recently and how it is becoming destigmatised. I've been doing a lot of research, studying and advocacy around ND issues over the last 2 years. Learning to work with your brain instead of against it is so liberating!
Keep up that good fight, friend! It's an ND revolution!
WE WILL RULE THE WORLD !!
Great thread! Hello from another neurodivergent on team JA 👋
We are called Legion for we are many!
I think everyone is unique and special, not sure what average human even means hehe. Since its saturday evening and I'm chopping trees in a video game, quess i have issues of some sort too
I feel as though I am but never been confirmed. My son is and has been diagnosed which is what made me think about it as we both do the same things and feel the same way in situations.
Iv just learned to manage my surroundings better, only socialise when I feel comfortable and regularly decompress.
That (managing your surroundings) is pivotal whether you care to be diagnosed or not. As I’ve said earlier in the thread, if you’re good, you’re good. It’s a spectrum and some slots of that spectrum are more manageable than others.
Never diagnosed mostly because where I am from they didn't really care or taught people about these. So I don't know if I'm neurodivergent or just have issues from a not ideal childhood, but it is what it is. As I was attending some workshops and seen friends being diagnosed I noticed I have signs of ADHD (very fun mixed in with SAD and all sorts of anxiety) but I think I'm so used to it now that it's just who I am, getting an official diagnosis won't change anything. Got a workplace where my boss and colleagues are supportive and a partner who can deal with my "I'm crying but I don't know why and I'm physically uncapable of saying anything" and it's been happening less and less since we are together, so definitely a supportive and understanding partner is worth 1000% more than any therapy.
That’s really sweet. I see a lot of folks on this thread talking about how their partners are their support system.
I was super late in life “diagnosed” (in quotes because it’s not official, I just have a close family member who works in the ND technician/consultant field and I count that) and ND folks are more likely to be LGBT+.
I’m asexual (VERY recent realization) and talking to my family member about my ND tendencies made me realize that. It’s been quite a ride, the last couple years lol
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