I was identified as a high functioning autistic at 58 (now 64), after my long term therapist went back to uni for specialised study in identifying and working with autistic clients. During an appointment towards the end of her studies, she told me the things she now recognised in me as autistic characteristics and holy cow! my life suddenly made so much sense. I still weird, but knowing why I am like this has given me the confidence to lean into that and unapologetically be myself. My life is way more peaceful as a result.
I love your kid’s take on unidentified neurotypes. I think this explains all the overlap and vagueness as we identify autism and adhd. And yes, I use all kinds of repetitive, rhythmic, colorful tasks to stim and calm myself and they work way better than still meditation ever did. Crochet and other weaving, sewing, embroidery, paper craft, dancing, singing, drawing and coloring, sorting things, video games, cooking, gardening, thrifting, tidying, and eating. I often wonder if it is my weaving and gathering ancient ancestry coming through.
ADHD here, and I learned how to knit so I could get through the daily religous lectures my family took me to. Kept knitting through college, until I DID need to take notes. Love to know others have discovered this same joy.
I’m 51 and in the assessment process. I really started identifying as autistic about 3 years ago. Knitting is absolutely an essential stim. So are other crafts that involve both hands. One of the few things that settles my mind and body
I wrote a blog about this a few years ago when I equated my granddaughter's fidget things with my own restless hands and pleasure in handwork. I've been making dishcloths from old t-shirts and stitching them together with ends of embroidery floss. It's satisfying to produce something. It's no pressure creativity. It's the perfect stim. Thanks for all you do!
Many people doodle to focus better. I do that. I remember someone complaining about the doodling, that I wasn't paying attention to his speaking. Someone jumped in and stated that doodling creates better focus for some people. And that I was someone that did that. Enough said.
I read like 30-40 yrs ago that knitters are actually good listeners, and even better than when they do not knit. I have knitted through meetings and lectures, and when I do not, I have to have pen and paper and make notes. Totally amazed some years ago when I discovered that modern students do not take notes, they demand written notes copied from the lecturers.
We, as physical beings, need to maintain a grounded 'way' in our world. A constant connection to our surroundings, creates a spacial relationship . We are more than what, or who we are - we are where we are, moment by moment!
I actually suggested knitting for my son yesterday while we needed to watch a bunch of science videos for his schoolwork. We have a knitting loom to make a toque with a half completed project on it from last year, and it was actually a perfect thing for him to do while watching/listening. I like the idea of different neurotypes, yes!
I wrestle with the whole ADHD, autism, neurotypical debates. As a person diagnosed ADHD, self-identified more recently as autistic, it comes down to whether the traits you have have disabled your life or not! I am 60, and I started a diary a year ago of the memories that surfaced, and the stories my Mom told over the years that, screamed, "This girl is drowning people!! " I was 10 when I first idolized being unalive, and like a lot of people of my generation, I blamed my upbringing. The 8 week psychiatric program I was in at 26, also based all my therapy on that premise. I am no longer so sure of that. I got blamed for why my first born was late talking. He was diagnosed with ADD by the time he was 10. My second son was not formally diagnosed but we all, (school professionals and I), presumed he was also ADHD. My daughter was an excellent coper and struggled to learn to read way beyond normal age expectations, and she wasn't diagnosed anything but I saw OCD traits very early on and watched over her. In university she was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. IMO she's also autistic, as were my sons. The ADHD label is too limiting. I've had an ongoing struggle to thrive my whole life. Was it because I was dealing with a disability or not? It's a great question I can't get an answer to, I've been refused a diagnosis. Still, I'm just glad there is a body of language being formed to explain and validate my experiences.
Omg when did your daughter start reading? Mine is 9 and she's struggling with both. I'm so scared for her future. She's got a great memory but she needs to read and write. I've tried multiple tools, aids, but it's a struggle.
@@KellyNsGrottois there a particular topic she’s interested in or maybe a tv show she really likes? If you get her some books about something she’s passionate about, she may be encouraged to read. I was not at reading and writing level when I left high school. I was actually in classes for students with low performance. But after hs I found books I was interested in and was able to catch up even though reading has always and will always be a struggle due to adhd. When I took a placement test for community college, I got an almost perfect on the writing portion and the proctor congratulated me because he said he rarely ever sees scores like that.
My mother has knot throughout her life, through movies, while waiting at Dr appointments, she has knit so many wonderful things for everyone in the family.
Auti person here, I'm a huge crocheter. A stim I am so glad I learned as a kid. I enjoy counting when working from patterns, especially circular things like hats. I envy knitters. It's is all fun and games until I drop a stitch, then it's a meltdown! I also agree there's far more out there regarding neurotypes that we have yet to discover and classify. Great video! 💜
I'm neurotypical and 100% feel like hand sewing and weaving help with my anxiety. If I'm already kind of calm, it helps me really relax and get into a zen/flow state. Mindless hemming or weaving while watching a good programme and my cat nearby - bliss!
I absolutely love this. I have just come to understand that I am some flavor of neurodivergent in the last year or so. And I know my kids are and my husband is, so it's just a whole thing. My grandsons are autistic and ADHD too. Our house is more more fun than a barrel full of roller skated monkeys some days. I have to have hand work with me I used to work in public health in Missouri and I would take my knitting projects with me to the meetings and the trainings and everyone would check in on what I was knitting., I know that I can pay better attention if I have something in my hands. I'm also a spinner!
Im ADHD. Of course I have a lot of crafts I do. My grandmother was the same. She was an amazing sewist, knitter, tatting and on and on. I’ve felt that there aren’t separate classifications but rather a continuum of neurotypes. Brains are so complicated and we have a need to classify everything. But everyone doesn’t fit in nice little boxes.
Undefined neurotypes? Absolutely. Perhaps we already have some loose definitions in place? Class clowns and people pleasers and so forth. Some people always need the spotlight, some people hate attention.
I have ADHD and level 2 autism. I'm SO glad to hear you take it as a compliment! You definitely feel like "one of us" and I think that's one of the reasons I like you and your videos. My parents were disgusted and ashamed of having an autistic child and tried their best to "fix" me, but I think neurodivergent minds bring a lot of wonderful benefits to society that are far too easily overlooked. I personally attempted to learn how to crochet when I was around 10 years old, but I found the instruction manual I was given far too complicated and would have meltdowns attempting to figure out how to start a new row, so I often just created single chains and pulled them loose before ultimately giving up on the hobby. But I'm definitely willing to consider trying the hobby again! I think between the internet and my improved cognitive ability, I could overcome that childhood hurdle and maybe make some scarves for myself and my friends while watching RUclips videos after work.
I recently found you and love all of your content! As a late-diagnosed Autistic female, I can attest that knitting is my stim! I have wanted to make myself a t-shirt saying so…I also love crochet, hand embroidery, hand sewing and machine sewing, quilting, painting, book-making… all the things! Do you know much about adhd-inattentive type? Several of your traits you have mentioned match up… there is overlap in symptoms/traits of autistism and adhd. As you probably already know, it is common for us nerurodivergent folk(autistic and adhd folks) to gravitate towards each other…
Autistic woman here, and I used to crochet in high school classes. My teachers always seemed annoyed at first but then realized I was getting straight A's and tutoring my peers. One time, my algebra teacher let me teach the class. (Best day ever!) I didn't know it was a type of stim because I didn't even know I was autistic back then, but it totally makes sense now. I have also wondered many times if you're also autistic. 😊
I definitely find hand sewing to be one of my favorite stims. I feel so much better when I have a sewing project that I can just pick up and work on. Helps if I'm already overwhelmed and keeps me from hitting that point in the first place.
