Speaker 1: This episode about neurodiversity is sponsored by Wondrium. Stick around till the end of the video to learn more about it. Hello, brains. I talk about neurodiversity a lot on this channel, in panels, at talks, but what exactly does neurodiversity mean? [♪ music ♪ Neurodiversity, noun, is the concept that there is natural variation in the human brain that leads to differences in how we think and behave. It's short for Neurological Diversity. Neurodiversity. The term was first coined in the 1990s by a sociologist named Judy Singer, who argues that neurological differences, like autism, are just that. Neurological differences. In other words, different brains work differently. Neurodiversity exists, just like diversity exists in ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Those of us with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Tourette's, those who are neurotypical, and those who are autistic all have brains that are hardwired to work and learn differently. And even brains within each group are wired differently and have a spectrum of abilities. And while we can sometimes learn to mask those differences, those differences are still going to exist. And trying to pretend they don't, or being told that they shouldn't, often comes at a high cost to our sense of self and our mental and physical well-being, often putting our brain's operating system at higher risk for the mental health equivalent of malware, such as anxiety or depression. Which is why the Neurodiversity Movement exists. The Neurodiversity Movement is a social movement, historically led by autistic self-advocates and other neurodivergent activists, advocating for the acceptance of the autism spectrum as reflecting natural variations in the human brain, rather than a disease that needs to be cured. This movement has grown within the autism community, as well as to other neurodivergent folks. Hi. I have ADHD. While neurodiversity advocates might disagree on some things, and I obviously can't speak for everyone, there are a few key assumptions within the neurodiversity paradigm. 1. Neurodiversity exists. Different brains work differently and have distinct strengths and weaknesses. 2. Neurodiversity is valuable. Differences in how our brains work allow us to come at things from different perspectives, have vastly different skill sets, and accomplish more than we could if everyone's brain worked the same way. 3. The potentially disabling challenges that those of us who are neurodivergent face aren't necessarily inherent to our brain's differences, but often a result of the social and physical environments neurominorities exist within. Which is highlighted perfectly in a blog post about the concerning condition called neurotypicality, written from an autistic perspective. The blog, which is satire, presents a world in which neurotypical brains are the neurominorities, and discusses how odd those brains would seem and the challenges they would face in an autistic world. A personal example? I'm very nearsighted. If I didn't live in a society that provided glasses and contacts, I would be disabled. The neurodiversity movement is a bit controversial in that it upends some of how we've thought about these things for a really long time. But most of the criticisms of the neurodiversity movement seem to come from misunderstandings of what it actually is. A lot of critics of the neurodiversity movement argue that viewing autism as just a natural variation implies that autistic people don't need any support. But in response to this criticism, one autism researcher and advocate explains it well. Neurodiversity advocates generally consider autism to be both a natural variation and a disability. Advocates therefore concurrently campaign for acceptance and respect for autistic people as valuable members of society and also fight for appropriate support and services to meet the needs of the autistic community. And the same is true of most ADHD advocates. We recognize that life is hard for us and there are times where it would be easier to not have ADHD. But a lot of what we struggle with is because of environmental and social factors and can be mitigated through creating social and physical environments that account for and accommodate neurodiversity. That doesn't mean we reject medical treatment. As a neurodiversity advocate with ADHD, I'm working toward a world that recognizes, appreciates, and accommodates neurodiversity. I also have a therapist and take meds. Acceptance of my brain's differences and support for the challenges I face are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they both work toward the same goal. A better quality of life. As I've mentioned a couple of times on this channel, I am writing a book this year, which I have never done before. And so I started taking a course on Wondrium to learn how to do it. Wondrium is the rebrand of The Great Courses Plus and it's designed for curious brains. Whenever I want to learn something in depth, I check there first because they have a ton of courses and anything I want to watch is included in my subscription. How-tos, tutorials, documentaries. Wondrium is where you can find the answer to pretty much everything you've ever wondered about and they're constantly adding new stuff. I've been taking this one specific to writing creative non-fiction, which is what my book is going to be. Part memoir, part how-to. I've already learned a lot of stuff that has saved me time and made my writing better. The info in the courses often blows my mind, but the latest thing I'm kind of obsessed with is I found out I can watch it on my Apple TV, which is hooked up to my new projector. So now it feels like I'm actually in the classroom, which is super cool. Life-size professors. If you don't have a projector, don't worry. You can also watch it on your phone, tablet, computer, in an actual classroom. Probably don't do that. It would probably make your actual teacher sad. Wondrium is such a convenient way to take a course because they're taught by experienced professors, but since it's streaming, you can watch it on faster speeds with subtitles, do the exercises that are relevant to what you're trying to learn, pause it when you get ideas, which keeps happening during my book, and rewind it when you get distracted, which is how I learn best, which is great for neurodivergent brains. Wondrium is offering a free trial right now and they're regular supporters of HowToADHD, so by supporting them, you're also supporting us. If you'd like to try it out, go to wondrium.com slash HowToADHD or click on the link in the description below to start your free trial today. If you'd like to learn more about neurodiversity, I've linked to some resources in the description below. In the meantime, if you're neurodivergent, neurodiverse, a neurominority, whatever term you prefer, know that advocating for your own neurodifferences and appreciating the neurodiversity that exists in this world paves the way for others to do the same. Thank you to my brain advocates and all my Patreon brains for facilitating this incredible neurodiverse community where we can appreciate each other's challenges and strengths. Like, subscribe, click all the things, and I will see you next video. Bye, brains. ♪