It seems that everyone is getting diagnosed with some sort of neurodivergence. Quite a fashionable trend. All the cool kids are getting a diagnosis.
Yeah, not really. But I did. And so did my family.
My daughter got identified as autistic in 2014.
My son got diagnosed as autistic in 2015.
We were then told that it is heredity, from the male genetic side. So I tested myself with one of the online tests. Didn't seem to be right for me.
A few years ago, I was officially diagnosed with AuDHD-- both autism and ADHD.
My other daughter this year was diagnosed with ADHD, with a likelihood of autism.
And my wife, who isn't diagnosed with anything, and won't talk to a therapist, is likely some form of neurodivergent.
Yep, we hit the jackpot. And now that my son is living with us again, here we are, all together, living in Eugene in one house together.
Frankly, that's how it should be because at least we all understand our weaknesses and we won't attack each other for not having normal capacity.
I'll talk more about this, but for now, know that a family of neurodivergent folks is expensive.
My one daughter insists upon having Starbucks daily because it is a part of their routine. If they don't get Starbucks, they will cry. I don't like crying. So they get Starbucks, even when they don't have a job, like now.
My other daughter has a very strict eating routine which doesn't usually include meat, but they recently found that they can eat meat made in a sous vide style (which involves slow cooking bagged meat in water?). I'm glad they have broadened their eating, but the cuts are kinda pricey. And when meat goes bad because they don't have energy to cook, then that's really pricey.
It used to be that my son couldn't do dishes or bring dishes to the kitchen. After a few years of living with his friends, though, dishes became a thing he could do. He's not quick about doing them, but he does them.
Neurodivergence isn't necessarily a disability. It is a different way of processing one's environment and social order that most people don't have. It IS a disability when it processes the world in such a way that other people do not recognize that process. Such as oversensitivity. A main characteristic of neurodivergent folks is that they are very sensitive to certain everyday sensory features. Some of mine is flickering lights (like all fluorescent bulbs), loud sudden noises, a person standing too close to me, loud background noises, and different voices talking at the same time. Add those together and one of the most difficult situations for me is going to a grocery store that has all these sensory sensitivities all wrapped in one.
That doesn't mean I don't go to the store. I do, quite frequently. And it is unusual for me to have a shutdown (no talking/contact) or a meltdown (running away/throwing a fit) in a grocery store. It has happened on occasion. But the real issue is after the stress period is over and THEN I will have a shutdown or meltdown. If I purpose to have a shutdown (stay away from people who might talk to me), then I can recover. Eventually. And that is an example of autistic burnout.
When I go to the store and I am very stressed, but don't show it, that is called masking. And masking always leads to burnout.
And I will have to talk about that more another day. This page is full.
