Thread by @adhdasiangirl

For #ADHDAwarenessMonth, I want to talk about some unique challenges a First Gen immigrant in the U.S faces while having ADHD: dealing with immigration paperwork, adulting on your own, cannot detect inattentiveness. 1/n🧵

Dealing with immigration paperwork drains our executive functions' tank. My green card application materials weighed 4 pounds in total. 2/n

No one will remind me when my visa is expiring and when I should submit an application to renew. It is all on me. Just imagine the amount of executive function consumed by tracking deadlines, and tracking where I put my original documents (and there are a lot of them) 3/n

More draining activities: figuring out which materials to send, making sure you signed on all the right pages, and dealing with government agencies which sometimes feel like talking to a black hole. 4/n

I overcompensated for my ADHD unknowingly by always setting up three reminders for myself for important deadlines, having a specific folder & drawer for original documents, hyperfocus, and quadruple-check my immigration papers before sending them in. 5/n

It may look like I have my life together, but the truth is I cannot afford to make mistakes on paperwork. The consequences are dire. I once missed one travel signature and got stuck in customs for hours until they checked with my school that I am actually a student there. 6/n

While we are on the topic of executive functioning, I also have to learn everything adulting related on my own mostly through googling because my family did not grow up in this environment, so they do not have too many tips to pass it on to me.

Due to the physical distance, they cannot just drop by and help me either. From how to file my tax, how to find a boarding facility for my dog, how to find a psychiatrist, and how to apply for a credit card, it is all on me to figure it out. 7/n

Due to the physical distance, they cannot just drop by and help me either. From how to file my tax, how to find a boarding facility for my dog, how to find a psychiatrist, and how to apply for a credit card, it is all on me to figure it out. 8/n

That is why I think having a community and a support circle is so important. I am fortunate enough to learn tips and experiences from friends and online communities. 9/n

As a result, I am pretty good at googling and learning adulting skills from googling, but is it fun for me? No, it is still draining. 10/n

Finally, for a long time, I did not notice my inattentiveness while I read because I thought it is because I am reading in my 2nd language. I also did not realize I have a working memory issue, because again I thought it is due to the language barrier. 11/n

I have a lot of other observations related to being Asian and having ADHD and might post them during the weekend. 12/n

Please share this thread so hopefully more immigrants with ADHD will feel more seen and less alone. -The End- #adhdtwitter

If you can relate to anything I mentioned above, please chat down below, I would love to connect with y'all.