Neurodiversity is a term that has been thrown around a lot recently, but not many people really know what it means. This is especially since it was only coined in 1999, and didn’t become common in usage until the past 5 years or so. So, here’s the definition I generally use:
Neurodiversity is the diverse neurological profiles in society, where most people are considered Neurotypical (aka normal), and people with differences in their neurological systems that cause them to exhibit different behaviors, who are considered Neurodivergent (aka abnormal - as an aside, I love this movie, especially since the monster could be considered neurodivergent). This terminology of normal and abnormal was prevalent, once again, until recently, but has fallen out of favor, but has caused many neurodivergent people anxiety or depression since they are considered different than most of the people around them. For a good summary video, click HERE.
Being neurodivergent in a world which was built for neurotypicals isn’t easy. Growing up, I was teased and bullied, especially when I didn’t understand some of the things my peers would discuss (having Aspergers, I have difficulties with non-verbal communication and heavily rely on words rather than things like eye contact and non-verbal cues). This caused me to be very quiet and withdrawn, and I had severe social anxiety. When I was in high school, I would go home after school, lie down and read. I read Stephen King’s IT over the span of one week since I didn’t have typical social friendships. I didn’t go to school dances or my prom, and I was just an overall strange kid. In college, I was a little better, but I commuted all four years to the University of Connecticut since I lived 15 minutes away (I did have a car, though, so that was a plus…) So, I didn’t have that typical college experience of leaving home and growing independent (I was independent, but not in a typical young adult kind of way).
Now, as a married adult with two young adult kids, I still seem different, but I am able to use my strengths from my Aspergers/ADHD/etc. to get by in my job. My wife is neurotypical, and we had some difficulties communicating early on, but once I was diagnosed, things got better since we made an effort to understand each other. And, even though I am surviving with my neurodivergent difference, I still require some reasonable accommodations to get by. For one, I work from home most of the time. It helps me to focus (my ADHD), and reduces the social requirements of my job. I also am allowed to take 5 minute breaks every hour to recenter so I can be more productive. So, my neurodivergence is both a strength (I see outside the box easily and can have some unique ideas of how to do things) and a disability (I have trouble working in an office environment). However, I am lucky to be working at a company that supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and am starting an Employee Resource Group for disabled employees and allies to help others navigate the accommodations system. It’s wonderful that they support people like me, but most employees with disabilities don’t know that they can get supports to assist them with their work.
Also, if you’re interested in seeing how neurodivergent you are based on different conditions, there’s some really interesting tests online at the Exceptional Individuals website. Click HERE to try them out