Social Neurodiversity

So like, do I just go to a GP and say hey I think I might be a bit spicy because I'm apparently weird? Like how do you even find out? I'm now a very adult adult and it's becoming increasingly apparent that things I though were an everyone experience are only a me and my spicy friends experience.
 
intrusive thoughts are brutal. I actually got some great advice from a girl in my last writing class who wrote about her experiences with them

her advice was to take all of the unwanted thoughts and picture a specific caricature of a person you dont respect saying them.

example: "i feel like the car is gonna swerve off the road and kill me". -> Shut up, Craig, it probably won't. What do you know about automobiles when you literally can't tie your shoes and smell funny.

it's a bit silly, but i've found it can help even with more disturbing and concerning ones.

Regardless, just remember actions define a person and not thoughts. Have a great day
Oh intrusive thoughts are very annoying. I get them often out of nowhere when I try to sleep, and trust me. They are not great.
 
So like, do I just go to a GP and say hey I think I might be a bit spicy because I'm apparently weird? Like how do you even find out? I'm now a very adult adult and it's becoming increasingly apparent that things I though were an everyone experience are only a me and my spicy friends experience.
go to a medical professional and take a test. alternatively, if you don't feel like spending a bajilion dollars, you can take an online test, though don't rely on them to tell you the full truth.
 
how do you guys deal with trying to get over the sensory overload that some food or clothes etc can give. I'm trying to be a grown woman and eat my veggies but stuff like lettuce makes me want to die.
The nice thing is that there are many different kinds of vegetables and many ways to cook or prepare them, so you can hopefully find a good texture. And even some snacks with vegetables in them like Harvest Snaps that taste pretty good. Black bean veggie burgers. Try different things and just notice what you like.
 
So like, do I just go to a GP and say hey I think I might be a bit spicy because I'm apparently weird? Like how do you even find out? I'm now a very adult adult and it's becoming increasingly apparent that things I though were an everyone experience are only a me and my spicy friends experience.
There are different kinds of tests. If you know what you want, you can search that and type "near me" or check your insurance website for providers.
I got the neuropsychological evaluation as it's more comprehensive, and I thankfully had good insurance at the time.
 

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Kind of a weird question, but hoping this is a safe space. What do you do when you feel a sensory issue related to another person that you care about? Like holding hands with someone who has fairly larger hands (or dry hands even lol), and my mind gets stuck on the fact that my hand doesn't fit right in theirs. Like the spacing between the fingers feels off. Should I just ask to hold hands in a different way? Any other ideas or similar experience?
Mentioning it feels a little weird since I'm not sure I understand it myself at the moment.
 
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The nice thing is that there are many different kinds of vegetables and many ways to cook or prepare them, so you can hopefully find a good texture. And even some snacks with vegetables in them like Harvest Snaps that taste pretty good. Black bean veggie burgers. Try different things and just notice what you like.
There are different kinds of tests. If you know what you want, you can search that and type "near me" or check your insurance website for providers.
I got the neuropsychological evaluation as it's more comprehensive, and I thankfully had good insurance at the time.
Kind of a weird question, but hoping this is a safe space. What do you do when you feel a sensory issue related to another person that you care about? Like holding hands with someone who has fairly larger hands (or dry hands even lol), and my mind gets stuck on the fact that my hand doesn't fit right in theirs. Like the spacing between the fingers feels off. Should I just ask to hold hands in a different way? Any other ideas or similar experience?
Mentioning it feels a little weird since I'm not sure I understand it myself at the moment.
I don't have anything against these posts, but realistically speaking these could probably be merged into one post with different sections. You seem to be new here from what I can tell (in that case, welcome!), so I'm not going to be too too strict about this. It's more of a "for future reference" thing.

As for your actual question: I think it largely depends on the situation, and who the other person/people is (a relative, significant other, coworker, etc.) but your sensory needs often won't line up with those of other people. Something comfortable for someone else might not be for you, but that's okay. You can learn a lot about the person or people around you by the communication that does (or doesn't) take place. In a relationship, for example, if your significant other isn't aware of or is ignoring your sensory needs, this sounds like something both parties could discuss in private or in some kind of relationship therapy/counseling.
 
