Everyone Is Not “A Little” ADHD or Autistic
Yes, there is a spectrum, but you either are or you aren’t. There is no “a little”.
Everyone Is Not “A Little” ADHD or Autistic
Yes, there is a spectrum, but you either are or you aren’t. There is no “a little”.
Sub-clinical traits versus dismissive comments
I want to begin by clarifying that absolutely, everyone has some traits in common with neurodivergent people. Why? Because neurodivergent traits are human traits! We’re all human beings.
Another reason is genetics. ADHD and autism are highly heritable, meaning they run in families. Often family members have some ADHD or Autistic traits, even if they don’t fully identify with either neurotype, or do not meet all the diagnostic criteria.
I take no issue with these points. The more we learn about neurology and divergent neurotypes, the more we are finding overlap between them. It is becoming increasingly obvious that our natural desire to put things into neat little categories isn’t so helpful when it comes to subjects as complex as the human brain.
I also have no desire to gate-keep from people who self-identify or self-diagnose as ADHD or Autistic. If the identity or diagnosis feels right for you, and the strategies and supports are helpful, by all means, welcome to the club.
Invalidating comments
That said, if someone tells you they struggle with a particular situation or skill because of a disability or divergent neurotype, please do not respond with “well, we’re all a little…”
In that context it sounds dismissive, and minimizes that person’s experiences. Sure, we’re all human, therefore we all have some traits in common. However, if someone’s disability or neurotype diverges from the norm far enough that it causes them challenges on a daily basis, pointing out that we all share some characteristics is probably not very helpful.
What spurred this article
A parent, we’ll call her “Karen”, made this comment in my presence recently.
We were chatting about how the school year was going so far, and one parent mentioned that she and her son both have ADHD, so she can relate to his struggles and understand how his brain works because she has similar experiences.
Then Karen said the line.
“Well, everyone’s a little ADHD.”
No, they’re bloody not. Approximately 6–9% of the population has ADHD, nowhere near everyone.
Why that comment is ignorant and insensitive
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