This post isn’t to exclude anyone or anything, I’m just curious how people understand the term.
According to the Cleveland Clinic:
People who identify themselves as neurodivergent typically have one or more of the conditions or disorders listed below. However, since there aren’t any medical criteria or definitions of what it means to be neurodivergent, other conditions also can fall under this term as well. People with these conditions may also choose not to identify themselves as neurodivergent.
- Autism spectrum disorder (this includes what was once known as Asperger’s syndrome).
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). […]
I think, as someone who was diagnosed with ADD when young and Asperger’s in my 20’s, the term applies. But I’d much rather be called Neurodivergent than other labels, if I had to pick one.
Interesting question. I actually had a conversation about this with friends recently, one of the group had just gotten an ASD diagnosis and we realised we were all neurodivergent–except, did I count? We quickly concluded that that didn’t really matter, but now I’m curious what y’all think.
Due to a medical event years ago, I suffered brain damage. It didn’t really “break” functions, but since then I’ve had trouble with concentration, energy, mental planning, and perhaps most importantly I get overstimulated really easily. I can’t handle a conversation while the radio is on, I wear ear plugs when I need to go into a shop, I can’t watch busy/flashy tv shows, if someone is fiddling with something in their hands I get an urge to run away, etc. It might not sound like much to some, but it’s left me unable to work (there’s more than I described).
I realise that neurodivergence is mostly used for differently developed brains. But mine also don’t function “typically”. What do you think?
(And just to reiterate, it really doesn’t matter, I know how I am and how my brain works now and a label isn’t important to me, I’m just wondering if the general public would find it strange if I said I’m neurodivergent).
@Foon @Subito I’ve had cancer. It was in my brain stem. I do have brain damage now. I believe the brain damage made me come out of multiple closets including the autism one. I’m reevaluating my life right now and realizing that I was always autistic, but very good at masking. My cancer damaged my capabilities at masking.
I’m sorry that happened to you. Although it sounds like you really are using your experiences in a positive way, to evaluate and get to know yourself better. Would you like to share a bit about what the brain damage means for you?
@Foon The worst of it was seizures, double and blurry vision, walking with a walker. That is healed but I now have chemo brain (I get forgetful), I make more typos… and I came out of the closet as pansexual, polyamorous, into BDSM and autistic. I already knew I was pansexual but was monogamous with an opposite-sex partner for 26 years. I was advocating for polyamory but not for myself. I thought I could be autistic but never pursued a diagnosis. The surprise was the BDSM bit (caregiver Dom).
@Foon @Subito
There are definitely people who believe that the term neurodivergent only applies to people who are born with the neurological difference, but from what I’ve seen, a lot of people understand it to be much wider than that.
Traumatic brain injury is definitely an example of neurodivergency as far as I’m concerned.
I don’t see the point of this particular form of gatekeeping, especially since we don’t know whether a person might be born with a nervous system that makes them more vulnerable to certain conditions like eating disorders, depression, etc, which some people argue shouldn’t be included under neurodivergence.
I think all neurological differences are neurodivergent, including dementia, narcissist personality disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, epilepsy, eating disorders etc
There’s a recent episode on the Neurodivergent Woman about Traumatic Brain injury that touches on this.
I’m not sure why you call this gatekeeping. What I was talking about is whether people will get it. It’s like, if you’re talking to an arbitrary person and you’re referring to e-sports as sports, most people will be confused. Without any kind of judgment or gatekeeping intended, simply, most people’s concept of “sports” does not include e-sports. And simply observing that this difference in perception exists is not gatekeeping.
So that’s what I was curious about. If I say I’m neurodivergent as a way to quickly explain my situation, will people in general understand or be confused?
@Foon Sorry I didn’t mean that *you* were gatekeeping, Foon! I’m sorry if it came across like that.
I meant that I think that people who have a strong opinion that TBI is not part of neurodivergence are gatekeeping.
It’s a difficult question to answer because most people (in my experience) don’t know what’s meant by neurodivergence. Or not in the offline world, anyway.
Sorry but my experience is that you will just have to explain what neurodivergence is. People in general have no idea. I once told my roommate I have ADHD and she had vaguely heard of it but I still had to explain it. She was 29. I’ve had conversations where I say things like “you should take neurodivergent people into account for this event/design/layout/schedule” and they will have this clueless look.