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I've had this question in my brain for weeks and I don't know where to put it. I guess I chose here because maybe someone else has had this same question and found answers. Maybe it's a stupid question actually.

But what is it like to be Neurotypical?

I am not confident I have known a single Neurotypical person, at least not well. They are apparently the vast majority of people, but I think everyone I've ever been close to was ND. As a late diagnosed AuDHD person, I find myself now analyzing every human I interact with trying to figure out how they are different than me, or how they are similar. I feel like I see the ghost of Neurodivergence in everyone and can't recognize neurotypicality when I see it.

What are the signs and symptoms of neurotypicality?

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[-] BackOnMyBS@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

One thing NTs have is an indirectly acknowledged (sometimes unacknowledged) hierarchy of power. They're constantly aware of this hierarchy and their position in this hierarchy. The majority of their behaviors are related to this hierarchy. Since many autistic people aren't even aware of this hierarchy, we violate it often and upset the group. I argue that this is why we get diagnosed as the broken/wrong person: we disagree with the very structure that defines what is broken/wrong.

/c/austim's helpful resources has a link to a book written by an autistic person that studied NTs and explains what they are like to us. The book is A Field Guide to Earthlings: An Autistic/Asperger View of Neurotypical Behavior. It's free at the link or you can purchase it in a more convenient format. I found it highly insightful.

[-] Deestan@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Neurotypicals are people with traits, likes, dislikes, phobias and strengths like you, but less extreme. The differences can be small if looked at one by one, but added up it causes a completely different lifestyle.

They may really hate the sound of styrofoam on glass, but they don't literally black out from the sound.

They can find it very uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing to socialize in a new environment, too, e.g. a social event at a new job. However, they adapt faster and don't have to go to the dentist the next week because they clamped their teeth so hard they chipped a tooth.

They may be good at and enjoy [activity/skill] like you, but not find it relaxing and mentally healing to spend 6 straight hours on a Saturday evening practicing [activity/skill] home alone while forgetting to eat, so they have to put in conscious effort where you don't.

To me it looks like an awfully dull and ignorant experience. It's been my life's experience that neurotypicals generally don''t engage in learning as a passion. They only learn what they feel they must in order to succeed. This is a mistake in my opinion. Learning is so good for the brain and body.

[-] avirse@feddit.uk 1 points 1 year ago

The only neurotypical person I know well is my sister. The only major differences we've actually established is that she has significantly more energy for activity-filled days than I do, and she doesn't understand the concept of being paralyzed by indecision.

this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2023
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