Neurodivergence

Over the years I’ve had numerous personal occurrences and experiences I couldn’t explain, and neither could anyone else at the time. While this may not sound exceptional, I can tell you that having had those experiences they really, are shall we say, quite unusual. I’m not going into any details to describe them here because it’s not actually necessary, but they form part of a complex pattern of lifetime events some of which are individual while others are regularly occurring and ongoing. It’s important to point out that there’s no danger to anyone (nor has there ever been) or even myself to any degree but there is a personal impact which can be quite damaging if it isn’t managed, and over the years I’ve gotten quite used to dealing with it even if I can’t control it entirely.

Several years ago one of my sons was diagnosed with ASD which felt shocking at the time because as a family we had no idea what it was or what repercussions there might be. It was a learning curve which we all benefited from and with a greater understanding it became much easier to adapt with this new knowledge. In more recent years ASD has become very common and very well known about such that it’s much easier to accept now. What was crucial for us as a family was the discovery that the diagnosis for my son read like a description of me as well. At first this didn’t really sink in and any struggles I had continued as they had since childhood, but as the years passed and more and more information became available online and elsewhere, an even greater understanding developed personally so that what was felt as a handicap for many years could suddenly start to be embraced and accepted. Various incarnations, names and divergent subsections later, and we now have a broad and widely understood view of this condition. ASD or Autistic Spectrum Disorder is likely to affect at least 2% of the population not all of whom have been diagnosed, and a great many more are Neurodivergent (10% to 20%) which is a much broader term described as a person who perceives things differently to most others, has different ways of learning, communicating and different social preferences. Basically all people who have ASD are Neurodivergent but not all go the other way. Crucially, being Neurodivergent isn’t a choice. Like ASD it is… shall we say… a condition, one that has to be lived with. Some people with ASD however, suffer to a much greater degree with, in some cases, severe learning difficulties and social / behavioural problems. The spectrum is indeed quite wide.

I have no doubt that I am Neurodivergent. I might also have ASD (some basic tests as well as the diagnosis notes for my son point to this as a distinct possibility) but without a verified diagnosis I cannot be completely sure. What I am sure about is that I am not Neurotypical – and I never have been. I have come into contact with people on Senior Chatters who are also Neurodivergent and I do find myself drawn to them a bit, which really isn’t at all surprising. This and the learning curve of more recent years has certainly been a revelation for which I’m incredibly grateful, and I’ve never been happier with the knowledge that I now have.