Hi. I was not diagnosed until recently, at 27. My doctors suspected I may be on the spectrum due to my social & communication issues, stimming behavior that I always hid from others, and most importantly that I began suffering seizures at 20 for an unknown reason. Apparently epilepsy and ASD are linked, and rates of epilepsy amongst people on the spectrum are high. It also made a lot of my behaviors and thoughts make sense. It's kind of odd, though, because I wasn't diagnosed I internalized a lot of masking behaviors, and don't know how to or if to express my "true" self, whatever that actually means. I have always had very deep fixations, mainly on, in this order, history, Pokémon, football (soccer) and astronomy. I say they're fixations as opposed to my other interests, as they are the things my mind has always dwelled on for most of my life. I also love to write and create maps.

I deleted like 2 paragraphs of unnecessary detail about my interests, as a writer I have to self-edit, because I enjoy writing so much and am verbose more generally I'll write in just way too much detail.
 
Hey, I have high-end autism, mild OCD and crippling ADHD (resulting in me posting on Smogon instead of revising for June exams) and the new Jaiden video is the funniest and most relatable video that has bestowed me in recent memory :
Almost everything she mentions in this video is me in a nutshell (except my parents lessened the devotion to keeping me afloat mid-high school, not cool :regiF: ).
 
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Hello, this is my first post on smogon :D (apart from entering a tournament).

I stumbled upon this thread and wanted to see if anyone had any advice regarding ADHD. I've been recently diagnosed and and I have the option of whether to start going through the process for medication or not, and I'm not sure whether to go through with it or not. I've worked through the reasoning for both sides which I'll lay out below and if anyone has any relevant experience or anything to add it would be greatly appreciated :).

Against:
Given that ADHD is a part of me, it's not some external force which I can stop, I should therefore take responsibility for whatever effects it causes. I should obviously be responsible for all the school work I've found myself unable to do, or any tasks that I find harder to do than most. I shouldn't rely on some external substance to bring me up to a level that I would prefer - everyone has their own challenges which makes things harder for them which they work through for themselves, with needing medication. Why would ADHD be any different - especially given that it's something that people can and do survive and work through without necessarily needing medication (people in my family being examples).
It would basically feel like I'm cheating my way through a process which would always be better done manually, rather than using medication. On a macro scale, it's a virtue to go through something difficult and come out the other side, whether that be going to the gym, going through therapy, commit to learning some skill, etc. It's character building (as cringe as that sounds) and the struggle produces a better person.

Another minor thing is that I hate the idea of being reliant on something external to me, but this is literally pretty much everything in life so this is just an emotional point.

For:
There's a huge amount of empirical evidence for ADHD people's lives being completely transformed through medication. It allows people to function and flourish to a point which they didn't even know was possible. It seems obvious that at some point the outcomes of more effectively doing everything that I would need to do completely outweighs any kind of bullshit 'character building' I would go through. If it would just improve my life in every way, it would surely be unreasonable to deliberately forego that.

I've gone back and forth along these lines with myself a whole bunch of times, and again I'd love any input!

(I also acknowledge this is likely a conversation to have with a professional, which I hope to do.)
 
half the
Hello, this is my first post on smogon :D (apart from entering a tournament).

I stumbled upon this thread and wanted to see if anyone had any advice regarding ADHD. I've been recently diagnosed and and I have the option of whether to start going through the process for medication or not, and I'm not sure whether to go through with it or not. I've worked through the reasoning for both sides which I'll lay out below and if anyone has any relevant experience or anything to add it would be greatly appreciated :).

Against:
Given that ADHD is a part of me, it's not some external force which I can stop, I should therefore take responsibility for whatever effects it causes. I should obviously be responsible for all the school work I've found myself unable to do, or any tasks that I find harder to do than most. I shouldn't rely on some external substance to bring me up to a level that I would prefer - everyone has their own challenges which makes things harder for them which they work through for themselves, with needing medication. Why would ADHD be any different - especially given that it's something that people can and do survive and work through without necessarily needing medication (people in my family being examples).
It would basically feel like I'm cheating my way through a process which would always be better done manually, rather than using medication. On a macro scale, it's a virtue to go through something difficult and come out the other side, whether that be going to the gym, going through therapy, commit to learning some skill, etc. It's character building (as cringe as that sounds) and the struggle produces a better person.

Another minor thing is that I hate the idea of being reliant on something external to me, but this is literally pretty much everything in life so this is just an emotional point.

