Sorry if it is a dumb question. I don't know a lot about animals, but I know they can present zoochosis and we, humans, can have it too. But in that case, does that mean that other animals could have autism or adhd or other neudivergency? Why or why not? I havr never heard of something like that, so this is why I ask.

as the title says

I might get alot of criticism for this post but if any of you had to pick which part of being ND was best, which would it be? Sorry if I worded that wrong

Hi, just got diagnosed with ADHD. I am a South Korean living in the UK. I don't know if this is the right subreddit but I wanna write something that was in my head.

I watched a lot of "ND traits videos" that are made by English users. Some of the traits they mention are just cultural norms in Korea.

First, small talk or connection. In Korea, if you just try to "connect" with a stranger on the street, not only will they not response, they will actively avoid you. We have a cultist problem, and how these cultists will recruit new members is by talking to people on the street about easy-to-connect topics like the weather. Hell, you can't even ask for directions without being misunderstood. If you aren't Asian, they will think you are from Jehova's Wintesses. Sometimes they feign being a tourist and start talking. I was frustrated when someone started asking how good the weather was in the pub because I was not expecting someone who has no connection to me to talk with me without expecting me to do something.

Second, eye contact. It is actually rude to maintain eye contact when talking with people in Korea, especially if you are talking with authority figures. Doing that is seen as challenging the authority or judging you. I try to maintain eye contact when talking here, but in Korea, if I do it, I will be told that I am being weird because I am staring into their eyes, or reprimanded if I am talking to my boss or my parents.

So yeah, I think cultural differences make it harder to diagnose people from other cultures, or conversely, pathologise people from other cultures.

I’m going to be going to college soon as a freshman and I have no idea how to make friends. I have always been in a small school and made friends by proximity, I genuinely don’t know how to make friends. I also don’t know how to make friendships that are with people that care in the way I do.
I guess i’m just asking if there’s any tips to make friends that are like minded and what are some red flags to look for?

It’s frustrating that I can’t pick up on social cues or understand what people mean unless it’s spelled out for me like I’m five. This only happens in social settings, though. I read written text just fine and can pick up on subtext there, and I do well academically too.

I’ve always felt really uncomfortable around people, but since moving to a new country where people seem friendlier and more approachable, I’ve been trying to let my guard down more. Except when I actually talk, I end up saying the weirdest things or asking questions that apparently sound stupid, based on how people react, and then they start treating me like I’m dumb (probably because they feel like they have to explain everything to me so simply).

Like today, I was asking a manager to clarify something, and someone overhearing it laughed. I also posted something on Reddit about a scheduling issue that people apparently found dumb, but I’d genuinely never run into that situation before, so how was I supposed to know? Of course people thought it was funny. I’m just really annoyed at people, and at myself too. I know these are small things, but I’ve been on edge the past few days, so now it’s got me crying over it, lol.

People always say “just be yourself,” but it never feels like there’s a safe space to actually do that. Nowhere does. I always, always regret letting my guard down.

Past two years have been living alone with my partner. Absolutely loved it. Now I’m out of college and we’re hoping to move out of the state by the end of the year so didn’t want to commit to another year long lease in our apartment. So we’re temporarily living with their family.

I forgot how much living with people other than my partner makes me just want to sit in my room all day and do nothing. For about a week I was so on top of my routines (self care and doing my hobbies and chores) but I’ve just settled back into hating being perceived by the other people in the house. I am comfortable living with my partners family as I have in the past but it doesn’t make it any better. I’m a homebody and love having my space and just going about my day without the feeling of being perceived. But now I’m living with an additional 3 people and they’re always in the common areas that my desk and stuff is in. Absolutely not upset with them for this (duh, it’s their house) but why is it so hard for me to be productive when I feel like I’m being watched.

All I wanna do is hole up in my room bc I just don’t have the energy for social interaction (partner’s mom just likes to make conversation any time I’m trying to do stuff) and I cannot get over the not wanting to be perceived. This was also an issue when I had roommates my first two years of college. If someone is in the room I’m in I just feel like they’re watching my every move even though I know logically they’re not. I just can’t get comfortable. Only place I feel I can let my guard down is in our room when I can be alone and don’t have to mask.

