Why Neurodiversity Is Essential | by Jay Mitchell

If everyone were the same, the world would not only be boring but also come to a complete standstill. The variety of skills and traits that we see all contribute to the way everything works. I can almost guarantee you are better at drawing than me, and that you know someone who is better at drawing than you. We can’t all be good at everything, so having a varied skillset across the population is vital to the continued running of civilisation.

This is where a shift in view of the term “Neurodiversity” is needed. Neurodiversity doesn’t describe a range of disabilities but explains that we are all wired differently. Rather than having a “Diagnosis” (e.g., ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia etc), these are simply ways of explaining how somebody’s brain works. While the “normal” way of thinking applies to about 90% of the population, some of us are wired very differently, and this is not necessarily a disability, but just a difference. 
 

Not A Disability

The focus of any diagnosis currently seems to be what a person struggles to do, rather than the benefits of their wiring. For instance, symptoms of ADHD include:

• a lack of concentration, 
• often losing things, 
• fidgeting a lot, 
• talking excessively 
• several other negative points. 

But ADHD has several positive aspects too, including:

• the ability to absorb information quickly from a variety of sources, 
• the ability to hyperfocus on a task,  
• the ability to switch from a variety of tasks quickly. 

Giving a range of “symptoms”, things that someone with ADHD finds difficult, portrays ADHD as a disability rather than just a difference. The words “Deficit “and “Disorder” are enough to evoke a negative image of the person.

Consider an emergency in the office, where most people are looking to other people for instructions on what to do. This is a time when someone with ADHD comes into their own. The ability to absorb information from different places quickly, and jump from one task to another is exactly what is needed in an emergency. Another example is a project that needs to be completed quickly, an ability to hyperfocus is required. Someone who will pick up their tasks and focus on them to the exclusion of all else is rarely utilised but is ideal in many situations.

Think of the term “Biodiversity”, and how important it is that we have a range of plants and animals, all providing something to the natural environment. Neurodiversity needs to be considered in the same way, the range of skills and abilities is vital to your business and to our society. Some people are more creative, some more logical, everyone has skills and traits that can be utilised, and everyone has their own limitations. If we are all allowed to play to our strengths, then we all benefit. For instance, in a training group a while ago, a group of us were asked to create a presentation. At first, this filled us all with dread, for various reasons. It didn’t take long to realise that we had all the skills we needed, but only as a group. Had I been forced to draw the artwork, the presentation would have been a disaster, but someone else was exceptionally good at it, so we benefited from their skill set. Each had our role, and together we came up with an excellent presentation, which would not have been possible if we all thought the same way.

Diagnosis vs. Description

Personally, when I received a diagnosis of ADHD in my 40s, it helped to explain what had been going on for a lot of my life. Having been told I was just a bad kid throughout my childhood (ADHD wasn’t a diagnosis through the 1980s), I finally had a reason for some of my behaviours, especially the traits that I continued with into adulthood. This explanation has helped me realise that I am not just undisciplined or lazy, my brain works in a different way than the majority of people. My diagnosis has not changed how it affects me, it has helped me to understand the difference and figure out what works best for me. 

Officially a Neurodivergent diagnosis is a hidden disability, however, it needn’t be a disability All of us have strengths and weaknesses and a range of abilities. Should we not be celebrating our differences, rather than labelling those differences and alienating people because of them?

Jay Mitchell is a Data Literacy apprentice at Direct Line Group and is writing for the Apprentice Lens as part of the Blogging Team. Here is a little more about him:

“I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years into my 40s, which probably explains the numerous unfinished projects I seem to be surrounded by. I enjoy drawing on my own personal experience for my articles, with a view that any advice is meant as ‘You could do this’ rather than ‘You should do this’!”