X-stitching is a perfect stim. Quiet, repetitive, needs some but not a lot of attention, lots of counting . . sounds like a stim to me. I do Hardanger which needs more precise counting, but is similar to X-sitchign in the hand use, etc.
Fascinating! My pain psychiatrist, without elaborating, once called me a weird duck, and my best friend, a psychologist, after sharing my home for years, called me eccentric. After a bit of a sulk, I have embraced both comments with relish. I am whatever I am, and that includes wildly creative. Although I am currently not creating due to caring for a sick family member, knitting and hand sewing tiny landscapes out of fabric are two of my favourite things. I used to be a passionate gardener as well, creating cottage gardens intuitively. I am sure I am on some spectrum, and that's just fine with me now. That cardigan colour and pattern is stunning, by the way. Love your content. Blessings from Australia. 🩵
Your daughter is right, there are almost certainly other neurotypes. Other potential stims I’ve noticed in family: working jigsaw puzzles while watching or listening to something else; shuffling cards or playing endless games of solitaire; sorting Lego pieces or small parts; macrame; removing pilling from blankets or knitwear; braiding hair; I used to have my father, siblings, and partners sit on the floor and I’d massage their backs while we watched TV. I’ve also seen people use rosaries or prayer beads to stim during sermons or while watching TV. The color of that sweater is gorgeous!
Kinesthetic, is the word you’re looking for. Your primary way of learning and organizing information is “hands on,” aka kinesthetic. My middle son is so strongly that way, that he doesn’t retain information unless his hands are engaged. US History was a nightmare for him, and he busted his arse to earn that C. And the most famous knitwear designers are men, regardless of which country you’re talking about. In Iceland, men win knitting competitions all the time. Don’t forget pioneers-there was no sock store and men had to make their own clothes, knit their own socks, etc. It’s not women’s work: it’s human work.
In many areas of skilled labor, women primarily excel at home, men excel in the professional setting. Due in large part because of the patriarchy, where women haven't been welcome in professional settings for as long and are still generally the primary care givers for children and other family members who need in-home care.
I've never been evaluated, but I'm pretty sure I meet the criteria for ADHD. I was a difficult child, hyper, noisy, into everything, undeterred by rules and pressures to behave. My grandma's friend decided to try out teaching me how to knit when I was 10. I think she thought it couldn't hurt to try to get me into something that would require sitting somewhat still and not creating chaos and messes. Lo and behold, I picked up the technique in one lesson and I actually sat and knit. And I was good for once 😂. I think my grandma's friend was really amazed. I'm really grateful for her. She would be proud of all my completed projects, and she would probably be unsurprised by my castonitis and wip situation.
Lucky you to have had a grandmother and friend who paid attention and looked for solutions that might help. In response to your "castonitis" comment, I have often wondered if people could learn knitting more easily if they were handed something that was already cast on and worked a few inches or so before the lesson began. Once confidence is gained I bet many would then enthusiastically learn the beginning steps.
ADHD here: I started spinning during lock down and it was absolutely amazing. At the time I wasn't diagnosed (sucks being female in medicine), so I didn't know I had a neurodivergence, but spinning on a hand spindle was such a beautiful discovery for me. After spinning for a while and not really having something to do with the yarn, I learned how to knit and it quickly became a hyperfocus for a few months. 😁 They hyper part has worn off and now it's just a nice stim that I can cycle through between sewing and spinning.
I knit a good chunk of a sweater during my company retreat! I wouldn’t have been able to pay attention without it! I have referred to my knitting a crocheting as “socially acceptable stimming” for a long time.
I agree with your daughter. I have been knitting for decades . Learned to while commuting on TriMet. Yes , it helps me to be a better listener. Starting during Covid I started Stitch Meditation. All the research shows that our brains thrive doing things like knitting and stitching. Actually most creative activities. I am not autistic. And I perceive the world differently than most . So do several of my adult kids and grandchildren.
I'm Level 1 ASD w/ADHD and I'm OK with it all. Aspergers Syndrome (Level 1) was lumped into autism and it just doesn't matter. We excel at whatever we try and yes we havebto be redirected but we get it. Labels don't define you but is nice to know. I've been doing all handcrafts and designing my own clothes since 8. Art, writing, crafts, gardening and anything that attracts me is my thing. Rock on Neuro friends and be confident in whoever you are on any level!❤ Great post, ty
It wasn't lumped is definitely part of the autism spectrum...there are three levels of autism. Level 1 autistics have the same deficits as the other levels it just affects the person to a lesser degree. I find it extremely weird people feel some kind of way to be told they have a level of autism...the levels have nothing to do with being defined and it just describes how much help you need to be successful at daily tasks. I don't know who started saying the levels are about defining a person but is doing a lot of damage to those in the level 2 and 3 category.
undefinited neurotypes definitely make sense. But there's also the problem that in people who have both Autism and ADHD that one can disguise the other to some extent, and because female presenting people display autism differently to males, then that can also hide it. And add in a lifetime of trying to be "normal" all of which makes being a heavily masking AuDHD female harder to be diagnosed! But yes i totally agree about knitting as stimming. I can't sit still, which is quite a problem as I have chronic fatigue and SAD. I spend an awful lot of time at this time of the year resting, but i get so bored. I started knitting again a few weeks ago and i couldn't be happier. I can't follow patterns. I can't remember complicated stitches, or count rows, etc. I am just knitting a shawl in a repetitive simple lace stitch (yarn over, knit two together), increase by one stitch at the beginning and end of every row. Absolutely loving it because i don't have to think or pay too much attention to what i'm doing!
Yes. All Stem activities. I believe dyslexia, with its different categories, falls under the umbrella of neurodivergence too. We are all unique beings. I wish people would stop trying to herd us all into stereotypical peoples.
I love knitting but I'm prone to repetitive stress injuries so I can only make it through small projects. Then I need to take a looong break. I'd love to try spinning and see if it's any easier on my hands
I have always stimmed by crafting, though I didn’t define it as such until recently. I made dozens, if not hundreds, of those braided plastic keychains in elementary school, moved up to braided friendship bracelets in 6th grade, then cross stitch in 7th grade, and knitting in college (which I have kept up with ever since)
I am one of those unidentified, I am 82, I am still trying to figure how to work with what I have got. My brain works differntly in social situations even with family.
As an austistic woman, I use drawing as stimming! My jobs been very accommodating for it, since I still get all my work done-- I just need to like, draw every one and a while to vent my energy :)
I’ve knitted and painted. Really just about any craft you can think of I’ve tried at least once, but knitting, painting and macrame are my favorite hobbies.
My husband sounds like you and like the Permaculture lady. My eldest and myself are AutDHD, my youngest ADHD. We get along pretty peacefully as a family, probably because we notice and discuss our different preferences and reactions in a friendly atmosphere.
