Regular life is more cognitively and emotionally demanding for neurodiverse people than it is for neurotypicals, but we have to hide that fact from other people on a daily basis. To prop up our façade of being “high functioning,” we build a messy, unstable scaffolding of flawed coping mechanisms. It’s no wonder we report anxiety7 and depression8 at elevated rates. If the only food you ever get to eat is what you can steal, you’re gonna move through the world feeling undernourished and hypervigilant.
