Beloved comedic actress Tisha Campbell is one the many parents of the world currently being a superhero in the eyes of a child with autism. Her firstborn son, Xen, is a bright 25-year-old man who the world has watched grow up in the public eye while coming to terms with his diagnosis.
Their journey together inspired the publication of a new book, The A Word: A Mother’s Journey Through Autism and Love. Not only did the Martin and My Wife And Kids star use it a bonding experience with her son, the experience also led her into a self-discovery that revealed her own professional diagnosis of AuDHD.
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While on the press run this week, Campbell told one interviewer, “I actually saw two specialists, and I took 12 tests each. They all vary from oral tests to written tests to just Q&As. And so I took all 12 twice, and I just got my diagnosis back.” She went on to add that her results revealed AuDHD, a newer diagnosis that embodies traits of both ADHD and autism simultaneously. “I have a lot of autistic tendencies, and I’m level one,” she later told the interviewer, also adding, “So for me, I may not look like I need support, but I have earphones to block out sounds because I, too, have audio processing differences. Like, everything comes at me all at once.”
It would appear that in writing The A Word for the sake of Xen, Tisha came to understand how many of the practical insights she describes in navigating the world of autism could actually apply to her own behavior. Referring to it as “the comedy mask” during a recent appearance on Tamron Hall (seen above), the 57-year-old actress describes the feeling of putting on a face for the public by stating, “For the very first time in my life, I’m in a place where I’m taking the mask off…you’re gonna get to know me in a completely different way.”
According to the Autism Research Institute, AuDHD in adults can show up as a combination of disorganization, forgetfulness, impulsive decision-making, highly-focused interests, sensory sensitivities and difficulty interpreting nonverbal social cues just to name a few symptoms. When paired together, the organization states, “Some adults may describe feeling caught between competing tendencies such as craving novelty yet needing predictability, seeking connection yet becoming easily overwhelmed. This duality can be difficult to understand without a neurodevelopmental framework.”
With the book being a great way to start the framework for Tisha, we commend her openness on the subject and for also sparking a conversation that’s sure to inspire others on their own paths in better understanding themselves.
Watch Tisha Campbell and her son Xen below on Tamron Hall as they speak more about the book, The A Word: A Mother’s Journey Through Autism and Love, and keep scrolling to see how some on social media have reacted to her own AuDHD reveal:
1. I was scared for a second. Welcome to the neurodivergent family Tisha Campbell
via @blahhhlicia