Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
We all need to pause sometimes. Taking a deep breath is a very common regulation method, for neurodivergent and neurotypical people. But have you considered it metaphorically? Are you hitting the same hurdles regularly? Are things escalating, and taking longer to calm down again? Does everything feel harder lately? Take a deep breath. This “deep breath” comes in many forms. It can take as short as a few seconds, or as long as… well… as[…]
Because neurodivergencies are generally based on a deficit model, the focus of many medical professionals is to “fix” what they think they can. What this means is that a diagnosis focuses on what a person can’t do – in comparison to an average neurotypical person – rather than on their strengths. It also rarely takes into account that many neurotypical people aren’t strong across all areas of their lives either, but aren’t forced into therapies[…]
There are many tricky elements of neurodivergence that can – and potentially should – be addressed, without this being perceived as forcing neurotypicality or not being neuroaffirming. Usually, the measure of this can be whether overcoming this hurdle is of benefit to the neurodivergent person’s self-esteem and happiness. This might include helping a person with dyslexia learn to read to the best of their ability to allow them to succeed in neurotypical society, or teaching[…]
Q. What health professionals do I need to support my neurodivergent child? Mum of boy aged 5-8 A. Neurodivergent people benefit from the support of a number of health professionals. I strongly discourage jumping headfirst into this potential support. Assessment and confirmation (“diagnosis”) If your child is undiagnosed, and you believe/suspect they might be neurodivergent, your first step is your GP. This in itself is not always an easy approach. You may well experience dismissal[…]
