¡No Seas Tan Changa!: Growing Up 'Too Sensitive' with Undiagnosed Autism and ADHD in Puerto Rico (Paperback)
"I spent my life thinking I was changa. It turns out, I was just navigating a neurotypical world with a different operating system."
In Puerto Rico, if a child is too sensitive to the itchy lace of a school uniform or questions an illogical rule, they are labeled changa or malcriada. For Camil, life was a series of variables that never quite added up.
They found sanctuary in the precise world of pure mathematics, eventually earning a Ph.D. and building a life governed by logic. But when a catastrophic hurricane strips away their routines and a new chapter of parenthood pushes their sensory system to its breaking point, the "social algorithm" they spent a lifetime perfecting finally crashes.
¡No Seas Tan Changa! is a final proof of identity. Moving between the reality of being neurodivergent and research-backed interludes, Camil uncovers the missing variables of their own autism and ADHD.
This narrative manual is full of practical insights, designed to help navigate the complexities of a neurodivergent life. It is a reclamation of intensity, a celebration of ingenuity, and a reminder that when we stop solving for "normal," the math finally adds up.
