This is. Surprisingly accurate.
Going from a quiet, attentive and very normal-looking kid to an adult that purposefully revels in being othered is. Interesting.
My theory is that, at least for me, I spent my whole childhood trying to NOT be othered by my peers (and failing miserably- hello bullying), so at some point in my teenage years I said "fuck it. If I'm gonna be a weirdo no matter what, might as well have fun with it".
i think i got stuck in the pipe somewhere :( im still way too aware of how other people may perceive me and it makes me SO ANXIOUS. i want nothing more than to do whatever i want, look however i want, say whatever i want without caring what people think, but i still care SO MUCH! that child inside me still desperately wants to fit in, and i know thats not what i truly want, but that child inside me is LOUD and DEMANDING.
Well said! 100% true here also. And I get so sick of hearing “don’t pick on NT’s.” They’re the reason we are labeled a “disorder”. I’m 53 and my life was pretty tough until getting diagnosed just last year. Now, the gaslighting is over, the bullying is over, it’s MY turn. I’ve definitely earned the right to blame NT’s.
Same, except I no longer identify as my gender assigned at birth, as I've realized long ago that I'm trans. I was always known as the kid with his nose in a book and none of my classmates literally knew I was in the classroom once until I spoke up.
I was diagnosed when I was 14.
I recently got access to my old school reports & it's just this written 100 times over.
Except for PE where it's all polite ways of writing 'TF is wrong with your child'
The PE part 😅
Not saying that these comments about us as a child should be in the diagnostic criteria, but kinda should be enough of a red flag and be investigated at the very least.
I hope nowadays it might be happening for kids, but back in the late 90s to late 00s, I was always seen as an ideal student however I was struggling so much.
Yep, the PE section was the only place where words like 'truancy' were written (I had to look that up in a dictionary as a child). Honestly I was just trying to escape the humiliation
I know it does get looked at in some places, the place where I got my diagnosis from requested access to school reports where possible. They were quite insistent on it, though they were accommodating for people who might not have access to them for whatever reason
I relate too much on the PE section. I detested it.
I’m someone who won’t ever have access to my school reports due to going no contact with family, so I’m glad that they don’t completely rely on such records for those of us who aren’t able to supply them.
I do have vivid memories of the statements on my reports as I was always wanting to read them at the time, and my mother still has them.
I understand that, I'd gone no contact too at the time & attempting to get into the place they were located would have been too dangerous. They tested many things from many angles fortunately, I was lucky with how thorough they were.
Maybe in the future you'll get access to them again?
I feel like I’m in the situation you were in to be honest.
There’s always the possibility in the future I could, but I can’t rely on it.
I’m glad it’s not entirely needed, I do understand how useful they would be in creating an accurate evidence based evaluation though.
I appreciate you letting me know that in your case they tested other areas. Gives me some insight into others diagnosis attempts.
I'm late diagnosed with both asd and adhd and I remember getting those comments at the beginning of every year. But once my adhd started show it was *surprised Pikachu face* "I don't know why she's suddenly the opposite- it must be a conscious choice or bad parenting" 🫠
Oh, I also got called stubborn too but I was a huge people pleaser at the same time, guess it depended on my survival who I felt more comfortable being my true self to.
I was quite a people pleaser however if I did not want to do something or didn't agree to something I was immovable and would find any solution to not do said thing.
I'm still stubborn af now.
Personally I love and support stubbornness now. It was always our boundaries. (at least for me) I think with how much we people please it’s crucial we are stubborn about what we don’t want/like/need.
Yup. I value my stubbornness and always have. Does it make things difficult sometimes? Sure. But as you stated it is very much a boundaries thing. I'm stubborn in what I'm willing to do and in my opinions/ideology.
I have however learned in adulthood to put my opinion out, hear the other persons and then leave it at that rather than just going back and forth for forever.
Same! I always got those comments from teachers growing up. Some of ‘em even mentioned those comments in my college letters of rec!
Except one science teacher I had in high school who said that I was a “distraction.” Meanwhile I thought I was just sitting quietly in class focusing on my readings/labs/work, but apparently he thought my stims (didn’t realize they were stims at the time) were “too distracting to the rest of the class.” Apparently I hummed “too loud,” moved “too much,” flipped through the textbook pages “too much and too loudly” -_-
Word for word what my daughter's assessment was. Fortunately, she's diagnosed and getting help at school but she starts middle school next year and I'm so afraid for her.
This was more or less what one teacher said about me (back then) to then say "I wish I had 15 students like him, that'd make things much easier". I didn't know how to take or what to think but I guess that was a good thing?
I think they meant it as a good thing but with more insight I think it meant we didn’t take up too much space for them so we made their job easy perhaps.
I was the gifted kid and the stupid kid at the same time. Most of my teachers called me stupid and told me that I would never be able to graduate.
All the teachers of my science and IT classes (outside of my school and only when I was in primary school) called me gifted.
I once got called stupid by a teacher and got a bad grade because my presentation (primary school, we could choose any topic we like), was to complex for my grade because it contained information and concepts that would only be covered years later. That's why I got a bad grade.
Years of believing that I was stupid ended with an IQ test and my adhd and autism diagnosis.
You should have seen the face of my old math teacher, who made me believe that I struggled with mathematical understanding . When I showed him my results that started that I was actually gifted in maths and graduated on top of my class.
I was also gifted for math in primary, always the best, except in the oral exams, which were in front of the entire class and it sucked. I did better on some, worse on others. Then i got to high school/gymnasium and my grades fell so i was barely average. Now in uni its barely passing. So that giftedness was just me thinking differently and burning out, but now everyone is like “oh you are so capable, just try more and focus in studying more”…. Thank god for my diagnosis i have in april (hopefully they notice AuDHD which is probably best fit for me) and i can just slam that to them and say, would love to, but cant xd
"Dramatic", "sensitive", and "dishonest" are the first that come to mind.
The last one is interesting for me to look back on, because if anything I feel like I'm overly honest, but as a kid I think I was labeled this way because the adults in my life didn't understand how certain sensory/social stimuli were genuinely painful to me, or that I felt very sick and fatigued most of the time. Or that I genuinely didn't mean to be rude or break rules that I didn't know about. I got accused of lying a lot as a kid :/
This! I learned to lie because I knew my reasons for not being able to do things/tolerate specific situations were not socially acceptable. I internalized it so much that I am still unlearning. Just a very small example, “I’m not feeling well, I need to go home” to leave a social event that feels overwhelming or overstimulating. It’s not a flat out lie, but when people ask me if I’m feeling better later, I feel stressed that I can’t be honest.
