“This is me — this makes me so happy — finally I have the words.”

“This is me — this makes me so happy — finally I have the words.”

Auditory Processing Difficulties

Common in ADHD and autism. It means:

• spoken instructions don’t “land”

• the brain can’t hold the sequence long enough to act on it

• you need to see something to learn it

• people mistake it for not listening or not trying

This is the “instructions given / instructions lost / repeat repeat REPEAT” loop.

Working Memory Differences

Working memory is the brain’s “temporary desk”. In ND wiring, that desk is often already full.

So when someone gives instructions, they slide straight off the edge. Not because you’re incapable — because your brain is busy doing ten other things at once.

Visual Learning Preference

You said it perfectly: “I learn by watching.” That’s a legitimate learning style, not a flaw.

Many ND people need:

• demonstration

• modelling

• step by step visuals

• repetition without shame

Processing Lag

Sometimes called “delayed processing” or “processing latency”. It’s when the brain needs a beat — or several — to decode what was said.

Teachers often misread this as slowness. It’s actually translation time.

And the armour you grew?

That came from being misunderstood, not from any lack inside you.

Your line “my brain skipping like a scratched record” is already perfect memoir language. If you want the clinical term that sits beneath it, the closest umbrella is:

Neurodivergent processing differences

specifically auditory processing + working memory + visual learning dominance.