For:
There's a huge amount of empirical evidence for ADHD people's lives being completely transformed through medication. It allows people to function and flourish to a point which they didn't even know was possible. It seems obvious that at some point the outcomes of more effectively doing everything that I would need to do completely outweighs any kind of bullshit 'character building' I would go through. If it would just improve my life in every way, it would surely be unreasonable to deliberately forego that.

I've gone back and forth along these lines with myself a whole bunch of times, and again I'd love any input!

(I also acknowledge this is likely a conversation to have with a professional, which I hope to do.)
as someone with ADHD, I suggest medicine. I have no qualifications for saying this, but I still suggest it. Also, listening to instrumental music helps me focus, maybe you should try that.
 
Hello, this is my first post on smogon :D (apart from entering a tournament).

I stumbled upon this thread and wanted to see if anyone had any advice regarding ADHD. I've been recently diagnosed and and I have the option of whether to start going through the process for medication or not, and I'm not sure whether to go through with it or not. I've worked through the reasoning for both sides which I'll lay out below and if anyone has any relevant experience or anything to add it would be greatly appreciated :).

Against:
Given that ADHD is a part of me, it's not some external force which I can stop, I should therefore take responsibility for whatever effects it causes. I should obviously be responsible for all the school work I've found myself unable to do, or any tasks that I find harder to do than most. I shouldn't rely on some external substance to bring me up to a level that I would prefer - everyone has their own challenges which makes things harder for them which they work through for themselves, with needing medication. Why would ADHD be any different - especially given that it's something that people can and do survive and work through without necessarily needing medication (people in my family being examples).
It would basically feel like I'm cheating my way through a process which would always be better done manually, rather than using medication. On a macro scale, it's a virtue to go through something difficult and come out the other side, whether that be going to the gym, going through therapy, commit to learning some skill, etc. It's character building (as cringe as that sounds) and the struggle produces a better person.

Another minor thing is that I hate the idea of being reliant on something external to me, but this is literally pretty much everything in life so this is just an emotional point.

For:
There's a huge amount of empirical evidence for ADHD people's lives being completely transformed through medication. It allows people to function and flourish to a point which they didn't even know was possible. It seems obvious that at some point the outcomes of more effectively doing everything that I would need to do completely outweighs any kind of bullshit 'character building' I would go through. If it would just improve my life in every way, it would surely be unreasonable to deliberately forego that.

I've gone back and forth along these lines with myself a whole bunch of times, and again I'd love any input!

(I also acknowledge this is likely a conversation to have with a professional, which I hope to do.)
Having done so myself ~2 years ago, I wholeheartedly recommend getting yourself started on medication. Forget the idea that forgoing it might build character; in my experience, pushing through without help builds nothing but resentment and self-loathing. In contrast, medication has done nothing but improve my quality of life drastically.
 
Hello, this is my first post on smogon :D (apart from entering a tournament).

I stumbled upon this thread and wanted to see if anyone had any advice regarding ADHD. I've been recently diagnosed and and I have the option of whether to start going through the process for medication or not, and I'm not sure whether to go through with it or not. I've worked through the reasoning for both sides which I'll lay out below and if anyone has any relevant experience or anything to add it would be greatly appreciated :).

Against:
Given that ADHD is a part of me, it's not some external force which I can stop, I should therefore take responsibility for whatever effects it causes. I should obviously be responsible for all the school work I've found myself unable to do, or any tasks that I find harder to do than most. I shouldn't rely on some external substance to bring me up to a level that I would prefer - everyone has their own challenges which makes things harder for them which they work through for themselves, with needing medication. Why would ADHD be any different - especially given that it's something that people can and do survive and work through without necessarily needing medication (people in my family being examples).
It would basically feel like I'm cheating my way through a process which would always be better done manually, rather than using medication. On a macro scale, it's a virtue to go through something difficult and come out the other side, whether that be going to the gym, going through therapy, commit to learning some skill, etc. It's character building (as cringe as that sounds) and the struggle produces a better person.

Another minor thing is that I hate the idea of being reliant on something external to me, but this is literally pretty much everything in life so this is just an emotional point.

For:
There's a huge amount of empirical evidence for ADHD people's lives being completely transformed through medication. It allows people to function and flourish to a point which they didn't even know was possible. It seems obvious that at some point the outcomes of more effectively doing everything that I would need to do completely outweighs any kind of bullshit 'character building' I would go through. If it would just improve my life in every way, it would surely be unreasonable to deliberately forego that.

