Neurodiversity is the concept that it is normal and acceptable for people to have brains that work differently from one another. It encompasses a wide spectrum of conditions, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, hyperlexia, ADHD, and more. While the exact number of people who are neurodivergent is unknown, it is estimated that neurodiversity-related conditions are quite common. Dyslexia is the most common form of neurodiversity.
It involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). People with dyslexia can read and write skillfully, but teaching methods may need to be modified to adapt them. Additionally, they often have incredible aptitude in other areas, such as “visual representations” of causal reasoning. The inverse of dyslexia is dyscalculia, a condition that makes it difficult to understand problems and mathematical sequences.
It's often difficult to diagnose dyscalculia because many people struggle with mathematics, but this form of neurodiversity often manifests itself as a struggle with counting, pattern recognition, and other simple mathematical tasks. Hyperlexia is another form of neurodiversity. It involves children's incredible ability to read at a surprisingly young age. People with hyperlexia have been shown to have expert reading skills and can have incredible memorization and retention skills.
ADHD is short for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a condition that can hinder sustained concentration and can manifest itself in challenges to act impulsively or impatiently with certain tasks. ADHD is popularly understood to involve hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, but this is just one element of this form of neurodiversity and overlooks its other symptoms. Many people with ADHD, especially girls and adults, are never diagnosed or diagnosed late because they lack the quality of “hyperactive”. People with ADHD can overcome their limitations with practice and adaptation, and show their strengths in other areas, such as energy, creativity, athleticism, and the potential to develop hyperconcentration (which could be both an advantage and a disadvantage).
Dyspraxia is another form of neurodivergence. It involves difficulty controlling motor coordination. Some activities are affected, such as doing sports activities or requiring excellent motor coordination, such as cycling, skiing and driving. However, it does not affect a person's intelligence, cognitive ability, and analytical and logical abilities. The term “neurotypical” is the exact opposite of neurodivergent.
It refers to people whose neurological development and condition are typical - adjusting to what most people would perceive as normal. Neurotypical people are reaping the fruits of inclusion and destigmatization for neurodivergents due to the fight for greater rights and inclusion of people with autism. Neurodiversity is an important concept that recognizes that both brain function and behavioral traits are simply indicators of the diversity of the human population. With proper understanding and support, people with neurodivergence can overcome their limitations and show their strengths in other areas.
