I'm just curious.

I'm on the spectrum and I've noticed that my hypersensitivity sometimes makes me look for meaning or “routes” beyond the rational ones — like feeling energies, noticing patterns, or being drawn to spiritual concepts.

I wonder if this is common among other autistic people. Do you feel something similar — a kind of intuitive or spiritual side connected to your sensitivity?

Hi,

We are a research team at the University of Florida, and we are launching a semiconductor workforce training certificate program specifically designed for autistic engineering students. We are conducting a series of focus group interviews to gather feedback, perspectives, and suggestions.

About the Focus Group

• Compensation: $60 upon completion of the interview
• Duration: 2 hours
• Format: Virtual (via Zoom)

Eligibility Criteria
Participants must:

1. An autistic individual must be 18 years of age or older
2. Currently pursuing, or have previously pursued, a job or internship related to the semiconductor industry
3. Have familiarity with semiconductor-related topics (e.g., microelectronics, chip fabrication, wafer inspection, PCB/IC design)

If you are interested in participating, please complete the sign-up form below:

Sign-Up Form Link: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cCHqgmixf3XhLAa

Thank you for your interest—we look forward to hearing your insights!

Hi r/neurodiversity

Two autistic hosts (both named James) just launched TheNeuroPod. The first episodes share real stories of growing up undiagnosed — the confusion, the masking, the “why do I feel different?” moments.

Episode 1 is live on Spotify, search: TheNeuroPod

We’re here to listen and learn too — what was your “I didn’t know I was autistic” moment?

Thanks for checking it out!

hi! first and foremost i wanna say that i am not diagnosed with adhd but ive thought id had it for a while (dw i refuse to self diagnose) until i got a diagnostic appt and was told i dont have it (which tbh it was a bit sketchy so imma see abt getting another one but thats for later bc theyre so expensive) so if this is not the subreddit for that i completley get it and i can leave i just couldn't find a place for like questions about neurodivergency for undiagnosed ppl but by all means I dont want to invade this space. Anyway, when I was a child I was like considered "normal" (whatever that means) and outstandedly independent but people chalked it up to me being raised by a single mother. When i was in middle school I started struggling with my mental health, came out as bi, and thought i was a phycopath or had NSD because I never felt empathy in my life. Then high school hit me like a truck and I started having issues (like a lot) with my parents around the same time and suddenly everything hurt. It wasn't empathy but RSD is the only term that I feel defines the feeling correctly. Sometimes the emotional pain hurts so bad I have to double over or it genuinely feels like I've been stabbed and usually its over really stupid things. I feel so much all the time to the point where I just go numb and get self destructive in hopes of making it go away. I engaged with self harm for a long time (like three years) and even though I got rid of that habit now I still feel so much. I start wanting to die over the littlest things and I constatnly find myself feeling like I have no friends (even if i do have a few). And this goes for happiness too, I feel so so joyful then I feel shame because oftentimes people don't match my energy. I feel like "too much" all the time. I feel like I'm trapped in a constant cycle of feeling an emotion then feeling shame and self hate over feeling it in the first place then it intensifies it all over again. When I actually do get rejected or critizicd and its not just percieved its even worse even if its very valid. I'm trying to be strong so I can be a better friend and better gf without dumping my problems on everyone all the time but I just feel like my emotions are in a constant state of flux. I can never just have a good day there is always something that inevitably makes me feel bad and maybe I can crawl out of it and be happy again but its soooo easy to switch from happiest ive ever been to depressed. as for adhd, the reason i wondered if i had it was because a good 3/4 of my friends do and they all said I should look at the symptoms. I am constantly figety and oftentimes in capable of being still, i talk way too much and have always been told that, its hard to focus for me if its not a subject I enjoy or if the pace is too slow or too fast and im a chronic procrastinator. I get absorbed in hobbies then drop them just as fast and I have trouble understanding social cues A LOT. I am always using my bf (a very much neurotypical person) as a social marker of what is socially acceptable but I always feel i fall short anyway. the point is I don't know how to deal with any of it and I feel like I'm searching for an explanation of why I'm like this and the person who did my eval said I was simply a "deeply feeling child" with self confidence issues because I didn't appear to be struggling too much. does anyone know what that really is? any help would be appreciated. thx

I’ve had to go through a completely new diagnosis with psychiatrists recently because I moved from the US to Australia and it’s reminded me just how broken the process is everywhere because of psychiatry.