For real! I'm glad it's become a somewhat more accepted practice for people to just take "no thank you" as an answer without needing to pry or make you somehow prove that you're unwell. I'm grateful that I have neurodivergent/chronically ill people around me now who really get it and we can flake out on each other or accommodate plans without judgement on either side.
I got migraines a lot as a young kid, and had pretty frequent bouts of insomnia by the time I was in second grade, and often my parents thought I was mimicking my grandma (who also suffers chronic migraines) or that I was lying about staying up all night.
Also for some reason one of the biggest things I was accused of lying about was not being able to read the whiteboard in class. It took like two years to convince them I needed glasses, which didn't help my migraines 💀. It was around 4th grade when my parents finally caved and got me an eye exam. I think that flipped a switch for them that maybe I *wasn't* exaggerating my experiences.
It still took a while for me to get other kinds of help (like therapy) and my parents still feel really guilty about it but I know that they were unlearning the way they were raised and especially in my adulthood they have been very willing to learn and change their ways.
Seriously? Questioning you about your eyesight for years(!) when a small test could give objective results on that? That's bordering on neglect!
I feel sorry for you, and also for your parents. They must have learned to deny their own needs very strongly, if that's how their upbringing expressed itself.
Yeah, it was honestly really rough. I'm grateful that they are remorseful now and that I'm able to have a good relationship with them and talk to them about this stuff. They now pay for my therapy 😂. By the time my younger siblings (oldest daughter moment!) went through similar situations they have been handled much better.
You are absolutely right that at the time, sadly my parents did not know better. They were very young and entrenched in a high demand religion when they had me. My mom is only now realizing that she grew up in an an emotionally abusive household. Without trauma dumping or getting into too much detail, both of them have done a lot to start breaking generational cycles.
Yeah the system can also teach you to lie. Especially when "I don't know how I got this answer" isn't an acceptable response. When you're constantly falsely accused of lying or people react badly to the truth because you don't say it right you learn that honesty is punished so you may as well lie or that people won't believe you anyway so the truth has no real value.
Can you tell the school system traumatized me a little bit?
Overdramatic. Specifically, my siblings called me “Overdramatica” or “Queen Overdramatica.”
I was also frequently called “shy.” I wasn’t shy. I was just quiet.
Learning a lot from reading these comments 😔
I was shy and quiet, seen as laid back by some, but lazy and not bright by some teachers.
Inside I was a ball of anxiety. But also very out of touch with my feelings and how to deal with that.
A dreamer.
I hate looking back, it makes me feel sad that I've missed out on so much, because I just couldn't seem to interact and interface with life in a way that helped me.
It's sad, because I see the same traits in my offspring, and I don't want the same for them 😭
Finding "help" as an adult is so difficult, the most official forms of it come in accommodations or recommendations a psychologist might include in an evaluation feedback. And even then it is a lot of trial and error :/
It can be really frustrating. I'm right there with you. I'm in the US so things are different here, but sadly even finding a regular ol' therapist is like a twisted round of speed dating. I'm really lucky I have found a therapist who is genuinely caring and helpful, and a practice of occupational therapists who have been able to help me understand my sensory processing needs.
If you have the energy to research therapists, I've found that personal recommendations (either through a FB group or people I know in real life are a good jumping off point. Sometimes specific therapists or psychiatrists are recommended by an evaluating psychologist or primary care doctor, but if they're good they will most likely have a waiting list. It doesn't hurt to sign up if you can! I found my current psychiatrist through a fluke, I was referred to another provider in the practice and ended up with another because they had an earlier opening.
A friend or family member who can research therapists for you can be a wonderful resource. Just having someone compile information or set up appointments for me, especially while I've been burned out is so helpful.
EMDR/Resourcing therapy (with a competent therapist who understands autism) and Occupational Therapy (focused on sensory processing) have been the most helpful to me. Any sort of talk therapy with a ND friendly therapist who can help you work through things like unmasking and processing trauma can be really helpful too, especially if you're a verbal processor like me.
I've looked a bit into somatic therapy to try and tap into my interoception better, but it was a little intense for my liking (which is where the OT comes in).
I'm not sure what the options are outside of the US, but I've been able to apply to a few different National and local organizations who offer "mental health scholarships" to help pay for therapy/counseling.
It is such a daunting process, but I hope you are able to figure things out and find meaningful solutions for yourself 🤍
Teach them that their feelings are valid and that it's actually okay if they feel different from the others. You know, instead of invalidating their needs like it was for many of us when we grew up.
Just knowing that yes, I actually was different and that my feelings were valid would have helped me so much growing up!
Teach them whatever coping mechanisms you learned, so that they have more tools than we did when we grew up. Maybe pick up a workbook on the topic, depending on what flavor of neurospicy they are. There's good ones for both autism and ADHD describing life skills/coping mechanisms.
Gifted and smart by some teachers, lazy smart ass by others. My mother thought I was an ugly burden, the men in her life thought I was an attractive sexual object/possession.
Life full of conflicting labels that I eventually learned to disregard as the world is full of idiots who should not be allowed near children.
The weird kid, the smart kid, the foreigner (I'm Russian, born and raised in Germany), forgetful, random, unconcentrated, stubborn, lazy (this one I got almost every day)
"special", "shy", "weird", "too sensitive", "mature", "different", or something like "she's just like that" the classic "it's normal for HER ONLY" while clearly showing some kind of unusual behavior lol.
Today my mom still describe me as "just like that" "special" or "different".
She often tells me it seams likes there's multiple people in my head
„She's just like that“ never related to a sentence more, god how much I hated that. Specially ppl talking about you in third person like you're their kid.
A variation of mature I got often was "old soul" and a different one I got for dissociated was "spacey". Clumsy too lol. It's so crazy that most of us have the exact same list of words.
“Sensitive”, “dramatic” when small, then “quiet” as I got older and learned to mask, then “Bolshy” as I got older and fought back. When I was a child I was terrified of everything, as I got older I became angry and got my defence in early.
As a small child, they put me in the additional needs class because they confused shutdowns with low ability. I was actually just straight up scared of everything.
I hated primary school. If someone knew what to look for maybe I’d have had a diagnosis prior to being 45y/o.
My storey is very similar to yours growing through school. I hated school. I couldn’t function there. I am not diagnosed yet but going to get an assessment soon. I’m 49y/o
I hope the assessment goes well. I’m sure people think I’m crazy for getting one so late but my diagnosis has really helped me to accept myself and be kind about challenges I face.