I've gone back and forth along these lines with myself a whole bunch of times, and again I'd love any input!

(I also acknowledge this is likely a conversation to have with a professional, which I hope to do.)
When I first got diagnosed I took it, but last year I stopped taking it and I felt better. Based on my experience with it, think medication does help a lot, but you should keep in touch with your doctor because there may come a time when you might not need it, like there was for me. Or you may use it throughout your life, which is obviously fine too.
 
Alright. Serious question. Do any of you ever have moments throughout the day where you're bored out of your mind, don't know what to do even though there's realistically plenty of options to pick from, and you don't want to do any of them because you don't feel like you belong in a fanbase or community that enjoys the same things?

I'm asking because that's how I'm slowly starting to feel about the few things I still enjoy doing in my free time. Playing video games, free writing, hanging out with my friends, none of that is as enjoyable as it used to be or could still be. There's plenty of other reasons for this, including but not limited to- me turning into a massive introvert starting about two-and-a-half to three years ago, my problematic case of "price anxiety" that's only gotten worse with age and with inflation, and me not really understanding a lot of concepts I was taught at a younger age. In the past, I wasn't too bothered by these things because A. I was younger and they didn't effect me yet, and B. some of these things I know now as a young adult I didn't know about back then. What I really didn't expect was to feel... almost isolated when I realized not everyone thought or acted the same way I did. Which, yeah, that makes sense, we're all our own person, but without disclosing any details, I distinctly remember writing some posts elsewhere on the site with completely good intentions, and because I didn't understand the circumstances as well as I thought I did, I ended up deleting my posts partially out of embarrassment, but also because I was accidentally making other people's days harder. Probably. I don't know. It's not like someone's actively going to say "Hey, you're helping" or "Hey, you're not helping". That would require something called effort and communication, behaviors that sometimes I'm not sure several neurotypical people I know are capable of.

The whole ordeal reminded me of a concept I've been trying to convince and teach myself for a while now. No matter what the situation is, no matter how nice you're physically and mentally trying to be, sometimes you're better off not saying anything depending on who you're talking to and how much experience in the subject of conversation you each have. The problem? I dwell on a lot of things, and have gone on record at home saying i already, quote, "hate myself for doing it". If there are conversations, ideas, et cetera that I do not yet understand, that's completely fine. I'm willing to try and learn more about them. But at some point, when I keep scolding myself for wanting to participate in discussions and can't make my mind up on decisions to save my life, it begs the question. Should I even be here at all? Not in... that sense, but in the sense of "what's the point of trying to have fun if I'm just going to make mine and the rest of the group's lives harder?"
 
Alright. Serious question. Do any of you ever have moments throughout the day where you're bored out of your mind, don't know what to do even though there's realistically plenty of options to pick from, and you don't want to do any of them because you don't feel like you belong in a fanbase or community that enjoys the same things?

I'm asking because that's how I'm slowly starting to feel about the few things I still enjoy doing in my free time. Playing video games, free writing, hanging out with my friends, none of that is as enjoyable as it used to be or could still be. There's plenty of other reasons for this, including but not limited to- me turning into a massive introvert starting about two-and-a-half to three years ago, my problematic case of "price anxiety" that's only gotten worse with age and with inflation, and me not really understanding a lot of concepts I was taught at a younger age. In the past, I wasn't too bothered by these things because A. I was younger and they didn't effect me yet, and B. some of these things I know now as a young adult I didn't know about back then. What I really didn't expect was to feel... almost isolated when I realized not everyone thought or acted the same way I did. Which, yeah, that makes sense, we're all our own person, but without disclosing any details, I distinctly remember writing some posts elsewhere on the site with completely good intentions, and because I didn't understand the circumstances as well as I thought I did, I ended up deleting my posts partially out of embarrassment, but also because I was accidentally making other people's days harder. Probably. I don't know. It's not like someone's actively going to say "Hey, you're helping" or "Hey, you're not helping". That would require something called effort and communication, behaviors that sometimes I'm not sure several neurotypical people I know are capable of.

