Hi, I am going by "pill" because it was an endearing phrase my Granny used when I was being unruly or difficult as a kid, but not actually bad; that is, "You're a pill", followed by a hug and a laugh.
I am 25 years old, and I have had an ADHD diagnosis for a year now, and I am set to be screened in February for an ASD diagnosis. My psychologist who I see for managing ADHD and anxiety symptoms agreed that this is probably the right diagnosis (or at least it's worth talking to a specialist) because a lot of my "social anxiety" seems to be related to the fact that I often have no idea at all how to respond everyday situations, or I interpret and experience things differently than other people. I wrote an 8-page, size 11-font, single-spaced list of symptoms and experiences outlined by different diagnostic criteria and symptoms that I found on Autism Speaks (in the brochure "Is it Autism, if so what next?") and other advocacy sites. What was particularly helpful was the advocacy of other ASD women; like many women on the spectrum, I've spent most of my life trying to mask symptoms, so thinking back to childhood and then relating those experiences to who I am today helped a lot.
For example, I have heard a stereotype that people on the spectrum don't understand humor or sarcasm because they are hyper-literal. While I can be hyper-literal, especially when I'm speaking seriously about something, sarcasm is one of my favorite forms of humor, which has gotten me into trouble because I don't always understand when it's appropriate to use it. I also picked up a lot of my social mannerisms from movies, tv, and other media. As a little kid I had a very mechanical way of speaking with impeccable grammar and a large vocabulary, so my Star Wars obsession didn't win me any friends for sounding "natural" (that is, George Lucas is not known for writing scripts with "natural" sounding language). This is probably why The Simpsons had such an impact one me- it was a complex world that I could really get into in an encyclopedic way (characters and their backstories, the history and philosophy behind jokes and even whole episodes, theories about where Springfield is actually located) and using memorized phrases from the show really helped me have a language that I could use with most people. Phrases like "Even a monkey can memorize ten numbers", and taping over all the VHS tapes that I didn't care about when I heard a rumor that the Simpson's were going off the air (in 1998, HAHA) were a little problematic, however.
I am hoping to graduate with a Physical Geography BSc, Math minor and Geographic Information Systems minor in May 2017. I live with my fiance, who is neuro-typical and supremely supportive- we'll have been together for 6 years in May 2016. He is my best friend. We've been living together for 5 years and are not in a rush to get married; we and our families are not religious, and we won't have a wedding even when we do get married because neither of us enjoy that kind of pressure.
I am mostly here to talk to other people about university and employment with ASD and ADHD so that I can have ideas about how to best navigate all of that; and also to have some fun!
So thanks for reading, and I'll probably be around.
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sola dosis facit venenum
14 Dec 2015, 12:15 pm
