ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and Tourette syndrome are examples of neurodiverse conditions. They are diagnostic labels used to explain the various ways of thinking, learning, processing, and behaving. As with all people, each of us has our talents and challenges. How neurodivergent people think compared to neurotypical people The terms neurodivergent and neurodiverse refer to people whose thinking patterns, behaviors, or learning styles are outside of what is considered normal or neurotypical.
Neurodivergence encompasses the idea that differences in the human brain are natural and, in many cases, can lead to meaningful and positive knowledge and skills. The concept of neurodiversity is gaining ground, as both neurodiverse and neurotypical people are discovering that differences are not necessarily disabilities. Some differences can be strengths. It's possible to become neurodiverse as a result of physical or emotional injury or trauma, but in most cases, neurodiversity exists from birth onward.
Neurodivergence is often first recognized at the time of diagnosis. Of course, neurodivergent behaviors and thoughts exist before that. There are also people with related, but undiagnosed symptoms, who are considered to be neurodiverse. While some mental health disorders, such as anxiety, can occur in neurodivergent people, they can also affect neurotypical people.
Therefore, being anxious is not a sign of neurodivergence. There are many ways in which thoughts, behaviors, and emotional responses can be neurodivergent. Because they are not considered to be like everyone else, neurodivergent people may struggle to adapt socially, behave as expected, or easily adapt to change. While neurodiversity can make life difficult, it can also make certain tasks easier.
In some cases, neurodiverse ways of seeing and making sense of the world can result in exciting discoveries and intriguing results. While a healthcare professional can diagnose a condition that causes neurodivergence, there is no official test that can detect it. In addition, there are differing opinions on how it is defined. This is why you may get different results if you take any of the questionnaires designed to help you assess neurodiversity.
Some people in the neurodivergent community prefer to adopt the idea of self-diagnosis. In addition, because people don't overcome autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, or Tourette syndrome, neurodiverse children become neurodiverse adults, many of whom are quite capable of standing up for themselves. Clearly, the distinction between neurotypical and neurodivergent is flexible and constantly changing. The number of people who could be described as neurodivergent is very high and is still increasing.
While there are no official statistics available, the peer support organization ADHD Aware estimates that the number of people with neurodivergent disorders (autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, various learning problems and related problems) represents more than 30% of the population. Neurodivergent people can be very different from each other, making it difficult to provide a single list of useful adaptations. However, there are some that can help both children and adults with or without specific neurodivergent diagnoses. Neurodivergent people are often diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or Tourette syndrome, but they may also have related differences, such as sensory dysfunction.
It's not only appropriate, but also easy and useful to work with neurodivergent self-advocates, students, and employees to provide accommodations while supporting and promoting individual strengths and abilities. You are absolutely neurodivergent if you have been diagnosed with a developmental or learning disorder, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or Tourette syndrome. You may decide to consider yourself neurodivergent if you don't have a diagnosis but think, behave, or interact in ways that are out of the ordinary. You can also choose to describe yourself as neurodivergent if you are diagnosed with a mental illness such as schizophrenia, although mental illness is not usually included in the definitions of neurodivergence.
Neurodivergent people often have a diagnosis that is generally described as disability. That said, many autistic people feel that their autism is a strength, and the same goes for people with diagnoses such as ADHD or dyslexia. However, the reality is that the world is generally set up for the benefit of neurotypical people, so it can be more difficult for neurodivergent people to function well in school or at work. Some forms of neurodivergent are almost certainly genetic, at least in part.
For example, research shows that autism and ADHD often run in families. It's also possible to become neurodivergent as a result of exposure to certain drugs in the womb or as a result of physical or emotional injury. The neurodiversity movement has its roots in autism. However, it has grown to encompass a broad understanding of neurological differences.
These include conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, hyperlexia, and schizophrenia. For example, a lot of work has been done to stop treating autism as a disease that must be cured. Other examples of neurodiversity include dyscalculia, dysgraphia, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, sensory processing orders, social anxiety, Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), and Tourette syndrome. Learning disabilities or disorders, another example of neurodiversity, are cognitive impairments that affect the ability to remember and process certain information.
For people who are neurodivergent in the examples above, the adaptations were the hiring process and headphones. .