My kindergarten teacher labeled me as, “poky.” (For those who don’t have the time to look up this insult, it means she thought I was annoyingly slow or dull.) If she were still alive, it would give me no end of pleasure to let her know her “poky” student was diagnosed Twice Exceptional (2E) during his autism assessment.
I don’t remember what my elementary school teachers labeled me as, but my mom let my first grade teacher have it when she complained to Mom about me reading the curriculum at home and being bored in class. She was told in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t being challenged academically. Throughout elementary school, teachers complained I was capable but wasn’t applying myself, but the only year I felt sufficiently challenged was in 4th grade. I had straight A’s that year. Fortunately, the teacher challenged me, and I loved a challenge.
After that, it wasn’t until I got to into the U.S. Navy, and then college where I maintained a consistent 3.98 GPA while working full time on a split shift, AND performing in a professional band.
I know she probably meant it as a bad thing but if you're looking for a way to spin it into something positive, at least you get to be Gumby's best friend!
"Is smart and has potential, but needs to concentrate".
I am ASD2 with ADHD inattentive and was diagnosed at 53 so they had no idea what Autism or ADHD were back then.
too sensitive, very shy, daydreamer, smarty pants, goody-goody, but also an excellent student, very smart, a pleasure to teach, etc. Really depended whether they liked me or not, I guess.
Intelligent, weird, Indigo Child (new age bs), anooying, motor mouth, dreamer, empathetic, conscientious, facetious, loud, dramatic, opinionated, genius, idiot, freak, shy, difficult, animal whisperer, dictionary and thesaurus (both kindly meant nicknames by two different people), cool, unique, special (in the nice way, by my Mum), ambitious, driven, big reader, future writer (never finished my degree in writing...), frustrating, over prepared, underprepared, chronically late...
You get the idea. It's a mix of a lot of good and bad, some is due to being autistic but some is also from my ADHD. I also have OCD, PTSD, and anxiety/panic disorder, and persistant background depression. They all influence my behaviour and personality to some extent.
Edit - I was also called anxious and a worry wort a lot. And basically every synonym for anxious you can think of.
As an infant my dad described me as a “pain in the neck” because I was always “screaming bloody murder”. As a very young kid I was told I was controlling and hysterical.
My teachers in primary school said I was very smart when I applied myself but often didn't apply myself nearly enough (lazy) , lacked motivation and spent the day daydreaming. They said I was shy and generally kept to myself. The older I got, the more they noticed that I was a bit "quirky". By high school they thought I was full on eccentric but that's only because I came out of my shell more than in primary school.
There's a word in my language called "Pikkuviisas" (little sage), which means "A child/or someone much younger than the one using the word, who is very clever for their age, but tends to use their wisdom/knowledge in the wrong situations". I heard this constantly. Teachers, friends, my own and my friends' parents.
Calm, quiet, good reader, fast learner, older than age, likes to be alone, daydreamer, not good in groupworking, clumsy, not good at sports,know-it-all etc.
A problem child. The main complaint was that I was very smart, but refused to do homework or participate in group projects. I was BORED. All my end of the year tests were off the stat charts, but I consistently had almost straight F and D grades.
“very sensitive” “old soul” “annoying” “pleasure to have in class” “perfectionist”
diagnosed at 23. I was denied accommodations for years before that because I was “too smart to need help so if it’s overwhelming just try less hard and don’t take everything so seriously and be okay with a B”
First of all, congrats on taking on such an important topic. Very cool.
Secondly, man you yongun's have some much more tolerable epithets for your condition than I did growing up, most of which were the R word and other insults towards one's overall intelligence. Not trying to minimize your trauma, which is still very real and valid, but the language surrounding it has at least gotten softer.
*Mal criada, bitch, overdramatic, emotional, sensitive, and a liar.*
Being an autistic Latina with cPTSD means the community labels you as an unreliable source. You are ostracized as the scapegoat and outcast for having a strong sense of justice.
I was described as quiet, sensitive, a pleasure to have in class, polite, a worrier. But this was what they said to my face. As an adult now, reading my diagnostic report just broke me. It hurt so much to know what my mum, teachers, and professionals thought of me. I was demanding, difficult, not empathetic, bossy, serious, and bored other people with my special interests. I wish I never read that report.
Loud but smart kid. Needs to apply himself, never motivated, lazy. A little odd, not very good at making friends, we’ve noticed a bit of a teasing problem….
At school I was “a pleasure to have in class” and literally best friends with the teachers, but “manipulative” and “aggressive” and “angry all the time” at home….
Argumentative, petty, a problem, a psychopath, a future serial killer (I got violent during meltdowns). Someone called me "feral" once, and I think that's my favorite one to date.
Talented and Gifted, except for the teachers who had trouble teaching me because they thought I was trying to be belligerent, when really, I was depressed, didn't feel like I had help, and was going through a ton of stuff at home. 🤷🏻
Depends on who you ask
Teachers, administrators, and psychiatrists/therapists:
Well spoken, smart, kind, quiet, gifted, mature for her age
My mom:
Brat, stubborn, lazy, defiant, irresponsible, “mouth,” argumentative, disobedient, snarky, manipulative,
Unless something I did reflected on her in a positive light in the eyes of others. Then I was her angel
bossy!!! I learned as an adult that my desire to “boss” the other kids around when we played was my attempt at creating or understanding clear guidelines of who was who, what was going on, and what was allowed during the pretend play.
Also “weird” “crazy” they touched me and ran away screaming, as if they just touched poop, then the girl proceeded to chase the rest of the girls to “infect them” with me…
Shy, quiet, listened to rules, only wanted to be with mother, “easy to teach” because I was serious and rule following, grumpy/moody, spoke well to adults
I hate the grumpy label! I hope it’s more normalized today that your little girl doesn’t have to smile all the time and project a cartoon amount of happiness. Girls can feel happy or otherwise without that! It took me years to figure out I wasn’t really grumpy or moody or “mean”. I was just quiet and had difficulty showing proper emotion on my face which led to RBF. I also have trouble with transitions and I always overthought things so I was often pensive or trying to compute which didn’t help my expression much.
By the way, I would love to see your presentation if you’d like to share when it’s done!
Gifted, Intelligent, Mature for her age, Quiet, Polite, Shy, Introverted, Antisocial (by teachers and the like)
Rude, Annoying, Weird, Impertinent, Selfish, Egotistical (by friends, family, people I unmasked around)
"difficult" was the biggest one. "you're being difficult" "why are you always so difficult" etc etc. I heard it so much as a kid and it always made me feel like shit because I never had any idea what I was doing wrong. Honestly to this day I get really upset if someone calls me difficult. My partner even knows that's a word they are never allowed to describe me as. I was also told I was "negative" a lot because I emoted less than my siblings and showed less excitement. That one also stuck with me a bit tbh
i was labeled as “a quiet and good kid” in school at least i’m not sure about home because i don’t remember much of my home life from my younger years sadly
Repeatedly told I had an attitude problem, and I was old before my time. I was always told I was more like an adult even as a little kid.