The whole ordeal reminded me of a concept I've been trying to convince and teach myself for a while now. No matter what the situation is, no matter how nice you're physically and mentally trying to be, sometimes you're better off not saying anything depending on who you're talking to and how much experience in the subject of conversation you each have. The problem? I dwell on a lot of things, and have gone on record at home saying i already, quote, "hate myself for doing it". If there are conversations, ideas, et cetera that I do not yet understand, that's completely fine. I'm willing to try and learn more about them. But at some point, when I keep scolding myself for wanting to participate in discussions and can't make my mind up on decisions to save my life, it begs the question. Should I even be here at all? Not in... that sense, but in the sense of "what's the point of trying to have fun if I'm just going to make mine and the rest of the group's lives harder?"
im not sure about it not being socialy relevent, but i experience this all the time.

i dont have advice for you. im as helpless as you are.
 
i'm lead to wonder if this is a combination of both burnout and social anxiety, i'll try to examine it from both angles as best as i can.


Alright. Serious question. Do any of you ever have moments throughout the day where you're bored out of your mind, don't know what to do even though there's realistically plenty of options to pick from, and you don't want to do any of them because you don't feel like you belong in a fanbase or community that enjoys the same things?

I'm asking because that's how I'm slowly starting to feel about the few things I still enjoy doing in my free time. Playing video games, free writing, hanging out with my friends, none of that is as enjoyable as it used to be or could still be. There's plenty of other reasons for this, including but not limited to- me turning into a massive introvert starting about two-and-a-half to three years ago, my problematic case of "price anxiety" that's only gotten worse with age and with inflation, and me not really understanding a lot of concepts I was taught at a younger age. In the past, I wasn't too bothered by these things because A. I was younger and they didn't effect me yet, and B. some of these things I know now as a young adult I didn't know about back then. What I really didn't expect was to feel... almost isolated when I realized not everyone thought or acted the same way I did. Which, yeah, that makes sense, we're all our own person, but without disclosing any details, I distinctly remember writing some posts elsewhere on the site with completely good intentions, and because I didn't understand the circumstances as well as I thought I did, I ended up deleting my posts partially out of embarrassment, but also because I was accidentally making other people's days harder. Probably. I don't know. It's not like someone's actively going to say "Hey, you're helping" or "Hey, you're not helping". That would require something called effort and communication, behaviors that sometimes I'm not sure several neurotypical people I know are capable of.

The whole ordeal reminded me of a concept I've been trying to convince and teach myself for a while now. No matter what the situation is, no matter how nice you're physically and mentally trying to be, sometimes you're better off not saying anything depending on who you're talking to and how much experience in the subject of conversation you each have. The problem? I dwell on a lot of things, and have gone on record at home saying i already, quote, "hate myself for doing it". If there are conversations, ideas, et cetera that I do not yet understand, that's completely fine. I'm willing to try and learn more about them. But at some point, when I keep scolding myself for wanting to participate in discussions and can't make my mind up on decisions to save my life, it begs the question. Should I even be here at all? Not in... that sense, but in the sense of "what's the point of trying to have fun if I'm just going to make mine and the rest of the group's lives harder?"

At large this appears to be a disconnect between introverted and extroverted parts of yourself, something I've dealt with ever since i learned to shut up around the age of 13. If the primary factor limiting your enjoyment of hobbies is a lack of community/belonging, I believe it is important you do try to bite the bullet and speak up more. I struggle greatly with this in real life due to my general awkwardness and inability to hold a conversation about something that doesn't have my full attention. I pretty much ate alone my entire time at college to avoid a similar feeling of making it harder for everyone else, as I never found a friend group/clique I could really feel comfortable or involved with.

Online, thankfully, this is much easier. The only thing that differentiates a you that has a place to belong with your hobbies and a you that has hobbies but no one to discuss them with is that the former spoke up more. Whether or not that is what you want is a different question, and it does appear to me at least it probably is something you want.

Social anxiety is something I've previously posted about in this thread, and it's a killer. I promise you though, for every time you post cringe and delete it, you will likely spark a conversation magnitudes more often. Silence breeds silence and conversation breeds conversation, so I think it is often as simple as creating that conversation or adding to it yourself. Nobody will worry about your voice in the conversation as much as you, and especially with the restraint that comes custom-built in with social anxiety, I am confident you will do great. "Just don't dwell upon it" is a task as easy as it is impossible, and to get the smaller victories and momentum you have to trust yourself first. From everything I've seen from you on the forums (im a moderate lurker), you contribute just fine.

