Neurodiversity - Blog Posts

Hello people of tumblr,

I have been working on a project to fix the English language. This includes making every vowel make only one sound, removing unnecessary letters, and adding new grammatical symbols. The goal is to make English a phonetic language that is easy for immigrants and people with dyslexia to learn! If you would like to participate in this experiment, click here https://discord.gg/AAmmyH5j

I am but a humble highschool linguist, but I would appreciate your support :)

animation abt bpd abandonment issues

the bitch pretending to be my mother denying my autism around her friends is my favorite animal ☀️

I hate the snow so much, it's way too cold and it makes everything way too bright, I will the god who decided to create snow

every time i interact with someone on the internet i'm convinced that i've messed it up horribly and come across as a Total Weirdo, when in actuality all i've said is like "hi i think this is really cool!" and maybe replied one (1) too many times

Good news

I’m back on a higher dose of adhd meds

My mind is quiet again and I can focus

Bad news

I have new hyperfixations that are neither my day job nor cleaning my goddamn apartment

I know the finale has left us feeling things (and I one day might share my thoughts on them, but honestly staying off of most social media platforms around this time has been really good for my mental), so let's go back to an episode many of us loved: The Crossing. Here's an excellent analysis of the episode looking at it through the 'Tech is autistic' lens.

I often forget that being autistic still isn't fully accepted or even considered normal in 90% of the world. For example, I was having a conversation in the car and my mom saw a man standing on the side of the road staring at a bush. She pointed it out as if the man was insane or intoxicated and laughed, but I didn't understand why. He didn't seem to be hurting anyone, he was just looking at a bush. Maybe it was interesting or there was a bug on it. Maybe he has a special interest in botany or landscaping. I tried to think of it as a neurotypical might and I think it was the fact he was just standing, staring at a bush on the sidewalk that made her think that and that forced me to realize how many people think the same things about me. Why do neurotypicals find neurodivergent folks so funny? What is it that amuses them about someone who is simply not what they are used to? Why do they need to be so thoughtlessly mean?

Personally, I prefer not to use labels. But I'm fine with others using it for themselves and stuff.

Edit: Yk after some thinking I feel like yeah things like support labels are deffo useful when they are not being used to put some people's needs below others - that was the main reason why I didn't like it, but I think if used well instead of as "well you're low-support so you should be able to do that", they are actually good tools.

I think this is something really, really important. It can be hard to feel like you're "not disabled anough". Being "high-functioning", not ticking all the boxes, not being the textbook definition, not being "neurodivergent anough".

As a "high-functioning" autistic, I constantly feel like I'm not autistic anough. Like I act too "normal". But then I feel so guilty, because I should feel so lucky and grateful that I don't struggle as much as others. I feel so selfish for wanting people to recognise that I struggle too.

Just know you are valid. It doesn't matter if your diagnosis is official or not. It doesnt matter if you're labeled as "high-functioning" or "low-functioning". It doesn't matter, because you are valid.

(not just talking about autism btw. This goes for all neurodivergents <3333)

fuck it. shout out to "high functioning" neurodivergents

the ones who can mask easily, the ones who can get social cues, the ones who have managed to go most of their life not even knowing they were ND because they didn't present as the stereotypical ND person.

the ones who can pay attention in class, understand social etiquette, who understand societial expectations

the ones who don't feel neurodivergent enough bc they don't struggle in the same ways/areas a lot of NDs do, or they can't relate to other NDs' experiences because they always understood these things easily

the ones with high empathy, the ones who DO get the joke, the ones who are constantly told that they can't possibly be neurodivergent because they don't act like what you'd expect a neurodivergent person to act like.

you are neurodivergent enough. you are valid, and so are your experiences. not struggling as much as others do in some places doesn't mean you dont struggle at all. your condition and diagnosis is valid. your symptoms are valid. YOU ARE VALID. not checking all the supposed boxes doesn't mean you aren't neurodivergent. you are enough. you are valid. you are loved. you are valued. you matter. you belong in neurodivergent spaces, you deserve to use whatever resources are available to you, you are allowed to take up space in these communities. and i am so, so proud of you.

feel free to, and actually, i encourage you to reblog this with your experiences. we belong in this community as much as anyone else. please also tag this w/ any neurodivergent conditions i may have forgotten 💙

since this is getting lots of notes I'd like to add, even if you're undiagnosed or maybe self diagnosed, for whatever reason, (i.e. can't get access to a diagnosis, not being taken seriously, or just not wanting an official diagnosis, etc.) this still applies to you. actually especially to you folks. don't think for a second you're not valid just bc you don't have the paperwork or whatever to say it

what neurotypicals think autistics want:

what autistics actually want:

god gives his most niche fandoms to his most autistic warriors

I think this is so interesting and now I really wanna hear more about the ways different people interact with animals. ​I have many pets and have always been a very animal-obsessed person so I wanted to add some thoughts.

