hey there hexbear nd gang! it's that time of year for the first time ever!
here we are once again approaching the end of the year according to the roman imperial calendar that we all have to use for some reason. it's the winter holiday season in the global north, a time of great symbolic significance to many people.
and so, i want to solicit your thoughts about this community, what it means to you, how you'd like to see it evolve, changes in moderation policy, suggestions for thumbnail and banner images, or anything else related to the comm or neurodiversity in general.
or just come hang out!
i also want to invite applications for new moderators for this comm. what would you like to do as a moderator for c/neurodiversity?
personally i've largely been a placeholder, but i do love this community and i want to see it grow as a shared and safe space for our neurodivergent comrades to talk about ourselves and with each other. i also want to do better and want your input about what that means.
c/nd has a well behaved user base so we don't need extra mod help for enforcement or anything like that. what i'm mainly looking for is fresh perspectives on community engagement and growth.
there is absolutely no requirement to disclose any personal information about yourself, just to make that clear. but if you're interested in moderating this community, please contact @CARCOSA@hexbear.net, myself, and/or the other nd mods with an application.
if deadlines help motivate you, you have 3 days from the time you read this.
if deadlines harm your motivation, don't worry about it. if an application comes in a month or two from now of course we'll still consider it. this isn't a job, i'm just asking for volunteers to help moderate a small internet message board.
Application
What is your Hexbear username?
Do you have any preferred pronouns?
What are your thoughts on capitalism?
What are your thoughts on imperialism?
What are your thoughts on trans rights?
What are your thoughts on racial justice?
What are your thoughts on neurodiversity?
What do think about current and previous protests around the world?
What are your thoughts on Veganism and Animal Liberation?
Do you have any experience with other leftist online communities? What did those experiences teach you?
What is your approach to moderation, and how do you work with teams?
How do you deal with online drama and people who try to start things for the sake of it?
Do you have any ideas for c/neurodiveristy community engagement?
What is your general time availability? (amounts, common browsing times, etc)
Element information
Element is a messaging app that lets you talk to people over the Matrix protocol.
To get started, check out this link, where you can choose to either download Element for your platform or, if on a computer, open it in a browser ("Launch Element Web").
The instructions that follow are for the desktop application and the web application, but the process is similar on all apps:
- Press "Create Account"
- We host our own Matrix server, so if you want you can change
matrix.orgtochapo.chat. This is completely optional; users who sign up with amatrix.orgusername can still talk to people withchapo.chatusername. (Note: It ischapo.chat, nothexbear.net. Also, registrations aren't always open onchapo.chat; if they're not, just create an account onmatrix.org) - Fill in a username and password
- Hit register, and you're done!
I've never been formally diagnosed with anything, and because I could always function reasonably well in society without special accommodations I never thought of myself as any flavour of neurodiverse. But lately tiktok has been recommending me a ton of autism videos out of the blue. I've found that I deeply relate to (among others) the ones about maladaptive daydreaming, rehearsing potential future conversations, deep focus on special interests, not being good at picking up on social cues, problems recognizing or remembering faces, demand avoidance, and the whole masking thing. Some of them more severely than others, and some change in severeness over time. None bad enough long-term to prevent me from holding down a conventional office job and live independently.
So many other areas of concern are ones that I don't experience at all. I've never been bothered by fabric textures. I have no problems with either making or avoiding eye contact as socially appropriate. I don't much care what I eat so long as it's somewhat-healthy, so I don't have "safe foods". I can be in a crowd indefinitely so long as I'm not having to interact much with them, such as on public transit or in crowded streets. I have no problem with ambient sounds so I don't need to do the 24/7 noise-cancelling headphone thing. I'm told that I can be downright charming in conversation on occasion.
So what could I be? Somewhere on the very mild end of the spectrum? Not on the spectrum at all, but I merely have some personality quirks that are coincidentally in common in people who actually are? Something else? I'm pretty confused about it all. I'd think it would be odd to be entirely lacking in some symptoms and experiencing the others to fairly mild degrees if it were actually a form of autism. I'm hoping someone here is or was in the same boat and could give advice.
Have a read of this, https://neuroclastic.com/its-a-spectrum-doesnt-mean-what-you-think/
My experience is somewhat similar to yours. It's also highly likely that I could get an autistic diagnosis at some level/category (as defined by government for funding/support needs).
For me I’m not so concerned with that, as it's expensive, and I can't see it helping to a great degree, even if eligible for limited government funding/support (too much paperwork and rules for me to deal with easily). Your circumstances may be different, and a diagnosis may benefit you. I started HRT MtF a year ago and most people i meet now are either diagnosed, looking for a diagnosis or self-identify. Do whatever you think will help you.
I watch YouTube, listen to others, and try to deal with some of my quirks and issues in healthier ways. If I can do that successfully then I will really be able to improve my quality of life.
Having some sort of professional support does really help though. I managed to find a therapist for next to nothing who has been a real positive influence on my life. It's one of the reasons I haven't sought a diagnosis or visited the psychologist. Sometimes I thinks i might have better help via a psychologist, but the cost for that is much higher. Plus, if I’m not putting the effort in to deal with what I’ve covered in therapy, then I risk wasting my limited funds with the more expensive option.
Thanks for the link! That was a great read.
I have no advice but I’m in a similar boat and would like to learn more. Until recently I thought most of my eccentricities were derived from my health problems but it seems they've actually evolved dialectically, and I'm wondering what else I've missed about myself.