[Misc] Autism - Neurodiversity

[rebel51]

I wanted to share that I got my own inattentive ADHD diagnosis today. It took a couple of appointments spaced 6 weeks apart.

Never felt so conflicted about this, I told my youngest (also ADHD) that i had some news . . . he asked "good or bad". This is a tough question.

Nice to have this label instead of the ones I had when I was younger.

Starting on Vyvance tomorrow to see how it goes.

Likewise, vyanse has helped me tremendously. Hope it goes well for you.Pity there's a shortage atm

 

[BadFish]

Likewise, vyanse has helped me tremendously. Hope it goes well for you.Pity there's a shortage atm

Thank you.

It didn't go particularly well for me. Went back to the docs and am now trying good old fashioned ritalin. Which is much better without the jitters and anxiety.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Bounce for @Right Brain Ronnie

 

[Right Brain Ronnie]

Bounce for @Right Brain Ronnie

Thanks for the bounce, I have scanned through the thread and is excellent for Autism knowledge and support.
But neourodivesity has many segmentations and Dyslexia and ADHD are two of the biggest ones, but they are all very important to understand.

I feel we need two threads Dyslexia and ADHD ones if our voices are to be heard of even cared about. They maybe many watchers that have never post for fear of being riduculed, this would open up a whole new engagement.

For example, you could not just have a politics thread, you need a Tory, labour, etc threads, as all will be a jumble especially hard for a dyslexic person to wade through multiple post to find the relevant post within.

Do you have any objection for me to start these threads off?

 

[Zeberdi]

Thanks for the bounce, I have scanned through the thread and is excellent for Autism knowledge and support.
But neourodivesity has many segmentations and Dyslexia and ADHD are two of the biggest ones, but they are all very important to understand.

I feel we need two threads Dyslexia and ADHD ones if our voices are to be heard of even cared about. They maybe many watchers that have never post for fear of being riduculed, this would open up a whole new engagement.

For example, you could not just have a politics thread, you need a Tory, labour, etc threads, as all will be a jumble especially hard for a dyslexic person to wade through multiple post to find the relevant post within.

Do you have any objection for me to start these threads off?

Maybe asking the OP or Mods if they minded altering the thread Title to just ‘Neurodiversity’ or ‘Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia - Neurodiversity’ rather than start separate threads?

The symptoms of autism are just as diverse from one person to the other as Dyslexia and ADHD symptoms are from one person to another.

There are however overlapping challenges that all neurodivergent people face when using social media/online forums etc, the discussion of which are helpful for any one who is neurodiverse.

- therefore keeping everything on the same thread makes sense imo.

 

[Right Brain Ronnie]

Maybe asking the OP or Mods if they minded altering the thread Title to just ‘Neurodiversity’ or ‘Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia - Neurodiversity’ rather than start separate threads?

The symptoms of autism are just as diverse from one person to the other as Dyslexia and ADHD symptoms are from one person to another.

There are however overlapping challenges that all neurodivergent people face when using social media/online forums etc, the discussion of which are helpful for any one who is neurodiverse.

- therefore keeping everything on the same thread makes sense imo.

Sorry only read the first line of your post. But that would make things more difficult as I said, would the mods make just an all politic thread ? of course not. I know you're trying to help but simplicity and clarity is key for dyslexics.

 

[Baldseagull]

Maybe asking the OP or Mods if they minded altering the thread Title to just ‘Neurodiversity’ or ‘Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia - Neurodiversity’ rather than start separate threads?

The symptoms of autism are just as diverse from one person to the other as Dyslexia and ADHD symptoms are from one person to another.

There are however overlapping challenges that all neurodivergent people face when using social media/online forums etc, the discussion of which are helpful for any one who is neurodiverse.

- therefore keeping everything on the same thread makes sense imo.

Makes sense to your autistic brain, but not his dyslexic brain.

 

[Eric the meek]

I had to blink when I saw this article this morning:

Eight-year ADHD backlog in many parts of UK, BBC finds

Data suggests at least 196,000 adults are waiting to be seen and demand has quadrupled since 2019.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Baldseagull]

Thanks for the bounce, I have scanned through the thread and is excellent for Autism knowledge and support.
But neourodivesity has many segmentations and Dyslexia and ADHD are two of the biggest ones, but they are all very important to understand.