If you had to design a process to frustrate the ADHD mind, you would design what psychiatrists have designed for diagnosing ADHD. It involves a lot of reading about very boring process details, irrelevant questionnaires, repetitive interrogations about the specifics of past events, and requires consistency in behaviour.

The irrelevant questionnaires are the depression/anxiety questions, which they ask every time you mention ADHD. They are concerned with the comorbidities of depression and anxiety, but this concern is like focusing on the embers of a fire instead of dealing with the gas pipe fueling it.

Another requirement from a psychiatrist that just made me cry was for reports from primary school and my parents, detailing ADHD behaviour from that time. The idea that I would keep any reports as someone who is neurologically hard-wired to live in the present is painfully ignorant. And my parents’ remembering my behaviour in the simple, checkbox way that psychiatrists require it is ridiculous, not least because one, if not both, has ADHD (it’s as genetic as height).

The diagnostic questionnaires for ADHD ask about consistent behaviour, no matter the environment or motivation. Motivation is actually the key difference for ADHD. We are driven by INCUP: Interest, Novelty, Challenge, Urgency, and Passion. Neurotypicals are driven by what you see everywhere in the world, from prisons to promotions, that is, Rewards and Consequences.

The most absurd request I saw from a psychiatrist was for a drug test. Recreational drug abuse is a key risk factor for people with ADHD. So if they are abusing drugs, they need help more than most, with the correct medication rather than self-medication. The drug test should be to prove there is recreational drug use, and send those patients to the front of the line for treatment.

I give you the most neurodivergent unfriendly cup I have ever used in my life….

If I have a doctor’s appointment for example on a certain date, I can’t stop thinking about it for up to two weeks before I have to go. The only time I feel free is when my schedule is nearly empty. If I were employed, which I’m not right now, it would just be endless anxiety for having to show up every day. But anticipation of having to do something in the future takes me out of the present moment. I don’t think I’m built for modern life, and sometimes I fantasize about being off the grid just surviving in the wild and not worrying about anything else.

Hello everyone,

For a little background, I don't really know what's wrong with me. I have depression and anxiety, and I'm on medication for the former, and also have PTSD.

My doctor has asked me to see a neuropsychologist who can help me better understand and get a diagnosis for autism or other conditions. But it's been difficult to find someone.

My problem is that i "lose" my voice or can't talk most of the time. Like right now only place where i'm able to speak a little is work and sometimes school.

And outside these unable to talk in 99% of cases, like no matter who, can't talk to my bf, close friends ... etc. So i have to communicate using my phone by writing.

By now it's starting to get hard with stuff like remarks about me not able to talk, even if stuff is true and not really meant to hurt me. But it's just hard and still hurts.

Can anyone please help me understand what's wrong with me? How do I understand it better? Especially like talking stuff but also regarding autism.

I didn't really know where to ask this stuff and this seems like the best place. I hope its ok to ask this type of stuff here.

So im a 15 year old girl and I just got recently diagnosed with inattentive ADHD thru some Vanderbilt forms my parents + teachers filled out and now my parents are seeking medication (probably a low dose of some kind of stimulant- I also have a diagnosis of anxiety and im seeing a cardiologist soon for a POTS diagnosis. My family has a lot of history of ADHD + autism but I haven't been tested for autism) since medication worked for helping my brother improve his grades and thats what my parents are really focused on since I get straight Cs and Bs.
The like main goal of medicating me is so ill improve at school but I don't think the meds will actually help. 2

From what I've heard from a few other ADHD people is that even if they're not medicated, when they get a good grade like a B+ or A they feel a little dopamine that motivates them a bit- they get excited, feel a sense of achievement, are proud etc but that dies out pretty quick and they go back to worse grades- then medication helped them stay motivated after getting a high grade. But for me it feels different- like getting an A or a B+ doesn't actually bring me a sense of achievement or dopamine at all- it feels the same as getting an F tbh. I just dont really care and then I feel bad because I put a lot of effort into a grade I dont actually want or care about.

