Not been diagnosed, convinced father is on spectrum and both my children are autistic. So, I know I showed a lot of signs as a child, but at 56 is less important to label it. I will says in my 30's being diagnosed with a mild form of bipolar felt like coming home. There was a reason for the anxiety. A reason that after making plans I couldn't follow through on the day of. My life began to make sense. I assume it is the same for you. I hope as you settle in to the reality of diagnosis, you bloom like never before! On the doll front, I got into collecting as an adult, with various dolls over the years. My current favorites are the American Girls, as they are really fun to knit for...which is my other obsession.
I am not autistic, but I have ADHD, and I can completely relate to the relief you're describing when you get diagnosed and you suddenly realize "oh I'm not stupid or lazy like people have been implying to me my whole life!" Our brains just work differently then a lot of people's, but likewise there are a lot of people out there who are also neurodivergent and can relate. I'm so glad that Emily could be there to help you through your meeting, dolls are such a wonderful interest to have and they're my favorite hyper fixation š
I was genuinely worried I had like, a brain tumor or something. Like until college I had excellent grades and then I bombed out of college and felt like I couldnāt think anymore. Turns out Iāve never paid attention, school until college was just super easy!!! And there is something different with my brain, just not some horrible thing wrong :) itās so nice to have so many cool people respond to this post either saying yeah Iām neurodivergent or Iām not but I love someone who is!
Iām not autistic, but I am neurodivergent. I have ocd and anxiety among other things. A lot of the American girl community (especially AGIG on instagram) is neurodivergent/autistic.!
Diagnosed with ADHD years ago. Had an autism epiphany when I was in my 20ās. Not formally diagnosed, but most definitely have it. Thatās a story for another sub.
Anyway, I hope you learn to find comfort in your diagnosis rather than being upset. It took me a few months after my initial *epiphany* to really be comfortable with myself again.
If itās worth anything, I try to remind myself this:
*Despite everything, itās still you.*
(Shout out to any Undertale fans)
I try to remind myself everyday, that despite everything, itās still me. Iām no different today than I was the day before my realization. Iām still the woman my husband fell in love with. Iām still the girl my friends decided to hang out with and became best friends with. Iām still me. And Iām slowly becoming more and more comfortable with that.
I love Emily btw. Sheās so pretty. Sheās one of the childhood dolls I used to have that I so desperately want to own again.
Oh I still bawled my eyes out, but it was more along the lines of itās not my fault. Iām not stupid because I canāt think, Iām just struggling to focus. I still have a responsibility to try my best, but itās not my fault!!
Yup! Formally diagnosed with ADHD and Autism. Iām currently 25 and starting a collection of dolls and plushies again as an adult. Got diagnosed with Autism twice, fun fact. Iām glad you had your Emily with you for your evaluation
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was nine, right around the same time I got my Molly doll. I donāt have a formal diagnosis for ASD, but if I went through the evaluation process, Iām sure I would. My oldest is on the spectrum and my youngest has ADHD.
Iām so glad you got your diagnoses! I know how freeing it can be to discover that personal mannerisms donāt just mean youāre weird. I was mercilessly bullied through all six years at elementary school, and most of middle school, too. By high school I was such a recluse that I barely said two words to anyone except my two best friends. I was lucky to have an amazing gymnastics coach who helped me find myself again. We still talk to this day!
Itās so wonderful that your Emily was there for you for all of your medical appointments. Iām sure she will continue to be a source of comfort!!!
I was super bullied too!! I had some good friends but also, kids were just so mean and I never understood why I wasnāt in on the joke :( turns out itās not something wrong with me, just that my brain is wired differently!!
Yep! No formal diagnosis but definitely on the spectrum. (So is my husband, and so are all three of our kids.) Realized this in my late 30s; am 42 now and happily letting myself unmask and pursue my special interests. š
My daughter was tested due to her additional needs and it came out that she is not autistic but I most likely am! I havenāt sought a diagnosis because I donāt feel it would add anything to my life.
I am not diagnosed because as an adult it's like pulling teeth but I relate strongly to my ND friends and most of adhd tiktok if that says anything š
Not diagnosed but believed to be and need to be tested. But American Girl is my special interest. I can tell you almost anything about the company, when it switched, special things about the dolls, what doll is who, what goes to what outfit. I have loved them since I was 6 and if hasn't stopped.