I'm asking because that's how I'm slowly starting to feel about the few things I still enjoy doing in my free time. Playing video games, free writing, hanging out with my friends, none of that is as enjoyable as it used to be or could still be.

What leads me to wonder if burnout is involved is that even free-writing is included in this, a task I associate solely with raw self-expression. I deal with burnout nearly every single day, and its an issue that can be attacked a few different ways. The more tried and played out answer is to try something new, but if you're like me, you don't want something new, just to actually enjoy what you already do. Regardless, it's easy to get tired of anything you love if exhausted, so it is always worth exploring if only briefly. The other thing I have found helps is unironically just taking better physical care of yourself; take a multivitamin, go for a walk, get sleep, anything. These all can and likely will help stuff feel less dull, as the dullness of burnout often comes from within.

Hopefully anything I said is helpful, and if not, regardless, thank you for sharing despite it being difficult. have a wonderful day
 
Alright, so this is an interesting development. I feel like this post could go in either this thread or the Politics thread, so for now I'm going to post this here because A. I want to avoid double posting, and B. it's a bit of a sudden topic change to what we've been talking about over there. I'll keep this brief in an effort to avoid accidentally merging the two threads too much, but long story short, something regarding diversity that was absolutely news to me just came to my attention for the first time in the Politics thread. You're welcome to go read those posts if you'd like, but while I come to terms with the fact that the people I've been listening too are apparently noticeably more offensive than I thought, I have a second question that popped into my head that I wasn't planning on posting about for a while. Here's the scoop- basically, what happened is that, during my conversation(s), I referenced neurodiversity as part of an example to try and explain something to myself. My thought process in the example was that neurodiverse students being called "special ed" (or any other similar terms) might come off as offensive in a similar way to how... certain derogatory acronyms may be disrespectful to those people.

That got me thinking about something again, and this is the part I wasn't planning on posting until much later on, when I had more knowledge and did more of my own research. Is there any correlation between neurodiversity and politics? Particularly among bipartisan lines between Republicans and Democrats? Again, in an effort to avoid merging the threads too much, I can't say that I have much of an ability to speak on some of that thread's topics because of my lack of knowledge and research. The idea that at least one of the United States's main political parties may seem more favorable to neurodiverse individuals has always fascinated me, though, ever since I became old enough to vote in 2020. The admittedly limited extent of my knowledge on this so far is that many neurodiverse individuals around the world are also a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and that said community has received noticeably more hate from one party than the other, let's put it that way.

Other than that, though? Nothing. At least, nothing in the political world that I as someone who wants to be a neurodiversity specialist when I'm older can look at and say "this is an issue I'm passionate about". On the contrary, most of the research I have actually done so far seems to suggest that neurodiversity and its role in the United States is a "non-partisan" conversation, meaning that it's not a particular point of focus for Republicans or Democrats (or other parties, for that matter.) On one hand, this is a very good thing. I would like to keep neurodiversity and politics as far away from each other as possible. But on the other hand... I don't know, there is a part of me that wants to be recognized as a neurodiverse voter, if that line of thinking makes sense. I'm proud of who I am, and I'm proud of the fact that I've made a lot of important, successful progress in my life because I worked hard to get to where I am. What am I supposed to think? I long for the day when I can look at a political discussion, or heck, any adult discussions, and feel passionate about issues that speak to me personally, preferably to the point where I actually have some form of credibility. I don't know. I guess I just wanted to share how this whole diversity thing is making me feel. I have always advocated in public and in private for the idea that diversity isn't just talking about ethnicity and cultural background. It's talking about the brain, too. To me, neurodiversity is just as important to recognize- and respect- as any other form of diversity.
 
Alright, so this is an interesting development. I feel like this post could go in either this thread or the Politics thread, so for now I'm going to post this here because A. I want to avoid double posting, and B. it's a bit of a sudden topic change to what we've been talking about over there. I'll keep this brief in an effort to avoid accidentally merging the two threads too much, but long story short, something regarding diversity that was absolutely news to me just came to my attention for the first time in the Politics thread. You're welcome to go read those posts if you'd like, but while I come to terms with the fact that the people I've been listening too are apparently noticeably more offensive than I thought, I have a second question that popped into my head that I wasn't planning on posting about for a while. Here's the scoop- basically, what happened is that, during my conversation(s), I referenced neurodiversity as part of an example to try and explain something to myself. My thought process in the example was that neurodiverse students being called "special ed" (or any other similar terms) might come off as offensive in a similar way to how... certain derogatory acronyms may be disrespectful to those people.