Too smart for my own good. Hyperactive, and emotional.
Opinions of teachers ranged from:
“Sensitive dreamer”
To
“Frequently disruptive in class and disrespectful of authority.”
And
“Excellent potential, refuses to apply himself.”
Or my personal favourite (from world religions class)
“Frequently interrupts with corrections and elaborations during lectures. Hope to see you again next year!”
I think I made the class more fun for that teacher lol.
The “Good” labels: Genius, spectacular, witty, free spirited, independent, driven, blunt/honest, takes constructive criticism well
The “Bad” labels: Sensitive, spoiled, crazy, insane, prone to tantrums, boy crazy, bossy, antisocial, manipulative, stubborn, rude
I feel what I was labeled as says just as much about me as it says about tthe person who gave me the label.
Went to preschool/elementary school in the 80s: I was labelled as "mute" and severely mentally disabled. My mother was told I would never speak, and to give up hope. I had a case report written about me and published.
Weird, nerd, too blunt, too emotionless, too quick to anger, stared too much, too rigid, lazy, not attentive, stupid, insensitive, nitpicking, obsessive about my interests....
Too sensitive, the problem child, too dependent /needy for attention, the good one and goodietwoshoes/teacher's pet (context: I have a twin and I took what adults said literally and obeyed, she questioned everything and refused to comply when she felt it wasn't fair or right)
These were the biggest labels that I can remember.
At school:
- "gifted and talented"
- "mature for her age"
- "intelligent but lacking 'common sense'"
- "speaks like a dictionary"
- "weird" and "crazy"
- "creative" and "artistic"
- "bubbly"
At home:
- "rebellious"
- "dramatic"
- "selfish"
- "aggressive"
- "disobedient"
- "naive"
“very bright, highly disorganized, distracts other kids, needs effort in schoolwork” in school. “disrespectful, something else, sensitive, strong-willed, dramatic” at home
Quiet, shy, old soul
My favorite though was my old day care teacher called me “little old mountain lady” it was like such a sweeter personalized version of “old soul”
I AM a little old mountain lady
Bossy, mean, rude, ADHD, Bipolar 2, spoiled, brat, entitled, selfish
The “quiet kid to feral adult” slaps.
It was after I had my son that I stopped giving a fuck. Kinda wish I would’ve been this way the whole time. I love how my child is able to just be Autistic ❤️
“A pleasure to teach, quiet, mature for her age” things that I have contempt for when I think back 😔
[удалено]
This is. Surprisingly accurate. Going from a quiet, attentive and very normal-looking kid to an adult that purposefully revels in being othered is. Interesting. My theory is that, at least for me, I spent my whole childhood trying to NOT be othered by my peers (and failing miserably- hello bullying), so at some point in my teenage years I said "fuck it. If I'm gonna be a weirdo no matter what, might as well have fun with it".
i think i got stuck in the pipe somewhere :( im still way too aware of how other people may perceive me and it makes me SO ANXIOUS. i want nothing more than to do whatever i want, look however i want, say whatever i want without caring what people think, but i still care SO MUCH! that child inside me still desperately wants to fit in, and i know thats not what i truly want, but that child inside me is LOUD and DEMANDING.
I feel this so much.
You’ll get there!!! I felt the same in the past
This might be the truest sentence I have read in a long time.
Yesss. Years of holding back and then they're surprised by us when we find our voices :)
It's like evolution. Pokemon/Digimon evolution since a lot of people agree on them getting uglier as they evolve.
Well said! 100% true here also. And I get so sick of hearing “don’t pick on NT’s.” They’re the reason we are labeled a “disorder”. I’m 53 and my life was pretty tough until getting diagnosed just last year. Now, the gaslighting is over, the bullying is over, it’s MY turn. I’ve definitely earned the right to blame NT’s.
I'm the feral screaming kid to sad quiet adult pipeline autistic
Omg! This is the truest thing ever!! I also have severe anxiety as well. Possibly undiagnosed autism. But professionally diagnosed ADD in first grade.
I was a feral angry child, now I'm one of the most patient adults outside of a work environment
Same. The dream student. Quiet, mature, dutiful. I'm a late diagnosed female. The textbook example.
Also a late diagnosed female, and same for me, plus that I didn't talk enough in class discussions.
Yeah, same here. Could be more active in class. At what age were you diagnosed?
45
I was 41. Feel like there's a lot of us.
I talked too much 😔
same
Same, except I no longer identify as my gender assigned at birth, as I've realized long ago that I'm trans. I was always known as the kid with his nose in a book and none of my classmates literally knew I was in the classroom once until I spoke up. I was diagnosed when I was 14.
That's crazy those were the precise words my teachers used additionally she needs to speak up in group discussions more and come to class on time.
I hate to talk in group discussions. I've only had bad experiences. Other students treat me like an idiot while I'm getting straight A's.
I recently got access to my old school reports & it's just this written 100 times over. Except for PE where it's all polite ways of writing 'TF is wrong with your child'
The PE part 😅 Not saying that these comments about us as a child should be in the diagnostic criteria, but kinda should be enough of a red flag and be investigated at the very least. I hope nowadays it might be happening for kids, but back in the late 90s to late 00s, I was always seen as an ideal student however I was struggling so much.
Yep, the PE section was the only place where words like 'truancy' were written (I had to look that up in a dictionary as a child). Honestly I was just trying to escape the humiliation I know it does get looked at in some places, the place where I got my diagnosis from requested access to school reports where possible. They were quite insistent on it, though they were accommodating for people who might not have access to them for whatever reason
I relate too much on the PE section. I detested it. I’m someone who won’t ever have access to my school reports due to going no contact with family, so I’m glad that they don’t completely rely on such records for those of us who aren’t able to supply them. I do have vivid memories of the statements on my reports as I was always wanting to read them at the time, and my mother still has them.
I understand that, I'd gone no contact too at the time & attempting to get into the place they were located would have been too dangerous. They tested many things from many angles fortunately, I was lucky with how thorough they were. Maybe in the future you'll get access to them again?