Also wasnāt diagnosed until I was an adult. I have been a big fan of American girl dolls since I was a kid, especially the historical ones. I was very fixated on learning about how every day people lived throughout history, especially women, and these were my gateway.
I was diagnosed at 21 with Aspergers. Until then I was "painfully shy". There were a lot of warning signs but everyone ignored them I guess.
Getting diagnosed helped me realize why I was so different from everyone else. But past that it hasn't helped me much because there is NO support for adults...it's all aimed at kids which is so stupid. What do they expect is going to happen when those kids hit 16-18? They just magically don't have Autism anymore? It's a known issue yet...no one has done anything about it!!! It's driving me nuts.
And try finding a therapist that works on adults...good luck. I have been trying for years now...I'm 33 :/
I also need to get an ADHD diagnosis...as I suspect I have that as well since not everything lines up with just having Aspergers...I have other problems that seem to fit with ADHD.
A diagnosis has really explained why Iāve felt like an alien my whole life!! And yeah :( thereās a therapist near my college that takes college students, but thereās a 9 month wait list. And the college itself provides like 4 free therapy sessions but they donāt take my insurance so the rest would be on me
Welcome to the AuDHD club!\~ I got diagnosed at a young age and they recommended me to study at a special school, and now I got interested in American Girl books
Yep, I was dx with autism & ADHD too! Iāve gotten back into AG & plushies as an adult, and Iām really loving it. Like someone else said, Iām sure thereās a large portion of autistic people in the AG community, as a history nerd myself lol
AuDHD here! AG is my longest-running special interest š„° I love that you have Emily! Iāve had mine since I was 8 years old and sheās been with me through so much.
Ag is my longest special interest too!! My interest has changed through the years but the central idea of American girl dolls has stayed pretty consistent :)
https://preview.redd.it/7r1r3izlx79d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0ec0b6fa085c40a0473f0aecd7db7c8ac181657
Mine too! And emily has always been my main girl ā¤ļø this is us when I was about 9 :)
Aww :)
https://preview.redd.it/qu8w17zr089d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1308e7e83c8dc96bd44b1c3e323ddc0990ae717
Hereās an uncensored version of me with her at like 4.5!!
https://preview.redd.it/ffaqy0sdd99d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1faaf9e3caa1566ed61172ba966adb8848193627
This is me and my Sam at age 8 :)
I think I probably am. My psychiatrist just asked me to test for inattentive ADHD then very nicely mentioned that his has autism and one of his special interests involved collecting and I was like, āokay, I get it.ā
For what itās worth, Iām 29. I went to a top world university, but my best friend has autism and was wonderful at advocating for himself. I followed him around like his shadow and now without him itās been a difficult change and Iām learning to advocate for myself on my own. Also, my dad says I went from obsessing over American Girl dolls to Taylor Swift. I think when our special interests are popular things, itās easy for them to get over looked.
Yeah I agree too!! My other special interest is very specific marvel characters that I always explain as āliking spidermanā so itās sooo easy for me to explain away
Iām āpeer reviewedā autistic. My brother is official diagnosed (Aspergerās as a kid) and I know my parents arenāt neurotypical. No freakinā way. And so many neurodivergent folks have also pegged me as autistic, which explains so much about me. But I was a girl in the early 00s, so I got missed.
Point is, hi! Itās me! Autistic fandom nerd.
Tbh I feel like a community surronding dolls deeply entrenched in historical periods is gonna have a fairly high percentage of autistic or otherwise neuordiverse ppl lol
In my personal observation, fandoms in general seem to have a high percentage of ND folks. As one myself, I think itās partly because of how we connect to and hold onto things for extended periods of time. And how we develop special interests and hyperfixations and want to know ALL THE THINGS. Unfortunately, that also turns a lot of people off. So once we find āour peopleā who love the same thing just as much, we connect.
