"Our minds work in different ways. Despite all the research into our brains, a lot has yet to be discovered. But in recent years, many people have championed a way to describe some of what we do know. And that way is through the term "neurodivergent," which took off on Google trends amid widespread coronavirus lockdowns in June 2020. Since the pandemic, "neurodivergent" has made waves online, in the media and in academic studies to help talk about neurological differences more inclusively."
"The term really got its start back in the late 1990s, and was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2002. In 2019, the Oxford English Dictionary added it as well.. So for the latest "Word of the Week," we're talking about being "neurodivergent." What does neurodivergent mean? Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that describes people whose way of processing information is different from what society considers normal, according to Nick Walker, a psychology professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies."
""Brains differ from each other in the way fingerprints do. 'Neurodivergence' establishes this idea that within the spectrum of neurodiversity, there are dominant norms and divergences from those dominant norms," he said. There is a widespread belief that "neurodivergent" is a medical term, limited to diagnoses such as autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. "It super is not," said neurodivergence activist Kassiane Asasumasu, who is credited with coming up with the word. And there are different ways people become neurodivergent, said Walker. Some are born that way. Others develop neurodivergences because of things like traumatic head injuries or long COVID. And intentional neurodivergence can happen, for example, in people who meditate frequently or use psychedelics, Walker said."
Neurodivergent denotes individuals whose cognitive processing differs from societal norms and functions as an umbrella for varied neurological differences. The term experienced a surge in usage during coronavirus lockdowns in June 2020 and entered major dictionaries after originating in the late 1990s. Neurodivergence is not exclusively a medical label tied to diagnoses such as autism or ADHD. Neurodivergences can be present from birth, arise from events like traumatic brain injuries or long COVID, or be intentionally developed through practices such as meditation or psychedelic use. The concept frames neurological variation rather than deficit.
Read at www.npr.org
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