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How Do I Know If I Am Neurodiverse?
How Do I Know If I Am Neurodiverse?

April 20, 2023

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First, let’s understand what the term Neurodiversity means. Neuro means Neurological and Diversity means a wide variety of something.

Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, such as sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions.

Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, coined the word “neurodiversity” in 1998 to recognize that everyone’s brain develops in a unique way.

Like a person’s fingerprints, no two brains — not even those of identical twins — are the same. Because of that, there’s no definition of “normal” capabilities for the human brain.

Conditions like ADHD, Autism, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Tourette syndrome, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, Down Syndrome, etc. all fall within the spectrum of “Neurodiversity” and are all neurodiverse conditions.

Neuro-differences are recognized and appreciated as a social category similar to differences in ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or ability.

Now, to truly understand whether you are neurodiverse or not you can do the following:

  • Once you suspect yourself as a neurodiverse give yourself enough time to process the possibility. Let the reality sink in and try to process things slowly and steadily. Don't be too hard on yourself.

  • Be honest and ask yourself why you are considering yourself neurodiverse. Is it your own decision or is it imposed/ influenced by others?  

  • Note down all the problems you are facing either digitally or in a notebook to keep track of them.

  • Read and research more about it in books and over the internet. Try to google your symptoms and go through people's blog posts, articles, videos, and real-life experiences to get some idea regarding which condition of neurodiversity you fall under.

  • Take the online diagnosis tests/ quizzes to get a rough idea of your condition

  • Join Facebook pages and participate in conversations and be a part of the neurodiverse community

  • Follow relevant people on Twitter and Instagram

  • Watch authentic educational YouTube video content to get an in-depth idea about your neurodiverse symptoms

  • Get formally diagnosed/ seek help from a medical professional.

  • Accept your neurodiverse condition. Remember being neurodiverse doesn't mean you are disabled rather it means you are differently abled.

Learn More About Neurodivergence

If you're interested in learning more about what it's like to be neurodivergent, there is plenty available on the subject!

Books

Books such as "Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's," "Thinking in Pictures," and "Funny, You Don't Look Autistic" are personal accounts of being neurodivergent.

Fictional books with neurodivergent main characters include "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine," "Flowers For Algernon," and "On the Edge of Gone."

Nonfiction books about neurodivergence and the future of neurodiversity include "NeuroTribes," "Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extraordinary Gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Other Brain Differences," and "Divergent Mind."

Podcasts

There are podcasts on the topic for those who prefer to listen to materials. These include The Neurodiversity Podcast, Neurodiverging, and Sensory Matters.

Social Media Accounts

If you'd like to diversify your social media feed with neurodivergent voices and advocates, some top choices to follow are Neurodivergent Activist, Nurturing Neurodiversity, Paige Layle, The Chronic Couple, Pete Wharmby, Holly Smale, Abigail Balfe, Sara Gibbs, Hassan Mohammed

Support Groups

Neurodivergent Life Hacks

Neurodiversity Network

It is also important to note that although neurodivergent people have brains that work differently than most of the population, there is now much more understanding that those differences can also be beneficial. The qualities and traits that neurodivergence creates are widely varied and include everything from high perception to strong abilities with computer systems to enhanced creativity.

For example, workers in JPMorgan Chase's Autism at Work program were up to 140% more productive than neurotypical employees and made far fewer mistakes.

The knowledge that neurodiversity can lead to powerful specific skills has led to a shift in which neurodivergent people are more sought-after for employment.

Earlier, these conditions were treated as problems. However, by understanding neurodiversity, we now have a better and more appropriate way of handling them.

Advocacy for neurodiversity acceptance may have begun with autism and how it is managed, but it has grown to include the many different neurodivergent types. The more we accept, affirm, and understand that it's quite common for brains to work differently, the more easily we can go about accommodating people in ways that work best for them to learn, function, and thrive in society.

Authored by Soumyashri Bose Partner Relations, Orchvate

 


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ORCHVATE is a social impact enterprise providing DEI consultancy to corporates. Orchvate’s Neurodiversity Inclusion program includes customized data-driven solutions with standalone components that generate measurable impact, including enhanced productivity, revenue, and company branding. Orchvate also trains and creates employment for neurodivergents – that includes people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia etc. in an area that is in sync with their unique strengths and is also the need of the hour – painstakingly creating and validating training data for AI models. Orchvate’s remote-first data annotation units with trained Neurodivergent annotators, enable cost savings while also supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

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