“I was now the only neurotypical person in the house.”
‘Scott was in bed Googling autism. ‘This is me, isn’t it?’: Mom urges ‘radical’ acceptance after whole family diagnosed with autism, ADHD
‘Yes, I am autistic, and no, I am not a r*tard.’: Proud mom shares autistic daughter’s inspirational poem, ‘I am NOT hiding, I am proud.’
“I didn’t want to seem like I was crazy. Believe me, I hate my autism as much as you do, but it is also a part of me.”
‘What is wrong with me?’ The doctor said it like I already knew. I wasn’t sure what to say.’: Neurodivergent woman shares ‘now’ and ‘then’ perspective after multiple diagnoses
“The harder I tried, the more I knew I didn’t fit in. I was hated by those who were supposed to love me, and I hated myself. If I can thrive, anyone can do it.”
‘There’s something missing in your son.’ I brushed it off as him being ADD like me. I felt guilty and angry.’: Neurodivergent mom to son with autism urges ‘self-empowerment’ for others like her
“‘R*tard’ and ‘lunatic’ became my ‘pet names.’ We still haven’t received a call for an ‘official diagnosis.’ So, I started my own research. I don’t want other children to suffer as I did.”
The Day I Was Diagnosed As Autistic Was The Day I Became ‘Normal’
“’You know, he is very ADHD.’ What I found blew open my world. I saw my son, but more so, I saw myself.”
‘Isabella has potential…but is easily distracted.’ I am not stupid. I am neurodivergent.’: Woman diagnosed with ADHD urges ‘representation matters’
“When I looked in the mirror, I felt broken. Now, all I see is a small angel who needed someone to nurture her mind.”
‘You’re just NOT trying hard enough.’ I KNEW I was different, but I tried to brush it off. Then something magical happened.’: Woman diagnosed with autism shares journey, ‘I will live a BEAUTIFUL life’
“‘You’re WAY too sensitive.’ They don’t know I am constantly aware of the clock ticking, people typing, colleagues moving, screens shining, lamp shining, them laughing, the radio playing. This world is so LOUD.”
‘He’ll grow out of it,’ they’d say. I didn’t. I spent YEARS masking myself to fit who I thought I needed to be. I learned to celebrate my differences.’: LGBTQ man waiting for autism diagnosis, ‘I was BORN this way’
“I began to only stim in the privacy of my bedroom or the bathroom and treated it like a dirty secret I’d hopefully grow out of, along with my attraction to boys and all things deemed feminine.“
‘It’s like having a neighbor from hell, but the annoying neighbor is your own brain and they’re never moving out. You’re stuck with them forever.’: Woman advocates for neurodiversity, ‘The hardest battle is the one I fight against myself every day’
“You know you have to be up at 4:15 for work, but the neighbor’s throwing a party again and you can’t get to sleep. You’re constantly frustrated. I wanted to address it. I needed to address it.”
‘Can I give the a tree a hug?’ She tells me her brain is stuck. ‘Why is the sun shining?’: Caretaker of an autistic child insists ‘I am a better person because of her. I see the world in a changed way.’
“I said, ‘Break a leg!’ She got furious and started yelling at me, ‘Why do you want me to break a leg?? She takes things exactly the way they are, what you say is what she hears, and she processes the language just as it’s spoken. Katy has her own unique way of thinking, which I adore.”
