Neurodivergence
A community to unite neurodivergent people.
A common problem for neurodivergent people is being bullied and ostracized, not only by neurotypical people but also their fellow neurodiverse humans.
Sentences like "I'm glad I only have ADHD, not autism" or vice versa is very detrimental to our collective benefit. Therefore we believe that we should abolish any oppressive/stigmatizing language against other neurodivergent people.
Disclaimer: This is a nonviolent community and we don't want anyone dumping on other people, period. Be it neurotypicals/allistics, etc. We accept the occasional joke (like "allism, a common disease") to highlight the absurdity of pathologizing neurodivergence.
Our rules are vague because bad actors will circumvent clear cut rules just barely and grind the edge.
The rules
- No abusive language
- Stay on topic (no politics or religion)
- No slurs (including the R word)
- No isms (including but not limited to: Ageism, Racism, Apologism etc)
- No Advertising for profit (ND resources are ok if non profit)
Further rules will follow when deemed necessary.
If you have any questions, write me a message at https://lemmy.giftedmc.com/u/haui_lemmy
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"Different?" That's just always been true.
I've been going to a psychologist on and off for "social dysfunction" since I was like 3. My family wasn't well off, so it was more my mom trying to do what she could with evaluations or whatever every few years.
I was diagnosed with ADD back when everyone was diagnosed with it, despite not meeting pretty much any of the criteria. My mom tried to argue about it, but random not-quite-poor person vs psychologist, she was blown off.
I used to fantasize that there was an alien civilisation that was trying to understand earth and so created a human-alien mental hybrid to try to make sense of humanity. It'd mean there was nowhere I truly belonged, of course, but it'd also mean there was a reason, a purpose, to me being surrounded by confusing aliens.
Mom ended up going to medical school and learned about autism (and Asperger's, at the time) while there. She was furious. I was a textbook case of a woman with Asperger's syndrome, but in my youth, psychologists frequently didn't consider it possible for female patients to have Asperger's.
She wasn't sure if she should mention it, since by that time I was an adult and on my own. I discovered it through a video game, actually - To The Moon, an amazing story in which one of the main characters has Asperger's.
I mentioned it to her as a "holy crap, I looked into this and I feel like I've been seen!" And she mentioned what she'd learned in school. It kinda annoyed me that she hadn't passed that along, but between her support and what I'd seen, I pursued options and got diagnosed.
Now it's just autism and not Asperger's, but whatever. Still, it was blatantly obvious my entire life. I had a rough childhood. I didn't manage to actually make a friend of my own till I was 17. I had a few friends before then, sort of, but they were a thing where I was kinda adopted because I was easy to manipulate, and not any real connection.
I could be defiant as hell, but I was so lonely, I'd do anything for those who called me friend, so... yeah, not the best friendships, in hindsight.
Really wish those psychologists would have identified my issues back when. My life would have been vastly different.
Oof! I‘m sorry you had to go through that. I‘m somewhat sure it would have been different for me as well.
Do you have someone to talk to about this? It helped me a lot to have someone who helps me make sense of my situation.
Also, I recently joined a computer club. They‘re basically doing parallel play every day. I love it. Just in case this is something that interests you.
Otherwise, feel free to join !autism@lemmy.workd if you havent yet. The people are nice. You can also send me a message on matrix if you want to connect. My wife and I are advocates for autistic adults. Just an option.
Have a good day. All the best to you.
Thank you! That's really sweet, I appreciate it.
It's been a number of years, and I've found my way. Found someone truly amazing to get married to and she's done a lot to help me out. I still suck at making friends, but my wife helps bridge that gap.
Interestingly enough, tabletop roleplaying games, like dungeons and dragons, helped me more than anything else. I could practice different ways of interacting with people and get actual feedback on how I came across - people will criticize characters I'm pretending to be in a way that they won't for my real self. And it has lower stakes - if I screw up in that context, it doesn't matter. If I freeze and don't know what to do, I can just roll a die and make the problem go away.
I appreciate what you and your wife are doing. If it weren't for my wife, I'd probably really be in need of that sort of support. Thank you.
That sounds very nice! I‘m happy that you have support. Funnily enough, my wife and I play d&d as well and make new friends there.
You’re still invited to connect with the community or us if you want to share experiences.
Have a good one! :)