What is Neurodiversity?

Understanding Neurodiversity Through the Lens of Biodiversity

Introduction: The Forest and the Mind

Walk into a forest and take a slow look around. You'll see towering pines reaching for the sky, broad oaks spreading their canopies, birches shimmering with white bark, moss creeping across stones, and mushrooms quietly recycling the fallen leaves. None of these species is "wrong." Each has its niche. Together, they form a resilient ecosystem.

Now imagine if the forest were only pines, or only oaks. The balance would collapse. Diversity is not a flaw; it's the foundation of resilience.

Human brains work the same way. Just as biodiversity makes ecosystems thrive, neurodiversity makes humanity thrive. Understanding neurodivergence means recognizing that there is no single "normal" brain. Instead, there are many ways of sensing, thinking, learning, and being—all of them valid and valuable.

The Origins of Neurodiversity

The term "neurodiversity" emerged from the autism community in the 1990s, though its exact origins have been the subject of recent scholarly discussion. While Australian sociologist Judy Singer is often credited with coining the term in her 1998 thesis at the University of Technology Sydney, recent research by autistic academics suggests the concept was actually developed collectively by the online autistic community.

Singer's original intent was deeply connected to the biodiversity metaphor. As she explained, just as biodiversity refers to all the species in a specific ecosystem, neurodiversity refers to all humans on Planet Earth. And just as biodiversity was coined to advocate for environmental conservation, she intended neurodiversity specifically for advocacy purposes.

However, recent archival research has revealed that journalist Harvey Blume was actually the first to use the terms "neurological diversity" and "neurodiversity" in print in 1997 and 1998, and he attributed these concepts not to Singer but to the online autistic community itself. A 2024 study by autistic academics concluded that both the concept and theory of neurodiversity should be understood as having been collectively developed by neurodivergent people.

This shift in language matters deeply. Words shape perceptions. When autism or ADHD is framed only as a disorder, it positions people as "broken." When these are framed as part of neurodiversity, it opens the door to understanding, acceptance, and belonging.

Since then, the neurodiversity movement has grown into a global paradigm shift, influencing education, workplace policy, therapy approaches, and self-advocacy among neurodivergent communities.

The Paradigms: Medical Model vs. Neurodiversity Model

To understand why neurodiversity matters, we need to compare two lenses for understanding neurodivergence:

The Medical Model: This model defines neurological differences as deficits or pathologies. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others are seen as disorders—deviations from a single "normal." The goal is to diagnose, treat, or cure. While the medical model can be useful in identifying struggles and providing access to care, it often frames the person as the problem and the diagnosis as something that needs to be “fixed.”

The Neurodiversity Model: This model defines neurological differences as part of natural human diversity. It sees autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more as unique brain wiring that brings both strengths and challenges. Instead of asking, "How do we fix this person?" it asks, "How do we create environments that allow this person to thrive?"

This perspective represents a fundamental shift from the traditional medical model, which has historically focused on deficits and disorders. The neurodiversity framework asks us to reconsider whether we've been too quick to medicalize natural human differences that might be better understood as natural variations in human cognition and behavior.

The difference is not just philosophical. It shapes real lives. A child labeled "disordered" may be punished for stimming, while the same child understood through the neurodiversity lens might be supported with sensory tools and praised for their creativity. This paradigm shift is particularly crucial for adults seeking assessment and support, who may have spent decades internalizing medical model messaging about their differences.

The Biodiversity Analogy

The forest metaphor isn't just poetic—it's scientifically useful for understanding neurodivergence.

In ecology, a monoculture (a field of only one crop) is fragile. It's prone to disease, pests, and collapse. In contrast, a diverse ecosystem is stronger and more adaptive. Each species plays a role: pollinators, decomposers, canopy builders, ground cover. Remove one, and the system weakens.

Human society works the same way. If we only value one way of thinking—fast, linear, socially smooth, detail-light—we miss the richness of what other brain types offer.

Autistic pattern recognition is like the roots of a tree mapping underground water systems—seeing what others overlook.

ADHD dynamism can act like a wildfire in nature—disruptive, but clearing old growth and sparking new possibilities.

Dyslexic big-picture thinking is like migratory birds—connecting distant places and seeing patterns across landscapes.