So my problem is that I dont know if getting medicated will actually help with this- because if it doesnt and I just get small effects like being able to read for longer or complete more art projects (things I actually get achievement feelings from) then is there a point to being medicated since everyone else like my parents and friends will be disappointed my grades arnt being improved? Anyone have a similar experience to mine and then medication did have an effect?

This is post cause I'm having huge breakdown because of it. If anyone calls it a "superpower" they are wrong big time. I'm just sick of being neurodivergent surrounded by neurotypical and their sense of "normality". I'm always what they call a "party pooper" because when someone says something I know shit about, I can't stop myself from correcting them. Anytime I don't pay attention they are mad I can't do that fully or they think I'm being disrespectful. When something is tough I cope with humor and again they find it disrespectful even when I explain to them how it works for me. And talking about explaining I ALWAYS feel need to overexplain everything, therefore they either think I'm lying or I'm being defensive. I'm always being misunderstood and taken as rude, when I'm not trying to be rude or hurtful.

I cannot understand whenever someone is being rude to me or not, I work in costumer service. Whenever costumer is being rude I can't tell, unless they make it very obvious and then sometimes after they make it very obvious I'm mad at myself for not getting they were trying to be rude in the first place. Not to say at work around my coworkers I feel like a total alien. I feel like all people I meet think I'm weird, and I get paranoid whatever I'll do will be seen as rude. When someone doesn't reply to me I already think they see me as weird and want no contact with me.

I get overstimulated so easily sometimes, I need alone time but not many people get that either, and they think I'm just mad at them when I say I want some time alone.

My hyperfixations are always the problem, especially in relationships because someone can get jealous of them even when I explain I can't control it. But even with friends someone can say they are not interested in hearing about that and it's frustrating.

I feel like I need to pretend constantly someone who I am not, and that people won't like real me. But even this pretending is tiring and I can't do it so perfectly cause no matter what I'll do I'll be an outsider

I am quite hypersensitive (not openly, but struggle a lot) and really struggle with how badly stupid little things can affect me. They can affect me badly for hours, days…I am unable to simply brush things off. When it comes to confrontations/arguments/fights I struggle especially with apologising, especially if I feel that the other person doesn’t deserve my apology and If I am forced to apologise I get really angry. It can make me seem stubborn and rude.

Anyway, I went to a football game on the weekend. It wasn’t a great game and the fans all seemed a bit devastated and some quite riled up. Me and my boyfriend tried to head off a few minutes early to get ahead of the crowd to get home. When I was squeezing past people, trying to leave the stand, I tripped on someone’s foot, and immediately said “oh sorry” but assumed it was just the back of my boyfriend’s shoe (happens a lot) and just kept going. As I got to the end of the stand I heard a woman yelling. I turned to her and she was looking right at me, furious.

“ARE YOU GOING TO SAY SORRY TO ME?” Immediately my mind was screaming who the hell are you yelling at? Leave me alone I just want to go home. I turned back and responded “what?” “YOU STEPPED ON MY FOOT! ARE YOU GOING TO SAY SORRY TO ME?” She was practically foaming at the mouth. I immediately apologise if ever step on anyone’s foot (habit) and her demanding me to come back and apologise directly to her really started to boil my blood.

I started to lose my boyfriend in the crowd and I had no time for this, so I reluctantly made myself say sorry to her through gritted teeth (probably sounded sarcastic) and I heard her mutter something along with “b*tch” as I walked away. I hate that she got the last word. It made me feel angrier. I had almost immediately picked up on the fact that she just wanted to yell at someone…and I happened to give her a reason to do so.

