Neurodiversity

Overview

Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the natural variation in brain function and development. This means that different children may have different ways of thinking, learning and processing information. Neurodiverse children can have unique strengths and challenges that can contribute to their success in life.

Neurodiversity refers to the different ways in which the brain functions and processes information. This includes:

Neurodiverse children may have different and amazing ways of thinking, learning and processing information. Some neurodivergent people struggle because of systems or processes that don’t give them a chance to show their strengths or that create new or more intense challenges for them.

It's important to embrace your child or young person's neurodiversity. Being able to think differently is great for problem solving and creativity. There are things that neurodivergent children and young people can find hard, but these should not take away from your child or young person's strengths and skills. Encourage and support them so that they can succeed and thrive. Remember, neurodivergent children and young people will grow up into neurodivergent adults.

This video from Newsround explains a little bit more about neurodiversity.

Neurodivergent isn’t a medical term, but it is sometimes used to describe people who are not “neurotypical”. Like a person’s fingerprints, no two brains — not even those of identical twins — are exactly the same. Because of that, there’s no definition of “normal” capabilities for the human brain.

This is also true for people with the same medical diagnosis. That means people with very different signs and symptoms can still have the same diagnosis.

Neurodiversity refers to the unique way that each person’s brain develops. That means it’s not preventable, treatable or curable. For some people, such as those with ADHD, behavioural therapy and medication can positively affect their quality of life. For others, therapy programmes can help you play to your strengths by showing you how to make the most of your abilities and adapt to your challenges, minimising their impact on daily life.

The importance of inclusion

By creating more inclusive learning environments, we can help neurodiverse children feel valued and supported. Inclusion also helps combat stereotypes and stigma surrounding neurodiverse conditions.

The whole person approach

The whole person approach is also known as a holistic approach. This is when every aspect of your child or young person's care is viewed as equally important.

Different elements of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing affect one another. For example, poor sleep habits can affect mood, which can affect how a young person feels about themselves.

A whole person approach helps create a healthy and active lifestyle for your neurodivergent child or young person.