If you're wondering why there are so many people figuring out they're autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent as adults or much later in life... I can explain...

Back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, the general understanding of autism, ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions revolved around obvious and extreme signs (usually only seen in young boys). 

So anyone who didn't display those obvious signs (girls AND boys) slid under the radar. Instead of being seen as having challenges and needing support, they (we) were seen as stubborn, defiant, lazy, incapable, weird, annoying, "uncool" and "uncool" to be associated with... and SO much more.

At first, we didn't know how to not stand out, so we became targets.

Bullies harassed, tormented & even verbally assaulted us whenever adults weren't looking... and out of sheer and desperate self-preservation we did whatever we could to change ourselves so we would no longer stand out.

And as we learned the hard and painful way (over the course of many years) which behaviors made us targets, we became "experts" at masking our differences to fit in JUST enough to no longer be targeted. (But many of us were still seen as "different" and "weird.")

Then as we got older and finished our schooling, many of us got jobs, got married, had kids, sustained friendships... all the while struggling every single day to manage our daily challenges... ones that had been there the entire time. Hidden. Masked from the world.

In the meantime, the DSM was updated to include the less obvious autism/ADHD traits and the general understanding of the conditions evolved.

Practitioners started identifying autism/ADHD in children with less obvious traits and parents started seeing those same traits in themselves.

Social media accounts (like mine) started spreading awareness of the less obvious signs/traits... and general exposure to what the different neurodivergent conditions ACTUALLY are became much more mainstream.

And suddenly, us undiagnosed neurodivergent adults started realizing that there's a REASON for our struggles. That none of it has EVER been our fault. And that we are NOT alone.

And as someone who went through this myself, I must say, it has been the single most healing experience of my entire life. And I can only hope to help as many others as possible experience the same healing. ❤️