Yesterday, I asked what ADHD/autistic folks expect from friendships. Here are some of the common themes: • Authenticity - To not have to mask constantly with friends and to be ourselves • Non-judgmental - To not feel judged for our differences or our needs (1/3)

If you're ADHD and/or autistic, I have a question for you. What does friendship mean to you? Like what do you expect friends to do to show they're your friend?

One damaging aspect of the double empathy problem is how people often offer well-intentioned reassurances when our brain-related struggles are purely hypothetical, but when they are real and right in front of them, they quickly become a dealbreaker. It's fucking traumatic

Sensory overwhelm, processing demands, and stress can all lead to autistic meltdowns and shutdowns, but so can big emotions. Normalizing big emotions, feeling safe to experience them, and having many options for navigate them won't eliminate meltdowns, but can reduce the frequency and severity

The autistic experience of googling a list of small talk topics so that you can practice the 'correct way' of interacting ahead of time

A lot of ADHD'ers have been told over and over that we just need to try harder. For some of us, this leads us to try way too hard and take on responsibilities that aren't ours to take on. These can include feeling the need to manage other people's emotions or solve other people's problems

So you live in an ADHD household? Which one of you leaves all the cabinet doors open behind them, and which of you assumes the righteous responsibility of closing them again, such that order is restored to the universe?

For many ADHD'ers, organizing our thoughts can be challenging. In everyday life, I contend that these struggles are a difference not a deficit, but they can become major barriers based on the situation. Writing or studying, e.g., can make organizational differences a serious accessibility barrier

Sleep, exercise, and meeting our nutritional needs is super important to managing ADHD because they each have a HUGE impact on executive function. Isn't it great that having ADHD also detrimentally impacts sleep, exercise, and meeting our nutritional needs? 😒

my ADHD ass: Oh no! I did that thing where I replied to you message in my head and forgot to actually send it. I'm sorry! friend: lol. It happens, don't worry. What did you reply in your head? me: I... don't remember...? friend: ...🙄🙄