Personally, I’ve have found that the neurodivergent people I know (myself included) tend to personify animals much more than is usual. For example, when I get a new animal it takes me a while to “become friends” with them. (Which is basically just us getting to know each other/getting into a routine.) But everyone I’ve met has always been very confused by that.

Another weird thing is I’m not super empathetic towards people, but with animals I’m hyperempathetic. And I’ve seen tons of other neurodivergent people express this online! It’s such a strange thing I love it!

the cool thing about working with animals is that I have one singular neurotypical colleague (as far as I know). and it’s become super obvious to me that the way autistic people relate to animals is fundamentally different to how allistics relate to animals. and the way people with ADHD relate to animals is fundamentally different to those without. 

(only one of my colleagues has Tourette’s and only two of us have OCD, so I don’t think that’s enough to make any grand sweeping statements). 

anyway. a real interaction between two of my colleagues today.

ADHD: Maggie won’t stop barking at me. I think she’s upset.

autistic: let me go talk to her. I can fix this. 

and that’s not uncommon? my autistic colleagues and I seem to talk to the animals to a much greater extent than anyone else. my ADHD colleagues and I seem to be the best at associating the correct name and breed and dietary requirements to the correct dog, which is weird, because I can’t do the same when it comes to humans.

I know that most people communicate with their animals but… it’s different in a way I can’t quite explain. the communication and connection seems so much deeper… I don’t know, it’s just wonderful. also, the fact that so many ND people work with me… that alone… indicates something. 

the cool thing about working with animals is that I have one singular neurotypical colleague (as far as I know). and it’s become super obvious to me that the way autistic people relate to animals is fundamentally different to how allistics relate to animals. and the way people with ADHD relate to animals is fundamentally different to those without. 

(only one of my colleagues has Tourette’s and only two of us have OCD, so I don’t think that’s enough to make any grand sweeping statements). 

anyway. a real interaction between two of my colleagues today.

ADHD: Maggie won’t stop barking at me. I think she’s upset.

autistic: let me go talk to her. I can fix this. 

and that’s not uncommon? my autistic colleagues and I seem to talk to the animals to a much greater extent than anyone else. my ADHD colleagues and I seem to be the best at associating the correct name and breed and dietary requirements to the correct dog, which is weird, because I can’t do the same when it comes to humans.

I know that most people communicate with their animals but… it’s different in a way I can’t quite explain. the communication and connection seems so much deeper… I don’t know, it’s just wonderful. also, the fact that so many ND people work with me… that alone… indicates something. 

Every neurodivergent person knows the happy squeal… right?

I can't believe the doctors didn't diagnose me with ADHD when I was a kid because I "had to get rid of my depression first just to be sure" MF IT'S A TWO PIECE COMBO MEAL

As someone who has a tendency to go nonverbal when anxious, stressed, or scared, I would like to back this up. I remember learning some basics when I was much younger, but I never had the chance to use it so I forgot. I have an autistic friend who uses sign language when she talks sometimes, but I don't understand it.

idk man. i just think itd be really cool if sign language classes were mandatory throughout primary school. yeah because it would make communication with deaf kids and autistic/nonverbal kids much easier. and those kids would be accessible to the others so they cold make friends and have healthy relationships. yeah. and kids would eat that shit up man. like their own little secret language? they love that.

Autistic Inertia is an autism experience that makes it hard to start, stop, and switch tasks.

It somehow doesn't get talked about enough - so I made this comic!

YouTube • Instagram • Twitter

Also, if you want to read the research study I based this comic on, it’s right here!

yall is this normal for autistic people too? Or should I go and get tested for ADHD again? TvT

people say folks with adhd struggle with "delayed rewards" aka long term goals and as such we tend to focus more on short term rewards. what they don't talk about is that at when we Do accomplish long term goals we don't actually feel anything proportionate to the amount of work we did to achieve it. In my head I suffered for a while and then money spontaneously appeared in my bank account.

"a joy to have in class" aka This Child Will Not Be Diagnosed for at least Eight Years

i find it interesting the overlap of c-ptsd symptoms with autistic traits.

i get asked all the time if im autistic. i even started questioning it myself just from how often this happened to me.

but while yes i have a lot of symptoms that are a part of many autistic peoples experiences, i wasnt always this way. i developed these symptoms throughout my childhood as i went through more and more trauma.

i remember when i wasnt sensitive to noise, light, etc. i remember when my social abilities were practically the same as my neurotypical peers. i remember when i never needed to carry stim toys everywhere i went. just to name a few.

anyways, i have so much in common with my autistic friends. while we arent the same, we get each other on a level that i havent found with many neurotypicals. ive also found that i often gravitate towards autistic people without meaning to.

i think its nice that we can find community where we didnt really expect it.