Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity 

'Neurodiversity' encapsulates the idea that differences in the way that our brains work are natural variations. All people are part of this continuum. When we talk about neurodiversity we are recognising and celebrating this variety.

Neurotypical and Neurodivergent

“Neurotypical” is used to refer to people whose brain functions, ways of perceiving and interacting are seen as belonging to a standard or norm. That standard or norm is reflective of the fact that neurotypical people make up the majority of the population.

“Neurodivergent” is used to refer to people who do not consider themselves to be neurotypical on account of some differences in the ways their brains function, ways of perceiving and interacting.

Note: It can be a common error to conflate “neurodiverse/neurodiversity” with “neurodivergence”.

Autism is one form of neurodivergence but there are many others, including:
•    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
•    learning disabilities such as Dyslexia
•    neurological disorders such as Tourettes Syndrome

It can be very common for a person to be neurodivergent across several conditions. It is estimated that the majority of autistic people have other co-occurring conditions, including other forms of neurodivergence.
When using these interrelated terms, please bear in mind that they are not medical in nature. They are about identity and ways of being.

The benefits of neurodiversity

Dr MacEachron succinctly outlines the benefits of neurodiversity in this wonderful video What You Need to Know about Neurodiversity on NowThisNews.com. We recommend you watch this to understand more about our empowerment model for autistics.

From the video:

Neurodiversity is the concept that neurological differences among people should be recognized and respected, and Dr. MacEachron thinks it’s time for this movement to take off.

“Neurodiversity is a part of our genetics and our evolution as a species,” she explained. “The genes for autism and ADHD are not errors, but rather the result of variations in the human genome that have and will continue to have advances for society.”