Neurodiversity is a term used to describe people whose brains work differently than the typical brain. While originally used to describe autism, neurodiversity also applies to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyscalculia, Down syndrome, bipolar disorder, social anxiety, and other differently abled brains. Neurodiverse people make up around 15 percent of the population.

The stereotypical view of neurodivergent people is usually the child who can’t sit still in class or the non-verbal adult who’s hitting their head in frustration, or conversely, the savant who can draw entire city skylines accurately from memory, or Dustin Hoffman’s character in the 1988 movie Rain Man who could accurately count hundreds of objects in seconds.

How neurodivergence is expressed is highly individual. Two autistic people may have completely opposite strengths and weaknesses. For example, one person might be hyperlexic (e.g. able to read very early, often without instruction) while another might be dyslexic and have great difficulty reading.

Even how a single person acts or performs can be confusing for people who don’t understand neurodiversity. A person with ADHD can “hyperfocus” and complete a number of tasks in a very short timeframe. The following day, they may not be able to get off the couch and be perceived as lazy.

Being neurodivergent can have consequences in the workplace. While people with uneven skill sets may excel at many aspects of their job, there may be parts of a job that are difficult for them to accomplish. If an employer accommodates the neurodivergent employee, they can thrive and be a great asset. If they are expected to follow a generic job description and are judged by their challenges, employment can be frustrating and demoralizing.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased ADHD diagnoses, both for adults and children. An article in ADDitude Magazine concluded that, for the first time, “parents gained a front-row seat to their kids’ attentional and educational struggles during remote school.”

Dr. Danielle Michaels, an Edmonton family physician says, “The only thing more inheritable than ADHD is height.” Multiple studies show that the heritability of ADHD and autism is above 80 percent. As more children are diagnosed, their parents are discovering that behaviour patterns they thought were quirks or flaws are actually ADHD.

This was the case for Tekla Luchenski. While her children have neurodivergent diagnoses, she had not considered this for herself until a therapist pointed out that many of her difficulties might stem from ADHD. She later received a diagnosis.

Luchenski explains her emotions upon finding out. “It was such a relief. It was like putting on glasses for the first time. I thought, ‘So this is how people see the world!’”

She continues, “Then I felt anger and grief wondering what my life could have been like had I known earlier.”

Luchenski adds how ADHD has caused her social problems. “A lot of our behaviour can look narcissistic. Once, I completely forgot a friend after asking her to an event, and it really hurt her.”

Several neurodiverse conditions make it difficult to shrug off frustrations or difficult situations. This is called emotional dysregulation. Luchenski says, “It makes you reactive. They think you are this explosive person.”

Despite the challenges neurodiverse people face, neurodivergence has helped humanity to survive. According to Science Daily, dyslexia, which is found in 10 percent of the general population in all countries and cultures, is an adaptation to specialize in exploration, to find safety in an ever-changing world.

In people with ADHD, traits such as novelty-seeking, exploration, and vigilance are adaptive advantages, in addition to being attentive to environmental threats. Autistic people often have pattern-recognition and critical-thinking skills, paired with hypersensitivity to the environment and a strong sense of justice.

Bernard J. Crespi, an evolutionary biologist at Simon Fraser University says, “I do not believe autism is a disease, but instead a natural, positive, and adaptive response to stress.” He continues, “The sensory system is often on high alert, and the problem-solving abilities often kicked into high gear.” This is in contrast to the view that autistic people are mentally deficient. Compassionate modifications often solve the communication difficulties that many neurodivergent people experience.  

Neurotypical and neurodiverse patterns of thinking evolved together. Dr. Helen Taylor, research fellow at the Strathclyde Business School, states, “Bringing explorative, global-thinking brains together with exploitative, local-thinking brains leads to solutions that couldn’t be imagined by one individual, or even a group of similar people.”  

Rather than looking at neurodivergence as a problem that needs to be solved, in our ever-changing world, we can harness the strengths and experiences of neurodivergent people.