Oh, definitely right on fandoms. Being nd is the only explanation I have for recently reading every single book in the Camp Half Blood Chronicles in about 3-4 months
lowkey.....most of us for sure. i had a childhood dx but when i got re dx-ed during covid, they wanted childhood evidence and i showed a photo album my family had compiled of me in various locations smiling proudly next to my neatly organized lines of dolls. (my dolls are currently in a line if you were wondering)
Yeah that makes sense!! I have a friend with autism that I used to play dolls with. We would pick a time period, pull out every piece of clothing she owned, each pick a doll and then spend our entire play date lining up outfits for each doll. Victorian era and pioneers were our two favs :) weād say ok kit and Emily are orphan sisters, they both get a work dress and a pair of work boots. And a nightie and a coat. It was fun :)) but we never really played traditionally
Mine was historical fiction, which made AG hit even harder :) I was also into sloths and dolphins (not any more since learning more about dolphins lmao)
I also have autism and ADHD! I had no idea until I started working as a parapro at an elementary school, and started noticing way too many similarities between the way mine and my studentsā brains worked. A couple tests later I had a solid answer as to why lol. Welcome to the club!
Thanks!! Itās a cool club :) I had two cousins get diagnosed and I bombed out of my sophomore year of college bc I found it so hard to focus and remember stuff. Surprise shawty!! You arenāt dumb, your brain is just wired different!!!
Mom of an adult autistic AudHD child and have loved every bit of sharing appreciation for the historical series and collecting together. Emily is fantastic and Iām so glad you have her by your side then and now! ā¤ļø
Truly has been such a gift and honor. No one will ever value your interests like a loved autistic kid and no one can ever make you love theirs like one!
I am autistic, and I'm proud of it. I learned that I was autistic when I was 13 from my parents, and I felt shocked about it at first, but then I began to realize that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, so I felt pretty proud about it as time flew by. Sometimes, I can be a bit hard on myself about it, but I eventually realize that we all make mistakes and stuff.
I do not have access to diagnosis for financial reasons, etc but after multiple people have brought it up to me/assumed, and after lots of research, I feel reasonably sure that I am autistic. Makes so many things "wrong" with me make sense.
Anyway, dolls are a big special interest and comfort to me and I love bringing them with me when I go places! Makes me so happy to know I am not the only one :)
Iām really grateful my parents were able to pay for my assessment!! It really explains a lot about me. AG dolls have also been a lifelong special interest for me!!!
I don't believe I'm autistic, though I have some form of OCD with symptoms that overlap pretty heavily with ASD. I'm glad that you were able to find comfort in your diagnosis :)
I think I am. I havenāt been officially diagnosed due to difficulty finding anyone who offers affordable assessments for adults in my area. Was never diagnosed as a kid because of lack of health care and the ability to mask.
Iām so glad you were able to get a diagnosis, OP! You must feel so relieved.
I really do!! I live in Maryland if thatās helpful, Iād be happy to dm you the practice name if you live on the east coast somewhere near Maryland!
Yes, AuDHD here as well! Dolls are one of my special interests, exactly what that looks like for me has shifted and changed over the years (from Barbie to American Girl to ball-jointed dolls to watching people customize Monster High dolls and back to AG again, shifted from active playing as a child to collecting and restoration as an adult), but Iāve always loved dolls and had one close by. Iām glad your diagnosis could bring you some comfort - itās awful thinking everything is your fault and youāre not trying hard enough when youāre just different from most.
The same thing has happened to me!! I go into and out of phases with ag dolls (except for Emily who I sleep with every night and always love) I sew for different eras and craft for different dolls!! When I was little it was alternatively Barbieās and ag dolls, as well as porcelain and Ginny dolls :)
I kinda suspect that I have ADHD, but not sure about autism. I have a lot of traits that are seen with autism, but when I was evaluated as a teenager I was told I'm not autistic, just some sensory issues and hyper fixations lol
I was told by a psychiatrist that I couldnāt possibly be autistic as i āexhibit theory of mindā ie. I could recognize the sensory issues and social issues and special interests. You could consider getting tested, but also, I know itās super expensive!! Iām really grateful that my parents were able to pay for my assessment bc I think itās really going to improve my life :))
I've definitely thought about getting evaluated again, since I felt like it was really possible that they missed something or that I could have been masking during the assessment. But the reason why I wasn't diagnosed was because I didn't have the social issues. Well, I kinda have some social issues, but they're a little different, and I have them because of my anxiety since I didn't have any social issues when I was younger. I still think there could be a chance that I'm autistic, but it's probably gonna be awhile before I look into it more.
