Neurodivergent: Creating our community
There is a ton of movement in our world right now, and one of the greatest ones is the connecting of our community coming together to share our voice with the world. This movement ranges from people sharing their experiences, finding each other and learning what it means to truly be neurodivergent, to having the right to our own social expressions, interactions, and communication styles.
I originally founded PAMITR to give those of us without a place a place; a place where we can connect with others who are not driven by money and want of more. At my launch, I carried the assessment label of having CPTSD, and felt severely isolated from the world. I wanted a place where those of us who struggled alone could find a community to help carry that weight.
Since my launch, I have learned that I am also autistic and have ADHD. That was quite the revelation! My first thought after my at-home autism assessment was, “what the hell is autism?!” So, down the rabbit hole I went. I read medical journals, research studies, and websites created by autistic people to inform. Everything I read was telling me about myself; my life, my interpretations, my world. The whole time I just felt I didn’t belong. It turned out, I just took in information differently and the world around me wasn’t set up for people like me.
Neurodivergent has a range of categories including autism; but being neurodivergent doesn’t actually mean you are autistic. It is a word to describe the way a person takes in and processes data. When it comes to the breakdowns of what it is exactly, explaining it is not my forte. I can tell you about my autistic experience, how my mind works, and the main differences I’ve noticed in interpretations as compared to my neurotypical (not neurodivergent) friends. But, I have met many on my journey that can explain it quite well. I have included a section with links to those amazing people for those who want to understand more.
My favorite quote within the autism community is “if you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism.” What this quote means is that even amongst ourselves, we are all quite unique. Being autistic relates to the way we take in and process data. Think about it as a computer program. Windows and Mac operate differently. That means they have different outputs or displays. How our minds work is similar in that regard. How we take in information will determine how we behave and interact with the world around us.
This page is dedicated to sharing my neurodivergent experience, and helping other neurodivergents find resources and each other. It’s exciting to be a part of a time where we are all connecting across the globe. I want to help build that community!
Links to Awesomeness:
https://autisticaf.me/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyprofane1/