Word is, I’m Diane Lewis.

Pretty early on, I understood there was something different about how my brain operated. Rapid thoughts, churning ideas, reams of memorized minutiae. High productivity and capability, but subpar grades and scattershot attention.

Doctors had no answers. Neither did I, for five long decades.

During a 2024 work break, I finally had the space and time to dive into Project Me: WTF’s Been Going On? Spent many weeks on research, assessment tests, and documenting all my brain and behavior quirks and sensory issues going back to early childhood.

A clear image emerged, then self diagnoses, then professional ones. Turns out it was Autism + ADHD = AuDHD all this time. Just goes to show, it’s never too late to understand who you actually are and how you can best function.

Girls weren’t considered for autism or ADHD in my youth. Studies of both in females really weren’t a thing until the early 2000s, and even then were rare. The hyperactive minds females typically contend with weren’t connected to ADHD until about 2012. The high masking we do to plow through life also hides signs.

These neurotypes come with disabilities and social stigma that require varying levels of tailored support and accommodation. Not receiving these for decades has real consequences for late-diagnosed adults. For 2 years and running, I’ve been working to get past the grief for what might have been, and get to recognizing the genuine gifts that neurodivergents bring to the workplace and the world.

*The ADVANTAGES

hyper-focus & deep concentration

innovation & freethinking

off-the-charts productivity

intensely creative & experimental

supremely detail-oriented

quick to gain subject expertise

bottom-up processing

data-based conclusions

sharp pattern recognition skills

fierce passions & broad interests

magnetically drawn to novelty

ridiculously observant

naturally charismatic & empathetic

* these apply to me, but are also common to many NDs. If you aren’t actively recruiting us for your organization, why not?