I feel we need two threads Dyslexia and ADHD ones if our voices are to be heard of even cared about. They maybe many watchers that have never post for fear of being riduculed, this would open up a whole new engagement.

For example, you could not just have a politics thread, you need a Tory, labour, etc threads, as all will be a jumble especially hard for a dyslexic person to wade through multiple post to find the relevant post within.

Do you have any objection for me to start these threads off?

You can start a thread on anything you want, no permission needed from anyone else, but ask for it not to be merged with this or other threads, and hope that the mods adhere to your request.

 

[Eric the meek]

The backlog for formal diagnosis of neurodivergence in adults is ridiculous- even in children, where special needs access can depend on formal diagnosis can take around 4 years.

That's extraordinary. By that, I mean extraordinarily poor.

My niece wasn't diagnosed with high-functioning autism, until she was at university, doing her Masters in Geology. I'm assuming one of the lecturers spotted something awry, but I don't know the details.

I makes me wonder if someone could go through their entire life without being diagnosed.

 

[BadFish]

I had to blink when I saw this article this morning:

Eight-year ADHD backlog in many parts of UK, BBC finds

Data suggests at least 196,000 adults are waiting to be seen and demand has quadrupled since 2019.

www.bbc.co.uk

Ironically, I have been told that my adhd wasn't real because 'everyone is getting diagnosed these days'.

Personally I think it's brilliant that we are learning to understand our brains better.

 

[BadFish]

That's extraordinary. By that, I mean extraordinarily poor.

My niece wasn't diagnosed with high-functioning autism, until she was at university, doing her Masters in Geology. I'm assuming one of the lecturers spotted something awry, but I don't know the details.

I makes me wonder if someone could go through their entire life without being diagnosed.

I would suggest that many people have done exactly that. The numbers are probably staggering.

I think many people are self diagnosing as their children and grandchildren are getting diagnosed. This happened in my family.

 

[Eric the meek]

Ironically, I have been told that my adhd wasn't real because 'everyone is getting diagnosed these days'.

Personally I think it's brilliant that we are learning to understand our brains better.

Absolutely. Which brings me on to something close to my heart. Or rather my head.

Did you know that if you are left-handed, you are twelve times as likely to stammer? Anyone who knows anything about statistics, will know, that ain't no coincidence!

(I am both left-handed and have a stammer).

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

That's extraordinary. By that, I mean extraordinarily poor.

My niece wasn't diagnosed with high-functioning autism, until she was at university, doing her Masters in Geology. I'm assuming one of the lecturers spotted something awry, but I don't know the details.

I makes me wonder if someone could go through their entire life without being diagnosed.

It’s entirely likely many people have gone through their entire lives and never been diagnosed. Thankfully we are getting more and more late diagnosis’s now as understanding of autism increases both medically and socially. A friend of mine has been recently diagnosed in his late 40s, he said it’s helped him understand a lot of what he went through as a youngster.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Attended the graduation of my eldest child this week. He is on the spectrum, effectively missed several years of school while the we struggled to find the right support. Eventually we got him into Uckfield secondary school support unit. The January before he sat his gcse's i was told they didn't think he'd cope with sitting the exams. Somehow he managed and passed them all .

He wanted to do a-levels but at 16 escc withdraw all support so we had to find a sixth form at short notice which was closer to us. He ended up at Seaford Head. On course for 3 good a levels and then covid struck. No exams but he ended up with 2 A's and a B , took a year off and then went to University. First year in halls and then 2 years living in houses with friends. He's ended up with a 2.1 in History. He's going to have another year off and then do a masters.

He still suffers mightily with anxiety and his progress to where he wants to be may take a few more years than some of his peers , but he'll get there. I guess ive written all this out partly because I am so very proud of him, but also to I guess to let other people who may be in the stage i was when he was 8 years old know that things can be overcome. I look back now to the days of collecting him from primary school aat 10am after a phone call from the head teacher because he'd had yet another autistic meltdown and wish I could tell younger me how things turned out.

