I was Neurodivergent this whole time?

The Blog of difference

Meet Jenn

I was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD at the age of 39. How could I have gone so long without knowing? Well, like many things, there's a story to share.

I'm a YouTuber, creating videos about my life as a female diagnosed with Autism and ADHD.

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Welcome

The diagnosis of Aspergers was retired in 2013 with the next edition of the DSM-5, and is now combined under the diagnostic criteria of Autism.

You might be suprised to hear many people are diagnosed with, or were suspected to have had Autism/Aspergers such as:

Anthony Hopkins

Elon Musk

Albert Einstein

Daryl Hannah

Charles Darwin

Jerry Seinfield

Tim Burton

Emily Dickinson

Bobby Fischer

Bill Gates

Michelangelo

Sir Isaac Newton

Nikola Tesla

and many, many others....

ADHD is also majorly misunderstood and misrepresented in media. I'm just a girl with a microphone and a camera on a journey to add to the discussion. I was missed for way too many years, but now I aim to contribute to the paradigm shift surrounding the perception of what Autism and ADHD ‘looks like’.

Thank you to my subscribers!

We hit 10,000 subscribers in June 2024. Upwards and onwards, thanks to all of you out there...

Why do women go undiagnosed?

She's just "Shy"

If a boy seems shy, many will categorize it as unusual. If a girl seems to be shy, it is a socially acceptable trait. Males tend to have much more externally observable traits. It wasn't that long ago that it was thought that females couldn't have Autism and now we know that's not true.

Special interests seem normal

A young girl might have special interests that seem normal. Whereas boys might be obsessed with the ever so stereotypical trains, or know every type of dinosaur, or be able to tell you every make and model of cars...

Girls tend to become obsessed with things that seem normal for little girls to like. This might be things like horses or pop culture like bands or popular TV shows. The subject of their interest seems normal, but it's the intensity and severity of those special interests that often gets missed in a way that it does not for boys.

Social and Emotional reciprocity

In a study where researchers observed diagnosed females and diagnosed males in various playground settings, they found that boys isolated away from their peers. However, while the girls appeared to be socializing, they were in fact, playing alongside other girls or jumping from play group to play group because they didn't really 'belong' anywhere. To an untrained observer she looks like she is engaging in social activity when in fact, she is not in a meaningful way.