That got me thinking about something again, and this is the part I wasn't planning on posting until much later on, when I had more knowledge and did more of my own research. Is there any correlation between neurodiversity and politics? Particularly among bipartisan lines between Republicans and Democrats? Again, in an effort to avoid merging the threads too much, I can't say that I have much of an ability to speak on some of that thread's topics because of my lack of knowledge and research. The idea that at least one of the United States's main political parties may seem more favorable to neurodiverse individuals has always fascinated me, though, ever since I became old enough to vote in 2020. The admittedly limited extent of my knowledge on this so far is that many neurodiverse individuals around the world are also a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and that said community has received noticeably more hate from one party than the other, let's put it that way.

Other than that, though? Nothing. At least, nothing in the political world that I as someone who wants to be a neurodiversity specialist when I'm older can look at and say "this is an issue I'm passionate about". On the contrary, most of the research I have actually done so far seems to suggest that neurodiversity and its role in the United States is a "non-partisan" conversation, meaning that it's not a particular point of focus for Republicans or Democrats (or other parties, for that matter.) On one hand, this is a very good thing. I would like to keep neurodiversity and politics as far away from each other as possible. But on the other hand... I don't know, there is a part of me that wants to be recognized as a neurodiverse voter, if that line of thinking makes sense. I'm proud of who I am, and I'm proud of the fact that I've made a lot of important, successful progress in my life because I worked hard to get to where I am. What am I supposed to think? I long for the day when I can look at a political discussion, or heck, any adult discussions, and feel passionate about issues that speak to me personally, preferably to the point where I actually have some form of credibility. I don't know. I guess I just wanted to share how this whole diversity thing is making me feel. I have always advocated in public and in private for the idea that diversity isn't just talking about ethnicity and cultural background. It's talking about the brain, too. To me, neurodiversity is just as important to recognize- and respect- as any other form of diversity.

as far as policy, criminalization of neurodivergence eg thru programmes such as CARE court in california is bipartisan (as are most policies around policing and criminalization/incarceration). not aware of any policy in other areas, psychiatric violence toward neurodivergent people such as ABA is v unregulated and i have never heard of any electoral politician talking about such issues tho obv i dont know evthg every politician everywhere has said. but certainly eg at the federal level most of congress is 70+ yrs old theres probably like 5-10 people in congress who even know what neurodivergence means, maybe even fewer.
 
yeah I think we're still some way away from the mainstream / old people talking or caring about neurodiversity.

i think it's picking up as a topic of conversation amongst younger people, there's a bazillion tiktoks about ADHD, and, apparently, we get our own league of legends champion now lmfao (i wish i was making this up, the canon lore for the most recent champion they released in league is pretty much just "haha quirky girl with autism")
also the whole "neurospicy" trend

i don't enjoy that that's the state of the discussion about neurodiversity at the moment, but i guess some people are starting to talk about it. maybe some day soon enough, some more people will start to talk about it correctly. and then maybe good correct unified messaging about the issue will eventually reach old generations and mainstream conversation. but definitely not there yet
 
hi hello hi hey hi its me olivia i am here today with a serious ish sorta post so bare with me because i am not good at these

those of you that know me will certainly know that there is SOMETHING up with me but the problem is for the longest time i have had and continue to have no idea what it is. i have considered a few things and out of all of them the one that i would relate the closest to would likely be adhd possibly. i have immense difficulty concentrating on things both that i do not enjoy and things that i enjoy. i had to leave my last job after only one month working there as it was work from home and i was strugglingly incredibly hard with merely just paying attention, hours would pass where i would accomplish nothing and then i would feel horrible about it. i have recently been struggling to sit through entire movies without pausing them for an hour or two at a time and doing other random stuff, basically its rlly hard to find stuff that holds my attention. some people have said i exhibit traits of autism and i dont disagree but i also dont KNOW if its a label that fits me so im not sure if its that or both or neither or whatever

