ROBIN MILLER
(Probably) ADHD, Speech-Language Therapist, Mom, (she/her/hers)
There is no official neurodivergent ICD-10 code for me. I do self-identify as an ADHDr after doing much self education and discussion with other professionals.
Kids?
YES! 2 kids, one is about to graduate from H.S. and my other is in middle school.
Dogs or cats?
Can't choose. They are all unique entities. I would also like to have a pot-bellied pig as a therapy animal at some point.
If you could be any fruit, what kind of fruit would you be
Pomegranate. It takes some time to get into the best parts, but once you get to it, it's worth it.
What superpower do you wish you had?
To communicate/mind-speak with animals.
Where in this world have you lived?
Spokane, WA and in and around King-County/Seattle Area
Where did you go to school?
University of Washington. Then I became a traitor and went to Washington State University. I still root for UW during the Apple Cup, though!!!
First Job:
Working in Receiving at SkopKo in Spokane, WA. I got to drive a mini-forklift!
Best Job:
Hmmmm…this is a difficult question. I really enjoy both of my jobs currently. I work with clients in my private practice for Speech/Language Pathology part-time and I get to work as the Social-Emotional/Special Services Coordinator at a small private school for my other part-time job.
How did you get involved in Neurodiverse Connections?
I was asked by Marcee to be a part of her EVIL MASTER PLAN to take over the world!!! Ok…..Not totally true. I *was* asked by Marcee to come to a meeting to talk about how we, as neurodiverse people and parents of neurodiverse children, can make our community (and beyond) more inclusive and welcoming to people in the neurodivergent universe.
The 'why' I was interested is not as direct as the answer above. Instead, I will tell you a story about failing and realizing that everyone's brains learn differently….
ROBIN'S STORY
I think that my school academic-misadventures started in 1st grade. I had a teacher that frequently kept me in for lunch-recess to finish my classwork. I would take too long to finish my work, so then I would be sent out to recess without lunch. This was in the early 80s, so Mrs. Fuller wasn't a terrible person, She was “teaching me a lesson” on how to “be a good student.”
I remember that Mrs. Fuller would give students stars on their papers if they did a “good job.” I got one star that year on a coloring paper after she gave it back to me and said, “You didn't color in the ocean.” I responded with, “The ocean has white in it.” She took the paper back and put a star on it. Let that sink in. A coloring paper that as a 6-year-old I had to reason with an adult to get a star on. I also remember other things that Mrs. Fuller did that basically makes me think that she was a horrible person, but I'll save those stories for when we meet in person.
In elementary school, I was pulled out to work with a specialist. (Again, this was in the 80s. There was no 'resource room' and IEPs didn't exist yet). The woman that volunteered her time was perfectly nice to me and I actually enjoyed my time with her, but I haaaaaated leaving the classroom to go to see her. It was like I had a big dunce-cap on signaling that I was the dumb kid.
In middle and high school I had to work extra hard just to pass math. My middle and high-school mornings were on-going, before-school “math-help” classes. I had to take pre-algebra twice to get a passing grade. PS- Pre-algebra is not 'more fun' during summer school. If anyone tells you it is, they are LYING.
In high-school, thankfully there was a year of geometry and my right-brain/left-handed self could actually understand this. Geometry was a short respite from the hell that came after named: Pre-Calculus. This was my brain on Pre-Calc : “OHMYGODNOWWEAREMIXINGNUMBERSANDLETTERS ANDTHEREARETHESETHINGSCALLEDFUNCTIONS! WHYYYYYYYYYYYY???” I worked really hard to pass this class with a B. Did I understand any of it? Nope.
(deep breath)
In college, after almost failing out of school my second quarter (in case you didn't know 1.49 GPA is not “passing.”) I had to figure out how to study. While anxiety is not great to live with, it *is* great at motivating you to get your s$*t together. Interestingly, I started to do really well in college (THANK YOU ANXIETY!) But by senior year I needed to take a physics course to fill my speech and hearing sciences requirements. I waited until the last quarter of my senior year to take this class. I hired a physics grad-student to tutor me and at one point my tutor said, “You know, you are good at this. You need a little extra time to learn it.” This comment made a HUGE POSITIVE IMPACT on my self-confidence and changed my entire outlook on how a person can learn. It took ONE PERSON to say that I could be good at something that I had struggled with FOR. YEARS. ONE!
I knew that if just one person earlier in my life had said that very same thing to me, that my entire understanding of my ability to learn would have been different. My wish is to bring that kind of feeling to all– that diversity in all things is good for all people.
And for those that are curious……YES, I passed the physics class with a B+. Take that, Mrs. Fuller.