Alia Bhatt, who was one of the guests on Jay Shetty’s podcast, recently shared her prognosis and the medical help that she had sought after getting diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety. Even Simone Biles, the celebrated American Olympic gymnast, identifies as a person with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Many celebrities, including Elon Musk and Tom Holland, have discussed their special conditions. Appearing as the host of Saturday Night Live in 2021, the Tesla CEO publicly shared his Asperger’s diagnosis with the world, while Marvel’s newest Spider-Man attended a special school due to his dyslexia.

It might sound strange that the most successful people also struggle with neurodivergence. But what does the term mean? And most importantly, is there enough conversation around this topic? Are people even aware of it? Let’s try to find answers to these questions.

What is Neurodivergence?

Before we move any further, it is important to understand what neurodivergence is all about. The term, which gained wider recognition in the 90s after the great efforts of the sociologist Judy Singer, refers to the difference between an individual’s brain functions with a ‘typical’ individual’s brain, or what is usually termed as a ‘normal’ person’s ability to understand.

Although these differences reflect a change in the learning, communication, attention and memory pattern in a person’s brain, it does not translate to a flawed or an inefficient mind. The individual can still understand and perceive things, but in their own special yet creative ways.

We can think of this as a case wherein our brains can store and load the data efficiently, while some gifted minds might take a little time to load the data, but eventually present it in a rather imaginative and thoughtful way.

Types of Neurodivergence Conditions

Having understood the meaning of neurodivergence, the next step is to become familiar with the various conditions that the term encompasses. This special situation is responsible for affecting an individual’s ability to interact with the world, to process information, and to impact their cognitive skills.

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism refers to a condition that affects the communication and sensory abilities of a person. It is usually termed as a ‘spectrum’ as the degree of autism depends on the combination of several characteristics, which tend to vary from person to person.

Some commonly known autism traits are:

•  Repetitive Movements: Autistic people are seen to follow stimming, meaning that they will move their hands or heads in a specific way, which is a sign of comfort and excitement.
• Difficulty in Understanding: They might struggle to interpret certain physical cues, like facial expressions. Also, they may even dislike a direct form of communication, while some may even be too blunt in their conversations.
• Have a clean heart: Unlike “normal people”, autistic people have a fair set of their own principles, and are also known to be honest to the core.
•  Repetitive Speech: Repetition of certain favourite words and phrases is also a commonly observed autistic trait.
• Building Special Interests: While society might consider them a little “dumb”, autistic people have time and again proved them wrong by showing their prowess in fields of computing and coding. With the right guidance and their intense focus, they can easily compete with some of the best minds in the industry.

Not all of the above-mentioned traits can be found in a single person. A mixture of some of these characteristics, along with other known factors, makes these gifted people even more special.

2. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

One of the most common neurodivergent conditions in the world, ADHD refers to the situation where an individual is unable to gather their entire focus, and gets easily distracted by the surroundings, thoughts or may even zone out.

A certain sense of restlessness and an urge to fidget with things is also a sign of ADHD. However, ADHD people with ADHD should not be taken lightly. They are quite well known for their creativity and spontaneous flair, which often results in remarkable work.

3. Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that makes it difficult for individuals to understand and decode language, make spelling and grammar errors, and face problems with their reading.

But this doesn’t stop them from achieving success. It has been observed that dyslexic people are quite good at art, music, writing and theatre. Agatha Christie, also known as the “Queen of Mystery”, struggled with grammar and spelling, but she didn’t let it deter her from becoming a novelist. Cher, one of the most famous singers in the world, couldn’t read in school, but she showed her talent through music and went on to win the prestigious Grammy.

4. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

People usually confuse perfectionism and neatness with OCD, which sadly is not the truth. It is rather a mental health condition that forces people to continue checking and repeating certain tasks over and over, and also fosters fear of doing something “wrong” or causing “harm”.

It is important to break the social stigma that people with OCD do not do these tasks for fun or to garner attention – it is just how they are. Any mockery or jokes regarding any person’s compulsiveness to carry out a certain task must not be ridiculed.

How Can the Society Help Neurodivergent Individuals?

For many years, our society has conformed to the conventional ways of ‘treating’ the different forms of neurodivergent conditions. It has been by excluding them from the mainstream society, teasing them by calling them various horrid names, and often undermining their capabilities, all because they are seen as “dumb”.

With changing times, this marginalising attitude has also improved. People are now sensitive to neurodivergent individuals and have truly understood that the “one size fits all” mentality has become old-fashioned.

A school is often called a child’s second home. And it is also happens to be the place where his curiosity about the world begins. The schools must design their curriculum in such a way that it allows for the inclusion of special neurodivergent kids, so that they, too, have the freedom to explore their inquisitiveness in their creative ways.

Making crude jokes, stereotyping people and labelling them as “slow” or “mid” should be refrained from. In fact, people must be educated on how to include them in their social groups and make them feel comfortable.

Aamir Khan’s latest release, ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, has done an excellent job by portraying neurodivergent kids as sportsmen, which helps in breaking the barriers about the capabilities of these individuals. Moreover, as conscious people, we need to understand that nothing needs to be “fixed” with neurodivergent individuals. In fact, they should be welcomed with compassion and empathy, so that we progress as a society.

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