Tag: diversity

Rounding off the tour of neurodivergence, although I am sure there are many lesser-known conditions I am leaving out, we have the widely misunderstood Tourette syndrome and acquired neurodiversity. Overlooked by most people, being neurotypical early in life is no guarantee that a person will die still neurotypical. Everything from brain injury to disease can push someone out of the narrowly defined box bounding what is considered neurotypical.

Not all neurodiversity affects only mental processes. Brain and body work as one, and so conditions such as dyspraxia and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder can impact both mental and physical functioning. In our culture, where presentation is everything, being unusually clumsy, awkward or restless puts people at an immediate disadvantage. Once again, society and rigid, unyielding social expectations, rather than any inability inherent in the individual is what is disabling about the condition.

Many people have grown up being told they are stupid because they struggle fundamentally with certain fundamental skills in reading and writing that are much more challenging for some people than others because of the ways in which their brains are wired. Dylsexia can make working with the written word much harder than creative and verbal subjects, while dyscalculia presents numerous challenges to learning mathematics. Fundamental assumptions about how people perceive the world are baked into the way these subjects are taught, which makes them very challenging for many people. For many, the answer is to play to their strengths and pursue a career in the creative and cultural industries.

Another spectrum condition, autism, may affect up to five different areas of activity and experience to very different extents. As a result, autistic people are very different to one another, from social and behavioural differences that help navigate an uncertain world, sensory differences, highly focused interests that offer relief, but often extreme anxiety.