As with so many things, here I am processing how I feel by writing something about it. If you're involved with the autism community, please do feel free to l...
I’m proud of this fellow. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, when I was almost 40. I still do a lot of masking. Unfortunately, ADHD isn’t perceived as much of a disability as autism, and in many cases it can be less severe, but it can also be more severe, depending on the circumstances.
It’s all neuro-divergency, and it seems to me that more and more people are discovering that they have some form of divergence from the neurotypical that we have all tried to conform to. Many of my gifted friends have quirks that makes me think they’re on some spectrum, whether autistic or ADHD or something else, but have not taken the time to be diagnosed. This isn’t to imply that all neuro-divergents are gifted, or that all gifted people are neurodivergent. I don’t have enough data to make any reasonable assumptions or conclusions (or even a reasonably sound hypothesis).
IMO, those that are diagnosed late in life have the best chance of giving the scientific/medical community quality feedback on the effects and propose concessions or accommodations that will genuinely help young people affected by the disorders (or disabilities), but I’m not sure what progress is being made there. Having the benefit of experience and the ability to look back and retrospectively examine events and how they were handled poorly with the wisdom that comes with age, is utterly critical IMO. You can clearly articulate feelings you had and how it impacted you, and give reasonable and helpful suggestions on better ways to deal with situations. In contrast to asking the same of children who have been diagnosed, the younger persons do not have the emotional understanding and intelligence that comes with age and experience, and may not be reasonable when it comes to asking for help; simply put, they don’t know what they don’t know. But with significant experience in dealing with similar situations, the older people have a benefit of experience to know what worked, and what didn’t.
Each person is different and I don’t mean to imply that what works for one individual with a disorder like this, will work for others. We all react differently, so what works in one scenario may make things worse in a different scenario with a different person. I would say any insights may garner a better understanding of what could work, and that may lead to better solutions for younger people with these divergences, in the future, and could greatly enhance their experience.
I’m so happy to see this man sharing his journey, it takes courage to do what he’s doing, and to share it with everyone. I wish him all the best.
I’m proud of this fellow. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, when I was almost 40. I still do a lot of masking. Unfortunately, ADHD isn’t perceived as much of a disability as autism, and in many cases it can be less severe, but it can also be more severe, depending on the circumstances.
It’s all neuro-divergency, and it seems to me that more and more people are discovering that they have some form of divergence from the neurotypical that we have all tried to conform to. Many of my gifted friends have quirks that makes me think they’re on some spectrum, whether autistic or ADHD or something else, but have not taken the time to be diagnosed. This isn’t to imply that all neuro-divergents are gifted, or that all gifted people are neurodivergent. I don’t have enough data to make any reasonable assumptions or conclusions (or even a reasonably sound hypothesis).
IMO, those that are diagnosed late in life have the best chance of giving the scientific/medical community quality feedback on the effects and propose concessions or accommodations that will genuinely help young people affected by the disorders (or disabilities), but I’m not sure what progress is being made there. Having the benefit of experience and the ability to look back and retrospectively examine events and how they were handled poorly with the wisdom that comes with age, is utterly critical IMO. You can clearly articulate feelings you had and how it impacted you, and give reasonable and helpful suggestions on better ways to deal with situations. In contrast to asking the same of children who have been diagnosed, the younger persons do not have the emotional understanding and intelligence that comes with age and experience, and may not be reasonable when it comes to asking for help; simply put, they don’t know what they don’t know. But with significant experience in dealing with similar situations, the older people have a benefit of experience to know what worked, and what didn’t.
Each person is different and I don’t mean to imply that what works for one individual with a disorder like this, will work for others. We all react differently, so what works in one scenario may make things worse in a different scenario with a different person. I would say any insights may garner a better understanding of what could work, and that may lead to better solutions for younger people with these divergences, in the future, and could greatly enhance their experience.
I’m so happy to see this man sharing his journey, it takes courage to do what he’s doing, and to share it with everyone. I wish him all the best.