i have, like many other users on this site, a history of mental health stuff that comes n goes but is always kinda lingering like a bad smell, lately it's been worse due to a few circumstances in my life that i will NOT be boring you with the details of, and it makes me concentrate even worse. i spent 2 hours last night just looking at a screen which was decidedly Not Epic. i get aspirations to do lots of things but ultimately i end up doing none of them and it feels so crummy i cant commit to anything for longer than a couple weeks at most

the other issue is that i am unfortunately also transing my gender and if going through the nhs (yes im sorry to all my fans i AM sadly british, it WILL happen again) it becomes significantly harder and a longer process to get seen by the nhs if you have a disability. so basically i am stuck in this weird limbo where im like ??? am i neurodivergent??? would being classed as neurodivergent even help me?? would it make my life harder???

i am writing this post mainly just to get these thoughts swirling round my head out there but also in the hopes that someone seeing it might relate and know they are not alone and that even with all this stuff going on i am still me and i am still pretty freaking epic and you probably are too and also i love my cat she's helping me through a lot right now anyway olivia out peace peace good yard
 
for the longest time I thought two things:

ADHD = oooh jingling keys haha I can’t sit still ever

i = am a lazy pos

turns out i have the most severe ADHD my doctor has ever seen, among a few other things that often go hand in hand with it. so many things make sense to me now and i really hate how ADHD is portrayed in media. this illness is crippling. it feels like a unique flavor of depression where i often physically cannot make myself do basic things like go to work or eating at least once a day.
i also have asperger’s or whatever it’s called now, making me pretty socially inept which has gotten me into quite a bit of trouble on here lol. even to this day i still feel quite the cold shoulder from a majority of staff on this site but i guess i did it to myself.
going off that last sentence i also have mild paranoia schizophrenia, which also gives me incredibly lucid dreams that are often hard to differ from reality. i end up believing a lot of what is just made up in my head which makes me feel predisposed notions about people / events that haven’t happen to me yet.
there’s the other basic mental illnesses (depression, being trans xdddd) but who doesn’t have those in 2024..

tldr: sorry im such a dickhead i dont mean to be
 
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for the longest time I thought two things:

ADHD = oooh jingling keys haha I can’t sit still ever

i = am a lazy pos

turns out i have the most severe ADHD my doctor has ever seen, among a few other things that often go hand in hand with it. so many things make sense to me now and i really hate how ADHD is portrayed in media. this illness is crippling. it feels like a unique flavor of depression where i often physically cannot make myself do basic things like go to work or eating at least once a day.
i also have asperger’s or whatever it’s called now, making me pretty socially inept which has gotten me into quite a bit of trouble on here lol. even to this day i still feel quite the cold shoulder from a majority of staff on this site but i guess i did it to myself.
going off that last sentence i also have mild paranoia schizophrenia, which also gives me incredibly lucid dreams that are often hard to differ from reality. i end up believing a lot of what is just made up in my head which makes me feel predisposed notions about people / events that haven’t happen to me yet.
there’s the other basic mental illnesses (depression, being trans xdddd) but who doesn’t have those in 2024..

tldr: sorry im such a dickhead i dont mean to be
this is literally me
 
So this is the first post i've made in this thread. So hi, I am NDK, you may know me from UU or Smogon Social media. So I have autism and ADHD. As a kid, I didn't really feel like I was different, but later on in high school and college I found it a little bit harder to make friends. This extends here on Smogon as well, as I have very few true friends on this site that I can talk about random stuff with. I have a question for people here, is it okay to randomly dm someone on discord who you haven't interacted with? Like for example messaging a manager for a team tournament. I am not the best with social cues so that is an issue for me. That is all from me, and I hope everyone reading this has a good day.
 
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So this is the first post i've made in this thread. So hi, I am NDK, you may know me from UU or Smogon Social media. So I have autism and ADHD. As a kid, I didn't really feel like I was different, but later on in high school and college I found it a little bit harder to make friends. This extends here on Smogon as well, as I have very few true friends on this site that I can talk about random stuff with. I have a question for people here, is it okay to randomly dm someone on discord who you haven't interacted with? Like for example messaging a manager for a team tournament. I am not the best with social cues so that is an issue for me. That is all from me, and I hope everyone reading this has a good day.
sending PMs to teamtour managers to introduce yourself and see if they're interested is very commonplace, i've had lots of people i'd never interacted with before send me full lists of their achievements and results and things like that. go for it!
 
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