"We are all different flavors of human. There is no one “correct,” “right,” or “standard” way to be." -Jenara Nerenberg 

There is an array of brain makeups found in the human species, and today's episode explores how the senses play a huge role in a person with neurodivergencies.  Also, exploring the reasons women have been left undiagnosed or misdiagnosed instead of recognizing the traits that females tend to exhibit with ADHD, Autism, or other Sensory Processing Disorders are in different ways than their male counterparts.  

Janine decided to choose this topic today because she is a woman who wasn't properly diagnosed with ADHD (and possibly Autism or other sensory processing sensitivities) until the ripe old age of 36.  Going through life for 36 years and then BLAMO!  Your whole world is changed with the truth and an understanding FINALLY of who you actually are as a person begins to break through.  Your childhood and past experiences start to make a lot of sense and interactions with other human beings, too.  The mask starts slipping. It's okay though.  Now, you can start to heal, process, learn, and find others who have similar experiences to form a community and spread awareness.  

Janine did tons of research prior to her actual diagnosis and has a lifetime of experiences living with neurodivergencies.  Michelle has a whole wealth of knowledge of neurodivergence from her formal education, but also from life experience working with individuals with disabilities including SPDs. We both suspect that she also has some form of undiagnosed sensory processing sensitivities.  

Women have spent their lives masking, usually without even knowing it, because of the way women have traditionally been socialized to “fit in” and pick up on social cues. An entire demographic of women is now being referred to as a “lost generation” because an extensive amount of depression and anxiety surface as a result of internal experiences that don’t match up with what the world expects or how the world views such women - since they appear to function “normally” on the outside.  This lack of awareness and understanding is largely due to the neglect of researchers since study samples often rely on men only, therefore, doctors, therapists, teachers, and other public figures don’t know what a neurodivergent female looks like or how she may act.

Research specific to neurodivergent women didn’t even begin to surface until 2013.  Between 2013-2016, there were several articles published in major news outlets about how adult women were being overlooked in research about attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.  The National Institutes of Health also began grant funding around this time to counteract gender bias in research. 

We are hoping that by having this conversation and exploring our own neurodivergences, we can create a world that will begin to recognize and incorporate every human being's needs and how each person experiences the world into all facets of society. 

Come take a walk down neurodivergent lane with us during part one of our conversation towards our overall end goal of growth, awareness, understanding, and action. 

RESOURCES

Nerenberg, Jenara. Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You. HarperOne, 2021, Hoopla Digital, https://www.hoopladigital.com/play/12510285, Accessed 13 Feb. 2023.