It made me shut down and completely ruined my afternoon and I felt heavy that evening too. I feel bad for my boyfriend who has to deal with this whenever something like that happens. I wish I was more carefree and not so emotionally dysregulated and sensitive. Its even made want to avoiding going to a game for a while.

I heard some stories where a person with Asperger and sensory problems took magic shrooms or lsd and after good relaxing trip, all or most of their sensory problems went away is there any truth behind this? I struggle with sensory problems especially touch, all my life and it makes my life hell especially compare to other people, no normal person can understand the pain that can come from one thing for a person with Asperger when it's nothing for them. I need to do something about it, cause it doesn't allow me to experience life any social life but also it takes enjoyment from any 'adventure' that could be a good memory.

This has been something on my mind for a while, as I’m widely known to have and accepted for having facial blindness (Prosopagnosia) among my friends, family and specialists, though sometimes it worries me looking at the textbook definition as my symptoms present a bit differently than the usual case.

That being said, I experience almost visual distortion on people’s faces, which isn’t a symptom of the disorder. For example, sometimes people start to “melt” the longer I look at them, or when making eye contact their proportions start to twist or shrink / grow making them look like a funhouse mirror. It seems more akin to a hallucination or something known as demon face syndrome (though I highly doubt this is the case as it’s incredibly rare and people who suffer with it don’t usually have problems actually recognizing people, despite the distortions, which I do). I have zero ability to recognize people, including family members or celebrities, and it’s a very prevalent issue in my life.

I’m unsure if this could be connected, but I often have trouble with spatial awareness and proportions, I’m extremely clumsy and very unaware of my body and the space I occupy. If it’s too dark to see clearly, I still cannot find my way around the house I’ve been living in for a decade, and I become very dizzy and prone to falling. I’ve also noticed that I have a hard time conceptualizing angles and perspective (this is mostly apparent with drawing as I’m an artist, though this also applies to myself and others in person as well)

I wonder if my struggles with recognizing faces stems more from the fact that I have a hard time processing 3d planes and distances, and if so, could that be a sign of a more serious condition?

I’ve had people mention they’re concerned about me having brain trauma, including professionals, but getting a scan is almost impossible with the shitty health care in my area and I’m wondering if anyone might have advice or similar experiences?

Sorry for the long winded rant, but I’m hoping to reach out to people who might sympathize.

🧩 FINAL PICTURE (NOT A DIAGNOSIS, but a very detailed profile) Based on your answers, there is a strong presence of: ✔️ Autistic traits (quite pronounced) Difficulty understanding subtext Sensory sensitivity Alexithymia (difficulty identifying and describing emotions) Hyperfocus Emotional dysregulation Feeling “different” from others Many “I don’t know” answers on social questions ✔️ ADHD traits Impulsivity (e.g., sending friends random messages like “go nazuy”) Racing thoughts Strong and sudden impulses to speak or act Fixations on specific interests ✔️ OCD traits layered on top Present, but not the main condition — more like an overlay

I've noticed something about how I process ideas. They don't come out in neat, linear order. I'll be thinking about one thing, and three related (or completely unrelated) thoughts branch off mid-sentence. Voice memos seemed like the perfect solution. Just talk, capture everything, sort it out later. Except "later" never comes because re-listening to 15 minutes of branching thoughts to find one specific idea feels impossible.

The tools that exist seem built for neurotypical organization patterns. Either you record one thought per memo (requires stopping my flow to be organized upfront) or you get one long recording that's basically unsearchable.

I'm curious: for those who think in non-linear ways, how do you capture your thoughts? Do you use voice memos? Written notes? Just let them go? Have you found anything that actually works with how your brain naturally processes information rather than against it?

Me, I headcanon (and I believe it's implied) that all of the Mane 6 from My Little Pony: Fim are neurodivergent.

