Verily, the tongue doth perpetually transform and flourish. If thou canst comprehend this, perchance thou hast dwelt in ages long past. What I really just said, “Language is constantly changing and evolving. If you can read this, you must have lived many years ago.” You also may understand it because in high school you read Shakespeare who was born in 1564, just a few years ago! The point is, we don’t speak like this anymore because language continually changes and new words are added to the dictionary. The “hot” word now for certain individuals with disabilities is neurodivergent.
An argument exists about who coined the term neurodivergent which originated during the 1990s; however, everyone agrees about its meaning. “Neurodivergent is a nonmedical term that describes people whose brains develop or work differently for some reason. This means the person has different strengths and struggles from people whose brains develop or work more typically.” Many conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia are all considered to be neurodivergent.
Like me, you may wonder why a need existed to name all of these conditions something new; but from what I understand, it is a positive move. When heard, the previous terms made people think of something negative. The new term is meant to focus on the idea that all of our brains work differently, and some of those differences bring about practical effects.
My doctor has not diagnosed me (although a colleague with a psych degree says he’s 100 percent certain) I am ADHD. I am a huge over-talker who oftentimes struggles with focus; however, I am also full of energy, enthusiasm, and creative ideas. The negative is that too much talking and not focusing when someone is explaining things to me sometimes drives me and other people crazy. On the other-hand, my strengths: energy and enthusiasm, seem to attract others to me so that I can meet people and make friends easily. I’d say my neurodivergent brain is functioning just fine for me as long as I don’t want a job as an air-traffic controller.
In a world where people are bullied for being different, it’s a step forward to replace terms with negative connotations with something positive for individuals with disabilities. Even here at CORE, we use the words “individuals with disabilities” because it’s an umbrella term which covers physical and mental diagnoses so participants can receive services. How would it sound if we just said, individuals with differences. Who’s to say my or your differences just don’t make us better – which of course, they do!
Spring has sprung! Happy Easter from all of us at CORE.
