To be unsure what neurotypical is anymore

i must admit, whenever I see a social media post about something one does with ADHD, I’m thinking ‘surely EVERYONE does that.’

recent examples are ‘having an agenda when you go for a walk with a friend’ - surely standard? Or a particular song that’s stuck in your head. Again - everyone?

First of all I will say I probably do not have the right to talk about this and do not mean in anyway to offend anyone, prepared to be told I’m incorrect.

For me it’s a bit like anxiety - yes some people have anxiety from time to time, it’s normal to have worries, but if it affects your daily life and stops you being able to do your normal daily routine without struggles, you most likely do not have anxiety disorder that requires treatment and extra care.

So whilst it’s possible for most people to have a few traits of ADHD, or ASD.. unless you live with this day in day out and it affects the way you every single day (or most days) then you most likely do not need to be diagnosed.

I agree with you. I'm undiagnosed but fairly certain I'm autistic and possibly ADHD but these things are so common now it feels like we're all different versions of something rather there being a clear distinction between ND and NT.

YANBU

This whole area is an absolute minefield though so expect people to come at you for your post. The science in this area is still emerging and it is highly likely that our understanding will continue to evolve. At the moment there are very blurry lines between ND and NT and there are no definitive objective tests that can be run to diagnose someone with ADHD or ASD. It is highly subjective and it is totally possible that someone being assessed in a different clinic or even by a different assessor could receive a different diagnosis. Some clinics currently have a diagnosis rate running at 90% which is obscenely high.

There is also the issue that many of the traits of ND are the same traits that NT people can have. Again, the boundary between someone having string ND traits and someone actually being considered ND is a very ill defined one.

I suspect our current lifestyle and societal set up makes being ND harder/more noticeable.

When the world was a much simpler place, repetitive and predictable, far fewer choices, people probably found their niche and how to live with it more easily. Some would be adventurous and on the go, others would live quieter lives.

Now everyone has to multitask- you have to be able to sit still, do life admin, go to new places, mix with new people. Choose stuff constantly. Smells, noise, people… overwhelming.

Great question. I have pondered this many times. Again without want to cause any offence I am concerned we are very fast to ‘label’ things that would in the past, and the past was not always better, just have been characteristic traits. Will watch with interest.

From me I know what my strengths are and I know what my weaknesses are - but I do not seek out labels for either.