not sure what to put here

[XoWolfXo]

Hi My name is Leah

I have been diagnosed with autism and ADHD recently, and I’m not sure how to proceed it really, My parents always knew I had it as when I was in primary school and high school I was different and the teachers never pick it up they always thought I was a “naughty kid” but when I went to college they pick it up instantly and they helped me a lot and supported me a lot, but I always find myself different as I would not make eye contact with someone I would always look at the floor I struggle to make friends even tho I wanted to join in but I was always scared to ask, so I never had many friends, I also like to stay home a lot never really liked going out, I also have a learning disability too, so my mind is like a younger child not like an adult mind and I have anxiety too, but sometimes I wish I was normal, where I could talk to people and go out and be smart instead of struggling but I would never ask for help if needed it as I was also scared that they would judge me.

[NotJim]

Hi XoWolfXo,

I also didn't get diagnosed with ASD until I went to university, and very much get your story. Early school can teach us that we're not "right", because we need longer to understand things, struggle to make friends, or need support with learning. But having an ASD mind or a learning difference etcetera simply means is we have a different way of learning, not a wrong way. Hopefully as you go through college with the support on hand you will have more opportunities to grow and discover all the amazing things you can do. (I wouldn't worry about the eye contact thing. If you're not comfortable looking people in the eye you don't have to!)

I now work in a university teaching, and we have a very high number of students with learning differences, anxiety and being on the spectrum and they all make fantastic, amazing work in their own way, and a lot of it comes from slowly learning to embrace what they have as strengths, not a weakness. After all, what is normal? Normal can be what we decide it to be, and the more we normalise being authentically ourselves, (with all the good and tricky bits), the more people have a chance to see that the world is a wonderful "pick and mix" of minds, not just "normal" and "everyone who is a bit different".

[NikkiPetty in reply to NotJim]

Totally agree, well said, Nikki

[QuietButBold]

Hello and welcome.

I wanted to share with you; that recently I appreciated it when I saw: a small, colourful, round badge / button / lapel pin with an inclusive message on it of "Neurodiversity Is Natural".

I would like to think that is a message all Autistic / ADHD'ers / other Neurodivergent people could claim for themselves - and hold in their feelings and thoughts - as they self-advocate when navigating among the wider community.

How I like think about it is that; Autistic presentation of what is "normal" for that individual is natural. Whether Neurotypical or Neurodivergent, each person's natural "normal" fot them is to be: respected, accommodated, included and celebrated.

We are all born equally as people. Being a "person" does not require a particular qualification to be achieved by us / attributed to us by others.

We arrive in life; already fully entitled to be respected for the people, personalities, external appearance, body language preferences and gender identity (etc.) with which we happen to be most comfortable to present / share with others.

(If you are interested, you could type: "Neurodiversity Is Natural" into an internet browser / search engine and choose "images" where you a likely to view the badge I had described as the source of my inspiration for this post).