Neurodiversity
"Neurodiversity, like the colour spectrum is infinite and complex with variations beyond our comprehension and depth that we cannot always see"
- Emily Wilding Fackrell -
What is neurodiversity?
The term "neurodiversity" describes the whole range of diversity (differences) that occur in the neurology (brains) of humans.
This includes all the variations of more typical neurology, and all the variations of more divergent (different from the norm) neurology. No two people are the same and human variation is key to survival.
I have described above, two distinct groups of people: the neurotypcial (most people) and the neurodivergent (people whose brains work a bit differently than most). Neurodivergent (ND) people will act differently to what most people consider to be "normal" in some hugely varying ways. ND people are often labelled with one or more "conditions" that attempt to describe the things they most commonly struggle with in categories.
Current boxes
The following labels are just a few of which you may have heard that describe people who are ND: Autistic, ASD, ASC, Aspergers, ADHD, PDA, SPD, SLD, Dyslexic, Dyspraxic, and OCD. There are more, and as you can see, they aren't easy to understand. Please click below to find out more about these "boxes" and scroll down to learn more about me and my hopes for the future of neurodivergent acceptance.
Emily Wilding's understandng of neurodivergence
I have been learning about neurodivergence since early 2018, even though I have been unknowingly living with neurodivergence all my life. I knew I was different for sure, but simply assumed I was rubbish at life and broken. This is common for unrecognised ND people. This has very much become my specialist area of interest over that period of time and therefore I have learned a great deal about myself and the topic but still have a lot to learn. I provide here, my view on the topic as it stands right now. I hope you will excuse any ignorances or errors I make as I learn and my view develops over time.
Emily Wilding's neurolopsychological profile
I want to tell my story of neurodivergence; of being unrecognised, and then recognised. I want to describe the many ways this has and will continue to impact my life and the lives of those around me. I want to describe how I see myself fitting in to the neurotypes described here, and tell you about my personal neuro-profile. I intend this to be helpful in getting to know me, working with me and in seeing a personal story to aid your own learning of neurodivergence.