Thanks for the insightful thoughts. I am incapable of doing only one thing at a time and do what my dear friend has called "hand engagement". It is a aure sign i a. Working on a problem
Yes, I identify really hard with memes about autism and ADHD for someone who doesn't actually have those struggles. But weird I am, and I've been crocheting since I was 8. Just started knitting this week.
@SaintsandSushi Not even a little. A 5 minute RUclips video and about 20 minutes of fiddling, and now it's 3 days later and I'm a dozen rows into a scarf. Not going to win any prizes, but you have to suck first. It's the Law.
I feel seen!😊 Movies, boring meetings, doctor's appointments, any waiting required at all, I always have my knitting. If I'm not knitting, I know I need to assess my mental health!😅
I have been saying for years Knitting and Crocheting and even some other needlecrafts are socially acceptable stims that women are allowed to do without being called out because we are making things for others. At least that's what the assumption is. Sometimes knitting and crocheting and other needlecrafts are being done to soothe or simply because they can be done. Or because you want something and the only way to get it is to make it!
Ask me to boil a pot of water and I might accidentally burn the house down but ask me to make an entire dinner, and I'll have it ready . . an hour AFTER dinnertime and three courses over budget . . Thank you, as always, for sharing
Three courses over budget would mean the dinner would be ready at best about 5 hours after dinner time if I'm cooking - or I'd have needed to have started work on it the previous day and then it would only be an hour or so late.
I just watched a great video of an autistic individual discussing all the ways that knitting is a stim. I'll share it on Patreon or your FB group for you. (Just finished your video and apparently we saw the same video lol). Also diagnosis of autism currently hinges on the ways we upset or inconvenience the NTs.
My son, his dad, and grandpa are all HF autistic (a ton of family members on that side of the family are as well) and people often think I'm also autistic because like you I'm always multitasking and I can do repetitive tasks like crocheting. What people fail to understand is that autism is just one type of neurodiversity. I'm hyperlexic and left-handed which means my brain is definitely wired differently and by definition that makes me neurodiverse...but not autistic. Neurodiversity is so much more than Autism.
there is some research that suggests gross motor work like pushing or pulling heavy objects is excellent in self regulation for ND's (and probably everyone else!lol). I farmed for a number of my younger years and would feel quite happy most days. When I was a teacher, I tool a course on ADHD. I think very much that most of these issues would have been resolved through a more natural, agrarian lifestyle. I think ND's were the OG successful hunter/gatherers due to pattern recognition, noticing small details and being aware of many things at once in our spaces. Thanks for the talk!
I am a knitter and crocheter and doing so has made me realize the “need” I have for them. I can’t watch tv without doing something with my hands. I can’t never understand how people just sit there and do nothing! I also realized that perhaps I have add because I have so many unfinished projects. I get so distracted by different patterns and colors and what to do it all at once. I have never been diagnosed with anything but my addiction to yarn crafts really makes me wonder
I've just discovered the magic that is round needles I've made a baby blanket and now I'm working on a simple cowl for a Christmas present. I also found a tutorial on making reusable gift wraps out of fabric and I'm doing all my wrapping like that and I'll be baking some gifts too keeping everything super simple. I was not in the mode for any of it my typical stim is tending my flower gardens but I've come to realize some of that is too much for me and I was suggested to focus on my craft stuff to ease stress. I used to drive teachers crazy because I was a leg bouncer and so was the kid behind me in my English class we were in the older building so my teacher would comment we were making him sea sick I also started doodling on my paper cartoons that had to do with the lesson. I didn't one day not knowing if he actually wanted it on my work and he actually asked where today's cartoon was. I think he had been teaching long enough to know whatever helps a kid focus and do their work is worthy of letting them do.
I’m autistic and ADHD-PI and I just started knitting. I don’t focus better while knitting because I hate multitasking, but I knit because a.) I want to make my own clothes b.) gifts for loved ones and c.) it calms me down and helps regulate my nervous system. ❤ Ty for sharing your thoughts, feelings, and current cardigan project!
I think a lot of autistic people are lovely. Also, when I was at The Evergreen State College in the 70s, there were boys I knew who knit in lectures. Also my dad and his two male orthopod partners all knitted
This speaks to the brain shift Betty Edwards tries to induce in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Starting with that upside down coping of Pablo Picasso’s line Sketch of Igor Stravinsky. The Same way Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages can be found in Kimon Nïkolades’ The Natural Way to Draw. Along with variations of Today’s Pomodoro work Intervals can be found in his drawing schedules. There are a number of Sketchbook filling exercises that might be stimulating as above.
I sometimes watch RUclips clips and play two games all at the same time haha…juggling three devices can be tricky. I’m 53 and undiagnosed but I think I’m adhd. My mother did all the stims; knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, sewing, etc. I never saw her just watch tv. Always had something to do with her hands. The fact that women weren’t considered for autism or adhd until just recently is just plain sad.
I have adhd and social anxiety and sometimes my symptoms veer so close to autistic symptoms that I start questioning if I am actually autistic but ultimately I know I’m not. But I def need something to stim. I normally play games but I think I should learn knitting and sewing. But I have carpal tunnel so idk.
It's not long since ADHD and autism were considered mutually exclusive diagnoses but that has now changed. The diagnostic criteria for autism have shifted somewhat and I suspect that there is going to be quite a bit more redefining in that space. While autism and ADHD appear to be the best known forms of neurodivergence, Tourette's syndrome and dyslexia are also included. I'm pretty sure I've also seen OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) included as well. Then some people would branch further out and include a much wider range of conditions. I find some of the odd correlations with the main types of neurodivergence fascinating, everything from more likely to be LBTQ+ through to "if person has a close relative with ADHD they are more likely to be able to hear The Hum". Then there's misophonia, which is more prevalent in the neurodivergent. Then there are physical conditions, like increased joint mobility, ranging through in some cases to Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. So is it possible that there are some forms of neurodivergence that have not yet been recognised? I'd say yes. Next question: stimming and crafts. Oh, 100% a lot of crafts are a form of stimming. I think that's why I enjoy knitting plain stocking stitch in lace weight wool. And spinning is wonderfully soothing. I would argue that neurodivergent people exist because their stims had societal benefits, someone who liked to spin or weave or do nalbinding or make cord or (very important one) grind grain and other substances with a quern, really benefitted their clan. That would have made them a more desirable mate than the person who didn't like doing those things or who didn't do them well. Neurotypicals may have had other qualities that made them desirable mates - must have, or they wouldn't still exist and be in the majority.
I have anxiety and probable ADHD. Besides knit and crochet, I also run (very repetitive! Lol), play musical instruments (tactile and auditory heaven), and most recently have started baking yeast bread. Y'all, kneading dough is amazing, if you can tolerate the texture of it. If there's a "tinkering" neurotype, that was my dad. He was always messing with his gear, whatever it was, trying to improve it. It was half science, half gut instinct.
I also knit a lot, despite living in the tropics, and have always called it a moving meditation as it would settle my mind. I am not autistic but have been called odd... 😂
Oh wow this is me too. I had a great trainer at one job and she let me crochet while learning and I absorbed so much more and felt so much appreciation towards her. I had one job I couldn't make it out of training because it was so boring and they had issues with me doing something other than listen to them. Oh wow I'm very curious on the spinning and am curious where you get your wool (flax?) for spinning. In addition, my daughter is 9 but is having a horrible time learning to read and write. I am asking everywhere to find something to help crack her code. She has to be able to read and write or life is going to be so much harder for her. And I can't seem to get a set autism diagnosis for her from the elementary school. They keep saying she's delayed. I'm so frustrated.
