Member-only story
10 Times Some Should’ve Said “This Girl’s Autistic!”
Sharing childhood stories of undetected neurodivergence
In the four years since I realized I was autistic, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on my childhood. How did no one see the signs? Did they ignore them on purpose? Would my life have been easier if someone had clocked my neurodivergence earlier? All these questions come to mind when I think back on my earliest memories of what I now know to be autistic behaviors.
Short of a DeLorean going 88 miles per hour, though, there’s nothing I can do to alter the past. Instead, I’ll regale you all with these stories in the hopes that we can laugh and commiserate together about going undiagnosed for so long. As a bonus, let’s endeavor to expand upon the list of signs neurotypical educators should look out for when working with children.
#1. Age 4: My habit of hiding from dinosaurs in the coat closet
Before my Deafness was diagnosed, I was put into a special education preschool program (gee, I wonder why). Our classroom was on the first floor of an elementary school, with significant noise coming from the students as they stampeded down the echoey stairwell next door.
