What’s neurodiversity?

You have probably heard of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more. What do you call them? Disorders. This is where it all starts. The prefix dis- means “the opposite of,” and something that is in order means that it is working normally. Therefore, the term “disorder” literally means something that is not working normally. Or according to dictionary.com, the medical meaning of disorder is “a disturbance in physical or mental health or functions; malady or dysfunction.” This is not right.

The neurodiversity movement started to promote the fact that people with these types of neurological conditions are not abnormal, but rather neurodiverse. Neurodiversity refers to these developmental disorders as variations of the brain rather than deficits. In other words, we should not think of these conditions as disabilities, but instead as different abilities.

With the expanding neurodiversity movement, the idea of inclusion has spread. Workplaces and schools have worked on trying to make these places more neurodiversity-friendly by avoiding elements of distraction and improving comfort.

By having the privilege to be an intern in the Stanford Neurodiversity Project- Research, Education, Advocacy Camp for High Schoolers, I was able to learn about neurological conditions and neurodiversity through neurodiverse people and professionals in the field. My group and I in the program created a website to inform our communities about neurodiversity. Check it out: https://navigatingneurodiv.wixsite.com/website.

Sources:

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/disorder

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/features/what-is-neurodiversity