Yep, as a quilter and crocheter, one of my hobbyhorses is that needlework is a women’s hobby/craft, therefore not “real” art. I, too, have trouble “just” watching TV or reading, and have always done needlework. I wonder, though, for me whether it’s partly guilt at not feeling comfortable “wasting” time.
I find it hard to just sit in front of the tv. Therefore, I have several long crocheted table runners! In college, if I wasn't taking notes, I was working on hand sewing quilt sections, much to the instructor's annoyance!
I like to hand sew. I do not get the same satisfaction from sewing with a machine. The machine is doing all of the work and my hands are too idle and i get bored.
I think it helps to remember that recognizing that women, or really, most "level 1" autistic folks were people who had a label fitting them is relatively new. The main reason for labeling as such is needing help or somethingthat shouldwork not working. As such, I'm a little resistant to randomly labeling people though both my (adult) kids are autistic. Would I qualify? I honestly don't know -- I use some of the things that help my kids, but don't think I would get a bunch out of the label that I couldn't do on my own. That said, knitting is my stim of choice, and I think you're onto something with crafting being one of the ways people have coped with the conditions around them. Both my kids have found crafting useful, as well as things like having rings their grandparents made to fiddle with discreetly. I've also found that making your own items can give you the opportunity to incorporate features that help avoid irritation or help with your sensitivities.
this is awesome i relate to every word in this (i am diagnosed autistic tho but i have many friends who arent diagnosed but do fit your description better than autism)
also i exchange crafts periodically, right now my thing is hand sewing. last night i had to sew a cargo pocket on and automatically decided i have to do it by hand because i wanted to, because that's more soothing than machine sewing for me.
lol, i always doodled. people thought i was not paying attention but then i got perfect test scores. there is no such thing as neurotypical, we are all weird in our own way, unique like the flowers in a meadow 🙂
Thanks for this video! Is there a tried and true site or YT channel you could recommend as a starting point for self-identifying where on the spectrum I might belong? I am 100% behind the idea that spectrum means infinite varieties or combinations of neurodivergence. I am not a snowflake but have never met another person like myself so my guess is that humans are like any other natural thing in being unique.
Embrace Autism is a good website with many different psychometric tests you can take. They have ones for autism, ADHD, OCD and alexithymia. It's very helpful as a starting point.
I'm autistic and adhd (late diagnosed in my late thirties in 2023) and what you're saying is the equivalent of everyone is a little bit autistic, which is harmful and ableist. EVERYONE stim, it's a human thing, autistic and adhders do it alot and need it to regulate so we don't burnout/meltdown/shutdown all the time.
a self-stimulatory behavior that is marked by a repetitive action or movement of the body (such as repeatedly tapping on objects or the ears, snapping the fingers, blinking the eyes, rocking from side to side, or grunting) and is typically associated with certain conditions (such as autism spectrum disorder) merrian webster has got you, fam.
All the textile arts like spinning and weaving, that women’s work? Until the 19th century, those were money. Weaving cloth was better than crypto mining, it was standardized and immediately had a money value. A hundred dollar bill. Spinsters - women who spun fiber into thread/yarn - made such good money they didn’t need to get married. Very respectable path too, a family and household would distract from fabric production. For certain brains? An ideal lifestyle.
If you're going to have brain surgery to, forex, repair a seizure disorder, they have to map your brain. They have to map everyone's brain. Because each brain is its own type. 😎
Neurodivergence technically isn't a "scientific term" anyways, it's more of a category people have decided to use that can include a variety of conditions/ways of thinking/disorders. The most commonly known are obviously autism and ADHD, but it also includes things like tourettes, the "dys's" (dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, etc), and others. So absolutely there are more than likely more variations of divergent thinking that have yet to be identified! 😁 I am an AuDHDer myself (autism with ADHD) and find all of this (among basically everything lol) fascinating. My subconscious stimming choices have always been mostly creative (playing video games being the main exception, and leg-bouncing I guess). I've taught myself tons of hobbies including playing multiple musical instruments, drawing, painting, making stone bead bracelets, origami, leather-working, video game design, etc... Just started learning how to knit this past week, so weirdly timed video. 😂 Over halfway through making my first attempted project, a scarf, and honestly it's trippy thinking about how I'm literally making a clothing item just from a piece of string lol. Humans are so clever figuring out how to do these kinds of things, then passing that knowledge through the ages.
No clue what the term 'stim' means. But I was not surprised you knit. I am a productive time waster. Watching tv....time wasting. Making something while listening, watching or generally other inputs is productive. Hence a sense of not wasting your time by producing a touchable, feel-able goody while being entertained. I must listen to music or podcasts, books when I paint, or make mead from our honey. Cheers.
The AD part of ADHD means Attention Deficit....a knitter definitely doesn't lack attention if anything is quite the opposite. She is a multitasker which people often mistake for having ADHD...her permaculture lifestyle structured life is a clear sign she is not ADHD. ADHD prevents a person from being on task or even starting a task all together.
I don't really have the Attention deficit issues and am lacking other hallmarks of adhd. I do like to have many irons in the fire at once and I get bored easily but I don't think adhd really fits for me.
I was diagnosed with ADHD with and without hyperactivity: your attention can and will go both ways in the extreme at moment’s notice: hyper or hypo. ADHD is more an attention disorder than deficit. That’s why ADD doesn’t exist anymore. But the name is here to stay though for now (DSM is slow to evolve and there are so many new findings lately in neuroscience than they can’t keep up!) You might not fit ADHD criteria completely because you are both autistic and ADHD: AuDHD, and as a woman you present differently than men. AuDHD women are a whole different neurotype (to me) that should be more studied 😅
I was identified as a high functioning autistic at 58 (now 64), after my long term therapist went back to uni for specialised study in identifying and working with autistic clients. During an appointment towards the end of her studies, she told me the things she now recognised in me as autistic characteristics and holy cow! my life suddenly made so much sense. I still weird, but knowing why I am like this has given me the confidence to lean into that and unapologetically be myself. My life is way more peaceful as a result.
I love your kid’s take on unidentified neurotypes. I think this explains all the overlap and vagueness as we identify autism and adhd. And yes, I use all kinds of repetitive, rhythmic, colorful tasks to stim and calm myself and they work way better than still meditation ever did. Crochet and other weaving, sewing, embroidery, paper craft, dancing, singing, drawing and coloring, sorting things, video games, cooking, gardening, thrifting, tidying, and eating. I often wonder if it is my weaving and gathering ancient ancestry coming through.
ADHD here, and I learned how to knit so I could get through the daily religous lectures my family took me to. Kept knitting through college, until I DID need to take notes.
Love to know others have discovered this same joy.
I’m 51 and in the assessment process. I really started identifying as autistic about 3 years ago. Knitting is absolutely an essential stim. So are other crafts that involve both hands. One of the few things that settles my mind and body
I wrote a blog about this a few years ago when I equated my granddaughter's fidget things with my own restless hands and pleasure in handwork. I've been making dishcloths from old t-shirts and stitching them together with ends of embroidery floss. It's satisfying to produce something. It's no pressure creativity. It's the perfect stim.