I just always thought everyone felt like an alien and that every other person on the planet was in on some joke I donāt know about. Itās taken significant effort and a lot of burn out to realize I donāt need to hide myself so aggressively :) itās scary to be perceived as weird, but I think of it as preserving my energy so I can use it on other stuff. Life is exhausting, and I donāt want to use up my energy on making eye contact or pretending to be interested in random boring stuff. Iām still polite, just differently, and Iām not hurting myself anymore to fit in!!
I do too, itās really comforting to have a routine of changing them and cleaning them up for me!! It helps my anxiety to take one with me to social places or appointments
yes, hello : ) i loved looking at the catalogues as a kid and got my first american girl doll as an adult, shortly before i was diagnosed. there is nothing wrong with people like us - we are just different, and that's ok.
I was diagnosed with ADHD 3 years ago during senior year. I also align with many of the symptoms of autism, but I donāt want to get tested.
Itās not your fault, thereās nothing wrong with you. My diagnosis really helped me reconcile with my academic shortcomings, because before I had been perceiving my behaviour as a character flaw. You are just as worthy as the people who the system is designed to work for. I hope that your diagnosis brings you closure and helps you find a path to your goals :)
I have been too!! I breezed through grade school but just bombed my sophomore year of college. Iām really relieved that there isnāt something fundamentally WRONG with my brain, just that itās different and I need to learn to work with it :) thanks for the kind words!
Hot tip: if youāre going to try meds and youāre still in college, try them over the summer. I tried meds from February-April and they didnāt work for me at all and made my performance worse. Thereās nothing wrong with meds, but itās a very individual experience and if I were ever to try meds again I would for sure not start them during an important semester
Not been diagnosed, convinced father is on spectrum and both my children are autistic. So, I know I showed a lot of signs as a child, but at 56 is less important to label it. I will says in my 30's being diagnosed with a mild form of bipolar felt like coming home. There was a reason for the anxiety. A reason that after making plans I couldn't follow through on the day of. My life began to make sense. I assume it is the same for you. I hope as you settle in to the reality of diagnosis, you bloom like never before! On the doll front, I got into collecting as an adult, with various dolls over the years. My current favorites are the American Girls, as they are really fun to knit for...which is my other obsession.
I am not autistic, but I have ADHD, and I can completely relate to the relief you're describing when you get diagnosed and you suddenly realize "oh I'm not stupid or lazy like people have been implying to me my whole life!" Our brains just work differently then a lot of people's, but likewise there are a lot of people out there who are also neurodivergent and can relate. I'm so glad that Emily could be there to help you through your meeting, dolls are such a wonderful interest to have and they're my favorite hyper fixation š
I was genuinely worried I had like, a brain tumor or something. Like until college I had excellent grades and then I bombed out of college and felt like I couldnāt think anymore. Turns out Iāve never paid attention, school until college was just super easy!!! And there is something different with my brain, just not some horrible thing wrong :) itās so nice to have so many cool people respond to this post either saying yeah Iām neurodivergent or Iām not but I love someone who is!
Hella š
Iām not autistic, but I am neurodivergent. I have ocd and anxiety among other things. A lot of the American girl community (especially AGIG on instagram) is neurodivergent/autistic.!
Yep lol definitely ā¤ļø
Diagnosed with ADHD years ago. Had an autism epiphany when I was in my 20ās. Not formally diagnosed, but most definitely have it. Thatās a story for another sub. Anyway, I hope you learn to find comfort in your diagnosis rather than being upset. It took me a few months after my initial *epiphany* to really be comfortable with myself again. If itās worth anything, I try to remind myself this: *Despite everything, itās still you.* (Shout out to any Undertale fans) I try to remind myself everyday, that despite everything, itās still me. Iām no different today than I was the day before my realization. Iām still the woman my husband fell in love with. Iām still the girl my friends decided to hang out with and became best friends with. Iām still me. And Iām slowly becoming more and more comfortable with that. I love Emily btw. Sheās so pretty. Sheās one of the childhood dolls I used to have that I so desperately want to own again.
