NeuroDivergent
Human beings are born with a personality and traits. Even a small child exhibits signs of one. For example, consider a child who has a cheerful or sunny disposition or one who loves music.
Sometimes, we are born with personalities that might be different from others. If these characteristics become apparent as you mature, you may be labelled as neurodivergent.
So what is neurodivergent, and what does it mean to be one?Neurodivergent is a non-medical term. The term describes individuals whose behaviour deviates from the norm. Let me illustrate.
Someone who has challenges with writing or someone who has difficulty with mathematics. The first is known as disgraphia, and the latter is dyscalculia. You may be more familiar with the concept of dyslexia, or difficulty in reading.
Some people have challenges processing sensory signals. Others suffer from an attention deficit disorder.
Are these medical conditions, or are they just personal traits that you must learn to manage?
Opinions differ. Some people don't see neurodiversity as a deficiency or inability, but rather as a difference in capacity. You can play football, and I can't.
Other people refer to these as medical conditions that require treatment.
Let's take dyslexia. While it is true that people with this condition find it harder to read, their brains process visual images better.
So it is a little bit of the "you can play football and I can't argument." The individual excels in one area and struggles in another.
If the learning was oriented to meet their needs, there might be no problem at all.
A key step is to diagnose if someone you know has a different way of processing information or sensory inputs.
Personally, I don't like labels because labels put you in a straightjacket and force you to believe something about yourself.
But recognizing that you process information in a specific way can help you build the skillset to manage things that work for you.
At the end, we are all unique in our own ways, aren't we?
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