Thanks for all you do!
Many people doodle to focus better. I do that. I remember someone complaining about the doodling, that I wasn't paying attention to his speaking. Someone jumped in and stated that doodling creates better focus for some people. And that I was someone that did that. Enough said.
I read like 30-40 yrs ago that knitters are actually good listeners, and even better than when they do not knit. I have knitted through meetings and lectures, and when I do not, I have to have pen and paper and make notes.
Totally amazed some years ago when I discovered that modern students do not take notes, they demand written notes copied from the lecturers.
We, as physical beings, need to maintain a grounded 'way' in our world. A constant connection to our surroundings, creates a spacial relationship . We are more than what, or who we are - we are where we are, moment by moment!
ASD (dl) here.. go to my blue collar job wearing scarf I loom knitted - dudes joke: 'you make that yourself?' - me: 'F- yeah. You even knit bro?'
I actually suggested knitting for my son yesterday while we needed to watch a bunch of science videos for his schoolwork. We have a knitting loom to make a toque with a half completed project on it from last year, and it was actually a perfect thing for him to do while watching/listening. I like the idea of different neurotypes, yes!
I have ADHD and use crochet to help me focus, and to soothe myself when I'm feeling anxious.
I wrestle with the whole ADHD, autism, neurotypical debates. As a person diagnosed ADHD, self-identified more recently as autistic, it comes down to whether the traits you have have disabled your life or not!
I am 60, and I started a diary a year ago of the memories that surfaced, and the stories my Mom told over the years that, screamed, "This girl is drowning people!! " I was 10 when I first idolized being unalive, and like a lot of people of my generation, I blamed my upbringing. The 8 week psychiatric program I was in at 26, also based all my therapy on that premise. I am no longer so sure of that.
I got blamed for why my first born was late talking. He was diagnosed with ADD by the time he was 10. My second son was not formally diagnosed but we all, (school professionals and I), presumed he was also ADHD. My daughter was an excellent coper and struggled to learn to read way beyond normal age expectations, and she wasn't diagnosed anything but I saw OCD traits very early on and watched over her. In university she was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. IMO she's also autistic, as were my sons. The ADHD label is too limiting.
I've had an ongoing struggle to thrive my whole life. Was it because I was dealing with a disability or not? It's a great question I can't get an answer to, I've been refused a diagnosis. Still, I'm just glad there is a body of language being formed to explain and validate my experiences.
Omg when did your daughter start reading? Mine is 9 and she's struggling with both. I'm so scared for her future. She's got a great memory but she needs to read and write. I've tried multiple tools, aids, but it's a struggle.
@@KellyNsGrottois there a particular topic she’s interested in or maybe a tv show she really likes? If you get her some books about something she’s passionate about, she may be encouraged to read. I was not at reading and writing level when I left high school. I was actually in classes for students with low performance. But after hs I found books I was interested in and was able to catch up even though reading has always and will always be a struggle due to adhd. When I took a placement test for community college, I got an almost perfect on the writing portion and the proctor congratulated me because he said he rarely ever sees scores like that.
My mother has knot throughout her life, through movies, while waiting at Dr appointments, she has knit so many wonderful things for everyone in the family.
Auti person here, I'm a huge crocheter. A stim I am so glad I learned as a kid. I enjoy counting when working from patterns, especially circular things like hats. I envy knitters. It's is all fun and games until I drop a stitch, then it's a meltdown!
I also agree there's far more out there regarding neurotypes that we have yet to discover and classify. Great video! 💜
Drawing works well too. If I have to go to a party, I bring my sketchbook.
I'm neurotypical and 100% feel like hand sewing and weaving help with my anxiety. If I'm already kind of calm, it helps me really relax and get into a zen/flow state. Mindless hemming or weaving while watching a good programme and my cat nearby - bliss!
I absolutely love this. I have just come to understand that I am some flavor of neurodivergent in the last year or so. And I know my kids are and my husband is, so it's just a whole thing. My grandsons are autistic and ADHD too. Our house is more more fun than a barrel full of roller skated monkeys some days. I have to have hand work with me I used to work in public health in Missouri and I would take my knitting projects with me to the meetings and the trainings and everyone would check in on what I was knitting., I know that I can pay better attention if I have something in my hands. I'm also a spinner!
Im ADHD. Of course I have a lot of crafts I do. My grandmother was the same. She was an amazing sewist, knitter, tatting and on and on. I’ve felt that there aren’t separate classifications but rather a continuum of neurotypes. Brains are so complicated and we have a need to classify everything. But everyone doesn’t fit in nice little boxes.
Undefined neurotypes? Absolutely. Perhaps we already have some loose definitions in place? Class clowns and people pleasers and so forth. Some people always need the spotlight, some people hate attention.
I have ADHD and level 2 autism. I'm SO glad to hear you take it as a compliment! You definitely feel like "one of us" and I think that's one of the reasons I like you and your videos.
My parents were disgusted and ashamed of having an autistic child and tried their best to "fix" me, but I think neurodivergent minds bring a lot of wonderful benefits to society that are far too easily overlooked.
I personally attempted to learn how to crochet when I was around 10 years old, but I found the instruction manual I was given far too complicated and would have meltdowns attempting to figure out how to start a new row, so I often just created single chains and pulled them loose before ultimately giving up on the hobby. But I'm definitely willing to consider trying the hobby again! I think between the internet and my improved cognitive ability, I could overcome that childhood hurdle and maybe make some scarves for myself and my friends while watching RUclips videos after work.
Absolutely agree about undefined neurotypes! And I've said knitting is my adult stem for years now.
I recently found you and love all of your content! As a late-diagnosed Autistic female, I can attest that knitting is my stim! I have wanted to make myself a t-shirt saying so…I also love crochet, hand embroidery, hand sewing and machine sewing, quilting, painting, book-making… all the things! Do you know much about adhd-inattentive type? Several of your traits you have mentioned match up… there is overlap in symptoms/traits of autistism and adhd. As you probably already know, it is common for us nerurodivergent folk(autistic and adhd folks) to gravitate towards each other…
Yes we do!! Autistic Adhd here and I relate so much to this channel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Autistic woman here, and I used to crochet in high school classes. My teachers always seemed annoyed at first but then realized I was getting straight A's and tutoring my peers. One time, my algebra teacher let me teach the class. (Best day ever!) I didn't know it was a type of stim because I didn't even know I was autistic back then, but it totally makes sense now.
I have also wondered many times if you're also autistic. 😊
I love your work- your channel and your knitting. I’m a knitter and have committed to finishing the full size blanket I started over a year ago. ❤
Is stitching as well?? What do y'all think? Because cross stitching is literally my meditation this last year 🪷
I’m a cross stitcher too. I do my best thinking with a needle in my hand. I even keep a pad of paper at hand to write them down!
I definitely find hand sewing to be one of my favorite stims. I feel so much better when I have a sewing project that I can just pick up and work on. Helps if I'm already overwhelmed and keeps me from hitting that point in the first place.
X-stitching is a perfect stim. Quiet, repetitive, needs some but not a lot of attention, lots of counting . . sounds like a stim to me. I do Hardanger which needs more precise counting, but is similar to X-sitchign in the hand use, etc.
