We are just wired differently.

[Pumpkinstace]

Urgh. I hate this phrase.

I think we are wired just the same as NTs, it's the bloody software.

We just run a completely different operating system.

Like all NTs are iPhone and we are andriods.

Or something.

@Pumpkinstace yeah I don't like this phrase either. I kinda feel like I'm being reduced to some kinda electrical appliance when people have said it in the past. At the end of the day we are all human

I feel neutral to the phrase and have never really thought about it to be honest.

Some research is revealing structural differences in autistic and adhd brains. Obviously the structures are made out of the same stuff as NT brains, but the connections can follow different pathways.

It resonates for my experience so I don’t mind it really. Your operating system analogy makes my brain itch though so I can empathise with where you’re coming from

I like the comparison that NT people are iPhones and ND people are Androids.

I may use that in future as something about it pleases me greatly.

Wondering if it's just a coincidence that I cannot get on with iPhones at all and much prefer Androids?!

I do love your analogy and the thought you put into it though OP.

I can't stand iphones

Me neither!

I can't stand iPhones either which is why I loved the analogy. I've always thought peoples love of iPhones was like the Emperors New Clothes

I believe some research has been done into the plasticity of ND brains which revealed that the neural pathway set-up differs from that of NT brains (so an earlier PP's observation about operating systems isn't too far off the mark).

What we don't know is how or if the 'hardware' - actual brain development - is the cause or the effect, as obviously studying brain tissue formation in foetuses and infants is both difficult and ethically dubious (setting up the sort of highly-controlled nature/nurture studies required in utero or very young children would be an absolute no-no for most ethics committees).

For what it's worth, I work in IT and all my mobile devices run on Android systems - you'll very rarely meet somebody in tech who uses iOS.

This doesn’t bother me but my understanding of neuronal networks is that we continue making neural connections throughout our lives, so the wiring is an ongoing process influenced by our experiences as well as our genetics. You can also control it to some extent. - Choosing to actively to try learn something creates neuronal networks. So I don’t see it as separating ND and NT individuals into two different kinds of machines but rather that our brains sometimes build connections in more unusual ways. And I don’t really see what the software would be in your analogy to be honest.

I like that phrase personally 🤷 it's not totally wrong.