For new people, with whom you don’t yet have a history, honesty is a risk. You can’t really know how much honesty they want, as you don’t yet have enough evidence to tell.

But that’s not your fault, so you don’t have to take all of the blame for this being hard or for getting it wrong.

"For 70 years (at least), people have been making assumptions about autistic people based on outward behaviour. Even the diagnostic criteria for autism are based on what is easily observable by an onlooker."

What is a spectrum?

#Autism
#ADHD
#AuDHD
#neurodiversity

https://neuroclastic.com/its-a-spectrum-doesnt-mean-what-you-think/

If you've managed to survive all these years in hurtful systems, what does that mean about how strong you are?

If you're that strong, what else could you use your strength for? Could you make more radical changes?

The 6 biggest questions about adult ADHD, answered by a neuroscientist

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/adhd-questions-answered

The reality of living with ADHD and what it means, but those who do just that, and have done for years

Society says that in order to be with people and do the things you want in life, you have to either sacrifice your dreams or your comfort. I say, you can try something different.

New research shows that autistic people experience intense joy connected to autistic traits.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/positively-different/202506/what-brings-autistic-people-joy

You may have been taught to ignore your needs for much of your life, or you might not have spent a lot of time trying to formulate that into words, but you have years of your actual lived experience doing things, and knowing what works and what doesn’t work for you.

Being gifted is similar to being rich. People assume you have a lot of something they have little or almost none of. Then the same thing will happen as if you're rich. Some will admire you, others will hate you, and the vast majority will hate you. "I don't believe in IQ," say those with low IQs or those who believe that with that idea they can belittle those with high IQs. It's simple: what IQ tests measure is your processing speed, your memory, and associative ability. The same professionals know that's not all there is to testing. It just means you have good hardware. Just as they'll hate you for having a quantum computer, they'll hate you for being smarter.
Do you want to know what it feels like to live like that? It feels nauseous, it feels like living in a shithole. Most "very high IQs" are considered crazy, even by their own families, until they see a diagnosis.
If you're autistic (I am), they'll turn down the music and show pity and consideration for you. But if you're a fucking genius (I am, unfortunately, too), they'll find a way to screw you over.
When, after long evaluations, they told me the results, I started crying because I couldn't believe it. How can I be so smart if I live so poorly? I've had several suicide attempts, thousands of problems in my life. Relationships, jobs, and studies. I must be crazy.
I assure you, being intelligent is infinitely more painful than just being autistic. And the combination of the two is completely disgusting.
But the problem, both for the gifted and the autistic, is the same: the outside world, the people, the world, relating to everything. So we all end up with the same solution for living peacefully... "Isolation."
I live with very little, just three changes of clothes, and I live in a wooden house (like the Unabomber) with my wife (who is also autistic and highly intelligent). Every year I turn down job opportunities because I know everything will end horribly if I accept. I work at home doing things that may seem very strange to you, but they give me the money for the frugal life we've both chosen. My close relationships are a handful of people, family members.
And the way I live is a choice that very few, if any, understand. But it's my choice because it provides me with the only thing I really need, which is "peace of mind."

#Introduction Hashtags, so I can pin this post and take them out of my profile:

#Education #Research #Phd, #BCS #Computing #Teacher #CCT
#CSEd #Programming #BCS
#ActuallyAutistic
#ActuallyADHD
I live with #MultipleSclerosis
#Zen / #Nonduality #Buddhist, weirdly into #Jung
#Research topics:
- #EdAI / #AIEd - #LLMs in #Education
- #CriticalStudies of #EdTech
- #Neurodiversity in #Education, and the experience of ND educators.

Some of us, in our rage against ableist society, would rather turn the tables against neurotypical folks and generalize them and treat them like idiots

How can we get to the point where neurosupremacy and ableism is viewed as the bad thing instead of making an entire generalized neurotype out to be the bogeyman?

I probably shouldn't be bothered so much by this likely kid on Reddit but it does bother me

Since my last #introduction was in January 2023 - a lifetime ago - it feels like time for a new one.

I'm Rebecca, a 43-year-old #queer woman and software engineer in Fort Collins, #Colorado. I'm married and parenting a sweet, also-queer 12-year-old kiddo.

I post a lot about my #transition journey:

* My egg cracked slowly from 2020-2022
* I started #HRT on 7/28/2023
* Came out publicly as #trans on 3/28/2024
* Had #VFS on 5/28/2025
* Have bottom surgery scheduled for 1/26/2026

Also posting about #parenting, queer life, #neurodiversity, and whatever my current hyper-focus is. Expect #train and #aviation stuff and a TON of selfies - some #NSFW, especially #kink (#shibari #rope are special joys). I use CWs for these.

I work in #healthcare #tech, where I help connect at-risk patients with faster care. I travel a lot for work and never say no to a window seat.

Here for queer joy, friendships, connection, and thoughtful conversation.

Does anyone know of any studies about neurodivergent people being scapegoated at work?

Most of the time you probably try to push decades worth of shame, and blame, and guilt of not fitting in, away and not think about it…except that’s not entirely possible.

It still leaks out around the edges, often in the form of anxieties or depression, and fatigue.

- The double empathy problem
- Cross-neurotype interaction difficulty
- Jocks vs nerds

Seeing #giftedness as part of #neurodiversity makes so much sense to me.

Uncommon talent in some areas makes it possible for us to ‘wing it’ in others. If nurtured only for our gifts we may grow into people with huge gaps in our skill sets as humans. Think ‘creative genius bathed in adulation who treats his (it’s always he) wife & kids like shirt’, or ‘smart kid who cruises through school then crashes in their job or PhD program when challenged by something that doesn’t come easily’.

When our identity is formed around our talent & successes we never to learn how to value failing. How else do we learn compassion?

All my life there have been heaps of things I couldn’t do (I’m dyspraxic & socially clueless), but failing in my areas of strength came late to me. Each of these failures has enriched my life enormously.

Would love to hear about other #nd folx’ experience.

@actuallyautistic
#diversity #SelfCompassion #JustAsWeAre

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-24/what-its-like-to-be-a-child-prodigy/105437564?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other

Found on #BlueSky
"
#Autism
#ADHD
#AuDHD
#neurodiversity
#neuroinsurgent

My friend just gave me the best phrase, so I'm sharing it with you all.

I've moved out of the first phase and am no longer neurodivergent.

I'm now neuroinsurgent.

(w/ a lexical hat-tip to the divergent trilogy of books)
"

Neurodivergent minds bring more than difference—they bring superpowers.

At #DCAVL25, join The Neurodivergency SuperPower – How Diverse Teams Function Better to explore how ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other cognitive differences can strengthen collaboration, innovation, and team success.

Learn practical ways to build neuro-inclusive teams that thrive.
https://www.drupalasheville.com/2025/session/neurodivergency-superpower-how-diverse-teams-function-better
#DrupalCamp #Neurodiversity #InclusiveTeam