As a neurodivergent person myself, I agree with you son 💯%
Fascinating! My pain psychiatrist, without elaborating, once called me a weird duck, and my best friend, a psychologist, after sharing my home for years, called me eccentric. After a bit of a sulk, I have embraced both comments with relish. I am whatever I am, and that includes wildly creative. Although I am currently not creating due to caring for a sick family member, knitting and hand sewing tiny landscapes out of fabric are two of my favourite things. I used to be a passionate gardener as well, creating cottage gardens intuitively. I am sure I am on some spectrum, and that's just fine with me now. That cardigan colour and pattern is stunning, by the way. Love your content. Blessings from Australia. 🩵
Your daughter is right, there are almost certainly other neurotypes.
Other potential stims I’ve noticed in family: working jigsaw puzzles while watching or listening to something else; shuffling cards or playing endless games of solitaire; sorting Lego pieces or small parts; macrame; removing pilling from blankets or knitwear; braiding hair; I used to have my father, siblings, and partners sit on the floor and I’d massage their backs while we watched TV. I’ve also seen people use rosaries or prayer beads to stim during sermons or while watching TV.
The color of that sweater is gorgeous!
I got my diagnosis yesterday, AuDHD 😊
Welcome to the fam 🎉 receive my diagnosis almost 2 years ago 😅.
Congratulations!!!!!
Kinesthetic, is the word you’re looking for. Your primary way of learning and organizing information is “hands on,” aka kinesthetic. My middle son is so strongly that way, that he doesn’t retain information unless his hands are engaged. US History was a nightmare for him, and he busted his arse to earn that C. And the most famous knitwear designers are men, regardless of which country you’re talking about. In Iceland, men win knitting competitions all the time. Don’t forget pioneers-there was no sock store and men had to make their own clothes, knit their own socks, etc. It’s not women’s work: it’s human work.
In many areas of skilled labor, women primarily excel at home, men excel in the professional setting. Due in large part because of the patriarchy, where women haven't been welcome in professional settings for as long and are still generally the primary care givers for children and other family members who need in-home care.
I've never been evaluated, but I'm pretty sure I meet the criteria for ADHD. I was a difficult child, hyper, noisy, into everything, undeterred by rules and pressures to behave. My grandma's friend decided to try out teaching me how to knit when I was 10. I think she thought it couldn't hurt to try to get me into something that would require sitting somewhat still and not creating chaos and messes. Lo and behold, I picked up the technique in one lesson and I actually sat and knit. And I was good for once 😂. I think my grandma's friend was really amazed. I'm really grateful for her. She would be proud of all my completed projects, and she would probably be unsurprised by my castonitis and wip situation.
Lucky you to have had a grandmother and friend who paid attention and looked for solutions that might help. In response to your "castonitis" comment, I have often wondered if people could learn knitting more easily if they were handed something that was already cast on and worked a few inches or so before the lesson began. Once confidence is gained I bet many would then enthusiastically learn the beginning steps.
Net making and basket weaving or basket sewing!!
ADHD here: I started spinning during lock down and it was absolutely amazing. At the time I wasn't diagnosed (sucks being female in medicine), so I didn't know I had a neurodivergence, but spinning on a hand spindle was such a beautiful discovery for me. After spinning for a while and not really having something to do with the yarn, I learned how to knit and it quickly became a hyperfocus for a few months. 😁 They hyper part has worn off and now it's just a nice stim that I can cycle through between sewing and spinning.
Parent of a person with autism here .... thanks for posting this. ❤
That sweater is gorgeous.
I knit a good chunk of a sweater during my company retreat! I wouldn’t have been able to pay attention without it! I have referred to my knitting a crocheting as “socially acceptable stimming” for a long time.
I agree with your daughter.
I have been knitting for decades . Learned to while commuting on TriMet. Yes , it helps me to be a better listener.
Starting during Covid I started Stitch Meditation.
All the research shows that our brains thrive doing things like knitting and stitching. Actually most creative activities.
I am not autistic.
And I perceive the world differently than most . So do several of my adult kids and grandchildren.
I'm Level 1 ASD w/ADHD and I'm OK with it all. Aspergers Syndrome (Level 1) was lumped into autism and it just doesn't matter. We excel at whatever we try and yes we havebto be redirected but we get it. Labels don't define you but is nice to know. I've been doing all handcrafts and designing my own clothes since 8. Art, writing, crafts, gardening and anything that attracts me is my thing. Rock on Neuro friends and be confident in whoever you are on any level!❤ Great post, ty
It wasn't lumped is definitely part of the autism spectrum...there are three levels of autism. Level 1 autistics have the same deficits as the other levels it just affects the person to a lesser degree. I find it extremely weird people feel some kind of way to be told they have a level of autism...the levels have nothing to do with being defined and it just describes how much help you need to be successful at daily tasks. I don't know who started saying the levels are about defining a person but is doing a lot of damage to those in the level 2 and 3 category.
undefinited neurotypes definitely make sense. But there's also the problem that in people who have both Autism and ADHD that one can disguise the other to some extent, and because female presenting people display autism differently to males, then that can also hide it. And add in a lifetime of trying to be "normal" all of which makes being a heavily masking AuDHD female harder to be diagnosed!
But yes i totally agree about knitting as stimming. I can't sit still, which is quite a problem as I have chronic fatigue and SAD. I spend an awful lot of time at this time of the year resting, but i get so bored. I started knitting again a few weeks ago and i couldn't be happier. I can't follow patterns. I can't remember complicated stitches, or count rows, etc. I am just knitting a shawl in a repetitive simple lace stitch (yarn over, knit two together), increase by one stitch at the beginning and end of every row. Absolutely loving it because i don't have to think or pay too much attention to what i'm doing!
I am weird as hell. I'm awkward but very logical. But enough about me. I don't know if I can knit. Maybe I'll try it.
If you do try knitting don't be made to feel like you have to do it fast. Just create each stitch as an individual like yourself!
@E_LithaBeth Thank you.
Yes. All Stem activities. I believe dyslexia, with its different categories, falls under the umbrella of neurodivergence too. We are all unique beings. I wish people would stop trying to herd us all into stereotypical peoples.
I love knitting but I'm prone to repetitive stress injuries so I can only make it through small projects. Then I need to take a looong break. I'd love to try spinning and see if it's any easier on my hands
I rotate between various handcrafts for exactly this reason!
I have always stimmed by crafting, though I didn’t define it as such until recently. I made dozens, if not hundreds, of those braided plastic keychains in elementary school, moved up to braided friendship bracelets in 6th grade, then cross stitch in 7th grade, and knitting in college (which I have kept up with ever since)
I am one of those unidentified, I am 82, I am still trying to figure how to work with what I have got. My brain works differntly in social situations even with family.
As an austistic woman, I use drawing as stimming! My jobs been very accommodating for it, since I still get all my work done-- I just need to like, draw every one and a while to vent my energy :)
I’ve knitted and painted. Really just about any craft you can think of I’ve tried at least once, but knitting, painting and macrame are my favorite hobbies.
Chicken or the egg? We would have evolved constantly fiddling with things, and our fiber tech has been evolving with us for eons.
