Hi. I am 22 years old, and was diagnosed with PDD-NOS three years ago, when I was 19. However, pretty much my whole family has known that I have a developmental disability of some sort since I was two and a half. It surprised my mom, because pretty much everyone who qualifed to diagnosis me apparently told her I was definately not autistic!
I was also diagnosed with mild ataxic cerebral palsy when I was 9 or so--speech and OT were covered under other diagnosis' before then, and I think the CP is mostly concentrated in my face as well as being very mild, which is why it took so long to get a diagnosis on that. I was also diagnosed with inattentive ADHD at the age of eleven, clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder at the age of twelve, and social anxiety disorder at the age of thirteen, pretty much thanks to the mental health system at work.
I've had trouble making eye contact my whole life, essentially, but that's gotten better over time. Sometimes, though, eye contact feels like an invasion of personal space. I've also had a lot of trouble making friends, or really going out and doing anything. I don't like day programs because I feel judged for not talking to people in those situations; I dropped out of voc rehab, and the judgement for doing my work instead of socializing was one (albeit, pretty minor) reason why.
I'm not sure if I can work because, at least where I live, you have to talk to your co-workers to not have complaints, or at least, that's what it seems like to me. Looking back, a lot of my camp/classmates complained to their parents about me, and the parents complained to the grown-ups in charge. It was hard. It still is.
Anyways, I didn't mean to dump like this. Sorry about that.
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Living with one neurodevelopmental disability which has earned me a few diagnosis'
29 Sep 2012, 8:49 pm
