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116 Examples Of Behaviors People Later Realized Were Signs Of Neurodivergence
Many people discover, sometimes much later than expected, that they are not neurotypical, often because the signs were there, but just interpreted as, say, a fun, personal quirk. So we’ve gathered examples of neurodivergent and ADHD traits that people thought were just “normal” behaviors for the longest time.
An important note, don’t diagnose yourself from an online list, many of these behaviors are not necessarily exclusive to neurodivergence. Settle in as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own experiences and thoughts in the comments down below.
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#1
“waiting mode”. if i have an appointment or something scheduled at like 3, my entire day will revolve around it. like i could wake up at 9 o clock and think no i cant watch a movie, what if it’s accidentally 8 hours long and i miss my appointment. i also will get ready for the appointment at like 11am and literally sit and wait until it’s time
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#2
Starting to clean an area, finding a thing that goes somewhere else, taking it there and seeing that area needs cleaning, start cleaning that area, finding a thing that goes somewhere else….
#3
I realized that, when someone tells me a story or something, I immediately think of a similar experience that fits to theirs and share it as soon as they’ve finished, which may come across as „me trying to make it about myself“, when in reality it’s my ADHD attempt to make them feel seen 🥺
#5
That not everyone’s brain was filled with random clips of music on a loop or a word repeating constantly or that sometimes… sometimes there’s SILENCE in others people’s heads… like whaaattt!? My flabbers were ghasted
#6
I wasn’t diagnosed with adhd but is it normal to be reading a book and then realising you’re just thinking about something instead of reading so you have to go back.
#8
Constant music on repeat in my head. People can say certain words that are from songs I know and it triggers a new song to play in my mind. I will wake up in the middle of the night, and the music starts again. It’s really aggravating.
#9
Procrastinating, i honestly just thought it was something everyone struggled and I wasn’t weird for waiting to do my school assignments until the night before they are due 😭
#10
Eating the same food over and over and over again... and liking it until you're sick of it. Then moving onto another type of food.
#12
Skipping ahead a few lines while reading then forcing myself to go back and read the now boring bit cause I spoiled the next bit for myself
#13
Listening to the instructions, but not listening to them- because you need to see it done first and THEN told the instructions before it can “click”. 😅
#16
One ADHD symptom I thought was normal was needing pressure or urgency to function. I only moved when things felt critical, but went flat when things were calm.
#19
Feeling like Im being watched. Not in a paranoid "the govt is monitoring me" way, just always feeling this underlying feeling that Im being judged even when Im just standing in line at the grocery store
#20
i’ve seen other people say this who have ADHD & ADD, i don’t miss people.. out of sight, out of mind.
#21
Getting frustrated when people don’t finish their sentences fast enough, or don’t talk fast enough
#22
Hyper fixation on a hobby and buying EVERYTHING for it and 2 weeks later it’s in the craft closet with $1k+ of other crafting/hobbies stuff just collecting dust. I also know that I won’t ever be bored because all the stuff in the creating closet so it’s like a safety net. 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
#24
apparently there is "ADHD handwriting" where the letters look lazy at some points and sometimes it looks like it was written by different people bc we keep changing our letter style probs cuz we get bored 👀
#28
over sharing to connect with someone. i didn't realize people thought it was being self absorbed. having multiple hobbies/projects. hyper fixation on collections, topics (reading mainly like h*******t, ancient Egypt, the tudors etc)
#29
Hearing my voice in my head when I’m reading, apparently some people don’t hear any voice….HOW CAN THEY READ 😬😬😬
#30
asking someone what they said and then immediately knowing as soon as they start to repeat themselves 😭
#31
Thinking nobody likes me and nobody wants to be my friend and I shouldn’t call to hang out because then I’m just bothering people.
#32
Task paralysis. I know I need to do it, and it’s not even hard but I just freaking can’t. 😭
#33
Talking to myself… it calms me down but people look at me crazy… I thought everyone did this
#36
Getting unreasonably angry over minor inconveniences affecting your schedule (people walking slow, talking slow, blocking the metro doors, stopping in the middle of a hallway etc)
#37
I always have my brightness all the way down on my phone and notice how it affects my vision when it’s really bright
#38
Interrupting people when they talk because you already assumed how the story will end (most of the times right)
#39
Maybe not normal, because I knew other people did not do it, but knowing what is going to happen in series and movies, or guess what other people is going to say before they finish their sentence (not always right in this last one, though) because we are "aware" of patterns and just use them to fill out information.
#41
Unable to watch movies without subtitles. Unable to understand verbal instructions unless provided written text or making notes so I don’t forget.
