As the the sister of, mother of and now grandmother of autistic kids, thank you for getting it.
I prefer neurospicy =)
I got dx at 3 and a few months, back in the 60s and my parents were told to place me at Sonyea [old ‘loony bin’ here in western NY] but my mom took the time between then and going to school training me how to behave normal and blend in.
It fits me in some ways but not others, but that could easily be a function of ADHD. When you have both, you could be all over the map. For example, I have a desperate desire for sameness, order, and routine, which leans autistic. But because of my ADHD I have never been able to achieve that for myself. And that’s characteristic of people who have both disorders. (The comorbidity of both occuring together is also very high.)
However, people with early childhood trauma have a lot of similar characteristics. I briefly posted on a reddit board for AuDHD women and sooooo many of them had been diagnosed with PTSD from early childhood trauma that it raised my eyebrows, as in, how are you so sure it isn’t PTSD? Many of them were self-diagnosed.
On the flip side, PTSD can obscure neurodiversity, too. It works both ways.
At this point in my life I’ve had so many diagnoses I’ve been though all the cycles of obsession with each new diagnosis and this is just me. Whether I’m autistic or not, this is just me. Introverted, socially anxious, flighty, emotionally (over)sensitive, but also creative, intellectually engaged, and nurturing, and I’m fine with that trade-off, really.
Whether we are diagnosed or not, I think people need to learn to be more comfortable with who they are and embrace what makes them unique. I know that can be extra hard in youth because kids are often targeted for what makes them unique. But those things you are singled out for may be inconsequential ten years later, or even a strength you can translate to some success. It’s really impossible to judge when you’re stuck in middle or high school.
Otherwise known as:
Craig Colony | Livingston County, NY - Official Website.
Craig Colony for Epileptics, then during the ‘60s the Craig State School and quickly thereafter Craig Developmental Center. Never seemingly a mental ‘asylum’.
I have a friend who claims that all mathematicians are at least somewhat autistic. That includes him and me.
Well, probably not all of them. But one of the “risk” factors for being diagnosed with autism is having engineers in your family. Wouldn’t be surprised if it holds across mathematicians. Autistics are slightly better at math, as a group, compared to the general population. But not as much as you might assume.
Love this conversation:
“What’s your son’s special ability?”
“Actually, ma’am, it’s really something of a myth that autistic people have special gifts, they are no more likely to be gifted relative to the population as a whole… but it’s math. His special ability is math.”
I think there’s a fairly good chance my kid ends up a theoretical mathematician. Either that or an astrophysicist.
But you know, first he needs to learn how to behave in kindergarten.