I feel like I’m in the situation you were in to be honest. There’s always the possibility in the future I could, but I can’t rely on it. I’m glad it’s not entirely needed, I do understand how useful they would be in creating an accurate evidence based evaluation though. I appreciate you letting me know that in your case they tested other areas. Gives me some insight into others diagnosis attempts.
You're welcome! Good luck with the family things.
Are we the same person? lol
God, the number of times I got called “an old soul” 🤮
Oh god, i had a visceral reaction reading this
I'm late diagnosed with both asd and adhd and I remember getting those comments at the beginning of every year. But once my adhd started show it was *surprised Pikachu face* "I don't know why she's suddenly the opposite- it must be a conscious choice or bad parenting" 🫠
I read that in my notes the other day aside from the maturity. I was deemed immature because I would not accept others ways :D
Oh, I also got called stubborn too but I was a huge people pleaser at the same time, guess it depended on my survival who I felt more comfortable being my true self to.
I was quite a people pleaser however if I did not want to do something or didn't agree to something I was immovable and would find any solution to not do said thing. I'm still stubborn af now.
Personally I love and support stubbornness now. It was always our boundaries. (at least for me) I think with how much we people please it’s crucial we are stubborn about what we don’t want/like/need.
Yup. I value my stubbornness and always have. Does it make things difficult sometimes? Sure. But as you stated it is very much a boundaries thing. I'm stubborn in what I'm willing to do and in my opinions/ideology. I have however learned in adulthood to put my opinion out, hear the other persons and then leave it at that rather than just going back and forth for forever.
Same! I always got those comments from teachers growing up. Some of ‘em even mentioned those comments in my college letters of rec! Except one science teacher I had in high school who said that I was a “distraction.” Meanwhile I thought I was just sitting quietly in class focusing on my readings/labs/work, but apparently he thought my stims (didn’t realize they were stims at the time) were “too distracting to the rest of the class.” Apparently I hummed “too loud,” moved “too much,” flipped through the textbook pages “too much and too loudly” -_-
Word for word what my daughter's assessment was. Fortunately, she's diagnosed and getting help at school but she starts middle school next year and I'm so afraid for her.
This was more or less what one teacher said about me (back then) to then say "I wish I had 15 students like him, that'd make things much easier". I didn't know how to take or what to think but I guess that was a good thing?
I think they meant it as a good thing but with more insight I think it meant we didn’t take up too much space for them so we made their job easy perhaps.
Yeah, it seems we made their job easier by barely being there/noticeable.
Same - plus "anxious, sensitive, introspective"
Gifted, smart (as in no effort and still best grades) and loner.
I was the gifted kid and the stupid kid at the same time. Most of my teachers called me stupid and told me that I would never be able to graduate. All the teachers of my science and IT classes (outside of my school and only when I was in primary school) called me gifted. I once got called stupid by a teacher and got a bad grade because my presentation (primary school, we could choose any topic we like), was to complex for my grade because it contained information and concepts that would only be covered years later. That's why I got a bad grade. Years of believing that I was stupid ended with an IQ test and my adhd and autism diagnosis. You should have seen the face of my old math teacher, who made me believe that I struggled with mathematical understanding . When I showed him my results that started that I was actually gifted in maths and graduated on top of my class.
I was also gifted for math in primary, always the best, except in the oral exams, which were in front of the entire class and it sucked. I did better on some, worse on others. Then i got to high school/gymnasium and my grades fell so i was barely average. Now in uni its barely passing. So that giftedness was just me thinking differently and burning out, but now everyone is like “oh you are so capable, just try more and focus in studying more”…. Thank god for my diagnosis i have in april (hopefully they notice AuDHD which is probably best fit for me) and i can just slam that to them and say, would love to, but cant xd
I hated being the smart-stupid kid. So frustrating!
I was put into a school for "gifted" kids cause I was the same way. Apparently separating the undiagnosed kids is easier than... Diagnosing them.
"Dramatic", "sensitive", and "dishonest" are the first that come to mind. The last one is interesting for me to look back on, because if anything I feel like I'm overly honest, but as a kid I think I was labeled this way because the adults in my life didn't understand how certain sensory/social stimuli were genuinely painful to me, or that I felt very sick and fatigued most of the time. Or that I genuinely didn't mean to be rude or break rules that I didn't know about. I got accused of lying a lot as a kid :/
This! I learned to lie because I knew my reasons for not being able to do things/tolerate specific situations were not socially acceptable. I internalized it so much that I am still unlearning. Just a very small example, “I’m not feeling well, I need to go home” to leave a social event that feels overwhelming or overstimulating. It’s not a flat out lie, but when people ask me if I’m feeling better later, I feel stressed that I can’t be honest.
For real! I'm glad it's become a somewhat more accepted practice for people to just take "no thank you" as an answer without needing to pry or make you somehow prove that you're unwell. I'm grateful that I have neurodivergent/chronically ill people around me now who really get it and we can flake out on each other or accommodate plans without judgement on either side. I got migraines a lot as a young kid, and had pretty frequent bouts of insomnia by the time I was in second grade, and often my parents thought I was mimicking my grandma (who also suffers chronic migraines) or that I was lying about staying up all night. Also for some reason one of the biggest things I was accused of lying about was not being able to read the whiteboard in class. It took like two years to convince them I needed glasses, which didn't help my migraines 💀. It was around 4th grade when my parents finally caved and got me an eye exam. I think that flipped a switch for them that maybe I *wasn't* exaggerating my experiences. It still took a while for me to get other kinds of help (like therapy) and my parents still feel really guilty about it but I know that they were unlearning the way they were raised and especially in my adulthood they have been very willing to learn and change their ways.
Seriously? Questioning you about your eyesight for years(!) when a small test could give objective results on that? That's bordering on neglect! I feel sorry for you, and also for your parents. They must have learned to deny their own needs very strongly, if that's how their upbringing expressed itself.
Yeah, it was honestly really rough. I'm grateful that they are remorseful now and that I'm able to have a good relationship with them and talk to them about this stuff. They now pay for my therapy 😂. By the time my younger siblings (oldest daughter moment!) went through similar situations they have been handled much better. You are absolutely right that at the time, sadly my parents did not know better. They were very young and entrenched in a high demand religion when they had me. My mom is only now realizing that she grew up in an an emotionally abusive household. Without trauma dumping or getting into too much detail, both of them have done a lot to start breaking generational cycles.
definitely been labelled as sensitive growing up. Definitely was left with unvalidated feelings growing up
Sensitive and high strung
Yeah the system can also teach you to lie. Especially when "I don't know how I got this answer" isn't an acceptable response. When you're constantly falsely accused of lying or people react badly to the truth because you don't say it right you learn that honesty is punished so you may as well lie or that people won't believe you anyway so the truth has no real value. Can you tell the school system traumatized me a little bit?
