Wendy Day & Rachel Burn

Neurodiversity
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Neurodivergence or neurodiversity is the term for when someone's brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered "typical". Some neurodivergent conditions include:  

  • Dyslexia 

  • Dyspraxia (also called Developmental Coordination Disorder, or DCD) 

  • Dyscalculia 

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 

  • Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). 

These conditions are more common than you might think and very often co-occur, and many symptoms overlap, as shown in the diagram below.  

This diagram by Kirby and Cleaton shows the percentages for co-occurring conditions ASC, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia and ADHD.

Neurodivergent groups may be more highly represented in certain professions than the general population, but you should never make assumptions, and they are present throughout the student and working population.  

There are many strengths in neurodiversity, which include:

Infographic explaining types of neurodiversity. Image has human head outline at the centre and overlapping text bubbles in a circle around it. Title reads: Neurominorities. The bubbles name different neurotypes and some of the strengths associated with them. In the overlaps they give examples of a strength that is associated between two of the neurotypes. They are as follows; Dyscalculia, Innovative thinking and verbal skills. Overlapping with Dyslexia for creativity. Dyslexia, Visual thinking skills, creativity and 3D mechanical skills overlapping with ADHD for Authenticity. ADHD, creativity, hyper-focus, energy and passion. Overlapping with Tourette Syndrome for hyper-focus. Tourette Syndrome Observational skills, cognitive control and creativity. Overlapping with Acquired neurodiversity for innovative thinking. Acquired neurodiversity, adaptability, empathy. Overlapping with mental health for resilience. Mental health, depth of thinking, expression. Overlapping with Autism for sensory awareness. Autism, concentration, fine detail processing and memory. Overlapping with DCD/Dyspraxia for honesty. DCD / Dyspraxia, verbal skills, empathy and intuition. Overlapping with Dyscalculia for verbal skills.

What can I do to learn more? 

There are lots of resources and information available on the Neurodiversity Week website: Resources | Neurodiversity Celebration Week 

Or you can use an email signature like this one at work:

  • We are proud to be a neurodiverse organisation and our employees may find it easier to communicate using other methods than written text or may take a little longer to respond than you might expect.  Thank you for your understanding. 

There is also a comic book for neurodiverse students: Neurodiversity Comic Book | Neurodiversity Celebration Week 

 

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