So many of my #autistic and #adhd students are ashamed of their special interests, which breaks my heart. They're too young to see that engaging in things you're passionate about is difficult for most NT people. It's a life skill NTs must learn.
Most NTs I know have to work hard to find a deep passion for something. Not that they can't, of course, but that the social pressures around them discourage it. They struggle to disentangle from those pressures enough to be themselves.
@internet_ginger The fact that your #autistic students have a hunger and thirst for learning is something that should be nurtured and fostered. I am glad to see that you, as an educator, are trying to do this.
Neurotypicals in #Amurica don't seem to value education and learning. Society at large often derides those interested in learning and education as geeks and nerds. While we mostly wear this badge with honor, let's not kid ourselves that these terms are not ridicule.
@ablackcatstail NTs are often blind to their own behavior. I think it's because the way they act is normalized.
So much of the history of autism research and discourse carries the assumption that the neurotypical ways of being are categorically good, and any deviation from that is categorically bad.
There's no system-level incentive for them to reflect and analyze. It makes it so much harder for neurotypicals to know themselves. It's sad, honestly.
Good morning everyone! I need to get something off my chest. If you're a person with #ADHD and struggling at finding a job or performing at a job interview, I'd like to tell you that there's nothing wrong with you. That's it :abunhdhappyhop: Have a beautiful day!
Neurodiversity is probably beneficial for groups of humans as it brings different behaviours from the fore, which are different from the Neurotypical crowd.
This leads to new opportunities for everyone.
#ADHD & autism aren't disorders, they are syndromes or variances.
I totally forgot to hawk!
BUY #SCARFOLK BOOKS for #Christmas or, quite frankly, I will perish! https://scarfolk.blogspot.com/p/scarfolk-gift-shop.html
(Please take pity on an artist who is absolutely useless at self-promotion. At least, now that I've been diagnosed, I know it's probably my neurodivergent brain that's to blame) #adhd#asd
I was chatting with a friend and tried to convey how crippling a really bad day (for me at least) can be. I needed tangible examples that really drive the point home. So I started making a list....
If you have ADHD like me and sending / receiving mail and packages is a problem, consider paying for a mailbox service in your neighborhood. That way, someone's always available to sign for your packages and store your mail in one place, and when you misplace your keys inevitably they can also open the mailbox for you.
I love my mailbox lady, she's an old Asian woman who tells me things like 'did you know that this SF politician is polyamorous? how do they have the time?'
I almost forgot it’s ADHD Awareness Month. I was diagnosed in November 2021 after several of my friends posted ADHD memes and I recognized myself in them.
Finally being diagnosed and on meds has been great, overall. It’s not a super power, even tho medication definitely empowers me.
Being on meds doesn’t give me more spoons, but it does mean my spoons are no longer all slotted.
Because for some reason nobody ever tells anyone this ....
While it's not a "conclusive" measure by any means, in GENERAL, people who feel calmer and more focused on stimulants - including caffeine - are pretty likely to also be somewhere in the #ADHD realm of brainspace.
So if that sounds like you, try out the self-assessment test and see how your life experiences line up.
FYI Just because you have "A System" to help manage your neurospicyness doesn't mean you aren't neurospicy. It just means you have "A System". And that system "costs something" in your life - extra mental brainpower, money, time, maintenance on your "system". So it's okay to still accept and acknowledge the neurospicyness, or seek diagnosis and accommodations so you don't need to rely on your "system" quite as much to make your life easier.
My #ADHD is the reason I'm a hacker, board-certified anesthesiologist, social justice advocate, anti-fascist, health policy wonk, investor, entrepreneur, and your secret weapon at trivia night.
If you or someone you love has ADHD, empower them. Understand that they see connections that you don't, and that nine times out of ten, they're going to be right.
The moment that you try to force us into a box, we'll move onto something else but if you let us spread our wings, we'll help you soar.
6/6 Last thing I want to say about this is: if you're in tech, please don't make light/fun of #adhd treatment. There's a very good chance that someone within earshot actually needs the medication that you take for fun/just because/to give you an edge.
Also, if you're a parent of a child with ADHD: don't be ashamed and don't be afraid-- early diagnosis can make a world of difference. I know it's not easy, but it's worth the effort. Trust me.
@DataDrivenMD A former manager had ADHD. Excellent coder. When he ran out of meds, it happened once in years, he bounced off the walls all day. Back on meds, he was his old self.
That day when he was off his meds he played his favorite music featuring his favorite musical instrument at full blast so everyone in the company could enjoy it too!
Bagpipes.
One co. had a coke conga line to a bathroom.
Some coders have ADHD and need those meds. Try to resist the urge to tweak, fellow programmers.
This paragraph by David Graeber makes me think - what if alternating between procrastination and hyperfocus is just how human brains are meant to work i.e. "normal" or dare I say "typical"? What if #ADHD is just some brains' ultimate refusal to conform to capitalism?
@anna_addis
Yes, many people have made that point before. Capitalism has always tried to frame whatever is not conducive to profit and growth as disease, weakness, failure of character, etc. It's not. It is refusal.
Our minds and bodies resist exploitation. We refuse, often at the cellular level, before being conscious about it.
What follows is a repost (as a thread) what I wrote not too long ago (as a comment) because it bears repeating. Many of us struggle with task completion and carry around a ton of grief and guilt because of it. HOWEVER, we should reframe all of that, which this post is a reminder to try to do. Good luck, everyone....
For folks in the US with noise sensitivities, you should be aware that this year we’ve seen an apparent record breaking amount of firework purchases in the country. I’m sure you’re hearing it already (as I have been).
You may want to be proactive with noise cancellation if you have headphones or ear plugs or something.
Living with #ADHD in America in 2023 is having to ration your low risk, long-term substance abuse risk reducing, stimulant medication because Richard Nixon decided he wanted to hurt black people with the War on Drugs as a strategy to retain power.
*Hat tip to all the kids on Quillivant who were forced off by Trumps war on Brown Puerto Ricans. I see you ❤️
@hannu_ikonen Add Methylphenidate in CA to that list. My prescription took over a month to fill. Thankfully (?) I've had such a bad health month with bed rest I was able to stretch out my last refill. But next month?
@hannu_ikonen IMHO affected workers and their employers should sue the #DEA for the pain, loss of income and revenue caused by their interference with medical treatment.
And I really hope that'll happen, including a permanent injunction with 7-8 digit punitive damages for the affected patients per day per person if the DEA does that shit ever again!
So I don’t go on LinkedIn a lot. But I happened to be on there recently and saw a thing in my inbox. My friend’s son, who’d done my website, had sent a request for a recommendation. I wrote something immediately. (I get things done!) Got this back.