Anxiety sensitivity can be like sentinel species—an early warning system alerting the group to danger.

In an ecosystem, there is no "normal" tree or "disordered" bird. There is only interdependence. Understanding this interconnection is essential when exploring neurodiversity—each neurological variation brings unique gifts to the human ecosystem.

Strengths and Challenges: The Human Side of Neurodiversity

It's important to honor both sides of the coin when understanding neurodivergence. Neurodiversity does not mean ignoring struggles—it means understanding them without reducing people to deficits.

Autism:

Strengths: Strong pattern recognition, attention to detail, deep focus, honesty, originality of thought, systematic thinking, and often exceptional expertise in areas of interest.

Challenges: Sensory overwhelm, social exhaustion, difficulty with environments that demand constant small talk or multitasking, challenges with unexpected changes, and communication differences that may be misunderstood.

ADHD:

Strengths: Creativity, quick problem-solving, hyperfocus on passions, ability to thrive in fast-changing environments, innovative thinking, high energy, and natural entrepreneurial tendencies.

Challenges: Executive function struggles, time blindness and difficulty with time management, distractibility in non-stimulating tasks, impulsivity that can affect relationships and decisions, rejection sensitivity, and cyclical burnout patterns from periods of intense hyperfocus followed by exhaustion.

Dyslexia:

Strengths: Visual-spatial reasoning, big-picture thinking, creativity, often entrepreneurial thinking, and strong problem-solving abilities.

Challenges: Difficulties with reading, writing, or traditional academic tasks, processing written information quickly, and navigating text-heavy environments.

Other forms (Dyspraxia, OCD, Tourette's, etc.) bring their own unique strengths and struggles, each contributing to the neurodiverse ecosystem.

What's crucial is recognizing that challenges often arise not only from neurology itself but from environments designed around narrow definitions of "normal." This is particularly important to understand for neurodivergent adults, as many have spent years believing their struggles were personal failings rather than natural responses to incompatible environments.

The Implications: From Deficits to Strengths

Understanding neurodiversity through the biodiversity lens has profound implications for how we approach neurological differences in understanding neurodivergence:

Strength-Based Thinking:

Just as different plants contribute different strengths to an ecosystem, neurodivergent individuals bring unique strengths to our communities. Companies including SAP, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and Microsoft have reformed their HR processes to access neurodiverse talent—and are seeing productivity gains, quality improvement, boosts in innovative capabilities, and increased employee engagement as a result.

Research shows that people who view themselves through a "difference" lens rather than a "medical/deficit" lens report higher academic self-esteem and confidence in their abilities, with significantly more expressing considerable career ambitions and positive, clear goals.

Environmental Mismatch, Not Individual Deficit:

Here's where the biodiversity metaphor becomes particularly powerful when understanding neurodivergence: imagine if we designed all gardens for only one type of plant, then labeled every other species as "disordered" when they struggled to survive. This is essentially what has happened with neurodivergent people in our society.

Most of our educational systems, workplaces, and social environments have been designed by and for neurotypical brains. The "disability" that neurodivergent people experience often isn't inherent to their neurology—it's largely caused by the mismatch between their natural way of being and environments that expect a narrow standard of behavior and performance.

Consider: a person with ADHD isn't inherently "disordered"—they're experiencing difficulties because we've created environments that demand sustained attention to unstimulating tasks while sitting still for hours. An autistic person isn't "defective"—they're struggling because we've built social and sensory environments that can be overwhelming and unpredictable.

Why Neurodiversity Matters for Everyone

Neurodiversity is not only a concept for autistic or ADHD people—it benefits all of society through better understanding neurodivergence.

In Workplaces: Teams that include different cognitive styles outperform homogenous groups. While one person excels at rapid brainstorming, another notices overlooked details, and another keeps the long-term vision steady. Innovation thrives on cognitive variety.

In Schools: Students learn in many ways. Recognizing neurodiversity allows educators to design flexible classrooms where multiple learning styles are valid, reducing shame and dropout rates. When students see their differences as strengths rather than deficits, they're more likely to engage fully and reach their potential.

