I know I’m going to get a lot of hate for this episode, but I strongly believe it.
Although I’ve never been diagnosed with a label that would make me neurodiverse, I grew up with multiple family members who were and many of my clients are.
You have the right to your own opinion and more importantly I do not want you to take what I say at face value. Listen with an open mind and then decide what you like and what you don’t.
So….
Now that you've been warned, I'm gonna say-
I don’t like the terms neurodivergent or neurotypical.

Neurodivergent is a term used to describe people whose neurological functioning and thinking skills are different then “typical” People with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and more.

Neurotypical is anyone whose brain thinks “typically”

I know one of the cognitive functions are “labeling," but labeling is not for people. It’s for things, ideas, places and concepts. You do not want to be labeling people “neurodivergent” or any other label for that matter.

As soon as you give someone a label and tell them they have “ADHD” you are putting them in a box with a cover that has a limit on it. They then have to work their whole lives proving to themselves why there is no limit, and this “label” or diagnosis can actually be helpful to them.

Now if you are neurodivergent, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Getting my diagnosis was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I now know why I do things the way I do and am not as ashamed or embarrassed about why I do things different from others. It also helps me learn how to deal with it better."

That my friend is the one good thing about getting a diagnosis, especially as an adult.
So many times you’ve been put down for things you shouldn’t of been. People didn’t believe in you and you didn’t understand why can’t be like everyone else. I’m happy you got that diagnosis so you can understand yourself better.
And if people ask me today whether they should get a diagnosis, I say that’s the one good benefit.

Here’s the problem - as soon as you get the diagnosis or start learning from people in this field, you are going to start getting limitations put on you.
It may not show up in the beginning as a limitation, but rather an acceptance.
“You’ll never be able to focus, so here’s some meds to help you with it.”
Or “you’ve got to accept - you’ve been struck by time-blindness, you’ll always be losing your favorite items or forgetting important information.”

Guess what my friend, all that they are sharing is where you are currently at, NOT where you have to stay forever.
You’ve got to work with your brain and push it at the same time.
You DO NOT want to limit yourself to never being on time or not being able to join social events.
Just because you have a diagnosis, it’s not a be all, end all.

No matter what your diagnosis is, your brain is capable of more.

Personally, I like to think of it as skills, more specifically thinking skills.
And skills can be learned.

So if you are struggling with focusing, reading, social interactions, productivity, time management, energy management or anything really and you break it down to skills, you WILL be able to learn it.
It may take you longer than someone else.
You may need a different method. But it is possible. Got that?

Professor Reuven Feuerstein, the one that identified the 28 thinking skills, wrote a book called, “If you love me, don’t accept me as I am.” I don’t think that title will fly these days but it's a great book filled with stories about people who have been limited by their diagnoses and he proved them otherwise.

You are capable of way more than you realize whether you’ve been labeled or not.