|| First published: | Last edited: || 📚🕒 Reading Time: < 1 minute A neurodivergent person is one who has one or more neurodivergent conditions. Neurodivergent conditions include ADHD, Autism, OCD, Sensory Processing Disorder and specific learning difficulties, like dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia.
The shortened form of neurodivergent is ND.
Neurodivergent and neurotypical people are all part of neurodiversity.
Neurodiversity covers the many and varied natural variations in how brains work. Despite sadly prevailing stereotypes, neurodivergent people are not ‘broken’ or ‘abnormal’, and their neurological differences are not to be ‘fixed’ or ‘cured’. Instead, they need to be supported in the specific areas of life where they require support, and boundaries also have to be removed in areas where societal constructs disable these individuals.
Well-identified and thoroughly explored individual needs can be matched with the support best suited for the individual, which will enable both the fulfilment of their needs and the achievement of their goals without requiring a denial or change in who they are as a person.
This is a balance that is not easy to strike, but it can mean the world to a neurodivergent person. Support and acceptance do not exclude one another, therefore they should go hand in hand in a neurodivergence-friendly approach to accommodations in a work or school environment.
Related terms
ADHD
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a lifelong, hereditary neurological condition. A person with ADHD can be inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive in their internal mental processes as well as their outward presentation.
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is the previous name of the condition and officially hasn’t been in use since …
Autism
Autism is a neurovariety that affects how an autistic person communicates and interacts with their environment.
It is diagnostically characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and repetitive or restrictive behaviours. However, many of the traits included in the diagnostic criteria are often simply how an autistic person …
Sensory Processing Disorder
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological condition that affects the way an individual’s brain processes and responds to sensory information from their environment.