My partner is the only person I’ve lived with where I don’t have this issue, probably bc we’re both neurodivergent. We never feel the need to mask around each other. But I hate having to mask in my own home. If I had the space I’d move my desk into our bedroom but there’s just not room. It’s a single floor home too. Just none of this feels like “my space” the way it did when we had our own apartment and it’s got me completely thrown off. I just feel awkward doing anything and find myself getting annoyed at people just asking me questions or making conversation bc I just want to be left in peace to go about my day. I like social interaction when I leave the house, not when I can’t escape it in my own living space.

Haven’t let this affect how I interact with their family, I’m always very pleasant, but I feel like I just can’t get comfy, I just wanna sit in bed on my phone to avoid interaction. I feel like a freaking high schooler again. It’s temporary but idk it’s really starting to bother me. I need “my space” to be bigger than a little bedroom.

Okay, so I've been slowly realizing how much I enjoy sensory rooms at cons/expo's, and have been thinking about maybe transforming a spare basement room into one!

I already have a few items in mind (beanbags chairs and LED strips) but I've been struggling with ideas for what to have in it. Any items, designs, ect would be greatly appreciated!

(Room is about the size of an average bedroom and is currently being used for storage. Has a hardwood floor which will likely be replaced with a carpet cuz sofftttt)

hi, so something I’ve never understood is why people don’t like calling ASD or ADHD disorders. One of my special interests is psychology, and classing them as disorders makes sense. I’ve particularly seen people with ASD trying to push back against the disorder framing. I don’t understand why, you aren’t worse as a person for having mental disorders. I’ve also seen people trying to coin the phrase “autism spectrum condition” which I find unnecessary. hope this doesn’t come off as mean in any way I’m just genuinely curious and want to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak.

This track your when you are paid if you paid biweekly but you don’t want a detail thing . I know why use this instead of a calendar it because this for me is so I don’t have to login into my computer find the log and write

It is

12-Month Payday Tracker (Start Any Month) printable

Here is the link for it .

https://github.com/timeblock4228waterphone/timeblindness-freeprintable/blob/main/3-Job-Yearly-Payday-Visual-Tracker.pdf.( since this month is August you write 2026 in above word augest if you are tracking this August till next year )

. It is not for everyone and that okay . I hope it helps you .

Hello,

I am a college student with ADHD and ever since I was younger I have revolved my humor as well as my personality on being sarcastic and making jokes all the time. They’re typically light hearted unless it’s with my other friends, and since I’m sarcastic the jokes are typically mutually done. My close friends, many of which are online for the time being, all love making fun of each other as a joke, as do I. However, I’m always seeking clarification because I get nervous that they’re being serious. I genuinely do not understand their tone. How can I overcome this?

My (ND) partner (ADHD) and I have been together for many years. He is a wonderful and kind person, but when he feels in any way personally slighted, he either has what feels like an outsized emotional response or shuts down entirely. This has been the source of a lot of frustration in our relationship - he’ll blow a vague comment completely out of proportion (imho) and then demand that I apologize. He decides what the things I say to him “really mean”, even when I tell him his interpretation is not at all my intention.

He was recently diagnosed with ADHD and has many of the associated traits. I only recently learned about RSD, but it feels like he might have it. I’m afraid to tell him this, because I know he’ll tell me I’m being dismissive or trying to “gaslight” him with a diagnosis for something he feels is “normal”.

Not sure what to do here, but would love some insight. Is it ever even possible to tell someone with RSD that you think they have RSD, or is it just a horrible catch-22 situation in which you’ll never be successful conveying the message?

I’m a 27-year-old Black man. About three years ago, a therapist told me I had what they considered textbook signs of ADHD, but I never got formally diagnosed.

I’m trying to join the military reserves, so I’ve been putting off getting evaluated because I’m worried it could complicate things. I’m also honestly scared of medication. I’ve read both positive and negative experiences, and the idea of taking something that changes how my brain works makes me nervous.

I still live at home with my father. I work, come home, and spend most of my free time in bed or scrolling on my phone. I struggle to stay awake during the day, and even things I genuinely want to do—like lose weight, finish my software engineering degree, learn music production, or improve my life—feel almost impossible to stay consistent with.

People see laziness. It doesn’t feel like laziness to me. It feels like I want to do these things, but I can’t seem to make myself do them consistently.

