Catch my emotions
Who are we?
We are a group of neurodivergent people (people with one or more neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome)) and some of us are also researchers and clinicians that work hard to support and provide evidence-based to improve approaches, services, and understanding of these conditions to use our strengths and prompt acceptance of neurodivergence!
What is Neurodiversity?
Image by Hernandez-Mancilla (2019), based on Singer (2016).
Although the term ‘Neurodiversity’ gained greater popularity following Singer's publication in 2016, it was initially introduced by Meyerding in 1998 (Ortega, 2009). Meyerding also reiterated this term in an article published in 2014. Around the same time in 1998, Harvey Blume also contributed to the dissemination of this concept (Armstrong, 2015). We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all these authors for their invaluable contributions in making this term more widely recognised. Their work has significantly helped in identifying and understanding the diverse ways in which the brain may develop and assimilate information.
This website focuses on neurodevelopmental conditions, specifically ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. While our primary emphasis is on these conditions, we also acknowledge and recognise other lifelong conditions such as Williams syndrome, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, and others.
Overall, the term ‘Neurodiversity’ serves as an umbrella term for individuals with typical neurodevelopment as well as those with neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Tourette’s syndrome. The term ‘neurodivergent’ is often applied to people with neurodevelopmental conditions, though some may also use it in reference to certain mental health conditions such as OCD, PTSD, DID, etc. Perhaps the difference we could use, for the purposes of this website, is that these mental health conditions can onset during early or late childhood or in adulthood, often influenced by experiences and other factors that may increase the risk of developing such conditions.
Importantly, while neurodevelopmental conditions present challenges, they also bring strengths that can be context-dependent (Russell et al., 2019; Manor-Binyamini & Schreiber-Divon, 2019).
About neurodiversity and abilities
Image by Alina Grubnyak.
In simpler terms, neurodevelopmental conditions or neurodivergence in this context, involve different ways of perceiving the world, making sense of it, receiving information, including sensory stimuli, and expressing such processing in diverse ways. Importantly, this does not imply a lack of ability or potential to learn the same things as individuals with typical neurodevelopment. However, it may require a different approach. For instance, learning to be more ‘socially appropriate,’ may require more time and explaining specific parameters; adapting to and tolerating small changes may take time to get used to and need constant practice. This means, that neurodevelopmental conditions can be supportive in different ways such as using passions or intense interests in ways that support development and foster feelings of reward and productivity, harnessing hyperfocus and abundant energy can help achieve multiple goals, while creativity can be leveraged to solve unexpected problems promptly, etc. The latter examples show strengths that are often relevant across different neurodevelopmental conditions.
This is the reason why we are doing our best to inform people and open a space where we can make information accessible for neurodivergent people and for all of us to tailor our approach and adapt, regardless of ‘diagnosis’ or ‘condition’.
Image by Philip Strong.
We all need to help
Image by Tim Mossholder.
We believe that communication, tolerance, adapting, etc., should be a process that is the responsibility of everyone.
Our objective
As a final prompt, we would like to encourage everyone to be tolerant, open-minded, and respectful when different terms are used, as we recognise that every individual has the right to be addressed according to their personal preferences. While research is essential to make informed decisions based on evidence-based practices, we also need to be flexible and attentive to the individual needs of the person in front of us, recognising their unique methods of interaction and information processing (Kapp et al., 2019; McFayden et al., 2019; Russell et al., 2019; Hernandez Mancilla, 2024).
We hope this space proves helpful. Please feel free to reach out and communicate with us, as we will do our utmost to support you, provide guidance, and direct you to appropriate resources so that you can make informed decisions.
REFERENCES
Armstrong, T. (2015). The Myth of the Normal Brain: Embracing Neurodiversity. AMA Journal of Ethics, Medicine and Society, 17(4), 348-352. https://doi.org/10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.4.msoc1-1504.
Hayward, S.M., McVilly, K.R. and Stokes, M.A. 2019. "I Would Love to Just Be Myself":
What Autistic Women Want at Work. Autism in Adulthood, 1(4), pp.297-305.
Hees, V. V., Moyson, T. and Roeyers, H., 2015. Higher education experiences of students with autism spectrum disorder:
Challenges, benefits and support needs. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(6), pp. 1673–1688.
https ://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2324-2.
Hernández Mancilla, N. (2024, July 5–6). Inclusive counselling psychology: Adapting Psychological Practices for Neurodiversity, Empowering Practitioners and Supporting Outcomes [Conference presentation]. British Psychological Society, Division of Counselling Psychology, Annual Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Co-presented by Blackman, C., Najib-Greaves, S., Sanders, A., & Neville, G. https://www.bps.org.uk/event/dcop-annual-conference-2024.
Kanner, L., 1943. Autistic disturbances of affective contact. Nervous Child, 2, 217-250.
Manor-Binyamini, I. and Schreiber-Divon, M., 2019. Repetitive behaviors: Listening to the voice of people with high-functioning autism
spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 64, pp. 23-30.
McFayden, T., Albright, J., Muskett, A. and Scarpa, A., 2019. Brief Report: Sex Differences in ASD Diagnosis—A Brief Report on Restricted
Interests and Repetitive Behaviors. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(4), pp. 1693-1699.
Mercier, C., 2000. A psychosocial study on restricted interests in high-functioning persons with pervasive developmental disorders.
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 4(4), pp. 406-426.
Ortega, F. (2009). The Cerebral Subject and the Challenge of Neurodiversity. BioSocieties, 4(4), 425-445. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1745855209990287
Russell, G., Kapp, S.K., Elliot, D., Elphick, C., Gwernan-Jones, R. and Owens, C., 2019. Mapping the Autistic Advantage from the Accounts
of Adults Diagnosed with Autism: A Qualitative Study. Autism in Adulthood, 1(2), pp.124-133.
Singer, J., 2016. NeuroDiversity. The Birth of an Idea. Kindle Edition.
Turner, M., 1999. Annotation: Repetitive Behaviour in Autism: A Review of Psychological Research. Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 40(6), pp. 839-849.
World Health Organization, S., 1992. The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders : clinical descriptions and diagnostic
guidelines. Geneva; [Great Britain]: Geneva: World Health Organization.
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