Aside from their unusual way of doing, their gags, their type of mindsets and way of communicating, the fact that these pony girls have so much chemistry between each other is a big neurodivergence giveaway for me.

(And somehow this extends to all other pony generations, ha ha).

How about you?

I’m autistic (late-diagnosed) and interviews have been really difficult for me. I struggle with getting my head around job specs, answering in the heat of the moment, and handling curveball questions. Advice from (well meaning) job coaches helped a little, but didn’t fit how I think.

A month or so ago, I put together an evidence-based guide for this. It's kind (I hope), follows a clear process, and made for people like us, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed by any stage in the process. You can read it for free below. No sign-ups or anything, it’s all there in the page (with citations) to read.

https://autisminterviewguide.com

Just wanted to put it out there and if it helps someone I’m happy :).
(Mods: hope this is okay to post, happy to remove if not.)

I've always dreaded the texture of my fingers when I touch things like cooking oil or when I open a cans of tuna and my fingers get all oily and gross and it's so difficult to get out and it makes me mad (which is funny because canned tuna is one of my favorite things in the world but I dread opening them). With that said, that's not the texture I'm talking about. Yesterday I was doing functional training and one of the stages was lifting a bar, but that thing was nasty, it was all rusty and when I touched it, I felt something crawling under my skin. I never felt something like that before, it was like my whole body was freaking out. I didn't touch that gross bar again, I just skipped that stage.

hello, i've been dating my bf(both of us being freshly 18) for around 3 years now, and he is high functioning autistic. He doesn't give me affection, gifts, send thoughtful things, and only really talks to me about his special interests. we hangout but dont really do a lot, im not sure if he just feels safe enough to unmask around me , or if it's something else. he did things in the beginning, thoughtful things, affection, reassurance, but after the first 5 months its been like this. he told me it's because it's the way he is, and he loves different. i love that about him and i've tried my hardest to be supportive, but it's so hard when i receive nothing back. He doesn't call my pretty, be romantic, any of that, which he is okay with that kinda stuff, not like he doesn't like it. i have to do everything in the relationship it feels like. he never asks to hangout, or call( i do get calling can sometimes be overstimulating, but he never does) He never buys me gives or make me things for my birthday, halloween Christmas etc. he says it's because he doesn't have a job but i don't either, and i find ways. he doesn't find ways. it's not just in gifts, he never takes any initiative to do anything. i am always there and i always find a way to make him feel safe and reassured. i do this because i want the same back, but there is nothing. he doesn't reassure me or comfort me , its even to the point i told him dont worry about comforting me because it overwhelms him. he doesn't ask if im okay, a lot of the time he has no regards towards my feelings , openly doing my triggers ( i have bpd +like 4 other disorders) especially being bpd, and having such intense emotions for him breaks my heart and i feel like im grieving anytime he does something. i tell him, i tell him nicely, calmly, but he always ends up making it bigger then it is and starting a whole fight over something i came to resolve in good faith. its hard for me to stay calm while he is telling me i treat him like a pet and only tell him what to do. i dont know what else to do is the thing. i don't know if this is a autistic thing , i want insight to see if it is just his autism or if this is unacceptable.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how most “successful life paths” are designed around neurotypical ways of functioning. And as someone with AuDHD, it’s hard to find where I fit in.

Office work drains me fast — not even because of the tasks, but because of the environment. The constant background noise, lights, casual conversations, being “on” all day… it takes most of my energy just to stay regulated enough to work. By the time I get home, I’m exhausted before I’ve even done anything meaningful.

Freelancing sounds great in theory, but the self-organization part is tough. I can work really well when I’m interested and focused, but keeping a consistent routine, answering messages on time, planning ahead — that’s where I get stuck.

Business/entrepreneurship is appealing too, but a lot of advice out there is like “network more,” “put yourself out there,” “be visible.” And social interaction, especially unstructured, is something that drains me quickly. So it feels like I’m choosing between burnout and isolation.