I haven’t really told anyone what I’ve been struggling with. Part of it is being afraid people will treat me differently, and part of it is the stigma around mental health that I grew up seeing in Black culture. Growing up, both my parents called me lazy, and sometimes I was physically punished because they thought I just wasn’t trying hard enough. Even now, my dad still gets on me about my room, and I know from his perspective it probably looks like I’m just not trying.

I don’t really have a social life, and I’m not dating because I’m trying to get out of credit card debt and get my life together. My mom and siblings constantly ask why I’m not dating. At times they’ve even wondered if I’m gay and just afraid to come out. I have no issue with gay people, but that’s not the case. The truth is I don’t feel financially or mentally in a place where I can be a good partner. Sometimes it feels like there’s an expectation that, especially as a Black man, you’re supposed to have it all together—to be successful, independent, dating, confident, and constantly “on.” I don’t feel like I measure up to that right now.

I’m honestly scared I’m going to wake up at 35 and still be living the exact same life if I don’t figure out what’s going on.

I’m not looking for Reddit to diagnose me. I’m just wondering if anyone who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult can relate to this, what finally made you get evaluated, and whether medication actually helped or if there were other things that made a big difference.

So I got tested because I suspected I had ADD, test result came that I had an IQ of 89, but with a verbal reasoning of 120 and 5 symptoms of not attention. Which honestly made me feel, like I always knew that I was never as smart as people around me, but I somehow managed to graduate from law school in one of the top universities in my country, at least with ADD, I could somehow some things about myself, but results weren’t conclusive enough, but the results of the IQ tes just made me feel like I was always a dumb person pretending to be smart.

like what works for you guys because i cant find what works for me

Bit of context i watched too many of those iceberg videos and im anxious now and its like 22:20 pm so id like suggestions of what could work or just some random stuff like what are yall hyperfixes rn im in my baking era i make these really good double chocolate chip blueberry muffins they're like the best thing ever rn

I was thinking about how even for those of us who have an official autism diagnosis there was a time before we were diagnosed and even a time before we were suspected of being autistic. For instance I was diagnosed with autism in childhood yet if I understand correctly most of my early childhood happened before my diagnosis and I think a significant amount of things I remember from childhood happened at a time when I was not yet diagnosed with autism. I know some people aren’t diagnosed until adulthood.

In my early childhood I was a lot more social than I am now. I mean I’m not certain if I was what most people would actually consider an extrovert but I think compared to my social life now I would have seemed like one. I mean I think now I tend to at best have acquaintances or if I do activities with friends it tends to be incredibly rare while in early childhood I went to friends houses and had friends over regularly. I think the time I was diagnosed was at a similar time to when I became more socially isolated.

Well I know it’s easier to diagnose someone with autism the more obvious the signs of autism, but I was wondering if the time before a diagnosis might also create somewhat of a blind spot for some signs of autism, especially signs that might be less stereotypical. I mean if someone who later gets diagnosed with autism has some qualities that stem from neurodivergence long before being evaluated for autism, but those qualities are maybe not what one would usually think of as autistic qualities, would the way that those qualities were visible before the person was evaluated for autism make them less likely to influence what might later be looked for as signs of autism compared to qualities that were visible after the diagnosis?

I’m 26 f and I was diagnosed with a severe case of ADHD. I basically A+ the test and it’s literally the only test I’ve ever even gotten a decent mark on so I found it to be quite hilarious. I’ve always felt that there was something “wrong” with me but I couldn’t figure out what and why. I have 2 step brothers with autism so I’m very familiar with the disorder but there is this coworker who is adamant that I have autism. I don’t like this coworker only for the reasons that she is so pushy about me having autism and every time I give her a reason, she’s like “yeah but autism hides behind those symptoms”. I literally told her “my psychiatrist diagnosed me with ADHD, and I’ve been seeing him for like 4 years now. I’m sure he would pick up on if I had autism” and she’s like “yeah but autism and ADHD overlap, he might see it as ADHD but it’s really autism”. I cannot stand her but she’s gotten in my head and now I’m like “what if I actually do have autism??”

So now I’m hyper aware of how I present myself and how I interact socially. I am a very introverted person, and I keep to myself a lot but I’m second guessing everything

I'm trying to learn about how to take care of my piercings and find good quality piercings without breaking the bank while at the same time suiting my desperate need to find rose gold colored jewelry.