#43
remembering all negative things that happened to me on a loop randomly through my life. multiple times a week.
#45
Running through social scenarios in my head just in case. for example "if the cashier asks why they havent seen me in a while ill explain I had lots of leftovers after going out"
#49
Making random noises and repeating phrases that feel nice - my latest one is pizza pie (no idea why)
#50
Recognizing in the moment that the thing I am stuck on doing is the thing that’s going to make me late, but not being able to stop until it’s done.
#52
Deciding something only takes 20 minutes (when in fact it takes hours) while at the same time avoiding tasks because your brain has decided said task takes hours, when in fact, it really is a 5 minute task. Or when you doom scroll for “5 minutes” that turns into 5 hours.
#53
Putting things in very safe places and then forgetting where that safe place was. Four years later I still can’t find the very safe place I hid my daughter’s bracelet charms.
#55
Learning everything about an activity/hobby I am interested to include buying all the required tools. Map out a routine with an end of year outcome with quarterly, weekly, daily goals. Them, never do said activity.
#56
Not wanting to wear certain type of fabrics/ clothing because it made me feel like a million tiny critters were running over my skin….now I understand 🥹
#57
Always and I mean always having a song playing in my head. Even when I’m thinking of other things, the song is there.
#58
People at work always called me “Rainman”because I remember every detail of something but I can’t remember big things. I thought they were strange. Also, I hate turtlenecks and anything that wraps up around my neck and it seems like everyone else loves it.
#59
Constantly needing stimulation but NOT TOO MUCH. if I don’t have the tv or music or podcast on in the background my mind just won’t stop.
#60
ADHD paralysis i knew i wasn't lazy just at times I couldn't get my self to do things and I didn't know why
#62
Object permanence. But also getting blind from objects that are always in the same place because my brain doesn’t register them anymore
#63
Apparently your mind is supposed to be quiet and think one thought at a time. My mind was FLABBERGASTED when I realized that was normal.
#64
I thought it was normal for people to always be thinking about something and I would ask my husband what he is thinking about and he would say nothing and I would wonder why he didn’t want to talk about what was going on in his head in the background all the time. Then I learned in therapy not everyone has an inner dialogue constantly. it’s a symptom of my ADHD. I was just diagnosed this year. I’m 27. 🖤
#68
that some people cannot see images in their mind? like extreme disassociation or maladaptive daydreaming. I can replay entire movies in my mind and see and hear everything like I'm actually watching in real time. apparently that's not the normal 😬
#69
Having one specific line of a song stuck in my head so often that every morning, within five minutes of waking up, I was like “oh that’s today’s anthem”. And then it just…never goes away.
#70
Forgetting to close cabinets...being tired as hell all day then doom scrolling til 2AM...having 10K tabs open on my phone's browser...
#71
Constantly tell myself “I’ll clean the house today or imma clean the dishes (and then keep saying and saying it untill on a random day I CLEAN THE HOUSE AND THE DISHES RIGHT AWAY WITH 0 READON)
#72
All of it. All. All of it! Not wanting to cook cus it’s too many steps, not wanting to clean cus it’s too many steps, not wanting to do laundry cus it’s too many steps.. only being motivated by having to.
#73
I thought everyone had constant chatter/sounds or songs going through their head 24/7. Apparently that is not normal 😃
#76
Having a conversation in my head first then blurting the other half of it out loud to my partner… or jumping to random topics
#78
hearing absolutely everything at once and being unable to focus on singular sounds or just blocking it out which apparently is a thing neurotypical people can do
#79
Needing to research something for days, weeks, months comparing each one on multiple different websites different models or years, learning everything about it. finding a YouTube video unboxing, how it looks. then how it is when it has a problem. Then if it is something that a lot of companies would make a case for that I could find that I liked. Whole time it’s a Nintendo switch. Or how it would look in my house like for tvs. I think everyone does this but after like 7 hrs straight or a couple days of that that’s it but it’s like I can’t I need to know I’m right
#80
Rejection sensitive dysphoria. I had no idea how people could just shake it off and move on.
#81
Adhd handwriting, forgetting things, being hyper for no entire reason, saying random things
#83
Having my best friends tell me about the coolest things we’ve done together in past, and I have no memory of them 😔 wish I did
#84
having layered thoughts constantly, maladaptive daydreaming, listening to a song/eating the same thing over and over till i’m sick of it, having “a thing about textures”, burst of motivation that cuts short randomly. the list goes on lol…
#85
Auditory processing disorder. I used to call it auditory dyslexia until i found out the actual name. I can hear people, i just dont understand what theyre saying cause it sounds like gibberish
#87
Maladaptive daydreaming, being calm under enourmous stress and pressure but blowing up over tiny things that aren’t a big deal, hyper focusing on tasks I find interesting but unable to start/do tasks I loath.
