Chapter 6: Navigating Social Disability as a Neurodivergent Misfit

Hello, Done.

I have always seen myself as a catalyst for change, but recently, I’ve been exploring what that really means. I’ve considered terms like “transformation enabler” and “initiator” to describe the role I seem to inhabit naturally. I picture it sometimes as being the first crack in a wall, the place where pressure and possibility meet, creating an opening for something new. My mind is relentless in its pursuit of justice and equity. It ventures beyond the conventional, refuses to be confined, and propels me forward every day with the compulsion to make the world better. This drive has been with me for as long as I can remember.

Recently, my parents gave me a box of my childhood keepsakes. Inside was a project from the fourth grade, where I’d written about my aspirations for the future. Each page centered on the theme of social justice. Even as a child, I seemed to know what mattered most to me. I wasn’t trying to fit in—I was already a non-conformist, pushing against norms and searching for ways to make the world more just.

People like me, the ones I call “misfits,” are everywhere. We’re the ones who don’t quite fit into the systems and structures around us. For neurodivergent misfits, the world’s injustices can feel especially acute. We don’t just see the suffering around us; we feel it—deeply, painfully. It’s like carrying an invisible weight that never quite lets up. It’s no wonder so many of us turn to substances or other coping mechanisms to dull that pain. When the systems designed to help instead exacerbate our suffering, it’s only natural to seek relief elsewhere.