What is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity refers to the different ways people's minds work causing them to interact with and experience the world differently. All of our minds function in various ways - there is no singular "right" way. Neurodiverse people include those with neurological or developmental conditions or learning disabilities such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, hyperlexia, and down syndrome.

Neurodivergent people experience sensory information differently than neurotypical students: they receive and interpret information from the five senses and interoception (such as feelings of hunger and thirst), and proprioception (sensing location and external movement). They might feel overwhelmed with certain sensory information, creating stress and anxiety or find sensory stimulation in different ways, causing people to view their behavior as "strange." They also struggle often with certain functional skills including shifting attention from one task or subject to another, short term memory, and managing impulses with logic and thought.

Neurodivergent individuals actually make up 15-20% of our population - much more common that most people believe!

What challenges do neurodiverse individuals face in society?

Neurodiverse people tend to be marginalized by the world - simply because they are different from neurotypical individuals, people deem them as "weird." They can find hardship in being accepted throughout the world, making it harder for them to make friends and acquire jobs.

A brief history...

The neurodiversity movement began in the 1990s with the goal of creating a society that accepted neurodiverse individuals while embracing their differences. With the rise of the Internet, neurodiverse people started to advocate for themselves through social media and other platforms.
Sociologist Judy Singer created the word
"neurodiversity" to allow "neurological minorities" to become more accepted and included in our world.

What can I do to help?

Educate yourself so you don't fall into the trap of believing common misconceptions surrounding neurodiverse people. By getting to know more about their condition, you will gain a better understanding of their needs and behaviors.
Follow neurodiverse people on social media to understand their differences and to see the way they live their lives.
Support businesses or non-profits dedicated to neurodiversity or who are owned by neurodiverse people.
Communicate clearly and directly - neurodiverse people have might have difficulty interpreting social cues, nonverbal communication, and sarcasm.
Spend time in neurodiverse communities - as humans, they crave feeling accepted, understood, and supported. Visiting neurodiverse communities can also help you to understand their behavior better. As they are marginalized, they crave human connection even more. Make sure they understand that they can talk to you whenever.
Never make assumptions: while their brains may work differently, there is no reason for them to be treated without respect.
Avoid using harmful language and names and making hurtful judgements or generalizations.
Understand their boundaries - make sure they are okay with the way you interact with them. Some neurodivergent individuals strongly dislike physical touch. In that case, avoid making them feel uncomfortable and violated by steering clear of physical touch
Help them find therapies and programs from professionals to help them with all of the struggles they face. Neurodiversity-affirming therapy or neurodivergence-informed therapy are good programs for finding therapists who understand neurodiverse people and their experiences and will help them by accommodating to the way their brains work.

Job applicatin form

What words should I use surrounding neurodiversity?

- Ask about a person's preferred language when addressing them: neurodiversity advocation organizations encourage the use of person-first language "a person with autism," whereas most neurodivergent individuals prefer identity-first language ("an autistic person").

- Avoid using generalizing terms such as "the neurodivergent" or "the autistic."

- Labels such as "imbecile" and "retard" are extremely harmful to neurodivergent people and can make them feel hurt.

- Keep in mind that neurodiversity is not a disease or something to be ashamed about - they do not need to be fixed: rather, societal reforms need to be made so that society is not only accepting of neurotypical individuals.

Key Terms:

Neurodiversity: a general term to describes all types of minds including those who are neurotypical and neurodivergent. However, a person cannot be referred to as being "neurodiverse" as the proper term to describe a person is...
Neurodivergent: describes a person whose mind functions differently than society's definition of "typical."
Divergent Thinkers: another word to describe a neurodivergent person.
Neurotypical: describes a person whose mind functions in the way society deems "acceptable" and "normal."