Dear readers,
I’m sharing with you a new cutesy comic a bit earlier than anticipated, to compensate for my last comic not being displayed correctly in the newsletter email. The last panel didn’t load properly, maybe the punchline was just too good! If you missed it, you can read it again here:
And here is the new comic about all the neurodivergent characteristics that make me appear very baby-ish, some negative, some positive… After the comic, I explain how neurodivergence leads to these baby features.
Some explanation about neurodivergence is in order. Neurodivergence refers to conditions that make our brains function differently than most people, usually this comprises ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and autism spectrum, as well as OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and other neurodevelopmental conditions. These conditions can lead to issues with executive control, aka the ability to control your behavior. So, when I miss my bedtime and I’m really tired, regulating my emotions can be really difficult, and emotional outbursts can come unannounced.
Many of you might wonder why I wouldn’t like mayonnaise for being white. Well, that’s another neurodivergent oddity. We often have sensory sensitivities that can lead to unusual tastes in food. I cannot clearly articulate why I don’t like mayonnaise, but there are many things I don’t like about it: its color, texture, how it’s shiny, its “strong” taste (it’s strong to me!)… I don’t know, my sensory world just gets repelled by this pretty innocuous sauce.
Why do toys and visual stimuli play such a big part in creative stimulation even in adults who are neurodivergent? I am still working on figuring out all the angles of this interesting question. But one obvious answer is that neurodivergent adults maintain many highly specific (usually creative) interests and obsessions, for example collecting toys or following a franchise, like Star Wars. There is something incredibly comforting about coming back to these toys and stories that defined my childhood. But it’s way more than simple nostalgia, these toys allow me to imagine new realities, inspire me to write new stories, and emerge myself in a different reality, which often feels safer and more stimulating than the real world.
I have some upcoming ideas about how visual representations and stimuli (and comics!) help neurodivergent people in overcoming learning difficulties and maintaining attention, so stay tuned for part 2.
Do you relate to any of these baby-ish behaviors? Let me know in the comments!
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Thank you for reading!
Until next time,
Ana
Totally relate to the not liking certain foods for no discernable reason other than, like your example, "it's white" and "tastes strong". Mayonnaise is a big nope for me too, it's just yucky 😂 I tried explaining why I don't like sushi the other day, too. And the best I could come up with was "because... raw fish..." 🤷♀️
Love your comics, Ana. So glad I found you on Substack, too! (I'm a fellow Medium blogger as well, I think I've commented on a couple of your articles there in the past!)
Looking forward to the next instalment 😊