Neurodiversity is the range of brain functions and behavioral traits that differ across the human experience. Unfortunately, you may have heard about it in the context of mental illness. However, the stigma and misconceptions around neurodiversity are losing ground.
Neurodivergent folks today are growing more comfortable expressing their frustration at their neurotypical counterparts having unrealistic expectations of them.
Instead of discussing neurodivergence and its less-than-ness to neurotypicality, why don’t we flip the script? Neurodivergence is just as present as neurotypicality is. Our world is just built to better support one over the other.
Don’t let that fool you—the world needs more confident neurodivergent folks! Embrace exactly who you are by seeing your “weaknesses” as the STRENGTHS they truly are.
As children, we’re taught to dislike and hide our own neurodivergence.
You may recall the first time an adult highlighted your strengths. Maybe you always hated school until one teacher finally said, “You pick up on math pretty fast! Let’s move you up to the advanced class.”
Maybe you hid your interest in certain games, movies, or books because they were too niche for your classmates. Then one day, you met someone who likes it, too. Then you met an entire online community of people who obsess over it with fan art, alternate storylines, and inside jokes.
While neurotypical kids may have seen you as the weird one or the awkward one, you were just making your way through the world the same way they did. The only difference is that they met you with judgment for your differences instead of interest and investment in them.
Being neurodivergent comes with strengths for which neurotypicals can only dream.
Dyscalculia may make solving complex math problems difficult, but it may also make you the innovative thinker and well-spoken advocate that your team needs.
ADHD may impede your ability to execute mundane tasks, but it could also make you an artist that has enough energy and passion to inspire the neurotypicals around you.
Autism may lead to uncomfortable social interactions, but it may also lead to a scientific breakthrough because of your ability to process and memorize the finer details around you.
Neurodiversity is a neutral concept that anyone can interpret to be positive or negative.
Raising awareness about the reality of neurodiversity urges us to accept this variance in human behavior so that we may all be more open-minded and understanding of all of our differences. The more willing we are to embrace our diverse communities, the more capable we are as a society to overcome complex problems.
Therapists aren’t the only ones who recognize this, either. Today’s brightest minds and thinkers are devoting entire chapters in self-help books and lectures to the importance of establishing a diverse team.
Some historians even believe that while some see disorders like ADHD as disruptive today, in the hunter-gatherer days, they were necessary to our survival. Let this speak volumes about how you can reframe your “disorder” to be something that adds to your self-esteem instead of taking away from it.
Without sensory and hands-on kinds of people, we wouldn’t have skyscrapers built from the ground up. Without people honestly questioning what our society accepts to be true, we would never improve socially or technologically.
Expending energy to conform is more tiring than using your energy to do what you want.
There are absolutely times where we should go with the flow and follow the crowd. However, being neurodivergent offers us a new perspective to guide people towards originality and authenticity, not groupthink and rigidity. Be the person you know you can be because of your neurodivergence.
And hey, if you need someone to help you see all that you’re capable of, working with a neurodiversity-affirming therapist can help you work with your brain instead of against it. We’re happy to point out all that you have to offer, which is probably much more than you know.
Therapy for Neurodivergence, Autism and ADHD in Long Beach and California
Prospect Therapy is a queer + trans affirming therapy practice based in Long Beach, CA, with a focus on mental health for first-generation, immigrant, and bicultural communities. We continue to provide online therapy for a variety of mental wellness and relationship concerns to clients throughout the state of California. Learn more about how we bring lived experience to our work with people of all ages in our communities by requesting a consultation below.