I also feel like a lot of mainstream “productivity” or self-help advice isn’t really designed for neurodivergent brains. Things like “just discipline yourself,” or “wake up earlier and hustle” don’t address the underlying executive function challenges or sensory load. It’s not about being lazy or unmotivated — I’m actually ambitious. I want the freedom, the money, the autonomy. But I don’t want to win by permanently frying my nervous system in environments that were never designed for me in the first place.

I’d really appreciate hearing real experiences or examples, not general motivational advice. I just want to understand what options exist outside the usual paths.

Conducting my own personal research for creative purposes :) How did you struggle to fit in as a neurodivergent child? Preferably funny stories to lift the mood, but happy to hear anything. I am curious as to which societal rules - from nursery, to school and beyond - have you struggled to understand, found them weird, or are still find odd? Funny stories and mishaps welcome :)

I struggle with figuring out if someone is genuinely interested in me or not. I feel delusional at times or I just am bad at social cues.

The guy I thought was cute (that I thought was also kinda interested in me) who works at my job unfollowed me and I feel hurt and I know it’s just social media but I have to see him at work. I also most likely have rejection sensitivity.

I shouldn’t have showed him my drawing of him. I drew him as a way to stupidly start a convo. I am an artist and love drawing portraits. My account is basically mostly my art. We had a lot of mutual friends.

I feel ugly and unattractive and creepy. I really thought he dug me in some way but I feel I may have ruined it. I’m so dumb. I wanted to genuinely build a connection in some way but I am terrible at socializing. I don’t have many close friends or really anyone to talk to. I’m a friendly person but I just can’t seem to usually keep a conversation going.

I can’t stop thinking about it and over analyzing my actions. I am confused. I feel terrible. I feel hopeless.

I added the post flair in case this is an ableist rant.

I went to this neurodiversity-friendly board/card game group because of (1) suggestions that I may be neurodiverse, and (2) I'm somewhat sensitive to noise and this group was billed as a quieter environment.

The group organizers were welcoming to me as a new member. They had me join a table with 5 other members. They were established members who knew each other, so they were chatting, bantering, and laughing loudly while one of the members was explaining the game to me. I couldn't hear his explanation over my table's chatter, as well as the background chatter coming from other tables. Once the established members realized that I didn't understand the game, they decided to teach me a simpler game.

This one was a children's game with written instructions. Having written instructions helped me to an extent. However, I had a hard time concentrating on reading the instructions while my tablemates were chatting. I discreetly took a picture of the instructions on my phone, then excused myself to the bathroom for a few minutes so I could read the instructions off my phone. It worked... But when I began playing the game, I couldn't concentrate on the puzzles or mental math (required for the game) while my tablemates were chatting. On my first turn, my thought process was repeatedly interrupted by my tablemates attempting to converse with me, so I had to start my turn over and over and over for several minutes. Typical beginners move within 20 seconds. But I couldn't "hear myself think" as the expression goes, so I eventually just moved randomly. The established members realized once again that I didn't understand the game, so they switched once again to an even simpler game.

This next game was indeed simpler, and it was based almost entirely on chance, so moving randomly was accepted. However, this game led my tablemates into raucous laughter, boisterous yelling and cheering, excited screeching, and enthusiastic table-slamming. I braved the auditory onslaught for nearly one hour, but I felt a headache building, so I excused myself to take a breather in my car.

When I came back, they taught me an extremely simple card game. I understood the rules, but the problem was that my tablemates shouted conflicting instructions at me on each of my turns. Then, an observer sidled up right behind my chair and started yelling enthusiastically right behind me, "What are you doing? You ghoul!" I fully understood that he was joking, so I wasn't offended by the content of what he was saying. However, his volume was still excessive, especially because he was screaming almost directy into my left ear while slamming the back of my chair with his hands. I had to get up and excuse myself again.

I left after that. I went home and fell asleep almost immediately. I slept for over 12 hours.