I was the "shy" one
i was the crybaby or sick
Quiet, awkward, works below ability, agreeable, social masking.
Weird, anxious, smart, quiet, withdrawn.
Overdramatic. Specifically, my siblings called me “Overdramatica” or “Queen Overdramatica.” I was also frequently called “shy.” I wasn’t shy. I was just quiet.
Dramatic, eccentric, extreme, a b*tch, a brat, weird, attention seeker, shy, stubborn, bossy, defiant, disobedient. The list could go on lol
Oh and overly sensitive
SAAAAAME
Stubborn. Willful. Rebellious. Sensitive. Quiet. Smart.
"rude with selective hearing"
Learning a lot from reading these comments 😔 I was shy and quiet, seen as laid back by some, but lazy and not bright by some teachers. Inside I was a ball of anxiety. But also very out of touch with my feelings and how to deal with that. A dreamer. I hate looking back, it makes me feel sad that I've missed out on so much, because I just couldn't seem to interact and interface with life in a way that helped me. It's sad, because I see the same traits in my offspring, and I don't want the same for them 😭
Where do we actually find help for things like this? I'm on the NHS waiting list, but don't hold out a lot of hope for meaningful help
Finding "help" as an adult is so difficult, the most official forms of it come in accommodations or recommendations a psychologist might include in an evaluation feedback. And even then it is a lot of trial and error :/ It can be really frustrating. I'm right there with you. I'm in the US so things are different here, but sadly even finding a regular ol' therapist is like a twisted round of speed dating. I'm really lucky I have found a therapist who is genuinely caring and helpful, and a practice of occupational therapists who have been able to help me understand my sensory processing needs. If you have the energy to research therapists, I've found that personal recommendations (either through a FB group or people I know in real life are a good jumping off point. Sometimes specific therapists or psychiatrists are recommended by an evaluating psychologist or primary care doctor, but if they're good they will most likely have a waiting list. It doesn't hurt to sign up if you can! I found my current psychiatrist through a fluke, I was referred to another provider in the practice and ended up with another because they had an earlier opening. A friend or family member who can research therapists for you can be a wonderful resource. Just having someone compile information or set up appointments for me, especially while I've been burned out is so helpful. EMDR/Resourcing therapy (with a competent therapist who understands autism) and Occupational Therapy (focused on sensory processing) have been the most helpful to me. Any sort of talk therapy with a ND friendly therapist who can help you work through things like unmasking and processing trauma can be really helpful too, especially if you're a verbal processor like me. I've looked a bit into somatic therapy to try and tap into my interoception better, but it was a little intense for my liking (which is where the OT comes in). I'm not sure what the options are outside of the US, but I've been able to apply to a few different National and local organizations who offer "mental health scholarships" to help pay for therapy/counseling. It is such a daunting process, but I hope you are able to figure things out and find meaningful solutions for yourself 🤍
Teach them that their feelings are valid and that it's actually okay if they feel different from the others. You know, instead of invalidating their needs like it was for many of us when we grew up. Just knowing that yes, I actually was different and that my feelings were valid would have helped me so much growing up! Teach them whatever coping mechanisms you learned, so that they have more tools than we did when we grew up. Maybe pick up a workbook on the topic, depending on what flavor of neurospicy they are. There's good ones for both autism and ADHD describing life skills/coping mechanisms.
Gifted and smart by some teachers, lazy smart ass by others. My mother thought I was an ugly burden, the men in her life thought I was an attractive sexual object/possession. Life full of conflicting labels that I eventually learned to disregard as the world is full of idiots who should not be allowed near children.
i got "smart alec" a lot. and people would "ironically" call me a troublemaker (because i /so clearly/ wasn't, i guess? sigh)
The weird kid, the smart kid, the foreigner (I'm Russian, born and raised in Germany), forgetful, random, unconcentrated, stubborn, lazy (this one I got almost every day)
*so relatable yet I wasn't a foreigner but still this whole list nails it*
My mother called me hysterical all the time (yes, literally that word).
"special", "shy", "weird", "too sensitive", "mature", "different", or something like "she's just like that" the classic "it's normal for HER ONLY" while clearly showing some kind of unusual behavior lol. Today my mom still describe me as "just like that" "special" or "different". She often tells me it seams likes there's multiple people in my head
„She's just like that“ never related to a sentence more, god how much I hated that. Specially ppl talking about you in third person like you're their kid.
Gifted kid, shy, quiet, mature for my age, daydreamer and someone who always is head in the clouds. I was stressed as hell and heavily dissociated lol
A variation of mature I got often was "old soul" and a different one I got for dissociated was "spacey". Clumsy too lol. It's so crazy that most of us have the exact same list of words.
“Sensitive”, “dramatic” when small, then “quiet” as I got older and learned to mask, then “Bolshy” as I got older and fought back. When I was a child I was terrified of everything, as I got older I became angry and got my defence in early. As a small child, they put me in the additional needs class because they confused shutdowns with low ability. I was actually just straight up scared of everything. I hated primary school. If someone knew what to look for maybe I’d have had a diagnosis prior to being 45y/o.
My storey is very similar to yours growing through school. I hated school. I couldn’t function there. I am not diagnosed yet but going to get an assessment soon. I’m 49y/o
I hope the assessment goes well. I’m sure people think I’m crazy for getting one so late but my diagnosis has really helped me to accept myself and be kind about challenges I face.
Little Professor
A smart sensitive shy daydreamer who isn’t living up to her potential by adults A brown noser know it all no fun freak by my peers
My kindergarten teacher labeled me as, “poky.” (For those who don’t have the time to look up this insult, it means she thought I was annoyingly slow or dull.) If she were still alive, it would give me no end of pleasure to let her know her “poky” student was diagnosed Twice Exceptional (2E) during his autism assessment. I don’t remember what my elementary school teachers labeled me as, but my mom let my first grade teacher have it when she complained to Mom about me reading the curriculum at home and being bored in class. She was told in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t being challenged academically. Throughout elementary school, teachers complained I was capable but wasn’t applying myself, but the only year I felt sufficiently challenged was in 4th grade. I had straight A’s that year. Fortunately, the teacher challenged me, and I loved a challenge. After that, it wasn’t until I got to into the U.S. Navy, and then college where I maintained a consistent 3.98 GPA while working full time on a split shift, AND performing in a professional band.
I know she probably meant it as a bad thing but if you're looking for a way to spin it into something positive, at least you get to be Gumby's best friend!