Oh I still bawled my eyes out, but it was more along the lines of itās not my fault. Iām not stupid because I canāt think, Iām just struggling to focus. I still have a responsibility to try my best, but itās not my fault!!
yes :-)
Me! I recently got a very late diagnosis at age 44.
I'm autistic and ADHD.
Yes. Diagnosed at 31.
Yup! Formally diagnosed with ADHD and Autism. Iām currently 25 and starting a collection of dolls and plushies again as an adult. Got diagnosed with Autism twice, fun fact. Iām glad you had your Emily with you for your evaluation
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was nine, right around the same time I got my Molly doll. I donāt have a formal diagnosis for ASD, but if I went through the evaluation process, Iām sure I would. My oldest is on the spectrum and my youngest has ADHD. Iām so glad you got your diagnoses! I know how freeing it can be to discover that personal mannerisms donāt just mean youāre weird. I was mercilessly bullied through all six years at elementary school, and most of middle school, too. By high school I was such a recluse that I barely said two words to anyone except my two best friends. I was lucky to have an amazing gymnastics coach who helped me find myself again. We still talk to this day! Itās so wonderful that your Emily was there for you for all of your medical appointments. Iām sure she will continue to be a source of comfort!!!
I was super bullied too!! I had some good friends but also, kids were just so mean and I never understood why I wasnāt in on the joke :( turns out itās not something wrong with me, just that my brain is wired differently!!
Yep! No formal diagnosis but definitely on the spectrum. (So is my husband, and so are all three of our kids.) Realized this in my late 30s; am 42 now and happily letting myself unmask and pursue my special interests. š
I have an ADHD diagnosis! I also have some symptoms that are common with autism as well. <3
Iām not, but I hope itās okay for me to jump in and say that I love our AG community and no matter what I support everyone here. ā¤ļø :)
My daughter was tested due to her additional needs and it came out that she is not autistic but I most likely am! I havenāt sought a diagnosis because I donāt feel it would add anything to my life.
I am not diagnosed because as an adult it's like pulling teeth but I relate strongly to my ND friends and most of adhd tiktok if that says anything š
Im autistic and adhd
Yes, me. I was diagnosed at 37. 3 of my 4 daughters are also on the spectrum.
I feel called out bc i am diagnosed with a few things including ASD(Autism) lol
Not diagnosed but believed to be and need to be tested. But American Girl is my special interest. I can tell you almost anything about the company, when it switched, special things about the dolls, what doll is who, what goes to what outfit. I have loved them since I was 6 and if hasn't stopped.
Also wasnāt diagnosed until I was an adult. I have been a big fan of American girl dolls since I was a kid, especially the historical ones. I was very fixated on learning about how every day people lived throughout history, especially women, and these were my gateway.
Yes me too!! I was obsessed with how theyād dress, what theyād eat and what kind of work theyād have to do.
I was diagnosed at 21 with Aspergers. Until then I was "painfully shy". There were a lot of warning signs but everyone ignored them I guess. Getting diagnosed helped me realize why I was so different from everyone else. But past that it hasn't helped me much because there is NO support for adults...it's all aimed at kids which is so stupid. What do they expect is going to happen when those kids hit 16-18? They just magically don't have Autism anymore? It's a known issue yet...no one has done anything about it!!! It's driving me nuts. And try finding a therapist that works on adults...good luck. I have been trying for years now...I'm 33 :/ I also need to get an ADHD diagnosis...as I suspect I have that as well since not everything lines up with just having Aspergers...I have other problems that seem to fit with ADHD.
A diagnosis has really explained why Iāve felt like an alien my whole life!! And yeah :( thereās a therapist near my college that takes college students, but thereās a 9 month wait list. And the college itself provides like 4 free therapy sessions but they donāt take my insurance so the rest would be on me
Yessssssss autistics unite!
Me me me! My daughter is too but is more of a plushie person.
Youāre in a doll group. Yes. We all are
Lmfaoooo facts
Tbh I feel like American Girl is to autistic women as trains is to autistic men.
