You Dont Sound Autistic (YDSA)
There is an entire process that most aren’t prepared for, and no one is talking about. While the big debate might be “to seek a diagnosis or not” there is more to the story.
WE’RE AN AUTISTIC+ADHD-LED
ONLINE COMMUNITY
and we’re
WE’RE NEURODIVERGENTLY
IMPOWERED
Tired of not fitting in and not knowing why, you start getting curious about the possibility that you might neurodivergent. After taking a few online screening tests and talking to friends and family, you’re wondering if might have finally answered a few “why am I” questions.
One can only cope for so long before you’re out of motivation and fuel to move forward. This is when the masking, mirroring and coping mechanisms start to fail you. Life feels too big and begins to crumble. First in small places like sleep. Then big places like work, friends and relationships.
Regardless of the pathway you select, official diagnosis or self-identification, the process of digging up all your painful past and examining it through new lens can lead to clarity and confirmation. Finally, answers.
Less than 24 hours after you receive clarity, a tidal wave of emotions hit you. Past social traumas, neglect, self-doubt and self-rejection come bubbling to the surface. Answers help with the future. Suddenly you’re also faced with processing the past and the past-present-future cycles that ensue for weeks after leads to burnout.
As you find your footing and start logically working through and experimenting based on your physician’s treatment recommendations or your self-educated pathway, one by one you find tools that work for you. And you’ll find tools that don’t. Either way, you’ll start to build a framework for self-advocacy that leads to a new you.
Like thousands of adults receiving mid-life clarity, it doesn’t automatically come with a new owner’s manual. It’s your time to write your 2.0 version based on what works for you. The more you honor yourself, the more others will know how to honor you too.
Like most paths in nature, this one is also cyclical. Every time you make another lap around the bigger daily life topics like social relationships, friends, career, family (or not), foods, sleep, digestion, communication, anxiety, depression and more.. you get more clarity. Give yourself time to know who you are, to become all that you already are.
Whether you’re seeking a diagnosis, already have one, self-identified, raising a child or teenager, or supporting a neurodivergent loved one… you’re welcome here.
Whether you’re at the beginning of your self-discovery journey, or are just learning terms, patterns and definitions, one question you may be asking is… Do I need an Autism diagnosis if I suspect I’m autistic? It’s a great question with multiple answers depending on your unique medical history.* Another big factor to consider is ADHD. […]
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