Gentle reminder that memes and inside jokes relating to human identity, such as race, gender, sexuality, ableness, neurodivergency, etc. don’t always apply to everyone in that ingroup, and if you don’t relate to all the fun jokes in a community, your identity is still valid. People are complex and one person with that identity may not share the same experiences and feelings as another. I think that makes every person so special and a point to be celebrated.
disability advocacy went wrong when it became about inspiration porn and “differently abled” and savants. its incredible that that guy with no legs did a triathlon but your sister with no legs will not and she doesnt need prosthetics or five hour training days to deserve respect and compassion and accommodations. its incredible that that autistic guy can look at a city from a helicopter for an hour and then draw the entire detailed skyline from memory when he lands but your autistic friend cannot and they dont need to have a special Autism Power to deserve respect and compassion and accommodations.
activism framed around “we are just as CAPABLE” means that when people genuinely are less capable they are left behind. activism framed around “we are just as WORTHY” is fundamental to radical compassion.
Not just on the main issue either. We’re in a major time of change right now. Any change is more possible right now then at most other times in history.
So, if you can, educate yourself, toss a little cash to worth organizations, call, email, or write your reps, and connect with like minded people. Talking with friends and family might be one of the most important things as they’ll actually listen to you.
Keep in mind though that we’re all capable of different things and burning yourself out ain’t helping no one. Least of all yourself lol. So do what you can, but don’t expect everything from yourself.
I love that phenomenon where ur talking to another neurodivergent person for the first time and u haven’t quite grocked their flavor of brain yet and they haven’t grocked yours and you’re both using your Acceptable Friendly Person Getting To Know You Script on each other but of course those scripts have been calibrated mainly for use with, like, normal people, so you just end up being like two conversational roombas bonking gently off one another like “hello fellow human” “hello fellow ‘hello fellow human’” until you both at some point manage to adjust your programming and actually like, communicate
It’s like when I was a kid I had two furbies and when you put them next to each other they’d just natter nonsensically past one another for a bit and then at some point one would abruptly recognize the other with its furby sensor or w/e and it would shout “DANCE!” and the other one would flap its ears and reply “HEY, DANCE” and then, in perfect unison, they would begin to rock back and forth while chanting “doot doot doo doot doot doo”
It’s exactly like that. I love it. Crazy people are the best, we are super excellent, i love us, i love crazy ppl
I wrote this post in my head while having a major dissociative episode in the bathroom and its the best and truest thing Ive ever said
Starting out on the “wait I may be on the autism spectrum” journey as an adult woman be like wait is *chronic fear of percieved social ineptitude* because I’m on the spectrum wait is *medically diagnosed burnout* partially because I’ve been masking all my life wait is *crippling guilt about ongoing miscommunications between me and my loved ones* partially because of certain social cues wait-
When we talk about neurodiverse (ND) conditions* like ADHD and autism, we’re talking about differences in how the brain processes information as opposed to the brain being in a state of illness. Our brain tissue is healthy, but the functioning of the brain is different.
The result of these differences in functioning results in differences in strengths and weakness for ND people.
These strengths and weaknesses are generally not unique to individuals with these conditions but instead exist along a Bell curve of natural human variation. Most people exist somewhere in the middle of the Bell curve (of course!) and will occasionally experience ND traits from time to time.
This is because ND traits are human traits, and we are all human.
If you never experience any of these traits, it means you are on the other far end of the Bell curve rather than in the average middle.
The difference between someone who is in the middle of the Bell curve and someone who qualifies for a ND diagnosis is that ND people
Have a significant number of these traits;
Are affected by these traits in every area of their life or almost every area of their life on a daily or near-daily basis;
Have symptoms, behaviours, or problems are unexpected for someone of their age or intelligence;
Cannot overcome these symptoms by just “trying” or persisting;
Have had these problems since childhood;
May spend a great amount of effort and energy in trying to “keep up” and “be normal”;
Experience these symptoms regardless of stress levels, lack of sleep, other mental health conditions, or external factors;
Experience significant problems and suffering for them across multiple areas of their life on a daily or near-daily basis;
Feel as though they are struggling due to these symptoms on a daily or near-daily basis;
Feel the world isn’t designed for people like them and doesn’t accommodate them;
Experience significant impairment in social, school, or work performance because of these difficulties.
While the idea that “everyone gets these things…” is somewhat true, it doesn’t take into account the frequency or severity of the problem for ND people, or acknowledge how intrinsic such functioning is to an individual’s brain.
When we say we struggle with these traits, we’re talking about how we live with this struggle as a significant aspect of our lives, not just merely that we have experienced a trait that most other people have experienced too. Our experience is about the frequency and severity of the thing, and how we have to constantly plan for it. We’re talking about what it’s like to live life far from the centre of the Bell curve.
When someone is trying to express what it is like to live with a processing difference, is not sympathetic to say that you know what it is like when you don’t, or to insist that everyone has the same thing. It is far better to ask questions to help the other person to open up, or to ask how you can help or make adaptations for them.
If you don’t have a diagnosis but still genuinely believe that these problems are typical for everybody, you might want to consider that you might qualify for a diagnosis yourself.
*As something can be in good or bad condition, the word condition here is intended to be neutral. Not having a condition is a type of condition but we don’t have labels for these variations because they are assumed to be the norm. Some people with ADHD etc feel that disorder better expresses how their differences in brain functioning affect them and their lives.
The idea that neurodivergent people, specifically those with ADHD or ASD, need neopronouns because their neurodivergency affects their ability to “understand the concept of gender,” is so incredibly damaging.
