Eva Erickson
Survivor and Reality TV Contestant
Eva Erickson is a Survivor and Reality TV Contestant.
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Forum Comments (2)
Just found out that I'm neurodivergent
If you find out that you're neurodivergent, one of my biggest tips is to talk to the people in your life about it. If you need support, the best place to find it is with your friends and family, people that you trust and care about. With my autism, I get overstimulated, and I have learned the things that help me calm down through experience and therapy. By now, I know what will help me, and the people in your life can be that support for you.
I also believe that you shouldn't be afraid to share that you have autism, because the people who love you will love you whether you have autism or not. I personally think that communicating that to those in your life is really important. And then, I'd suggest trying to be self-aware of what you're experiencing. When you're new to your diagnosis and you're trying to understand it, I think it's good to reflect and look at how you respond to different situations.
Finally, talking to a therapist, your doctor, and others who can provide you with the help that you need to better understand yourself is so important. This really shows that you want to be the best you can be, and that you want to use your autism for its strengths, and not just look at it as something that gives you challenges.
I also believe that you shouldn't be afraid to share that you have autism, because the people who love you will love you whether you have autism or not. I personally think that communicating that to those in your life is really important. And then, I'd suggest trying to be self-aware of what you're experiencing. When you're new to your diagnosis and you're trying to understand it, I think it's good to reflect and look at how you respond to different situations.
Finally, talking to a therapist, your doctor, and others who can provide you with the help that you need to better understand yourself is so important. This really shows that you want to be the best you can be, and that you want to use your autism for its strengths, and not just look at it as something that gives you challenges.
I think I may be autistic. How do you tell?
There are many different signs. One of the things about having autism is often you're not aware of the differences that you may have. And so, it can be kind of hard to self-diagnose. However, some things to look out for, whether it’s yourself or your child, are sensitivities to different sensory inputs. For example, I would get very overwhelmed by sounds, by lights, when there were a lot of people around, or when there was a lot of activity going on. I wouldn't process that in the same way as other kids and would get very overstimulated. Additionally, I was not necessarily developing at the same rate that other kids my age, and struggled with socializing.
At the same time, I would exceed and have huge success in other ways. For example, I was extremely good at math, but struggled to spell or read or write. So, having this imbalance in developmental rates is something you can look at. Another sign of autism can be struggling to make eye contact, or doing repetitive actions when experiencing strong emotions. The act of experiencing strong emotions can also be a symptom. That's one that commonly people bring up. However, it’s such a spectrum that there's not a one size fits all definition that you can read online. Ultimately, there are so many things that go into what someone with autism may present as their symptoms. And, a lot of these “signs” can be experienced by those who are not autistic. Just because you are someone who struggles with eye contact, that does not necessarily mean you have autism, it might be something else. So, if you you think that you might not be neurotypical, then the best approach is to talk to a doctor and get an official diagnosis. Do not just do your own self-diagnosis, because that can be very skewed.
At the same time, I would exceed and have huge success in other ways. For example, I was extremely good at math, but struggled to spell or read or write. So, having this imbalance in developmental rates is something you can look at. Another sign of autism can be struggling to make eye contact, or doing repetitive actions when experiencing strong emotions. The act of experiencing strong emotions can also be a symptom. That's one that commonly people bring up. However, it’s such a spectrum that there's not a one size fits all definition that you can read online. Ultimately, there are so many things that go into what someone with autism may present as their symptoms. And, a lot of these “signs” can be experienced by those who are not autistic. Just because you are someone who struggles with eye contact, that does not necessarily mean you have autism, it might be something else. So, if you you think that you might not be neurotypical, then the best approach is to talk to a doctor and get an official diagnosis. Do not just do your own self-diagnosis, because that can be very skewed.
