For a lot of neurodiverse people, ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs) are game changers. Allow me to explain.
First, I have a hunch that the proliferation of LLMs will lead many organizations toward linear thinking since LLMs are good at providing suggestions based on past consensus but are very bad at non-linear, counter-intuitive thinking that leads to breakthroughs and innovation. If we let them, neurodiverse people with a penchant for non-linear thinking will thrive in this world, as Maureen N. Dunne, Ph.D., eloquently documented in her book "The Neurodiverse Edge."
Second, ChatGPT saves me about once a day. I pass as a neurotypical person. I've even had parents of other neurodiverse children say, "You don't seem neurodiverse to me." As a result, I am a bit hesitant to identify as autistic because it would seem that my career has been more helped than hindered by my neurodiversity. I also recognize that it's awkward to hear someone who seems to be doing ok talk about their struggles.
Having said all that, one of the areas where I have struggled and continue to struggle is with comprehension. I have a hard time with basic instructions (board games and card games cause me terror, and even following instructions to put legos together with my kids creates a lot of stress). I can easily get lost when people use the type of ambiguous language so normalized that most people don't even recognize it. I tend to take a lot of things literally that are not meant to be taken literally.
My first step in conquering this is getting comfortable asking basic questions, even if it means I look, well, dumb. It took me a long time to develop that habit.
Then, when I realized I was often not understanding the emotional contexts of many conversations, I started prefacing certain statements by saying, "this is a feeling, and not a thought." By removing the sense of judgment from my speech, I've found it helps disarm people who might otherwise take something the wrong way.
Today, I fed ChatGPT a lot of information and conversations to seek clarity. I've even downloaded transcripts of calls to take out bits and feed them to ChatGPT to ensure I understand. I sometimes chat with it to role-play conversations when I am insecure that I'll be misunderstood.
All of this means that my life has a lot more overhead than most people have, but I also have a hyper-focus that helps me achieve high productivity levels.
I know many people are feeling pessimistic right now, but if you could choose when to be born, you'd want to be alive today. Even as a person who works in climate change, I am excited about the world my kids get to live in and the inclusiveness we're building, even when inclusivity as a concept is under attack.