I’m totally on board with the concept of undefined neurotypes. I have a variety of “quirks “ that don’t fit easily into any existing categories.
My husband sounds like you and like the Permaculture lady. My eldest and myself are AutDHD, my youngest ADHD. We get along pretty peacefully as a family, probably because we notice and discuss our different preferences and reactions in a friendly atmosphere.
Thanks for the insightful thoughts. I am incapable of doing only one thing at a time and do what my dear friend has called "hand engagement". It is a aure sign i a. Working on a problem
Yes, I identify really hard with memes about autism and ADHD for someone who doesn't actually have those struggles. But weird I am, and I've been crocheting since I was 8. Just started knitting this week.
I taught myself crocheting when I was 12 but have always wanted to learn Kntting...was it hard to learn knitting??
@SaintsandSushi Not even a little. A 5 minute RUclips video and about 20 minutes of fiddling, and now it's 3 days later and I'm a dozen rows into a scarf. Not going to win any prizes, but you have to suck first. It's the Law.
Thank you for this insight. I believe that my pottery obsession has really helped me with my multitasking and calming my mind.
I feel seen!😊 Movies, boring meetings, doctor's appointments, any waiting required at all, I always have my knitting. If I'm not knitting, I know I need to assess my mental health!😅
I have been saying for years Knitting and Crocheting and even some other needlecrafts are socially acceptable stims that women are allowed to do without being called out because we are making things for others. At least that's what the assumption is. Sometimes knitting and crocheting and other needlecrafts are being done to soothe or simply because they can be done. Or because you want something and the only way to get it is to make it!
Ask me to boil a pot of water and I might accidentally burn the house down but ask me to make an entire dinner, and I'll have it ready . . an hour AFTER dinnertime and three courses over budget . . Thank you, as always, for sharing
Three courses over budget would mean the dinner would be ready at best about 5 hours after dinner time if I'm cooking - or I'd have needed to have started work on it the previous day and then it would only be an hour or so late.
I just watched a great video of an autistic individual discussing all the ways that knitting is a stim. I'll share it on Patreon or your FB group for you. (Just finished your video and apparently we saw the same video lol).
Also diagnosis of autism currently hinges on the ways we upset or inconvenience the NTs.
My son, his dad, and grandpa are all HF autistic (a ton of family members on that side of the family are as well) and people often think I'm also autistic because like you I'm always multitasking and I can do repetitive tasks like crocheting. What people fail to understand is that autism is just one type of neurodiversity. I'm hyperlexic and left-handed which means my brain is definitely wired differently and by definition that makes me neurodiverse...but not autistic. Neurodiversity is so much more than Autism.
there is some research that suggests gross motor work like pushing or pulling heavy objects is excellent in self regulation for ND's (and probably everyone else!lol). I farmed for a number of my younger years and would feel quite happy most days. When I was a teacher, I tool a course on ADHD. I think very much that most of these issues would have been resolved through a more natural, agrarian lifestyle. I think ND's were the OG successful hunter/gatherers due to pattern recognition, noticing small details and being aware of many things at once in our spaces. Thanks for the talk!
I am a knitter and crocheter and doing so has made me realize the “need” I have for them. I can’t watch tv without doing something with my hands. I can’t never understand how people just sit there and do nothing! I also realized that perhaps I have add because I have so many unfinished projects. I get so distracted by different patterns and colors and what to do it all at once. I have never been diagnosed with anything but my addiction to yarn crafts really makes me wonder
I've just discovered the magic that is round needles I've made a baby blanket and now I'm working on a simple cowl for a Christmas present. I also found a tutorial on making reusable gift wraps out of fabric and I'm doing all my wrapping like that and I'll be baking some gifts too keeping everything super simple. I was not in the mode for any of it my typical stim is tending my flower gardens but I've come to realize some of that is too much for me and I was suggested to focus on my craft stuff to ease stress. I used to drive teachers crazy because I was a leg bouncer and so was the kid behind me in my English class we were in the older building so my teacher would comment we were making him sea sick I also started doodling on my paper cartoons that had to do with the lesson. I didn't one day not knowing if he actually wanted it on my work and he actually asked where today's cartoon was. I think he had been teaching long enough to know whatever helps a kid focus and do their work is worthy of letting them do.
I agree with you 💯 about nurotypes
I’m autistic and ADHD-PI and I just started knitting. I don’t focus better while knitting because I hate multitasking, but I knit because a.) I want to make my own clothes b.) gifts for loved ones and c.) it calms me down and helps regulate my nervous system. ❤
Ty for sharing your thoughts, feelings, and current cardigan project!
I consider handwork -- knitting, crocheting, sewing, weaving -- as my meditation.
I think a lot of autistic people are lovely.
Also, when I was at The Evergreen State College in the 70s, there were boys I knew who knit in lectures. Also my dad and his two male orthopod partners all knitted
This speaks to the brain shift Betty Edwards tries to induce in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Starting with that upside down coping of Pablo Picasso’s line Sketch of Igor Stravinsky. The Same way Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages can be found in Kimon Nïkolades’ The Natural Way to Draw. Along with variations of Today’s Pomodoro work Intervals can be found in his drawing schedules. There are a number of Sketchbook filling exercises that might be stimulating as above.
I sometimes watch RUclips clips and play two games all at the same time haha…juggling three devices can be tricky. I’m 53 and undiagnosed but I think I’m adhd.
My mother did all the stims; knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, sewing, etc. I never saw her just watch tv. Always had something to do with her hands. The fact that women weren’t considered for autism or adhd until just recently is just plain sad.
I have adhd and social anxiety and sometimes my symptoms veer so close to autistic symptoms that I start questioning if I am actually autistic but ultimately I know I’m not. But I def need something to stim. I normally play games but I think I should learn knitting and sewing. But I have carpal tunnel so idk.
It's not long since ADHD and autism were considered mutually exclusive diagnoses but that has now changed. The diagnostic criteria for autism have shifted somewhat and I suspect that there is going to be quite a bit more redefining in that space.
While autism and ADHD appear to be the best known forms of neurodivergence, Tourette's syndrome and dyslexia are also included. I'm pretty sure I've also seen OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) included as well. Then some people would branch further out and include a much wider range of conditions. I find some of the odd correlations with the main types of neurodivergence fascinating, everything from more likely to be LBTQ+ through to "if person has a close relative with ADHD they are more likely to be able to hear The Hum". Then there's misophonia, which is more prevalent in the neurodivergent. Then there are physical conditions, like increased joint mobility, ranging through in some cases to Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.
So is it possible that there are some forms of neurodivergence that have not yet been recognised? I'd say yes.
Next question: stimming and crafts. Oh, 100% a lot of crafts are a form of stimming. I think that's why I enjoy knitting plain stocking stitch in lace weight wool. And spinning is wonderfully soothing.
I would argue that neurodivergent people exist because their stims had societal benefits, someone who liked to spin or weave or do nalbinding or make cord or (very important one) grind grain and other substances with a quern, really benefitted their clan. That would have made them a more desirable mate than the person who didn't like doing those things or who didn't do them well. Neurotypicals may have had other qualities that made them desirable mates - must have, or they wouldn't still exist and be in the majority.
I also can’t get through meetings or lectures without keeping my hands busy.
