The intersection of neurodivergence and mental health with Jeff Fullington

I just spent the weekend moving to another state! I knew I was moving, but I didn't know where I was going for sure until about a week ago. My ADHD brain loves novelty, adventure, and change, so it's been a fun experience!

I chose the place I moved to because of a certain program they have there. As part of this program, I've been plugged into a network with a bunch of other people who are also part of the program. There are organized activities, workshops, social events, etc. It really reinforced how important groups are in our lives.

In this week's podcast/YouTube episode, I'm talking with Jeff Fullington about the intersection of neurodivergence and mental health. His belief, which I obviously share, is that one of the best ways we can protect our mental health (and that of our kids) is to be part of groups of others who are 'like us', whatever that means to us. 

It's why Facebook groups are such a big thing. It's why we congregate around religious and political groups. It's why we have such things as school pride and team spirit. All these 'groups' make us feel like we belong. Like we are a part of something.

Here's a clip from this week's episode:

We need that access to our peers for our development. We need to be able to mirror and see ourselves in each other and learn from each other in a way that we can't from an 'out' group. But I would say that applies to any group. I would say autistic people need to be around other autistic people and learn from them and teach like we, it's a mutual process. Men need groups where men can reflect and understand each other. Women need women's groups, different cultures need their groups. So I would, I would say that what I found with the gifted program would apply to any group. So if, if the younger you can get that, the more it's gonna feed into your social development. And a lot of people that come to me, it may be the first time in their life they're meeting other gifted people or other autistic people. Or it's the first time in their life that, as a man, they can come and talk with other men about the things that are important to them. And so it's stuff that could have happened at a younger age had they had those opportunities, but it's happening as an adult, but it's not that different from what a kid would be getting if he'd, like what your program is doing, which I think is fantastic. That's exactly what I think, not only for neurodivergence, but for every identity out there. The more they can access the peers specific to that identity, the more that part of them is going to grow and develop than if they had to do it alone.

 Listen to the podcast episode here.

Watch on YouTube here.