04/01/2026
Just reposting so that someone can find it easily.
Thank you Onwards and Upwards Psychology
Why do we tell children about their diagnosis?
Because it’s not just a diagnosis ;it’s their neurotype.
It’s language for how they move, feel, and process the world around them. It helps them understand…
• why the noise feels too loud,
• why their thoughts run fast,
• why something feels so big for them when no one else seems to feel it.
Back in the 90s, when I was working it out, I thought I was an alien; an observer trying to understand these Earthlings and their strange social rituals. I resonated so deeply with Mr Bean being dropped to Earth and working his way round.
That was the only language I had.
Now I know: it wasn’t alien. It was autism. It was ADHD.
So many adults say, “I wish someone had told me sooner.”
Because when you don’t have that language, you grow up believing you’re bad at being human (or like me, a really good secret spy alien) when really, you were just neurodivergent in a world that didn’t explain or meet your difference kindly and easily.
When we tell children about their brains early, we give them something therapy can’t: self-trust.
It's a map to understand themselves that puts them in the driver's seat and gives them choices that fit their nervous system. It does wonders somatically for the nervous system when individuals are in charge.
That’s why I write books that help adults have these conversations with care and compassion.... so kids don’t have to wonder if they’re alien too.
Welcome to the Not-Alien, Autistic/ADHDer club. 🧠💫