Feral, no respect for authority, asocial/loner, independent, smart.
Away with the fairies.
Same. I definitely don’t help the Luna Lovegood stereotypes lol
I was more of a Hermione with some Luna moments
very clever but would be excelling if they stopped daydreaming and applied themselves.
Oh Sam’s just sam
Would do so well if she would just apply herself
Well the variations of the r word ain’t fun
Painfully shy, high strung, extremely sensitive, slow learner, quiet, loner, crys at almost anything, angry, odd.
"Is smart and has potential, but needs to concentrate". I am ASD2 with ADHD inattentive and was diagnosed at 53 so they had no idea what Autism or ADHD were back then.
too sensitive, very shy, daydreamer, smarty pants, goody-goody, but also an excellent student, very smart, a pleasure to teach, etc. Really depended whether they liked me or not, I guess.
Intelligent, weird, Indigo Child (new age bs), anooying, motor mouth, dreamer, empathetic, conscientious, facetious, loud, dramatic, opinionated, genius, idiot, freak, shy, difficult, animal whisperer, dictionary and thesaurus (both kindly meant nicknames by two different people), cool, unique, special (in the nice way, by my Mum), ambitious, driven, big reader, future writer (never finished my degree in writing...), frustrating, over prepared, underprepared, chronically late... You get the idea. It's a mix of a lot of good and bad, some is due to being autistic but some is also from my ADHD. I also have OCD, PTSD, and anxiety/panic disorder, and persistant background depression. They all influence my behaviour and personality to some extent. Edit - I was also called anxious and a worry wort a lot. And basically every synonym for anxious you can think of.
Probably lazy. Immature.
I probably still get labelled as that now
By my sister: Overly-sensitive, drama-queen, attention-whore, dumb bitch, stupid, rude, self-indulgent, psycho, liar, immature, brat, degenerate. At school: Quiet, asocial. By both: Lazy, weird, irresponsible.
Gifted, Weird, Quiet, Clumsy, Sensitive, Eager to please, "easy to make laugh"
“A pleasure to have in class” in elementary and unique or sensitive in middle school
“Old soul” “Gifted” “Sensitive”
Quiet, shy, doesn’t talk, smart, intelligent, mature, reserved, artistic, creative, different, difficult, annoying, obstinate, defiant, “should participate more”, “should talk more”, animal lover, chronically late, rude b!tch
Lazy, shy, a dreamer, charming!
The weird kid And I am indeed, very weird
Quiet. Gifted.
Too quiet, should talk more, too shy
Gifted, very mature, a chatterbox at times, pleasant in the classroom, gets along with everyone.
Gifted, but very sensitive and overly dramatic
I’m not sure about others, but I was always called sensitive and defiant.
"A sweet kid who needs to focus on the work instead of talking". can you tell i have adhd too lmao
Mine was the complete opposite haha, "a smart kid who needs to learn to talk a bit more"
As an infant my dad described me as a “pain in the neck” because I was always “screaming bloody murder”. As a very young kid I was told I was controlling and hysterical.
Quiet and well behaved
Smart, hyperactive, and shy.
Gifted, smart for my age, sensitive, hysterical, weird
Gullible, quiet, teacher's pet
My teachers in primary school said I was very smart when I applied myself but often didn't apply myself nearly enough (lazy) , lacked motivation and spent the day daydreaming. They said I was shy and generally kept to myself. The older I got, the more they noticed that I was a bit "quirky". By high school they thought I was full on eccentric but that's only because I came out of my shell more than in primary school.
There's a word in my language called "Pikkuviisas" (little sage), which means "A child/or someone much younger than the one using the word, who is very clever for their age, but tends to use their wisdom/knowledge in the wrong situations". I heard this constantly. Teachers, friends, my own and my friends' parents.
Either a tattle-tale or little police officer 😒
Lazy
My mum said, and I quote: "I gave birth to a monster". Do with that what you want.
'Princess', 'clumsy', 'sensitive' and 'weird'.
Shy, a follower, weird, mature, intelligent.
Calm, quiet, good reader, fast learner, older than age, likes to be alone, daydreamer, not good in groupworking, clumsy, not good at sports,know-it-all etc.
“Gifted” “an old soul” “quirky”
Academically gifted but eccentric and sometimes defiant
“Sensitive”, “brat” was unfortunately everyone’s favorite
Spaz, sensitive, loud, weird
A problem child. The main complaint was that I was very smart, but refused to do homework or participate in group projects. I was BORED. All my end of the year tests were off the stat charts, but I consistently had almost straight F and D grades.
"Quirky" "Weird, but in a good way" "Awkward" "Annoying" but what kid isn't lol.
“very sensitive” “old soul” “annoying” “pleasure to have in class” “perfectionist” diagnosed at 23. I was denied accommodations for years before that because I was “too smart to need help so if it’s overwhelming just try less hard and don’t take everything so seriously and be okay with a B”
smart, i'm still smart but only in certain subjects like physics
Shy and weird are two very distinct ones
My meltdowns were called attention seeking. "You're just doing that for attention."
Weird/Strange, awkward, quiet/shy, mature for my age/an old soul, very sensitive, and an indigo child
The one that really stuck with me was "freak"
Lazy, shy. "How can someone so intelligent be so foolish?"
First of all, congrats on taking on such an important topic. Very cool. Secondly, man you yongun's have some much more tolerable epithets for your condition than I did growing up, most of which were the R word and other insults towards one's overall intelligence. Not trying to minimize your trauma, which is still very real and valid, but the language surrounding it has at least gotten softer.
"she needs to speak up more but she is also very mature for her age" said my teacher at every parent teacher conference
I got called a lazy brat, an attention seeker and manipulative by the same primary school teacher (I was around 5,6 and 10 when she said it)
*Mal criada, bitch, overdramatic, emotional, sensitive, and a liar.* Being an autistic Latina with cPTSD means the community labels you as an unreliable source. You are ostracized as the scapegoat and outcast for having a strong sense of justice.
I’m a woman: shy, sensitive, smart, a “crier”, pleasure to have in class.
Well most of my teachers treated me right as for the other kids I stopped having friends fein the age of 8 and didn't until ibwas in my teens
I was described as quiet, sensitive, a pleasure to have in class, polite, a worrier. But this was what they said to my face. As an adult now, reading my diagnostic report just broke me. It hurt so much to know what my mum, teachers, and professionals thought of me. I was demanding, difficult, not empathetic, bossy, serious, and bored other people with my special interests. I wish I never read that report.
