In January, 7-year-old Gianessa "Nessa" Wride's hair started falling out. Not just stray strands, but clumps.
It's a scary prospect for adults seven times her age, let alone a child who hasn't even mastered long division yet. Her mother, Daniella Wride, took it hard.
"I think I took it harder than she did; I would just bawl and cry sometimes,” Wride told local Salt Lake City station KUTV.
Daniella made an appointment for her daughter at the local dermatologist, but by the time she was seen, Nessa's hair was completely gone.
Photo by iStock.
Nessa was diagnosed with alopecia, a condition that results in sudden hair loss.
It occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, which is where hair growth begins. The condition has no cure, but is treated with a corticosteroid or, quite simply, patience. Occasionally, the hair loss comes and goes within a year, but 10% of people will never regrow their hair, especially those who are diagnosed at a young age or have a family history of the condition.
It would be easy for most newly bald kids to feel down about Crazy Hair Day at school, but not Nessa.
When Crazy Hair Day was announced, the bubbly first-grader wanted to participate. Mother and daughter worked together to come up with the perfect solution: scrapbooking stickers!
Nessa rocked stick-on gems in cool sparkly patterns, including an owl and flowers.
"She's just so funky and vibrant and she loves everything sparkly," Daniella says.
A post shared by Daniella Wride (@daniellawride) on
Nessa looked amazing, and her classmates thought so too.
"When we pulled up to the drop-off lane at school, Gianessa opened the car door and you could already hear people saying things like, 'Oh that's so awesome!' 'That's so cool!,'" Daniella shares. "Gianessa got home from school and she said that all the kids kept swarming her and telling her that they loved her crazy hair, and that they wanted to be just like her."
No matter who you are or the hand you're dealt, positivity is powerful.
It's not always easy. In fact, some days it's downright hard. But a little hope and optimism can go a long away toward making a your day a little better. And maybe someone else's too.
Here's to you, Nessa! Keep shining!
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."