What is Neurodiversity?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.  – from the National Autistic Society Website www.autism.org.uk

A diagnosis of autism is applied to people who display pervasive, lifelong impairments in social interaction and social communication, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities. For a diagnosis of autism to be appropriate, a person must present with impairments across these areas.

Diagnostic guidelines for autism are issued by two international bodies: The World Health Organisation ‘International Classification of Diseases’ (ICD); and The American Psychiatric Association, in its ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM). These guidelines are now broadly similar. In the past there were sub-classifications of autism, including the term ‘Asperger syndrome’ but this is no-longer being used and all forms of autism are now referred to as ‘autism spectrum disorders’ in both the DSM-5 and ICD-11.

‘Asperger Syndrome’ was used to describe someone who is autistic but does not have any intellectual impairment or formal learning disability.

Another term that has been used is ‘High Functioning Autism’, again to describe someone who is autistic but does not have a learning disability. This is not a helpful term to use because it can imply that a person does not have any problems. I have stopped using this term because I found that clients were frequently denied benefits when ‘High Functioning Autism’ was written on reports.

Another useful website is Autism Wales: https://autismwales.org/en/

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people’s behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse .

Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child’s circumstances change, such as when they start school.

Most cases are diagnosed when children are 6 to 12 years old.

The symptoms of ADHD usually improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.

People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders. – from www.nhs.uk/conditions

Attention Deficit Disorder ADD is very similar to ADHD but without the obvious hyperactive behaviours. Although ADHD / ADD are often diagnosed in children these days, there are many adults who may have ADHD /ADD but were not diagnosed because it was not a recognised condition when they were a child.

Other useful websites:

• http://www.addiss.co.uk/
• https://www.ukaan.org/

Dyspraxia, also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), is a common disorder that affects movement and co-ordination.

Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence. It can affect your co-ordination skills – such as tasks requiring balance, playing sports or learning to drive a car. Dyspraxia can also affect your fine motor skills, such as writing or using small objects. – from www.nhs.uk/conditions

Other useful websites:                 

• https://dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/
• http://www.movementmattersuk.org/

Sensory processing is a subconscious and automatic neurological process that occurs in every person at all stages of life. Our brains take in information through our senses and organise it so that we are able to respond appropriately to particular situations and environmental demands. Sensory experiences include touch, movement, body position, vision, smell, taste, sound and the pull of gravity.

For most people, sensory processing develops in the course of ordinary childhood activities. When a person has good sensory processing skills then they are able to integrate information automatically and efficiently. But for some people, sensory processing does not develop as efficiently as it should and can affect activities of daily living, academic achievement, behaviour or social participation. – from https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/

You may have sensory processing issues if you are more sensitive to certain stimuli than other people, e.g. experience some forms of touch as painful or overwhelming, experience certain sounds as painful or overwhelming, cannot tolerate certain foods due to the taste or texture, find certain smells overwhelming and unpleasant, find certain lights painful and distressing, find movement makes you feel unwell or overwhelmed, etc.

You may have sensory processing issues if you are much less sensitive to certain stimuli than other people, e.g., not feeling pain until you notice you are bleeding or have bruises, burning yourself regularly because you do not notice changes in temperature, not hearing when your name is called, finding all foods taste the same to you, not noticing smells that other people notice, wearing the same clothes whatever the weather due to being unaware of temperature changes, seeking out lots of touch from other people or touching everything around you, etc.

You may also have sensory processing issues if you respond inappropriately to certain stimuli, e.g., lashing out or pulling away if someone touches you, being excessively distressed by a minor injury, having trouble keeping calm and regulating your emotions, being very controlling or fussy about what you eat, struggling with labels or certain fabric textures in clothes, etc.

Useful websites:

• https://www.sensoryintegration.org.uk/