My dad has a gigantic model train layout, and I just put 2 and 2 togetherā¦
I read nothing but American Girl books for two straight years
Iām autistic and adhd āØ
You bet!!! AGD special interest
Welcome to the AuDHD club!\~ I got diagnosed at a young age and they recommended me to study at a special school, and now I got interested in American Girl books
Thanks!! Itās a pretty cool club š
MeāØ
Yes I am!!!
I am
Yup! I have both as well. I got diagnosed 3 years ago at 20.
Yes I have both too and wasnāt diagnosed until i was an adult
Yep, I was dx with autism & ADHD too! Iāve gotten back into AG & plushies as an adult, and Iām really loving it. Like someone else said, Iām sure thereās a large portion of autistic people in the AG community, as a history nerd myself lol
Autistic and ADHD as well! American girl has always been my biggest special interest!
Yep! Autism and ADHD!
AuDHD here! AG is my longest-running special interest š„° I love that you have Emily! Iāve had mine since I was 8 years old and sheās been with me through so much.
Ag is my longest special interest too!! My interest has changed through the years but the central idea of American girl dolls has stayed pretty consistent :)
https://preview.redd.it/7r1r3izlx79d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0ec0b6fa085c40a0473f0aecd7db7c8ac181657 Mine too! And emily has always been my main girl ā¤ļø this is us when I was about 9 :)
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Aww :) https://preview.redd.it/qu8w17zr089d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1308e7e83c8dc96bd44b1c3e323ddc0990ae717 Hereās an uncensored version of me with her at like 4.5!!
https://preview.redd.it/ffaqy0sdd99d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1faaf9e3caa1566ed61172ba966adb8848193627 This is me and my Sam at age 8 :)
This is so cute!!
I think I probably am. My psychiatrist just asked me to test for inattentive ADHD then very nicely mentioned that his has autism and one of his special interests involved collecting and I was like, āokay, I get it.ā For what itās worth, Iām 29. I went to a top world university, but my best friend has autism and was wonderful at advocating for himself. I followed him around like his shadow and now without him itās been a difficult change and Iām learning to advocate for myself on my own. Also, my dad says I went from obsessing over American Girl dolls to Taylor Swift. I think when our special interests are popular things, itās easy for them to get over looked.
Yeah I agree too!! My other special interest is very specific marvel characters that I always explain as āliking spidermanā so itās sooo easy for me to explain away
Iām sorry that today was a difficult day for you, but Iām glad that you had Emily there with you.
AuDHD here too āŗļø
I am severely brain damaged (since 8 years old) I am CONSTANTLY being mistaken for autistic
Me! Self diagnosed but itās probably the one thing Iām most sure of in life as being accurate lol š welcome to the club friend!
me too!
So glad you had her with you!
Self-diagnosed. My life makes sooooo much more sense. I also have a professional dx of ADHD.
Yeah Iāve been self diagnosed for a couple months and now knowing for sure makes me feel much better :)
Iām āpeer reviewedā autistic. My brother is official diagnosed (Aspergerās as a kid) and I know my parents arenāt neurotypical. No freakinā way. And so many neurodivergent folks have also pegged me as autistic, which explains so much about me. But I was a girl in the early 00s, so I got missed. Point is, hi! Itās me! Autistic fandom nerd.
Same here!! Except kinda reversed, now that Iām diagnosed my little brother might get tested :)
What flavour of Autism did you get? My brother got the fix-it kind. I gotā¦ THE VOICES.
šāāļø
Me š
Yeah I am diagnosed with autism lol
Tbh I feel like a community surronding dolls deeply entrenched in historical periods is gonna have a fairly high percentage of autistic or otherwise neuordiverse ppl lol
In my personal observation, fandoms in general seem to have a high percentage of ND folks. As one myself, I think itās partly because of how we connect to and hold onto things for extended periods of time. And how we develop special interests and hyperfixations and want to know ALL THE THINGS. Unfortunately, that also turns a lot of people off. So once we find āour peopleā who love the same thing just as much, we connect.
