What is Neurodivergence?

That’s a funny word, isn’t it? And it sounds really complicated. Really, all it means is:
Some brains work differently to how most people expect them to work.

When your brain is different, the things you need are different.
So, if your brain is neurodivergent, it’s important for you to know it.

Here are some other definitions that will be helpful:

Term	Definition
Neuro	A prefix (something used at the start of word) that means ‘nerve’; Connecting it to a word shows it is related to the nervous system.
Neuro development	How a brain builds its systems and network, which affects how that brain will learn, read, make friends, remember things, and more.
Neurotype	The unique way a brain thinks, learns, talks, and feels everything.
Neurotypical	When a brain works and behaves the way most people expect it to work.
Neurodivergent	When a brain works and behaves differently to the way most people expect it to work.
Neurodiversity	When a group of people have different neurotypes.

This is probably confusing, and that’s OK; lots of people are still learning about it. You can ask a trusted adult to talk through it with you if you have questions about it.

One part that’s difficult to get, even for adults, is that Neurodivergence and Neurodiversity are not the same thing. Many people have tried different ways to make it easier to understand, though. The best explanation is one that involves cupcakes, created by neurodivergent speech pathologist NeuroWild:

Most neurodivergent brains are different in more than one way.
The fancy term for that is ‘multiply neurodivergent.’

Learning about neurodivergence is important because it can help you understand yourself. It can also help you understand others around you.