Often in my life, I have had trouble with emotions; this has often put me at odds with those around me. On the spectrum and as a neurodiverse individual as a whole, feelings are magnified. While this can be a good thing with emotions like love, joy, happiness, humor, and kindness, destructive emotions are also being heightened.
I can remember many times wherever I have experienced anger; often, this has led to outbursts. My actions had been misinterpreted by others and exasperated by people who meant to do physical or psychological harm. Like many on the autism spectrum, despite barely being on it, I have been bullied relentlessly by people who did not mean well to me. At camp, I was pigeonholed and picked on by councilors; this was not nearly as bad as the other campers who did the same; this had fueled my rebellious streak as I did not think I was being treated fairly. My memories of this treatment have fueled nightmares at night. Part of my behavior, while I was still young on the spectrum, stemmed from the mistreatment I received, and this caused me to get into serious trouble.
I do not pretend to know why people treat us this way: they do not understand or want to try. No matter what the case is, there will always be a miscommunication between Neurotypical and Neurodiverse people because our minds are not built the same way. When we get angry, we get ANGRY, but this emotion confuses us. The reactions we get from others confound this even more. Nothing is more frustrating than being told you can’t do something or feeling you are less than others. This is how I have felt most of my life so far, or more accurately, this is how I have been made to feel by the actions of others toward me. This frustration we feel fuels our anger even more.
When we feel angry and frustrated, this leads to sadness and depression because no one likes to get licked on and bullied. If it is terrible for Neurotypical people, guaranteed it is worse for Neurodiverse individuals. This is not to say that all Neurodiverse people feel the same because we don’t, but no matter the case, even the negative emotions are magnified.
What I would like whoever reads this to take away from this is that we would love for More Neurotypical people to be mindful of how they treat us. The adage of treat others how you would like to be treated is far more poignant for us; your actions can have dire consequences. I would use Nicholas Cruz as an example of someone who was bullied so much; we all know how he ended up. Was he Neurodiverse? I don’t know, but that’s the most practical example I can think of. In short, all I ask of you is, please be kind. It could very much change the trajectory of someone’s life. I have experienced very little kindness from the world. It is my deepest wish for this to change.
SimonB writes 