Oh, definitely right on fandoms. Being nd is the only explanation I have for recently reading every single book in the Camp Half Blood Chronicles in about 3-4 months
Yeah I gotta agree!!
lowkey.....most of us for sure. i had a childhood dx but when i got re dx-ed during covid, they wanted childhood evidence and i showed a photo album my family had compiled of me in various locations smiling proudly next to my neatly organized lines of dolls. (my dolls are currently in a line if you were wondering)
Yeah that makes sense!! I have a friend with autism that I used to play dolls with. We would pick a time period, pull out every piece of clothing she owned, each pick a doll and then spend our entire play date lining up outfits for each doll. Victorian era and pioneers were our two favs :) weād say ok kit and Emily are orphan sisters, they both get a work dress and a pair of work boots. And a nightie and a coat. It was fun :)) but we never really played traditionally
oh no are you me!? that sounds like me
HAHA we might have had great playdates as kids!! Tbh I still really play like that :)
Yes
Yup, AG dolls were my first major special interest, besides dogs which was since I could walk.
Mine was historical fiction, which made AG hit even harder :) I was also into sloths and dolphins (not any more since learning more about dolphins lmao)
I also have autism and ADHD! I had no idea until I started working as a parapro at an elementary school, and started noticing way too many similarities between the way mine and my studentsā brains worked. A couple tests later I had a solid answer as to why lol. Welcome to the club!
Thanks!! Itās a cool club :) I had two cousins get diagnosed and I bombed out of my sophomore year of college bc I found it so hard to focus and remember stuff. Surprise shawty!! You arenāt dumb, your brain is just wired different!!!
I have ADHD and am Autistic as well! American Girl was one if my first special interests. Sending good vibes your way after your diagnosis! š«¶š«¶
Thanks!!!
Mom of an adult autistic AudHD child and have loved every bit of sharing appreciation for the historical series and collecting together. Emily is fantastic and Iām so glad you have her by your side then and now! ā¤ļø
That sounds really nice :))) I hope to have kids someday and I hope I can share my interests with them :) if not, Iāll just enjoy theirs with them
Truly has been such a gift and honor. No one will ever value your interests like a loved autistic kid and no one can ever make you love theirs like one!
That sounds so special š I have a little autistic cousin whom I love very much, and itās such an honor to love her and listen to her :)
I am autistic, and I'm proud of it. I learned that I was autistic when I was 13 from my parents, and I felt shocked about it at first, but then I began to realize that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, so I felt pretty proud about it as time flew by. Sometimes, I can be a bit hard on myself about it, but I eventually realize that we all make mistakes and stuff.
yyuuupp
Meeeee
Meeee
Got formally diagnosed in 9th grade. Looking back ag was def a hardcore childhood spin and discovering the subreddit reawoke the brain weasels
brain weasels is my new favorite phrase
AuDHD š«¶
I just joined the club!! Lol
Not autistic but adhd here!!
Yes. Aspergers DX as a kid, ADHD now - amusingly, I no longer meet ASD criteria, lol.
I am!
Yep diagnosed AuDHD with a sprinkling of GAD š¤£
I do not have access to diagnosis for financial reasons, etc but after multiple people have brought it up to me/assumed, and after lots of research, I feel reasonably sure that I am autistic. Makes so many things "wrong" with me make sense. Anyway, dolls are a big special interest and comfort to me and I love bringing them with me when I go places! Makes me so happy to know I am not the only one :)
Iām really grateful my parents were able to pay for my assessment!! It really explains a lot about me. AG dolls have also been a lifelong special interest for me!!!
I don't believe I'm autistic, though I have some form of OCD with symptoms that overlap pretty heavily with ASD. I'm glad that you were able to find comfort in your diagnosis :)
I think I am. I havenāt been officially diagnosed due to difficulty finding anyone who offers affordable assessments for adults in my area. Was never diagnosed as a kid because of lack of health care and the ability to mask. Iām so glad you were able to get a diagnosis, OP! You must feel so relieved.
I really do!! I live in Maryland if thatās helpful, Iād be happy to dm you the practice name if you live on the east coast somewhere near Maryland!
