Published on 12, July, 2020
I will start by admitting I'm a bit grumpy as my brain is boiling in the heat (south of England heatwave).
Nevertheless, I am getting rather irritated by people talking about neurodiversity (neurodivergence) on threads without mentioning what the neurodivergence is.
I'm having to assume that they are talking about autism as it's an autism forum but it could be something else (see below).
I feel like this umbrella term becoming a substitute for each individual condition.
Does anyone else feel the same or should I take a cool shower?
It is a good term in itself, but it is misused, I think.
We say that a BBC drama's cast is 'diverse', i.e. it can include multiple ethnicities and sexualities amongst the cast. We don't say that one particular actor in the drama is diverse.
My wife has dyslexia and I'm autistic, so i suppose it is a neurodiverse marriage. I would not say that either of us is neurodiverse.
What am I saying? I suppose that to me ND applies to a group, not an individual.
So, yes, I agree, if it is being used as a substitute for each individual condition, then it is no longer a useful term.
Mark (formerly Spikey) said:My wife has dyslexia and I'm autistic, so i suppose it is a neurodiverse marriage. I would not say that either of us is neurodiverse.
You're actually a *neurodivergent* couple / marriage, as you are each ND. A neurodiverse marriage would involve an ND person coupled with an NT person.
Also, individuals can't be neurodiverse; only either ND or NT. I won't post the graphic again, as I've already just posted it a couple of times, but it's explained well there :)