In Families and Communities: Embracing neurodiversity fosters authenticity. Instead of pressuring loved ones to "act normal," families learn to support each person's natural way of being. This can help families understand and support their neurodivergent members more effectively, which builds deeper connection and resilience. Just as an ecosystem is healthier with diverse species, a community is healthier when it embraces diverse minds.

Putting Neurodiversity into Practice

So how do we move from idea to action in understanding neurodivergence?

Accessibility: Create environments that adjust to people's needs, not the other way around. This might include quiet spaces, captioned communication, flexible work hours, or accommodations for time blindness and impulsivity.

Respecting Communication Styles: Some people thrive with verbal discussion; others prefer writing, AAC, or visual formats. All are valid, and understanding neurodiversity helps us recognize that communication preferences vary widely even within neurodivergent communities.

Reframing Struggles: Instead of seeing executive dysfunction as laziness, we see it as a brain difference that requires external supports (timers, coaching, reminders). Instead of viewing burnout cycles as inconsistency, we recognize them as natural rhythms that need accommodation.

Self-Advocacy: Central to the neurodiversity movement is empowering neurodivergent individuals to understand their own needs and advocate for themselves confidently. This emphasis on self-determination challenges a problematic dynamic where conversations about neurodivergence often center neurotypical voices—family members, healthcare professionals, researchers—while marginalizing the perspectives of neurodivergent people in decisions that directly impact their lives.

Systemic Change: Pushing institutions—schools, workplaces, healthcare—to shift policies from deficit-based models to strength-based ones that support late-diagnosed autism and ADHD individuals as well as those identified earlier in life.

Think of it like tending a garden: the goal is not to make every plant identical but to provide the right soil, water, and sunlight for each to grow.

A Balanced Perspective

It's important to note that embracing neurodiversity doesn't mean ignoring challenges or support needs. A balanced view of neurodiversity recognizes that while diversity brings fundamental collective advantages, individual neurodivergent people often experience both strengths and challenges. People can want certain aspects of their lives to be different while still wanting to be themselves.

The goal isn't to deny that some neurological differences can create difficulties, but rather to approach those challenges from a place of acceptance and accommodation rather than pathology and "cure." Understanding neurodivergence means holding space for both celebration of differences and practical support for challenges.

Reflection: The Future of Neurodiversity

The neurodiversity movement is still young. We're only beginning to understand the richness of human variation and how to honor it, including the complex presentations we see in the full range of neurodiversity and the unique challenges faced by those with late-diagnosed autism and ADHD.

Like any paradigm shift, there is resistance—from institutions built on standardization, from systems that profit from pathologizing difference, from cultures that fear the unfamiliar.

But just as biodiversity is non-negotiable for a thriving planet, neurodiversity is non-negotiable for a thriving humanity. The choice is not whether neurodivergence exists—it always has and always will. The choice is whether we embrace it as strength or suppress it as defect.

Recent years have seen researchers, providers of various support services, and neurodivergent people advocate for more neurodiversity-affirming interventions, with both new intervention strategies being developed and advancements or reforms of existing intervention strategies. This includes specialized approaches to therapy that honors neurological differences while providing practical support.

Closing Thoughts

Biodiversity teaches us that sameness is fragile. Difference is what allows ecosystems to bend, adapt, and survive. Neurodiversity teaches us the same about humanity.

Recent years have seen researchers, providers of various support services, and neurodivergent people advocate for more neurodiversity-affirming interventions, with both new intervention strategies being developed and existing intervention strategies being advanced or reformed. This includes specialized approaches to therapy that honor neurological differences while providing practical support.

Neurodiversity is not a problem to solve. It's a reality to celebrate. And just like the forest, our human ecosystem thrives when every unique brain has the chance to grow and thrive in the conditions it needs.

Are you curious about whether you might be neurodivergent? As both a neurodivergent person and an LPCC specializing in neurodivergent-affirming therapy, I provide comprehensive assessments and support for adults seeking to understand their neurotype. Whether you're exploring autism vs ADHD neurodiversity, seeking ADHD and autism therapy for adults, or wondering about late-diagnosed autism and ADHD, understanding your brain's unique wiring can be the first step toward self-acceptance, community, and thriving as your authentic self. I offer free 15-minute consultations to discuss how understanding neurodivergence might help you on your journey toward authentic self-knowledge and sustainable strategies for thriving.