#cognitive disorders

[disease]

the older I grow, the more gratuitous I become on the thanksgiving holiday spent with family. the weight does not collect in my stomach, but grows heavy in my heart.

i've watched this young human grow throughout his life from childhood which is now approaching adulthood. each year he'd represent the example of your typical hyperactive child improperly medicated; however, i'm tolerant to such behavior due to sharing the same disorder. [ADHD]

yesterday was different. he's in his mid-teens now—which already serves as a transitional state of fragility—and his humanity has become consumed by the anxiety and depression stemmed from his disorder going untreated for all this time. the way he asked me "every day I feel hollow. is that normal to feel?" continues to haunt me.

everything he shared echoed back to what i had also experienced as a teenager—but with far more intensity due to his situation. he's at his breaking point, mind you riding a state of panic the entirety of last night; yet, the absolute most I was able to provide to him was an open ear and poignant advice to aid in future scenarios. the worst part is knowing that in itself won't sustain him for very long, and his digital communication privileges have been revoked—indefinitely. [ADHD is a daily struggle, a cognitive imbalance of chemicals, and only now being recognized for the severity of its impact.]

to any degree, to those reading: be easy on yourself today. allow yourself love from within, and recall how far you've personally come to get to this day. our journeys have all been unique, and depths of anguish vary—but you've conquered and overcome everything thus far to represent who you've become. we're all imperfect to a angle of perfection. survival is maintained by primal instinct and, more often than not, blind intuition. not all make it alive. you have. remain prideful for that—if that alone.

[thecouncil-aac]

Have a question, probably a silly one...

Is it possible to become non/semi-verbal?

Not in the misusing terms way -> "going nonverbal" / calling speech loss episodes semi-verbal / ect

But being verbal/mostly verbal for most of your life, then developing a disorder that permanently affects your cognitive functioning and speech capabilities

Would that be non/semi-verbal or another term?

I don't want to disrespect or appropriate terms...

I know being nonverbal/semiverbal is a permanent state, not something that is temporary/episodic (like speech loss episodes/vocal resting/ect), but is it a permanent state from birth or something that can be acquired later in life?

Thank you for any/all answers <3

[alliwanttodoiscollectpoetry]

Douglas Dunn ~ Cognitive Disorders

[birdofmay]

My problem with politics and staying well informed is that news in complex language rarely explain the “bigger picture” and assume you can intuitively figure out motives and consequences yourself, while news for kids or news in easy/plain language leave out important details/context. At least that’s the case in my native language.

It’s like writers for easy or plain language think “This concept is too complex, they won’t understand it anyway, so I’ll skip it”, when in fact this very thing they skipped would have been important for me understanding the bigger picture 😐

[semispeakingautie85]

People including professionals just don’t get mixed abilities do they.

In primary school I was in special Ed until year six when I accidentally walked into the wrong class. They didn’t realise as a sub teacher was in.

I breezed through advanced maths problems I’d never been taught.

Of cause then all my disability was put down to not trying hard enough/laziness.

In their minds, cognitive disability and ability couldn’t exist in the same person. You were either high IQ or low IQ. Things like learning disabilities weren’t considered.

So the only explanation must be lack of effort.

If they did know I had a learning difficulty, no one told me.

[iuilefae]

meditating with ADHD

i think meditation can be super intimidating for those of us with minds that never seem to quiet, but it is possible! if you’re someone who’s interested in meditation, but think it will be impossible with ADHD, here are some tips that have helped me!

pick a time of day that is going to be quiet in your house. i live with my family of 5 and meditating while the whole house is home and awake is super distracting. so i choose to meditate before i go to bed. i go to bed later than everyone else typically, so the whole house is quiet and i can actually focus. if you live next to a highway, or have noisy, night-owl, roommates, you can try headphones with a white-noise sound playing at a low volume to drown out some of those distracting noises.

consistency is key. meditation isn’t about how long you do it, or the quality of the session, it’s about doing it often. if you have a bedtime routine, maybe work it in between brushing your teeth and setting your alarm. if you don’t, put up a whiteboard, chalkboard, or a post it note with a reminder to meditate today. ADHD for me means if i can’t see it, i’m not thinking about it, so putting chores or reminders in a place where i will see them often helps me to remember what i need to do.

despite popular belief, meditation is not about “clearing your mind”. while the goal is for your mind to be calm, your mind is not going to be “clear”. especially with ADHD, you’re going to constantly have thoughts. that’s okay!! focus on your breathing. think about the way the air in your room smells, the way your chest rises and falls as you take deep breaths. focus on how soft your pyjama pants are. shoot, sometimes i even let my mouth make a little whistle noise when i exhale and i think about that! if you find your mind wandering to random topics, just guide it gently back to your breathing.

start small! i started with 5 minute sessions before bed. if that’s too long for you, start smaller! you can increase the time as it gets easier, you find you wish you had more time, or you can continue doing 60 second sessions forever! there isn’t one correct way to meditate, especially for people who are neurodivergent. as long as you’re getting something positive out of the experience, you’re doing it right!

every session is different. every day has different events and emotions and every day my ADHD has the potential to effect me differently. some days i just can’t seem to sit still, and other days it’s all i want to do! the same goes for meditation. remember that some days it will be harder to meditate and some days it will be easier. be understanding with yourself! don’t beat yourself up if you struggle through a session or have to stop halfway through. again, it’s all about consistency. give yourself a pat on the back, have some water, and try again tomorrow!

be patient & kind to yourself!! this is really the most important tip and i cannot stress it enough. remember that because of ADHD, you are going to have trouble focusing and sitting still, but that’s okay! meditation should be something that you enjoy doing, it should make you feel good. don’t stress over not being able to “clear your mind” or “sit perfectly still”. just do what you can! you deserve happiness and peace of mind just as much as everyone else. positive reinforcement and consistency can make meditation an enjoyable and beneficial practice for everyone. even those of us with ADHD!

i’m by no means an expert in ADHD or meditation, these are just some things that have helped me create a steady & healthy meditation routine despite my struggle with ADHD.

i’d like to think that these tips work with other mental disorders, but i cannot speak to anything except my own experience with ADHD and anxiety. if you try out meditation using this list of tips, i’d love to hear about your experience!!

thanks for reading!! happy meditating!! 🌿

[completeandrandomshit]

Life with ADD/ADHD: Either liking or disliking something, but not remembering the reason(s) why.

[we-called-monsta-for-a-reason]

I’m sorry to rant but

What in the ableist bullshit is it to be passive aggressive about me not being able to hear someone. I know I’m young but people still have cognitive disabilities and hearing disabilities like FUCK. Full disclosure, I have both.

I’ve spent most of my life in lots of stress and anxiety, trying to fit in and not tell everyone about it. And I’ve been bullied. So this is nothing new but it’s exhausting.

Someone always has something to say.

Then I have to tell people, disclosing personal information about myself, so that they stop assuming the worst and being rude to me.

IF I ASK SOMEONE TO REPEAT THEMSELVES, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE ACCUSED OF NOT PAYING ATTENTION. OR MADE FUN OF FOR IT. Or have people not believing me, which is the worst.