Sadie Dingfelder, my guest, is an award-winning science writer discovers she’s faceblind and investigates the neuroscience of sight, memory, and imagination. Sadie is an extraordinary young woman and I'm excited for you to hear her story. She wants to acknowledge her grandmother, Adele, who has always embraced Sadie for who she is, never seeing any neurodivergent limitations whatsoever. Adele is the kind of woman who colored outside the box with conviction. She has always believed in and encouraged Sadie to think her own way and to not limit herself.
This is a story of a woman who didn't realize she had neurological conditions that were perhaps altering her abilities until she was in her forties. You ask how is that possible? Well, Sadie thought that everyone was just like her. She assumed everyone else's brain worked just like hers. Her biggest cheerleader was her grandmother, who since Sadie was a little girl, has catalogued everything her granddaughter has written or drawn. Adele says of her grandmother "she is perfect and just brimming with fantastic folksy wisdom."
"Do I Know You, A Faceblind Reporter's Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination," is Sadie's recently released book and there's a wealth of information for anyone who thinks perhaps they are alone in the discovery of being neurodivergent. Scientists believe that these types of conditions may actually give you an edge as an artist.
One of the many gifts of having a poor memory, Sadie mentioned, is that she lives in the moment. Her grandmother "felt comforted by her self expression and it helped her make meaning out of the chaos of life," according to my guest.
Sadie has a condition call SDAM, which stands for-SEVERELY DEFFICIENT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY.
Sadie's videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sadie+Dingfelder
4 RARE NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
FACEBLIND (prosopagnosia-(pur·suh·pag·now·zhuh, is a condition that makes it difficult to recognize faces, even though vision is normal,
STEREOBLINDNESS- The inability to see in 3D,
APHANTASIA- (AYE-FAN-TA-SHUH). The inability to form mental images of real or imaginary people and places, the inability to actually conjure up a mental image — or “picture” something — in one's mind.
* AMBLYOPIA- (AM-BLEE-O PIA) (also called lazy eye) is a type of poor vision that usually happens in just 1 eye but less commonly in both eyes.
STRABISMUS-(struh·biz·muhs) Abnormal alignment of the eyes; the condition of having a squint.
**AN ODE TO NEURODIVERSITY
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