Introduction | Bio
About Me — Jillian
Allow me to introduce myself: the Coles Notes version
My name is Jillian, I’m the mother of an 8 year old 2e boy. 2e means twice exceptional: both my son and I are gifted with ADHD and anxiety. I write about neurodiversity, mental health, parenting, education, and advocacy, so I will explain a bit about why these topics are so important to me.
Why I Write About Health & Mental Health
I was diagnosed with asthma and allergies in early childhood, around age 7, and all of my other diagnoses were late-in-life diagnoses. I had a lot of behavioural and mental health issues as a child, but nothing much was done to unearth the root of those problems, and I was simply labelled a “difficult” kid.
Although I’ve always been hard of hearing, my hearing loss wasn’t diagnosed until the age of 12, and I didn’t start learning American Sign Language (ASL) until I was 13.
I was assessed as being academically gifted at age 14 when I entered high school. I was nearly kicked out of school for truancy, but the school administrators walked that back when they saw I was maintaining solid 80s with a 60% attendance rate.
During my College and University years, my attendance improved, but I was always late for class and I completed all of my assignments at the very last minute, often pulling all-nighters to get them done on time. My mental health wasn’t good, but I didn’t even realize how bad it was. I was masking many of my symptoms and trying to pass myself off as someone who had it all together.
While earning my psych degree, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, at age 26. This after a two decades of being told I was just lactose intolerant and a bit of a hypochondriac.
Part of the challenge was that I did not present with typical Celiac symptoms, which are GI issues. I was severely anemic, I had joint pain, and fatigue. Eventually my body and brain were under so much stress that I began having seizures. The seizures are probably the only reason I finally got diagnosed because they made healthcare professionals take my illness seriously.
One year later I was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) and anxiety, and also misdiagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), at age 27.
Why I Write About Psychology & Education
My first career was in social work, I received a diploma in Child and Youth Work in 2006 and a BA in Psychology in 2010, but because of my health issues I was only working part-time after graduating.
In the summer of 2010, I took the animal psychology and behaviour knowledge I had obtained during my degree, and started a dog walking and training business. It took off, going from a side hustle to a full-time job in only 3 months.
In 2012, our son was born. I began hiring employees to cover my maternity leave and to help with the increasing workload. My business was flourishing, and I had the flexibility to be home with my son as much as I wanted, while also running my own business and earning an income doing something I love.
My son began attending school in 2016. It quickly became apparent that he was incredibly smart, but also struggled with impulsivity and emotional dysregulation.
In 2018 we moved, and my son began attending a new school. It was a disaster. In 2019 he was assessed as being gifted and diagnosed with ADHD. Seven months later, I was also diagnosed with ADHD, at age 36.
During a hellish two-year experience with his former school, I became my son’s strongest advocate. I refocused my studies on child development, child psychology, neurodiversity, and education. It became painfully clear that his school was neither well-informed, nor prepared to adequately support him, and wasn’t doing much to change that.
Not surprisingly, in 2020, my husband and I got him out of there and moved him to a new school. Things have improved significantly for my son, but my advocacy work continues. I founded a new business, one that supports and advocates for neurodiverse children and their families.
Coping with Change
In addition to my love for my son, the things that have kept me going are my love of sports, the outdoors, and camping. Growing up, despite the adversity I faced, I had the privilege of playing competitive hockey and soccer. This was my outlet, my refuge, and my passion. Sports kept me healthy (somewhat), engaged, and connected with friends and teammates.
I still love sports, the outdoors, and camping in adulthood, and both my husband and I are passing these passions down to our son. Our son is a fantastic basketball player and also loves camping and tree climbing.
As we will all remember, in early 2020 covid hit and everything changed. My pet care business took a nosedive, as did many small businesses, so I had to change my trajectory. When nobody is travelling and we can’t visit people’s homes, pet sitting and dog training are pretty much out. I poured all my energy into my advocacy and mental health work. It doesn’t pay much (yet), but I love it and it’s important work.
In April 2021, I discovered Medium. My hope is to earn a little income while working to educate others about neurodiversity, mental health, parenting, and education.
I have found that there is a fantastic community here of fellow writers and mental health advocates who support one another. Reading others people’s stories has allowed me to acknowledge and confront my own internalized ableism. I am grateful to have found this platform and I look forward to connecting with more of you as I explore all it has to offer.
Thanks for reading.
Be well,
Jillian
To learn more about our journey to diagnosis and self-discovery, you can read my story series:
My 5 Most Popular Stories So Far
Why Rejection is More Painful with ADHD
ADHD Puts Us at Greater Risk for Addictions
Power Trips Lead to Power Struggles
I was Masking for So Long, I Lost Myself
Learn More about Neurodiversity MB
Jillian is an Neurodivergent Coach and Advocate in Manitoba, Canada.
Jillian has a diploma in Child & Youth Work and a Degree in Psychology, as well as being the parent of an amazing 2e/AuDHD child.
Visit NeurodiversityMB.ca and facebook.com/NeurodiversityMB to learn more, or find all my links at Linktr.ee/NeurodiversityMB.
