It’s not modern times for me. I had to concentrate to discern my left from right since well before the internet. Took a lot of practice to get close to instinctual.
I have a compass, usually on a handmade wrist band, in all my outdoor bags, plus a Casio with a compass. Before I got the watch, I usually had redundant physical compasses. Of course there’s a compass on my phone as well. :)
Went on a new trail yesterday I hadn’t tried because I thought it went a couple of blocks and came out in another neighborhood. After walking a mile I checked Google Maps and I was traveling straight into hundreds of acres of nothing. Didn’t even realize I was headed east and the lowering sun was right behind me!
By “thank you, modern times” I don’t mean those tools caused my issue; I mean I’d get genuinely lost without them. Even within my city.
After walking a mile I checked Google Maps and I was traveling straight into hundreds of acres of nothing. Didn’t even realize I was headed east and the lowering sun was right behind me!
…oopsie. It’s great you actually checked it after just a single mile!
I’m not neurodiverse myself but I suspect I was raised by one; my mum ticks quite a few boxes for the autism spectrum. Plus I think my high myopia since childhood played a role, my “world” is two palms from my face.
I watched a few videos of the channel. I’ll link it here for the others, it’s some damn great resource, this couple is doing some amazing public service.
And it kind of confirms what I suspected - I’m not autistic, just raised by one (my mum). For example, this video shows it rather well for me:
I’m not exactly sociable, but I don’t really struggle with group collab or social situations.
I’m actually quick to get implicatures (implied meaning).
If anything, people complain my eye contact is “piercing” - I tend to make a lot of eye contact while speaking.
I’m not really annoyed by changes in routine, interruptions, or multi-step tasks.
etc.
I do get pissed at being misunderstood, but I believe this is common for all people; nobody likes it, but I think for autists this might be specially aggravating because they get misunderstood far more often.
That’s actually why I suspect my mum is neurodiverse - because initially I did suspect I was, and websearched the conditions. But then as I looked at them, my reaction was mostly “I don’t do this… wait, that’s her”*, and the only criteria that applied to me also applied to her. Then some time later, as I was treating my depression, I asked the psychiatrist about the possibility I was in the autism spectrum; he said “don’t worry, you’re clearly not”.
*not keeping eye contact; not noticing when others are hurt or upset; not responding to her name; failure to understand simple questions (NGL, this drives everyone around her crazy); struggling to even get if the question is directed towards her or someone else, etc. They aren’t age-related issues because a lot of them were already present across my childhood, or relate to things my grandma mentioned about her childhood. She also has a hard time with implicatures; I never saw this being listed as a condition, but I do suspect it’s a common issue among autists.
I have absolutely no sense of direction.
…thank you, modern times, for maps and similar stuff.
It’s not modern times for me. I had to concentrate to discern my left from right since well before the internet. Took a lot of practice to get close to instinctual.
I have a compass, usually on a handmade wrist band, in all my outdoor bags, plus a Casio with a compass. Before I got the watch, I usually had redundant physical compasses. Of course there’s a compass on my phone as well. :)
Went on a new trail yesterday I hadn’t tried because I thought it went a couple of blocks and came out in another neighborhood. After walking a mile I checked Google Maps and I was traveling straight into hundreds of acres of nothing. Didn’t even realize I was headed east and the lowering sun was right behind me!
By “thank you, modern times” I don’t mean those tools caused my issue; I mean I’d get genuinely lost without them. Even within my city.
…oopsie. It’s great you actually checked it after just a single mile!
Same. In fact, if there is a wrong directional choice to make, I will make that choice 100% of the time.
Another user in “you’re better off picking a random direction than asking me!” club!
Are you neurodiverse?
Indeed. We’ve spoken before lol
Haha sorry I’ve a head like a sieve
Are you neurodivergent?!?!?! 🤣
Yep diagnosed in my 30s, had no idea before and it changed my life. So now I’m forever highlighting it to people
Are you neurodiverse? It’s a common sign of it
I’m not neurodiverse myself but I suspect I was raised by one; my mum ticks quite a few boxes for the autism spectrum. Plus I think my high myopia since childhood played a role, my “world” is two palms from my face.
Auticate channel on YouTube was a game changer for me
I’m checking it out now - thanks for the rec!
Let me know what you think!
I watched a few videos of the channel. I’ll link it here for the others, it’s some damn great resource, this couple is doing some amazing public service.
And it kind of confirms what I suspected - I’m not autistic, just raised by one (my mum). For example, this video shows it rather well for me:
I do get pissed at being misunderstood, but I believe this is common for all people; nobody likes it, but I think for autists this might be specially aggravating because they get misunderstood far more often.
Could be, it’s worth goggling different conditions and seeing if you fit. I didn’t think I was until I got diagnosed
That’s actually why I suspect my mum is neurodiverse - because initially I did suspect I was, and websearched the conditions. But then as I looked at them, my reaction was mostly “I don’t do this… wait, that’s her”*, and the only criteria that applied to me also applied to her. Then some time later, as I was treating my depression, I asked the psychiatrist about the possibility I was in the autism spectrum; he said “don’t worry, you’re clearly not”.
*not keeping eye contact; not noticing when others are hurt or upset; not responding to her name; failure to understand simple questions (NGL, this drives everyone around her crazy); struggling to even get if the question is directed towards her or someone else, etc. They aren’t age-related issues because a lot of them were already present across my childhood, or relate to things my grandma mentioned about her childhood. She also has a hard time with implicatures; I never saw this being listed as a condition, but I do suspect it’s a common issue among autists.
When did we stop saying neurodivergent? I did not get the memo.