When I was younger, my family always knew I was unique in a way that other kids weren’t. I was very observant of things around me that others weren’t. I had different interests than my peers and struggled a lot more than other kids. At the time, Autism was a huge thing and my mom would tell me that some people were misdiagnosing me, calling me ”autistic” when my mom didn’t think that was true and decided to do more research on her own.
Throughout school and life, there were challenges and obstacles that I had to overcome such as going to speech therapy for a part of my life, as well as having teachers misunderstand me and not know what to do with me or how to guide me. It took me a long time to get properly diagnosed, but when I was 12, they finally realized that NVLD ticked all my boxes and my world changed for the better. I finally knew why my brain functioned differently than others, and I finally knew why I struggled more than others. I then worked hard throughout my life to be an advocate for NVLD and how people can better support me and guide me in life. There are days when I struggle with my NVLD, and it can get overwhelming, but those days will pass. I’ve learned that NVLD isn’t a curse that was placed upon me, rather, it is a muscle that needs strengthening. NVLD isn’t something to be ashamed of at all, besides, who would want to be normal? Being normal isn’t fun. Being different and unique makes you shine brighter than the rest. In the words of one of my favorite childhood movies, Fantastic Mr.Fox, ‘’We are all different, but there’s something kind of fantastic about that, isn’t there?’’
Ellie
Project Social Ambassador, Weirdo, Goofball, professional 80’s movie expert, lover of many music genres, a mythical beast, nerd, oddball, healing my inner child each day, college student, a sister, a daughter, a really awesome friend, loyal to all, loves writing and acting, theatre kid, bookworm, nostalgicphile, redhead girl from charlie brown, creative mind, comedian, overthinker, big heart, resilient, kind, and hopeful.
