Kidnapping survivor Amanda Berry has teamed up with U.S. Marshals to find over 50 missing children

The life of Amanda Berry is an amazing story of someone bravely turning tragedy into triumph. Berry was kidnapped in Cleveland, Ohio by Ariel Castro in 2003, right before her 17th birthday. She was taken after a job interview at a local Burger King.
Authorities originally thought she had run away until a few days later when Castro called her mother saying she'll be "coming home in a couple of days."
Those couple of days turned into 10 years.
In 2013, she bravely helped two other women and Berry's own six-year-old daughter escape. Her daughter was born in captivity.
Now, Berry has taken the pain she endured living in subhuman conditions and used it as inspiration to help rescue other kidnapping victims. In February 2017, she joined the Fox 8 Cleveland news team as an advocate for missing people.
Berry told Good Morning America that working to find missing individuals was a way for her to find her voice.
"In the beginning, I was so scared to do anything," she said. "I was really scared to leave the house and you know, being noticed. But now I just feel like I take it more as a blessing that I am on this side and that I am blessed enough to be able to help and I can finally use my voice for good."
Amanda Berry`s 3-year anniversary at FOX 8www.youtube.com
Her segment "Missing with Amanda Berry" has helped save countless missing individuals. "It's invaluable, it really is. I don't know if she really realizes the impact she does. I can't tell you the amount of calls and tips I've got from your segments," Cleveland Police detective Kevin Callahan told Berry on her third anniversary with the station.
Recently, Berry partnered with U.S. Marshals to help rescue missing children through Operation Safety Net. Working with state and local partners, Amanda has helped rescue 57 missing and endangered children between the ages of 13 and 18 in the northern Ohio area.
The success of the effort led to the creation of a permanent squad in the area.
"One of the biggest reasons Operation Safety net was a success was Amanda Berry," U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio Pete Elliott told Good Morning America. "She is a great example for Cleveland, Ohio, where you fight and you never quit and that's what she does. We're doing this all over the country and we're gonna try to bring back every single kid that we can, together with Amanda Berry."
Berry credits her mother for her dedication to her work. Her mother was a tireless advocate for her while she was held captive; unfortunately, she died in 2006 and was never able to see her daughter return home safely.
"I push every day more and more for my mother. She fought so hard for me while I was gone, and I think now, I'm trying to finish kind of what she started for the missing," Berry said. "In the beginning, there was nobody to call, there wasn't someone there to help you print your missing posters of your child. So you know, a lot has changed since 2003 and I'm just glad that I can be here and continue my mom's work."
Berry's story is amazing, but far from being completely told. She's had so much success in such a short time helping rescue missing people that there's no telling how much of an impact she'll make on the lives of others going forward. But there's a beautiful thing we can be sure of at this point, through her dedication to finding others, she's been able to find herself. Which is miraculous given the trauma she's had to overcome to get to this place.
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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."
This article originally appeared in May.