About me
Welcome to My World of Fossils, Crystals, and Adventures!
Hi! I’m 9 years old and I started this website to share my passions for fossils, crystals, and all the cool things I like to explore. I’m also excited to talk about how I’m learning to cope with my ADHD, autism and PDA, which stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance. I hope by sharing my story, I can inspire you and show that it’s okay to be different!
My Passion for Fossils and Crystals and everything else!
Fossils are like ancient treasures, and I love hunting for them, especially on trips to places like Lyme Regis. My favorite find so far is an ammonite, which is like an ancient squid. Fossils help us understand the past, and every time I find one, it feels like I’m uncovering something that’s been hidden for millions of years.
Crystals are another thing I really enjoy finding more about. I started collecting them when I lived in Singapore. My collection includes amethyst, rose quartz, and quartz crystals as well as many others, and I think they’re special because each one has its own color, shape, and energy. Crystals help me focus and stay calm, especially when I feel anxious or overwhelmed.
I am also an avid reader, my parents always comment that I read too quickly. When I receive a new book I’m usually finished with it in a few hours, I think the quickest book I’ve read is 20 minutes, although it was a very short book! I’m really enjoying fantasy books at the moment and one of my latest series of books I read was the Artemis Fowel book set, I’m also really intrigued by Elon Musk and having read his biography, I find I can relate, a little unknown fact about him is that he is also on the autism spectrum like me and I find myself interested in his journey and the things he’s done.
Exploring Life and Using My Creativity
I’m passionate about discovering new things and using my creative skills to make things that can help others. Whether it’s learning about fossils or finding new ways to share what I love, I’m always trying to find ways to use my creativity to make life better and more interesting.
What is PDA and How is it Different from ASD?
I want to talk about my ADHD, autism and PDA. It’s quite complex and I can struggle with some tasks that require focused attention unless it’s something I am really interested in. There are things I know I can do really well, I am really creative and have always had so many ideas to share and love sharing my passions and special interested with others, this can be a struggle in places like school where I have to follow a certain way of doing things and can’t always share my ideas in the way that I want to, it’s also hard as apparently I take in alot of things from the outside world, my brain struggles to filter out all the sounds and I can become overwhelmed with noise, even though my mum says I’m usually the one making lots of noise!
PDA is something that my family say isn’t well known. It’s a profile on the autism spectrum, but it’s a bit different from what people might usually think of. It’s called pathological demand avoidance, which means that when there’s any pressure or expectation to do something, my brain can react by feeling an instant threat response and I find ways not to do something, even if I actually want to do the thing!
This makes things like school and routines really tough because I can get overwhelmed by simple requests or even activities that are supposed to be fun. My family help to advocate for me when I find it difficult and they will often say it’s a case of “can’t not won’t”. I really can’t do things if my brain senses a threat due to a demand placed on me and it’s not because I won’t do things because I can, it all depends on how regulated my nervous system is and how overwhelmed I am feeling as to how much a demand can affect me.
But even though things can be tricky, I’m learning ways to cope. Things like fossil hunting or looking at my crystals or reading help me calm down when things get too overwhelming and having a supportive family around me makes a big difference too.
How My Family Helps Me
I’m really lucky because my family understands my needs. My family try and keep things fun and simple, we often joke around a lot as this helps to keep me regulated. Things do sometimes get tough and they know how to help me stay calm, whether it’s giving me some quiet time, helping me with breathing techniques, or letting me focus on things I enjoy. Fossil hunting is one of those things, it helps me take my mind off everything else and just focus on finding something amazing.
My family are also helping me to advocate for myself which helps me feel in control. Our family can look a bit different as they understand I don’t have a sense of hierarchy and instead will collaborate with me and include me in decision making. Having that sense of belonging and being able to share my thoughts and ideas helps keep me regulated and also helps me to build trust as I know my family will always support me in ways that help me to grow.
What I Want to Share With You
I hope you enjoy exploring my website and learning about fossils, crystals, and how I cope with ADHD, autism and PDA. If you’re feeling different or overwhelmed, I want you to know it’s okay. Find something you love to focus on, whether it’s fossils, art, or something else and use that to help you feel calm. You’re not alone, and there are always people who care about you, just like my family does for me.