I have anxiety and probable ADHD. Besides knit and crochet, I also run (very repetitive! Lol), play musical instruments (tactile and auditory heaven), and most recently have started baking yeast bread. Y'all, kneading dough is amazing, if you can tolerate the texture of it. If there's a "tinkering" neurotype, that was my dad. He was always messing with his gear, whatever it was, trying to improve it. It was half science, half gut instinct.
I also knit a lot, despite living in the tropics, and have always called it a moving meditation as it would settle my mind. I am not autistic but have been called odd... 😂
Oh wow this is me too. I had a great trainer at one job and she let me crochet while learning and I absorbed so much more and felt so much appreciation towards her. I had one job I couldn't make it out of training because it was so boring and they had issues with me doing something other than listen to them. Oh wow I'm very curious on the spinning and am curious where you get your wool (flax?) for spinning. In addition, my daughter is 9 but is having a horrible time learning to read and write. I am asking everywhere to find something to help crack her code. She has to be able to read and write or life is going to be so much harder for her. And I can't seem to get a set autism diagnosis for her from the elementary school. They keep saying she's delayed. I'm so frustrated.
Yep, as a quilter and crocheter, one of my hobbyhorses is that needlework is a women’s hobby/craft, therefore not “real” art.
I, too, have trouble “just” watching TV or reading, and have always done needlework. I wonder, though, for me whether it’s partly guilt at not feeling comfortable “wasting” time.
I find it hard to just sit in front of the tv. Therefore, I have several long crocheted table runners! In college, if I wasn't taking notes, I was working on hand sewing quilt sections, much to the instructor's annoyance!
I like to hand sew. I do not get the same satisfaction from sewing with a machine. The machine is doing all of the work and my hands are too idle and i get bored.
I think it helps to remember that recognizing that women, or really, most "level 1" autistic folks were people who had a label fitting them is relatively new. The main reason for labeling as such is needing help or somethingthat shouldwork not working. As such, I'm a little resistant to randomly labeling people though both my (adult) kids are autistic. Would I qualify? I honestly don't know -- I use some of the things that help my kids, but don't think I would get a bunch out of the label that I couldn't do on my own.
That said, knitting is my stim of choice, and I think you're onto something with crafting being one of the ways people have coped with the conditions around them. Both my kids have found crafting useful, as well as things like having rings their grandparents made to fiddle with discreetly. I've also found that making your own items can give you the opportunity to incorporate features that help avoid irritation or help with your sensitivities.
this is awesome i relate to every word in this (i am diagnosed autistic tho but i have many friends who arent diagnosed but do fit your description better than autism)
also i exchange crafts periodically, right now my thing is hand sewing. last night i had to sew a cargo pocket on and automatically decided i have to do it by hand because i wanted to, because that's more soothing than machine sewing for me.
correct. the best stim ever. until you do it so much you get stress injuries..... but still. 10/10 would recommend
I bend my knitting needles
A hundred years ago, it was expected that women would always have a craft in hand. After all, idle hands are the devil's workshop. 😉
lol, i always doodled. people thought i was not paying attention but then i got perfect test scores. there is no such thing as neurotypical, we are all weird in our own way, unique like the flowers in a meadow 🙂
Thanks for this video! Is there a tried and true site or YT channel you could recommend as a starting point for self-identifying where on the spectrum I might belong? I am 100% behind the idea that spectrum means infinite varieties or combinations of neurodivergence. I am not a snowflake but have never met another person like myself so my guess is that humans are like any other natural thing in being unique.
Embrace Autism is a good website with many different psychometric tests you can take. They have ones for autism, ADHD, OCD and alexithymia. It's very helpful as a starting point.
I'm autistic and adhd (late diagnosed in my late thirties in 2023) and what you're saying is the equivalent of everyone is a little bit autistic, which is harmful and ableist. EVERYONE stim, it's a human thing, autistic and adhders do it alot and need it to regulate so we don't burnout/meltdown/shutdown all the time.
Sorry I don't know what stim means in this context. I knit crochet and drop spindle. PTSD and these crafts have saved me.
a self-stimulatory behavior that is marked by a repetitive action or movement of the body (such as repeatedly tapping on objects or the ears, snapping the fingers, blinking the eyes, rocking from side to side, or grunting) and is typically associated with certain conditions (such as autism spectrum disorder)
merrian webster has got you, fam.
I crochet. LOL
I bet no one is strictly neurotypical.
All the textile arts like spinning and weaving, that women’s work? Until the 19th century, those were money. Weaving cloth was better than crypto mining, it was standardized and immediately had a money value. A hundred dollar bill. Spinsters - women who spun fiber into thread/yarn - made such good money they didn’t need to get married. Very respectable path too, a family and household would distract from fabric production. For certain brains? An ideal lifestyle.
If you're going to have brain surgery to, forex, repair a seizure disorder, they have to map your brain. They have to map everyone's brain. Because each brain is its own type. 😎
Neurodivergence technically isn't a "scientific term" anyways, it's more of a category people have decided to use that can include a variety of conditions/ways of thinking/disorders. The most commonly known are obviously autism and ADHD, but it also includes things like tourettes, the "dys's" (dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, etc), and others. So absolutely there are more than likely more variations of divergent thinking that have yet to be identified! 😁
I am an AuDHDer myself (autism with ADHD) and find all of this (among basically everything lol) fascinating. My subconscious stimming choices have always been mostly creative (playing video games being the main exception, and leg-bouncing I guess). I've taught myself tons of hobbies including playing multiple musical instruments, drawing, painting, making stone bead bracelets, origami, leather-working, video game design, etc... Just started learning how to knit this past week, so weirdly timed video. 😂 Over halfway through making my first attempted project, a scarf, and honestly it's trippy thinking about how I'm literally making a clothing item just from a piece of string lol. Humans are so clever figuring out how to do these kinds of things, then passing that knowledge through the ages.
No clue what the term 'stim' means. But I was not surprised you knit.
I am a productive time waster. Watching tv....time wasting. Making something while listening, watching or generally other inputs is productive. Hence a sense of not wasting your time by producing a touchable, feel-able goody while being entertained. I must listen to music or podcasts, books when I paint, or make mead from our honey. Cheers.
You may not be autistic, but what about ADHD? It was also severely overlooked in girls back in our youth, and again, presents differently.
I thought that was just ADHD you were describing.
The AD part of ADHD means Attention Deficit....a knitter definitely doesn't lack attention if anything is quite the opposite. She is a multitasker which people often mistake for having ADHD...her permaculture lifestyle structured life is a clear sign she is not ADHD. ADHD prevents a person from being on task or even starting a task all together.
I don't really have the Attention deficit issues and am lacking other hallmarks of adhd. I do like to have many irons in the fire at once and I get bored easily but I don't think adhd really fits for me.
I was diagnosed with ADHD with and without hyperactivity: your attention can and will go both ways in the extreme at moment’s notice: hyper or hypo. ADHD is more an attention disorder than deficit. That’s why ADD doesn’t exist anymore. But the name is here to stay though for now (DSM is slow to evolve and there are so many new findings lately in neuroscience than they can’t keep up!)
You might not fit ADHD criteria completely because you are both autistic and ADHD: AuDHD, and as a woman you present differently than men. AuDHD women are a whole different neurotype (to me) that should be more studied 😅