Maybe it’s time to just dump out the buckets and labels used to understand neurodiversity and just use the descriptions.
I was having a conversation with person who was just trying to understand why holding down a job for more than nine months to a year was so hard.
What they didn’t need me to do was attach labels to what they were trying to understand at that moment. At that moment they just needed to know that what they were describing was normal for a person who is restless, curious, a high processor, and who enjoys ideas.
Not right. Not wrong. Just a way of being that brings them frustration and how can they do it differently?
As I coach in this field I feel pulled in two directions. One is the world of science (doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, school systems, and funding) which works so hard to put a label, definition, and story onto something.
And the other is the world of different thinkers. I am grateful for both.
I can see how they lift and help each other. I became a coach in this area because I want to bridge the gap between the two.
I can also see how the labels, definitions, and details create boxes that people get stuck in, start to define their identity around, attach negative labels, and are afraid to come out of at times.
In the last two years I have been around some incredible people and one of the things I am learning for myself and others, is there is a time for the labels and a time to free range.
I now dump out the buckets with all the definitions and just work to help people find words for their actions, processes, and thinking. I am not the only one with this perspective the government is working on this idea too.
I often encourage my clients to seek out a counselor or psychiatrist if they are using medications or plan to use medications. For their health and safety, I think it is important.
Recently on a first visit with one of my clients, the counselor said, “You know you have ADHD, autism, and dyslexia.” She is right, and how helpful do you think that was to drop those labels on this person?
I will give you a hint, they rolled with it until we talked and then we reframed it into the reasons why they said that and why that was helpful feedback.
CLICK HERE to download a PDF of the infographic.
Here is what I know to be true. People don’t fall neatly into little buckets of behaviors and traits that we like to then slap a label on.
Different thinkers tend to have a variety of traits from many areas of the different neurodiversity buckets.
When we remove all the labels and buckets, we just get behaviors.
Behaviors are actions and actions can change or not change, but they are not the definition of a person.
When I help people connect with the language around their behavior it empowers them to see options. It is exciting to see people know that they have a choice in how to handle something.
Let’s dump the buckets and play with only the actions that represent the big labels.
(Note: there is no one master list, I used a variety of research to make this list.)
· Preference for non-linear thoughts · Sensory distinctions · Social differences · Executive functioning differences · Intense focus · Special interests · Artistic creativity · Varying aptitude in math · Varying aptitude in technology · Empathy and justice-orientated mindset · Intense emotional experiences · Language abilities · Unique gender and sexual orientation experiences · Thinking outside the box memory variations · Pattern recognition · Attention to detail · Need for movement breaks · Stimming · Mentally picture three-dimensional (3D) objects or situations · Complex problem solving skills · Advanced communication skills in explaining and story-telling · Strong skills in exploring· Slow reading · Slow writing · Challenges with organization · Challenges with planning |
· Letter reversals · Trouble following written instructions · Inconsistent spelling · Increased understanding of verbal information · Spatially gifted or challenged · Left – right disorientation · Slow speaking · Lack of phonemic awareness · Challenges with direction · Working memory challenges· Understanding math quantities and concepts · Remembering numbers · Connecting numbers with words · Comprehending math logic · Recalling math facts · Estimating measurements· Inattention · Hyperactivity · Impulsivity · Time blindness · Low frustration threshold· Disturbed coordination · Difficulty with time management · Challenges with memory · Challenges with learning · Social interaction difficulties · Struggles with daily living skills · Difficulty writing |
· Obsessive interests · Social situations difficulties · Communication difficulties · Imagination differences · Sensitive to light · Sensitive to noise · Sensitive to touch · Sensitive to temperature · sensitive to texture · Sensitive to taste· Mind blindness · Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) · Theory of mind differences · Weak central coherence · Hypersensitivity · Hyposensitivity · Echolalia · Attention control · Cognitive flexibility or flexible thinking · Emotional and energy regulation · Processing differences· Repetitive behavior that interferes with daily life · Repetitive unwanted thoughts that interfere with daily life · Preoccupation with perfectionism · Preoccupation with control · Preoccupation with organization |
For those of you who are curious where I got all of these terms, here are the categories that most experts in 2024 place in the neurodiversity bucket.
Main Labels:
ADHD
Autism
Dyslexia
Dysgraphia
Dyscalculia
Phonological Dyslexia
Rapid Naming Dyslexia
Double Deficit Dyslexia
Surface Dyslexia
Visual Dyslexia
Primary Dyslexia
Secondary Dyslexia
Acquired Dyslexia
OCD or OCPD
ABI
Bipolar disorder
TBI – traumatic brain injury
Tourette syndrome
Williams syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
BONUS – it is missing a few of the groups and it is still comprehensive.
There is a great graphic by Mary Colley. CLICK HERE to check it out.
As you look through this long list of options, do you see places where you might want to explore a word more because it feels like it might apply to you?
GOOD, do that. Learn more about who you are and then grow from that. The world needs more happy, healthy, strong, and creative people playing full-on in the game of life.
What word are you going to explore more?
Let me know your thoughts and ideas about this topic and how I can help you.
JoyGenea
RESOURCES:
https://medvidi.com/blog/types-of-neurodiversity
https://diversity.social/neurodiversity-neurodivergence/
https://www.college.police.uk/support-forces/diversity-and-inclusion/neurodiversity-glossary-terms
https://adhdaware.org.uk/what-is-adhd/neurodiversity-and-other-conditions/
https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23154-neurodivergent