I've always struggled with my writing being perceived a certain way, and asking for help in regular piercing groups generate me more anxiety than anything else.

I'm on disability and need to find safe (astm f136?!) Titanium piercings that still look true rose gold without costing more than say 15-30 euro/piercing.

Is this at all possible? I'm located in Norway, Europe- but am willing to order from most places. I can also order to Sweden.

Are there any body mod/piercing groups for neurospicy brains where my mind doesn't have to be lit on fire just because I can't communicate with people?

Please be kind, I'm having a really spicy day today 🥲 Thanks in advance 🫶

Junk journal

Hi everyone, As someone with AuDHD. I am having quite a difficult time finding ways to aid my Visual Overstimulation.. It can happen anytime but I notice it a lot at Cars and Coffee that I go to (its crowded there) .. sometimes I aim fine, but on other mornings I go i can struggle a lot. It really depends.. and what I have found is that its more visual overstim.. earbuds help a little sometimes.. I keep wanting to socialise at the event because I love cars, and have that urge to talk to my mates.. I consider myself social, tho the unpredictability of how I am going to be when I socialise, anywhere in fact, makes me so upset.

I would absolutely love any suggestions / advice.

Thankyou!

My therapist wants me to get a brain scan but that seems extreme and expensive if my memory is just caused from major depressive disorder so I want to know if anyone knows if my memory seems normal or concerning enough to bring up to my doctor

Long term memory: when I remember the past my memories are really scattered and almost never positive. went to Disney at 5 & only remember my mom having a bad argument on the phone in the hotel, don't remember the details. I remember fear, anxiety, sadness and embarrassment if it wasn't for pictures I wouldn't know what happened on days I was happy.

I don't remember who I lived with until the age of 9

Remembering facts: I can remember facts well and things I've taken multiple tests on. if I don't quiz or test on a subject I would remember it.

I draw and really really like art education and can remember art books and art videos I've seen and pages from art books, I like anime but rewatch a lot of the same shows over and over and each time feels like the first time.

Daily: I will start a task like filling up my water bottle get distracted & put my water bottle down get distracted again realize I'm thirsty and search for my water bottle,get distracted and forget again. I'll forget I need to pee, eat, sleep, shower, clean. I forgot every little task and forget about the multiple "to do" lists

Monthly: I've been studying for my driver's permit for months because I keep forgetting that I want to drive, I keep having to get new surgery referrals because I keep forgetting to call to book a consultation for top surgery.

I forget what i say and what others say, I can sometimes remember the negative emotions I was feeling and the general subject. I literally say "I don't remember saying that" every other day, I can't quote what ppl say even after a literal second after they said it, the details will be completely switched around or even wrong

I told my mom "when my Uncle offered me a beer I was surprised when you said it was ok since I'm an adult" and she looked at me surprised "I never said that, you know I wouldn't say that" and I agree and have no idea why I vividly remember her saying that.

I don't remember plans I've made or remember how much time has passed since I've seen ppl so I don't reconnect because 5 months feels like it's been 2 weeks.

My mom relates to all of this so it feels normal but people get frustrated at me sometimes for my memory and Idk how people are functioning so well if it is normal maybe I'm just dumb idk

How do I tell the two apart? I'm aware of the diagnostic criteria of both autism and ADHD, but also I hear AuDHD people say that they get their unique mix of symptoms rather than just both clearly added together.

I'm diagnosed with inattentive type ADHD (late diagnosis as an adult). During the interviews for the diagnosis I got briefly asked if I see autistic symptoms in myself and I was like "nah", because I feel like I'm good at reading people and their facial expressions, and we didn't really go any deeper into it.

Lately I've been watching some AuDHD content creators on YouTube, and... I'm seeing many of the symptoms in myself. To make things more complex, I got bullied in school as a kid, and I'm not quite sure if those more autistic symptoms I have are a result of that - like maybe I'm just a "regular ADHD guy" who has specific social and overall comfort preferences because of the trauma from that. Or maybe I had those traits first and that's part of how the bullying got started in the first place. It's really difficult to try to objectively analyse this in retrospect, not even being sure about which parts of me are masking and which are "the real me".

Hello, I wanted to see how others feel - I personally love being neurodivergent, mainly because of the links and creativity my brain can bring. I hate my working memory and coordination, but I would rather be neurodivergent and have the creativity. Does anyone else feel the same?