Transgender neurodivergent people already struggle heavily with being taken seriously for being transgender. Having our own “allies” make these claims makes our lives so much harder as trans people. Because of this dumb ass performative activism bullshit, the idea that we’re just confused and aren’t transgender because we just don’t know what we’re talking about has been reinforced. It’s so hurtful and makes our transitions so much harder.
YES YES YES
Especially because lots of people with ADHD also have other learning disabilities like dyslexia which makes it 10x harder to read with neopronouns!!!!
My brain physically cannot comprehend the usage of anything other than he/she/they idk what they expect I’m a certified
anarospec orientation in which one does not experience romantic attraction, but occasionally feels as if they do. One can be perfectly aware that the attraction is fake, non-romantic or being misunderstood, but the feelings stay there. This fake attraction feels like what one imagines a crush feels like, and may consume one’s thoughts despite one not wanting to be attracted to the person in question. It may be caused by or related to neurodivergence or amatonormativity, but it doesn’t have to be.
Etymology: apomí coming from the Greek word “απομίμηση” (pronounced as “apomímisi”) meaning fake + romantic
I didn’t wanna post this and trigger people (especially my black followers) bc there’s enough racist weirdos online but since this person is still floating around I wanna warn you. When I say I’ve been getting harassed and/or tagged in racist shit (I’m not black but they’ve started doing this because I said black people deserve better than their fave racist character) THIS is the worst example of what I mean. Can you all please report this disgusting troll account; I tried blocking but it didn’t initially work as it only blocked them from my main (I’ve since logged in on desktop to block them on here). I think the Applebee’s post is gone from their account bc I reported it for racism when they first tagged me in it last week but I held onto the screenshot in case this account reared its ugly head again and low and behold, it has. Tonight they’ve sent a message telling me that bringing up neurodivergency while I explain to people why I might misinterpret/have trouble understanding them through the internet is “a bit troubling” (but trolling and being a racist online isn’t??). This is obviously upsetting bc the reason I’ve done so is because I’ve felt misunderstood and wanted people to know where I was coming from, and they’re purposely trying to upset/anger/provoke me by implying I’m weaponising neurodivergency. I’m not posting this so yous get into fights or target them bc I promise that’s exactly what they want (one glance at their page will tell you that) so please just straight-up report & block them/spread the word!!!!! I’m gonna delete the app again and take another break but tbh I feel like this is the type of weirdo who’d make more accounts if one gets deleted and that makes me feel so gross and anxious about being on here. Now yous can see why I’ve refused to share my real name and/or other socials (I’ve also deleted all photo and video evidence of myself from this blog) bc there are such creepy weirdos on here and I’m glad they know as little of me as possible. Please stay safe in your interactions and/or with what you share on here (especially if you’re a minor!!!), you just never know what weirdos are keeping tabs on you
Are you a “good at math but struggled to read as a kid” neurodivergent or a “hyperfocused on language/fiction since birth but can’t multiply” neurodivergent
I wonder what god was thinking when they created me
“let’s put this mentally ill trans gay afab autistic kid in an extra religious household somewhere in an asian conservative country who never acknowledges faer disability and struggles, it’s gonna be fun lol”
I get the whole Mad Pride/Disability Pride thing and I have no issue with it existing. I’m really glad that it’s there for people who need it!!! /gen
I’m just really tired of having it forced on me.
Anyone can opt in or out of any community. I’m not saying that Mad Pride and Disability Pride don’t exist, or that the communities aren’t real, just that I choose not to participate. And people get mad at me for that.
So no, I’m not proud to be disabled, neurodivergent, or mentally ill.
anyone else who was diagnosed later in life feel like they finally “found themselves”??
I never knew who I was before getting diagnosed. like, I genuinely had no sense of identity. I had too many interests, was bad at making friends, and was not outgoing - that’s about all I could describe about myself. any real personality traits felt fake or like I had taken them from other people or characters.
realizing i was autistic was like finally seeing myself correctly. it’s not my identity, but it explains so much about who I am, and in realizing all these traits I’m finding my actual personality traits intertwined. and I couldn’t see that before, all I saw was the bad parts about me and how I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere.
anyone feel me
This was exactly me. Once I was finally professionally diagnosed with autism many years after first expressing symptoms, I felt like I can finally be myself without repressing all my autistic tendencies. I felt like I could openly stim and infodump like I always wanted, and pursue my special interests even more because now I knew the reason behind why I did these things. Finding out I’m autistic gave me a sense of community, solidarity and allyship with other neurodiverse people that I never felt before, and I’m so glad that despite my late diagnosis, I finally discovered myself. Being autistic is part of who I am and has always been so, and now I know I can express this aspect of myself openly and be loved for what I am; an autistic queer man.
I have known I was autistic since Preschool. I was put on an IEP (in preschool lmaooo.) And even though my parents and I opted to not get me diagnosed (for various reasons- But I was evaluated by 1 or 2 child behavior speaclist) I still feel very welcome without a “proper,” diagnosis.
The autistic community will support you with or without a proper diagnosis. There are so many reasons why someone may choose not to get one. I hope that in your real life everyone has a community where they can express themselves freely - not just in the “normal,” way.
it’s like. I used to think my autism didn’t really include the need for routine but what I’ve found is that when it’s a Planned divergence in routine that’s fine (going on trips etc) and when I can Choose to divert my routine bc I know I can handle it that’s also fine (like deciding to go out for drinks or deciding to go to a movie or deciding to change dinner plans). but when Other People or Circumstances change my routine without prior warning that’s when my brain goes absolutely fucking insane.
and I feel like that’s not talked about enough bc I’ve always seen “needs routine” represented as someone who is unwilling to divert from their routine when like. no it’s absolutely fine just as long as I’m the one deciding when and how to divert it or I’ve been given plenty of advance warning that it’ll be changing.
A cat may go in a box of its own accord but it does not want to be put in a box