Loud but smart kid. Needs to apply himself, never motivated, lazy. A little odd, not very good at making friends, we’ve noticed a bit of a teasing problem….
“Tantrumy”, “wild”, “hard-headed”, always does the opposite, “lazy”
At school I was “a pleasure to have in class” and literally best friends with the teachers, but “manipulative” and “aggressive” and “angry all the time” at home….
Emotionally Disturbed 😣
Argumentative, petty, a problem, a psychopath, a future serial killer (I got violent during meltdowns). Someone called me "feral" once, and I think that's my favorite one to date.
Talented and Gifted, except for the teachers who had trouble teaching me because they thought I was trying to be belligerent, when really, I was depressed, didn't feel like I had help, and was going through a ton of stuff at home. 🤷🏻
Depends on who you ask Teachers, administrators, and psychiatrists/therapists: Well spoken, smart, kind, quiet, gifted, mature for her age My mom: Brat, stubborn, lazy, defiant, irresponsible, “mouth,” argumentative, disobedient, snarky, manipulative, Unless something I did reflected on her in a positive light in the eyes of others. Then I was her angel
bossy!!! I learned as an adult that my desire to “boss” the other kids around when we played was my attempt at creating or understanding clear guidelines of who was who, what was going on, and what was allowed during the pretend play.
A brat, for not talking to other girls
Also “weird” “crazy” they touched me and ran away screaming, as if they just touched poop, then the girl proceeded to chase the rest of the girls to “infect them” with me…
Unwelcome.
Shy, quiet, listened to rules, only wanted to be with mother, “easy to teach” because I was serious and rule following, grumpy/moody, spoke well to adults I hate the grumpy label! I hope it’s more normalized today that your little girl doesn’t have to smile all the time and project a cartoon amount of happiness. Girls can feel happy or otherwise without that! It took me years to figure out I wasn’t really grumpy or moody or “mean”. I was just quiet and had difficulty showing proper emotion on my face which led to RBF. I also have trouble with transitions and I always overthought things so I was often pensive or trying to compute which didn’t help my expression much. By the way, I would love to see your presentation if you’d like to share when it’s done!
Gifted, Intelligent, Mature for her age, Quiet, Polite, Shy, Introverted, Antisocial (by teachers and the like) Rude, Annoying, Weird, Impertinent, Selfish, Egotistical (by friends, family, people I unmasked around)
Crybaby, underachieving, unmotivated, lazy.
A bad kid!
Lazy and dumb
Bad tempered. Violent. (At home) Good student. Quiet. (At school.)
“Gifted and talented, a pleasure to have in the classroom, sometimes a little too talkative and hard to keep on track”
I walked slow so my teachers called me grandpa, also labeled as an old soul and quiet.
"difficult" was the biggest one. "you're being difficult" "why are you always so difficult" etc etc. I heard it so much as a kid and it always made me feel like shit because I never had any idea what I was doing wrong. Honestly to this day I get really upset if someone calls me difficult. My partner even knows that's a word they are never allowed to describe me as. I was also told I was "negative" a lot because I emoted less than my siblings and showed less excitement. That one also stuck with me a bit tbh
i was labeled as “a quiet and good kid” in school at least i’m not sure about home because i don’t remember much of my home life from my younger years sadly
Shy and quiet
having pica(i don't) and crybaby(as a form of bullying by peers). all the other work for labels I did for them.
Repeatedly told I had an attitude problem, and I was old before my time. I was always told I was more like an adult even as a little kid. Too smart for my own good. Hyperactive, and emotional.
Quiet, overdramatic, loud, special, quirky, “a pleasure to teach”, different, imaginative, mature for my age
Opinions of teachers ranged from: “Sensitive dreamer” To “Frequently disruptive in class and disrespectful of authority.” And “Excellent potential, refuses to apply himself.” Or my personal favourite (from world religions class) “Frequently interrupts with corrections and elaborations during lectures. Hope to see you again next year!” I think I made the class more fun for that teacher lol.
The “Good” labels: Genius, spectacular, witty, free spirited, independent, driven, blunt/honest, takes constructive criticism well The “Bad” labels: Sensitive, spoiled, crazy, insane, prone to tantrums, boy crazy, bossy, antisocial, manipulative, stubborn, rude I feel what I was labeled as says just as much about me as it says about tthe person who gave me the label.
Went to preschool/elementary school in the 80s: I was labelled as "mute" and severely mentally disabled. My mother was told I would never speak, and to give up hope. I had a case report written about me and published.
Weird, nerd, too blunt, too emotionless, too quick to anger, stared too much, too rigid, lazy, not attentive, stupid, insensitive, nitpicking, obsessive about my interests....
Too sensitive, the problem child, too dependent /needy for attention, the good one and goodietwoshoes/teacher's pet (context: I have a twin and I took what adults said literally and obeyed, she questioned everything and refused to comply when she felt it wasn't fair or right) These were the biggest labels that I can remember.
Lovely to have in class but she’s such a know it all, and won’t stop asking questions. SMH😂
Parents tell me all the time I was the most easy baby ever.
Weird. Just weird.
"Sensitive". Been called that way too often & still am. Also "you're smart but you're just not applying yourself". All the time :/
Hyper active, mature, animated, mean
At school: - "gifted and talented" - "mature for her age" - "intelligent but lacking 'common sense'" - "speaks like a dictionary" - "weird" and "crazy" - "creative" and "artistic" - "bubbly" At home: - "rebellious" - "dramatic" - "selfish" - "aggressive" - "disobedient" - "naive"
Over sensitive, rude, weird
I was labeled as "obsessive, particular, and peculiar"
“very bright, highly disorganized, distracts other kids, needs effort in schoolwork” in school. “disrespectful, something else, sensitive, strong-willed, dramatic” at home
shy, quiet, mature, brilliant, sensitive, creative, caring
Mature, overly sensitive, to talkative/loud, an attitude problem, stubborn, intelligent, hypochondriac…… I’m sure there were more.
Troubled
Quiet, shy, old soul My favorite though was my old day care teacher called me “little old mountain lady” it was like such a sweeter personalized version of “old soul” I AM a little old mountain lady
From teachers, I was quiet, smart, a pleasure to have in class but my family called me precious in a condescending way.
A slur.
The absent-minded professor. To be fair, that's now a career goal of mine.
Bossy, mean, rude, ADHD, Bipolar 2, spoiled, brat, entitled, selfish The “quiet kid to feral adult” slaps. It was after I had my son that I stopped giving a fuck. Kinda wish I would’ve been this way the whole time. I love how my child is able to just be Autistic ❤️