#88
being able to actually read people. almost like knowing all the answers to a book...before you even open it
#92
Remembering people's birthdays you haven't seen in 30 years. Knowing what year most movies came out.
#93
Being able to physically feel music and sound. I never knew that wasn’t normal. Found out I have synesthesia 2 months ago. I just turned 49 🤷🏽♀️
#95
Deconstructing food and not making direct eye contact with people. Also, maladaptive daydreaming.
#96
I hip check everything. I'm suuuper clumsy. Always in need of stimulation, but can't be overly stimulated.
#97
Everything is a soundtrack. The need to overshare. Having 400 tabs open on ur iPad. Listening to the same song hundreds of times. Waiting until the last minute to do everything.
#100
That normal people don't ruminate over every task for twice as long as it takes to do the task. They just do it? apparantly, I guess.
#101
Thinking so multidimensional and in layers all at once. The pattern recognition that comes w that caliber of thinking. It’s very hard for me to have conversations w “normal ppl” and I’m working on how to articulate better to ppl
#102
I smell everything I eat and if it even smells a tiny bit off I can not eat it. 😬😅 My mom says looking back she can clearly see the signs but I’m a 90s kid so 🤷♀️😅
#103
Hypersensitivity, when I was younger I was diagnosed with ADHD and then I later developed 2 anxiety disorders. I thought having strong emotions and feelings towards people, environments, and words they say was normal. But I guess it wasn’t.
#104
Actually being a genuine person 😅 I learned the hard way people are not authentically kind or care about you
#105
15 conversations with myself. All in my head. All,with diff character voices & faces/bodies. Also, not officially diagnosed, but I've read a thing or two.
#106
Stimming!!!! My parents used to belittle & slap me for me doing it up into my young (mid 20's) adulthood.
#109
Knowing people’s intentions of what they’re thinking and feeling, even though they’re not acting like it, I thought everybody was able to do that until I realized that it was not normal
#112
constantly being reminded how mean people will be to me, even though I always treated them with kindness, courtesy, and friendship - including family 😔
#114
“Zoning out”. I was getting called out by teachers for disassociating during class as a young child
#116
Just being extremely fast. Whether its walking, doing an activity or task. Telling a story i’ll skip to like 5 side stories so pplnoften said I was bad at explaining things in a step by step way
What do you think ?
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
Clinical psychologist here. BP readers PLEASE do not use this list of quirky behaviours to self-diagnose. One of the biggest frustrations I have as a psychologist is having people come to me and telling me they are neurodivergent because they compared themself to something they read on the Internet. A number of these descriptions don't even technically fit in as definitions of any characteristic of neurodivergence. It is always important to know the context - when does it happen, how often does it happen, how does it impact the person's functioning versus is something that is just "quirky." If you have been diagnosed by a competent clinician who has experience with neurodivergent people and is licensed to use the DSM (or whatever diagnostic manual is used in your area of the world), that is great. However, a friend, a colleague, or an article on the Internet is just a start. Just as you shouldn't use Dr. Google to self-diagnose medical conditions, please don't use Dr. Google for this.
Lady Eowyn 2 months ago
The more I learned about autism, the more it seemed like me. So, I talked to my psychiatrist about it. She was the one who told me I absolutely am on the spectrum. I was 69 years old at the time. It's an explanation, not an excuse.
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Multa Nocte 2 months ago
Clinical psychologist here. BP readers PLEASE do not use this list of quirky behaviours to self-diagnose. One of the biggest frustrations I have as a psychologist is having people come to me and telling me they are neurodivergent because they compared themself to something they read on the Internet. A number of these descriptions don't even technically fit in as definitions of any characteristic of neurodivergence. It is always important to know the context - when does it happen, how often does it happen, how does it impact the person's functioning versus is something that is just "quirky." If you have been diagnosed by a competent clinician who has experience with neurodivergent people and is licensed to use the DSM (or whatever diagnostic manual is used in your area of the world), that is great. However, a friend, a colleague, or an article on the Internet is just a start. Just as you shouldn't use Dr. Google to self-diagnose medical conditions, please don't use Dr. Google for this.
Lady Eowyn 2 months ago
The more I learned about autism, the more it seemed like me. So, I talked to my psychiatrist about it. She was the one who told me I absolutely am on the spectrum. I was 69 years old at the time. It's an explanation, not an excuse.
Load More Replies... 
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