 

[BadFish]

Absolutely. Which brings me on to something close to my heart. Or rather my head.

Did you know that if you are left-handed, you are twelve times as likely to stammer? Anyone who knows anything about statistics, will know, that ain't no coincidence!

(I am both left-handed and have a stammer).

No I didn't know that, is it to do with the part of the brain being favoured or something else?

 

[BadFish]

Attended the graduation of my eldest child this week. He is on the spectrum, effectively missed several years of school while the we struggled to find the right support. Eventually we got him into Uckfield secondary school support unit. The January before he sat his gcse's i was told they didn't think he'd cope with sitting the exams. Somehow he managed and passed them all .

He wanted to do a-levels but at 16 escc withdraw all support so we had to find a sixth form at short notice which was closer to us. He ended up at Seaford Head. On course for 3 good a levels and then covid struck. No exams but he ended up with 2 A's and a B , took a year off and then went to University. First year in halls and then 2 years living in houses with friends. He's ended up with a 2.1 in History. He's going to have another year off and then do a masters.

He still suffers mightily with anxiety and his progress to where he wants to be may take a few more years than some of his peers , but he'll get there. I guess ive written all this out partly because I am so very proud of him, but also to I guess to let other people who may be in the stage i was when he was 8 years old know that things can be overcome. I look back now to the days of collecting him from primary school aat 10am after a phone call from the head teacher because he'd had yet another autistic meltdown and wish I could tell younger me how things turned out.

This is brilliant mate. I know all about the school phone calls (still get them for my youngest (ADHD) but a lot less now). The dread of a phone call during the day was stressful for my wife and I. And all the rest of it.

In a couple of weeks time we are going to university open days for him to (hopefully) start next year.

I really wish I had someone tell me that things would work out. Although possibly they did, I am not sure I would have believed them anyway.

 

[Eric the meek]

No I didn't know that, is it to do with the part of the brain being favoured or something else?

I don't know. I wish I did.

I remember going to speech therapy as a teenager, and one of the questions was 'Are you left-handed?'. So they knew the link 45 years ago.

Around that time, I read of four cases of stammerers who had been in road traffic accidents in the US, in the 1960s. In all four cases, the victim had to have half their brain removed. You can guess the rest. Their stammers disappeared overnight.

Obviously, this is not a recommendation for stammerers to have half their brain removed. Results could be unpredictable.
But it is interesting nonetheless......

Some therapists have theorised that stammerers have two speech centres, one in each hemisphere, and both are competing for control. From my experience at the sharp end of stammering, it rings true.

I have never stammered once when I sing. Or when I whisper. The reason could be that we use a different part of the brain for these functions.

 

[BadFish]

I don't know. I wish I did.

I remember going to speech therapy as a teenager, and one of the questions was 'Are you left-handed?'. So they knew the link 45 years ago.

Around that time, I read of four cases of stammerers who had been in road traffic accidents in the US, in the 1960s. In all four cases, the victim had to have half their brain removed. You can guess the rest. Their stammers disappeared overnight.

Obviously, this is not a recommendation for stammerers to have half their brain removed. Results could be unpredictable.
But it is interesting nonetheless......

Some therapists have theorised that stammerers have two speech centres, one in each hemisphere, and both are competing for control. From my experience at the sharp end of stammering, it rings true.

I have never stammered once when I sing. Or when I whisper. The reason could be that we use a different part of the brain for these functions.

That is really interesting, I have heard that about singing. I would imagine they are getting closer and closer to finding out the link.

My understanding is that our knowledge of the brain is improving at quite a rate these days.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

That's extraordinary. By that, I mean extraordinarily poor.

My niece wasn't diagnosed with high-functioning autism, until she was at university, doing her Masters in Geology. I'm assuming one of the lecturers spotted something awry, but I don't know the details.

I makes me wonder if someone could go through their entire life without being diagnosed.

My granddaughter was diagnosed at university in her second year, and now has a 2:1 in Classical history, studying her Masters.