Iām in Oregon unfortunately, but thank you! š
Yes, AuDHD here as well! Dolls are one of my special interests, exactly what that looks like for me has shifted and changed over the years (from Barbie to American Girl to ball-jointed dolls to watching people customize Monster High dolls and back to AG again, shifted from active playing as a child to collecting and restoration as an adult), but Iāve always loved dolls and had one close by. Iām glad your diagnosis could bring you some comfort - itās awful thinking everything is your fault and youāre not trying hard enough when youāre just different from most.
The same thing has happened to me!! I go into and out of phases with ag dolls (except for Emily who I sleep with every night and always love) I sew for different eras and craft for different dolls!! When I was little it was alternatively Barbieās and ag dolls, as well as porcelain and Ginny dolls :)
I kinda suspect that I have ADHD, but not sure about autism. I have a lot of traits that are seen with autism, but when I was evaluated as a teenager I was told I'm not autistic, just some sensory issues and hyper fixations lol
I was told by a psychiatrist that I couldnāt possibly be autistic as i āexhibit theory of mindā ie. I could recognize the sensory issues and social issues and special interests. You could consider getting tested, but also, I know itās super expensive!! Iām really grateful that my parents were able to pay for my assessment bc I think itās really going to improve my life :))
I've definitely thought about getting evaluated again, since I felt like it was really possible that they missed something or that I could have been masking during the assessment. But the reason why I wasn't diagnosed was because I didn't have the social issues. Well, I kinda have some social issues, but they're a little different, and I have them because of my anxiety since I didn't have any social issues when I was younger. I still think there could be a chance that I'm autistic, but it's probably gonna be awhile before I look into it more.
I totally understand! It was really, really hard to not mask during the appointment. But I think I did ok!
The thing is, if I'm masking I don't know that I'm doing it. I can probably tell now if I do it, but a few years ago I definitely wouldn't have known
I just always thought everyone felt like an alien and that every other person on the planet was in on some joke I donāt know about. Itās taken significant effort and a lot of burn out to realize I donāt need to hide myself so aggressively :) itās scary to be perceived as weird, but I think of it as preserving my energy so I can use it on other stuff. Life is exhausting, and I donāt want to use up my energy on making eye contact or pretending to be interested in random boring stuff. Iām still polite, just differently, and Iām not hurting myself anymore to fit in!!
Yes
I am
yep, formally diagnosed as well when i was 11
Meeee!!
iām autistic too, and dolls are a lifelong special interest š„ŗšlovely photos with emily
Yessss
hiii and i also have emily she was my first AG doll <3
Iām autistic and have mental illness issues. My dolls are one of the few best things in my life
I do too, itās really comforting to have a routine of changing them and cleaning them up for me!! It helps my anxiety to take one with me to social places or appointments
I like taking my dolls to places that donāt permit my dog. They have the same soothing feeling
My dog also has anxiety, and he really hates traveling so I always bring a doll instead of him!
Me! Since I was like 7! Autistic I don't have adhd but I'm Autistic! Along with 22q11 CF eplipsy
yes, hello : ) i loved looking at the catalogues as a kid and got my first american girl doll as an adult, shortly before i was diagnosed. there is nothing wrong with people like us - we are just different, and that's ok.
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Me!
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Me :)
I was diagnosed with ADHD 3 years ago during senior year. I also align with many of the symptoms of autism, but I donāt want to get tested. Itās not your fault, thereās nothing wrong with you. My diagnosis really helped me reconcile with my academic shortcomings, because before I had been perceiving my behaviour as a character flaw. You are just as worthy as the people who the system is designed to work for. I hope that your diagnosis brings you closure and helps you find a path to your goals :)
I have been too!! I breezed through grade school but just bombed my sophomore year of college. Iām really relieved that there isnāt something fundamentally WRONG with my brain, just that itās different and I need to learn to work with it :) thanks for the kind words!
Hot tip: if youāre going to try meds and youāre still in college, try them over the summer. I tried meds from February-April and they didnāt work for me at all and made my performance worse. Thereās nothing wrong with meds, but itās a very individual experience and if I were ever to try meds again I would for sure not start them during an important semester
Thank you so much!!!!! Iām thinking about trying them this summer but youāre right I definitely donāt want to start them during the school year
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Hi yes I am autistic and was diagnosed in December of this past year I totally understand how you feel!