I’m self-diagnosed and starting to be able to articulate my thoughts in a way I never have before. I’m able to explain how I see the world now and realizing with each epiphany what makes me different.

For instance, I’m a visual thinker. I have a photographic memory and think in vivid, detailed pictures. Thoughts appear like a “stack” of photos in my mind and I have to “file” through them to find the right one. When I spell or say a word aloud, my hand writes it out on a chalkboard in my head first. I spell or speak aloud only as quickly as I’m able to write the word on the chalkboard. Sometimes in conversation if you hear me stumble in thought or spelling it’s because I’m struggling to continue writing on the chalkboard—usually because of sensory overload or distracting stimuli—and I have to focus.

For a long, long time I literally thought everyone thought this way. I’ve since learned they probably don’t at all and this gift allows me to see things in life other people might miss!!