Adult ADHD, Autism & Dyslexia – A Collaborative Podcast Episode Special E33
Written by #WWR
Adult ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia. We’ve got a neurodivergent party going on!
‘Women Who Rebrand’ took part in a collaborative podcast episode for the first time. Three podcasters with their own neurodivergence sat down to discuss the connection between spirituality and neurodiversity.
Amber Collins is an Autistic and ADHD Content Creator and Social Media Manager. She’s also the host of the ‘How To Live Authentically Autistic‘ podcast. During this episode of Women Who Rebrand, she shares the surprising way she learned about being an Autistic person.
Dee Safieh is an Operations and Events Manager and host of ‘We Knew The Moon‘- the official podcast for The Goddess Temple Twickenham. Dee explains how she was diagnosed with Dyslexia at Art college; do many neurodivergent people enter creative careers, perhaps because of their ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and open-mindedness? We like to think so! Dee not only joins us as 1/3 of this collaborative podcast episode, but she does so as a regular addition to the Women Who Rebrand podcast. You’ll hear more from her in future episodes.
Sareta, creator and host of Women Who Rebrand, as you may know, was diagnosed with ADHD not too long ago. While talking about how great it was to realise why she struggled with exams, timekeeping, and anxiety, she explained that she didn’t see ADHD as a curse or negative thing. She linked the possibility of ‘neurominorities’ being drawn to spirituality due to their ability to think differently and a desire to be a part of a welcoming community.
The ladies, obviously, didn’t make generalisations about all neurodivergent thinkers during episode 33 of Women Who Rebrand–this episode draws upon their own experiences as spiritually aware neurodivergent women.
Sit down and grab a pen; you may want to take notes during this episode! As you can imagine, there was a lot of talking in one fantastic episode.
Sareta, creator and host of Women Who Rebrand, as you may know, was diagnosed with ADHD not too long ago. While talking about how great it was to realise why she struggled with exams, timekeeping, and anxiety, she explained that she didn’t see ADHD as a curse or negative thing.
She linked the possibility of ‘neurominorities’ being drawn to spirituality due to their ability to think differently and a desire to be a part of a welcoming community.
The ladies, obviously, didn’t make generalisations about all neurodivergent thinkers during episode 33 of Women Who Rebrand–this episode draws upon their own experiences as spiritually aware neurodivergent women.
Sit down and grab a pen; you may want to take notes during this episode! As you can imagine, there was a lot of talking in one fantastic episode.
I felt I wasn’t good enough, I thought I was stupid, I didn’t think I was clever…”
“ADHD and autism fall squarely beneath this umbrella, but very few people understand the complexities of neurodivergent brains. This can lead to some individuals coming to very surprising realizations about friends, family, and most notably, themselves.
These days, disorders like ADHD and autism have gained a lot of media attention, particularly on social media apps like TikTok, as more and more people have shared their experiences with ASD, ADHD, or both. Much of this attention has come from people realising that ADHD and autism share an interesting and unique relationship with one another.
While much of this relationship is still being explored, one thing that is becoming abundantly clear is that having ADHD, ASD, might not look like many people think it does, especially in adulthood.”–Psychology Today
Common Signs of ADHD in Women
ADHD traits are present in many different areas of your life. Some symptoms may be more prominent in specific contexts, such as at work or school. You may find that many Women with ADHD spend a lot of time and effort to appear “normal.”. This is known as “masking”.
Often, Women with ADHD wonder if they’re bad friends, partners or mothers. Things that neurotypical people appear to do with ease, for instance, remembering birthdays, arriving on time, and not interrupting during conversations, are common issues associated with symptoms of the disorder.
Because Women with ADHD may have difficulty with ‘social norms’, people may think they don’t care.
Friendships can be challenging as an adult because social rules seem complicated. People may say that Women with ADHD are incredibly chatty; they talk more than anyone else they know.
While they may be talkative, many Women with the disorder may dislike going to parties and other social gatherings because they make them feel overwhelmed and shy. The mind drifts during conversations unless they’re talking or it’s a topic they find very interesting. Or they’re hyperaware about blurting things out or interrupting; they’re concentrating on many things simultaneously.
For example, they focused on the topic at hand, remembering what they wanted to say, but also when would be considered a good time to involve themselves in the conversation.
What are the Signs of Dyslexia in Adults?
Dyslexia in adults, much as is the case in children, can manifest in different and unexpected ways. The symptoms of dyslexia in adults can make managing areas like careers and relationships difficult and lead to low self-esteem, especially if diagnosis and/or treatment were not pursued earlier on as a child.
- Difficulty recalling past conversations; often accused of “not listening.”
- Trouble remembering names
- Mispronouncing words when speaking or misspelling words when writing without realising
- Confusing visually similar words like “can” and “cab”
- Avoiding reading whenever possible or preferring short articles or essays over long novels
- Struggling to pronounce unknown words when reading out loud
- Reliant on a spouse, children, or family members to help with written correspondence
- Getting lost easily, particularly with written directions
- Becoming self-conscious when speaking to a group; using filler words, or starting and stopping sentences repeatedly
Source: Attitude
What Are The Signs Of Autism in Adults
You may:
- Find joining in conversation difficult.
- Speak in a flat, monotone voice, or not speak.
- Have trouble relating to other people’s thoughts or emotions.
- Use repetitive language.
- Find it hard to read someone’s body language and emotions.
- Find that others don’t understand your feelings and say that “it is hard to know what you are thinking”.
- Dominate conversations and provide excessive information on the specific topics only you find interesting.
- Find it easier to talk ‘at’ people rather than engaging in a two-way conversation.
- Have trouble reading social cues.
- Find ‘small talk’ such as discussing the weather and what others are doing difficult.
- Take things literally. For example, if someone says, “oh, that’s a piece of cake” or “you’re barking up the wrong tree”, you find it challenging to know what they mean.
- Be blunt in your assessment of people and things.
- Find it difficult to maintain eye contact when you are talking to someone.
- Have your own unique phrases and descriptive words.
- Find building and maintaining close friendships and relationships difficult.
- You may make faces that others find unusual.
- You may make gestures when speaking with people.
Source: The Spectrum
Find Out More
Amber
How To Live Authentically Autistic
IG: @ItsAmberCollins_
FB: @ItsAmberCollins
Dee
DianaSafieh.com
IG: @SafiehSafiehSafieh
Switchblade Sisters Social Club (new) Podcast Podcast
Sareta
SaretaFontaine.com
IG: @HeySareta
T: @HeySareta
If you’d like more information about how to go through the diagnosis process for any of the neurodivergent disorders mentioned, visit NHS UK
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