Abilities

At school, the class are asked to write a magical story. Bliss. Time opens up into the vast Now that somehow lasts forever, and I begin 'falling into' my story. Then, a faraway voice:

'Class. Remember to include a beginning, a middle and an end. And keep an eye on the time, you have an hour.'

My space is penetrated, and suddenly, back in a classroom, disorientated and grappling with navigating an hour, a beginning a middle and an end, I can't write a thing!

Asking a neurodivergent person to use their executive functions while in creative hyperfocus can make them feel like they are being asked to be in two places at once!

For adults and children alike, in a society that presumes neurotypical neurology, if we don't yet know our challenge is neurodivergence, it can feel devastating and confusing when our abilities suddenly 'disappear.'