Becca Floyd

While differences in functioning and perception can certainly contribute to misunderstandings and challenges that can naturally be quire limiting to our quality of life and from others recognizing our inherent value, being able to approach things differently can also be quite freeing. A well-lived life seems to be one that can balance completely opposing realities, thereby keeping an over-reliance on known/valued strengths from hampering us and allowing navigation of "deficits" to uncover hidden strengths. As everyone has their own path to take in life, being thrown "curveballs" that come in the form of neurodivergence can literally force one to forge their own way, rather than trying to mirror one's own life after someone else's - neurodivergence has a saving grace of making it virtually impossible to succumb to societal pressures that would have us waste or diminish one's "wild and precious life."

From an early age I was struck by two insights: 1) that not all circumstances (such as chronic disease) are escapable, and 2) that even when experiencing essentially identical circumstances (including health conditions), quality of life among people can be vastly different. Ever since I have made it my mission to understand how it could be possible that challenges can be experienced so differently, and then as a psychologist, to figure out, if I could, how to help the ones who were struggling, better understand their unique composition to access their share of joy in life too