You absolutely are neurodivergent if you have been diagnosed with a developmental or learning disorder, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or Tourette's syndrome. You may decide to consider yourself neurodivergent if you have no diagnosis but think, behave, or interact in ways that are outside the norm.
Self-diagnosis is a valid form of identification, and is often the only accessible diagnostic avenue for many marginalized people. While neurodivergence is common, many people do not realize they are neurodivergent until they reach adulthood.
“With this definition, anxiety can be considered a form of neurodivergence, although it may not be as commonly recognized as ADHD, autism, or trauma,” she says. Many people utilize self-identification to categorize themselves as being neurodivergent, explains Claney.
Autistic people tend to have restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior. It is not an illness but a type of neurodivergence. Level 1 ASD, formerly known as high-functioning autism, is the mildest form. People with level 1 autism require support.
A child with level 1 autism may understand and speak in complete sentences, but have difficulty engaging in back-and-forth conversation. Children with ASD level 1 experience some inflexibility of behavior, like difficulty switching between tasks, staying organized, and planning.
Mild Autism Symptoms in Adults
Difficulty making and maintaining friendships: Adults with autism have trouble understanding and following social rules, and can sometimes be seen as "rude" or inconsiderate. This can make it difficult to establish and maintain friendships.
Neurodiversity refers to the many different types of neurological differences in people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, and ADHD among others, where people quite literally think differently.
Neurodivergent individuals often experience differences in mental function, learning styles, sensory processing, communication styles and behaviors. They may struggle with soft skills such as emotional intelligence, social interactions or the ability to work effectively in a group.
Neurodivergent is a non-medical term for when someone's brain processes, learns or behaves differently from what is considered “typical.” Neurodiverse people think, process thoughts and experiences, and interact with the world around us in a unique way.
Many individuals who identify with the symptoms of autism may feel isolated or misunderstood, and may turn to online communities or resources to find a sense of belonging. Self-diagnosis can provide a sense of validation and identity for these individuals.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Being neurodivergent means having a brain that works differently from the average or “neurotypical” person. This may be differences in social preferences, ways of learning, ways of communicating and/or ways of perceiving the environment.
Some adults without an autism diagnosis believe they are on the autism spectrum. Little is known about these self-diagnosed individuals. If the self-diagnosed are autistic, it is possible that they are like diagnosed adults in their reports of autism identity, stigma, and quality of life.
Common signs of autism in adults include: finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own.
Neurodivergence can be associated with disability and mental illness but not in all cases. Some people who are neurodivergent may also have a disability, or their neurodivergence may be disabling in certain circumstances, Estes says.
Neurodivergence is the state of being neurodivergent and can be genetic and innate (such as autism) or produced by experiences (such as trauma). Some forms of innate neurodivergence, like autism, are part of a person's core being.
Hyperlexia is advanced and unexpected reading skills and abilities in children way beyond their chronological age. It is a fairly recently named condition (1967) although earlier descriptions of precocious reading do exist.
Neuroscientists believe this "mirroring" is the neural mechanism by which the actions, intentions and emotions of other people can be automatically understood. Individuals with autism can't rely on this system to read the minds of other people.
Neurodivergent refers the an individual who has a less typical cognitive variation such as Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc. Neurotypical refers to individuals of typical development, and intellectual/cognitive functioning.
People whose brain works differently often experience sounds, including music, in unique ways. As a neurodivergent person, I experience sound differently than other people. I was born with hyperacusis. Sounds that are at a normal volume to most people sometimes seem extremely loud and distorted to me.
Population-based studies have found that, in addition to the individuals with ASD, many others exhibit subthreshold autistic or autisticlike traits (ALTs), that is, problems or peculiarities in sociocommunicative behavior, perception of others and self, and adaptation to the environment that do not meet formal criteria ...
ASD Level 1 – Level 1 ASD is currently the lowest classification.
Someone might describe themselves as having borderline autism when: they suspect they have traits of ASD but do not have a diagnosis. they have some symptoms of ASD but do not meet the criteria for ASD. they have an ASD diagnosis with a severity of level 1.