u/Ribbitlady

I have posted about this yesterday but would like to go more in-depth of my experience of being late diagnosed and life as a neurodivergent girl.

I am 20. I grew up with a family who quickly noticed signs of being different yet were advised by multiple people (including therapists) to not get me an official diagnosis as a label would “harm me”. After all, it only harms their reputation.

So i went, behind everyones back, with my own money, to get tested. I felt something was wrong/different and i needed to figure what it was so i would become more of a functional human and young adult. There i was, at 19, having all these consults, and doing all these tests to find answers. And answers i got. ADHD, OCD, dyscalculia,anxiety and depression. I wasn’t crazy after all.

I was made to feel crazy.
I was made to feel like an alien but in the same breath told i was totally normal. It depended on the day.

My world, ironically started crumbling.

I had questions, and i asked them. How is it not possible to have seen this? Why wasn’t anything done to help? Why did i have to handle this all by myself??

I told my parents about it. My dad sometimes forgets but always has empathy.
My mother refuses to accept it. Because that would mean her having to do some self reflection.

I started being nicer to myself, to my mind. I am now able to explain why certain behaviours happen, not to justify myself, but to have empathy.

I was told to not reveal this information. I was told to keep pretending to be normal.
I was told to keep faking it.

Neurotypicals don’t appreciate my existence. Some of them. I generally create an odd feeling in them. Maybe because i dont mask well and i enjoy being myself.

I am not naturally insecure. I am just told what to be ashamed of within my own self.

I been in therapy, healing a lot of stuff that needed to be healed so i have a decent relationship with family.

I mentioned i don’t mask well, but i mask.
I have a very surface level relationship with my mother and her parents. These people don’t know and don’t care to know about me. I am told i will be nobody-and that i should accept this faith-.

Life will always be inconvenient because the world isn’t ready for neurodivergence. But i hope to make it a little less draining every day.

Navigating my 20s and this has been painful and challenging… but a lot of stuff in life is.

Thank you for reading.

Most likely will repost in other similar sub Reddits

Reposting this here to reach more people+ more opinions and povs

Hi! I usually would post on the autism
subreddit but since i got diagnosed with adhd, here seems to be more appropriate and hello everyone:)

I am 20 years old and throughout my life, my mom and her parents put in their minds that i will be an absolute loser as an adult. Yesterday, it became something said instead of the feeling i had. My mother told me, after i said i wanted to work full time “only time will tell.”

For context i have a NT twin brother whose dreams are to work for the luxury industry in biochemistry and somehow that seems more believable to my family than me forming a life of my own.

I am not physically or mentally disabled. I do struggle with social cues and want to pursue marketing. Yet my family thinks i will become an unemployed loser every time there is a major change in my life. No one thought id make highschool, no one thought i would survive college and living alone. Yet not only did i survive, i *thrived.*

I will restart therapy in September but just wanted to know if anyone else in your life thinks you will be useless just because youre neurodivergent? We can do this:)

Perhaps an ableist rant so thats why theres a trigger

Hi! I usually would post on the autism
subreddit but since i got diagnosed with adhd, here seems to be more appropriate and hello everyone:)

I am 20 years old and throughout my life, my mom and her parents put in their minds that i will be an absolute loser as an adult. Yesterday, it became something said instead of the feeling i had. My mother told me, after i said i wanted to work full time “only time will tell.”

For context i have a NT twin brother whose dreams are to work for the luxury industry in biochemistry and somehow that seems more believable to my family than me forming a life of my own.

I am not physically or mentally disabled. I do struggle with social cues and want to pursue marketing. Yet my family thinks i will become an unemployed loser every time there is a major change in my life. No one thought id make highschool, no one thought i would survive college and living alone. Yet not only did i survive, i thrived.

I will restart therapy in September but just wanted to know if anyone else in your life thinks you will be useless just because youre neurodivergent? We can do this:)