HACKER Q&A
📣 EmreOzturk

Learning to be neurotypical (or fake it) as a neurodivergent person


Hello everyone. I am what is known as a neurodivergent person, which mainly means, in my case at least, that I have trouble inserting myself in social groups and understanding the cues. This affects how I interact with others and understand social cues. Therefore, sometimes people might think that I act like a kid, that I am asocial or weird (here too I might read a bit robotic). However, I enjoy being around people, even if I just listen to them silently.

Whether you are a neurotypical person or a neurodivergent person who has learned to overcome your divergence, do you have any suggestions, tips, or tricks to improve it myself? I'm interested in both perspectives.


  👤 hacknewslogin Accepted Answer ✓
I've found and joined communities that typically have a higher population of neurodivergent people. It means the people in the group are more compassionate and understanding of "weirdness" that comes from being neurodivergent. If you have trouble identifying social cues, mentioning that to your group can help. If your group knows you process info a little differently, they might be able to adjust accordingly. Asking for clarity if there's a situation or comment you don't understand helps too.

👤 navjack27
Try to join support groups or socialize with other people who are also neurodivergent so you have more perspective. You aren't as alone or different as you might think once you start interacting with people who are similar to you. They might also have more life experience in trying to do what you are seeking out to do which is very helpful.

It's kind of like a sanity check on your own perspective of reality.