In brief, neurodiversity is a term and a movement designed to redefine and re-contextualize conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, sensory processing disorders, and other experiences of people who fall somewhere in that spectrum. I started looking into this movement in college, after being diagnosed with ADHD at age 19.
I will link some posts about my experience with ADHD, because I am very much not the stereotype. First off, I am a woman and I wasn't diagnosed until adulthood. Often, the vision many people have of ADHD, and the image I held for the majority of my life, was one of a rowdy elementary age boy, fidgeting in class, yelling out answers, and running wild on the playground.
I was just about the opposite of all that: a straight A student growing up, As and Bs once my depression hit and made it harder to focus on school, but a good student nonetheless. I didn't have trouble focusing; in fact, I would keep my nose in a book for hours on end, annoyed to eat or sleep or have to be pulled out of my zone. I had minimal energy, which was in part due to my depression, but I was certainly never hyperactive. I did all my homework on time, kept neat notes with practiced handwriting, and sat up straight in class.
The point being: even though the world was designed for a neurotypical brain, I managed to succeed for a very long time by putting in twice the effort and with enormous amounts of love and support from family, friends, and teachers.
This is not to say my early school years were painfully difficult-- I loved school, I loved learning, and I loved engaging with new ideas and new topics. My neurodiversity and ADHD was not an inability to focus, but an inability to regulate my focus. And at a young age that was okay, because my parents helped me out a lot and I was engaged in everything I did.
I kept a paper planner and wrote down all my assignments, and completed them on time with routines and schedules. I still remember the comfort of settling into my desk chair, putting on radio disney, and working through my math problem sets at the same time every afternoon. It was comfort. It was routine. It worked for me.
I was a stickler for rules, so I knew I had to complete my homework before I could play. And I liked my systems, even if they were rigid. I liked reading two chapters of my assigned reading after dinner. I liked having everything set up in a way that was comfortable for me, and I was committed to being a successful student. I read American Girl self help books about studying and I took the advice to heart. School was fun for me. Learning was my hyperfocus.
That was why, in the middle of my seventh grade year, my parents were able to immediately notice the depression setting in. It's a long story and it's all linked here, but the point is my parents knew something was up because I was no longer excited to go to school. I no longer cared about my classes. I no longer cared about anything, really.
This goes into my whole journey of misdiagnosis and medicalizing my moods, which led to a Bipolar II misdiagnosis and years of medication that destabilized and damaged me to a great degree. Then I was finally seen and heard, five years later, and then, three or four years after that, I was actually diagnosed as ADHD. And a few years after that, I started identifying with the neurodiversity movement and recognizing my differences as strengths and unique aspects of my identity.
Because my neurodiversity is different than my depression. I want my depression gone. If I could flick a switch and never feel any kind of clinical depression again, I would. But having ADHD and being neurodivergent-- I don't know if I would change that. Sure, I think letting go of some of the more frustrating aspects would be good. I would love to be able to clean my apartment easily and keep it clutter free, but that's not natural for my brain. So I have help. I take medication. I have my dad and some friends as accountability buddies.
I make my world work for my brain. Because not everything in this world is designed for the way I naturally experience it, but that doesn't mean it's not a worthy and valid experience to have.
I will be posting some links about neurodivergence and the neurodiversity movement below. I highly encourage you to read more and learn-- someone in your life might be struggling, and you can be the one to help them. The world is designed for neurotypical brains-- but neurodiverse and neurodivergent brains can thrive too, and make our worlds better suited to our experience.
With love, strength, and hope,
Rivi
Links
Disabled World "What Is: Neurodiversity, Neurodivergent, Neurotypical" (article)
Neurodiversity: What You Need To Know (article)
Invisible Diversity: A Story of Undiagnosed Autism (TEDtalk/video)
Failing at Normal: An ADHD Success Story (TedTalk/Video)
Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You (book)
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