TLDR: Hello y'all! Anitra here, ADO’s founder, CEO and neurodivergent. I don’t know about you, but I continue to see a lot of confusion on what people think of neurodiversity, to be a neurodivergent individual and what being neuroatypical means. It may mean a lot of different things to many different people, that in itself is where the confusion and diversity lies.

In its simplest definition, neurodiversity is the concept that when it comes to the human brain and nervous system, people don't all end up the same. In other words, it's a concept that describes individuality and uniqueness in cognitive functioning. Beyond that, neurodiversity is also a growing movement.

Current labeling considers those with the following diagnoses to be a neurodivergent individual:  Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Epilepsy, Hyperlexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Tourette syndrome (TS). Click on each individual term for more info.<insert hyperlinks>  Additionally, depression and anxiety disorders are now being seen within these classifications. Sometimes due to the fact that anxiety and depression is commonly a side effect of neurodivergent thinking but also that they affect cognitive understanding.

This is solely my own interpretation of neurodiversity from my personal experience. I did not receive my diagnosis until I was in my 40’s. I knew that my way of thinking was not typical from a very young age, but growing up in a chaotic and dysfunctional environment, It was easy for me to blame my anxieties and issues on my surroundings. It wasn’t until I started working on projects with youth on the spectrum and volunteering in my children's schools that I realized I related so much more to the kids who were struggling to cope with daily everyday tasks. I first explained it away as my own symptoms of having unresolved childhood trauma and deep empathy for those with learning differences. Only after reading more about executive function and issues related to childhood trauma did I begin to wonder if there was more to what and how I thought. 

Working in the business development field has TAUGHT me to analyze and figure out how to fix, change, grow, innovate, and implement efficiently. I use these same tactics to approach my diverse understanding of how I personally interpret things. Working in a client based field for decades has definitely given me plenty of experience in observing how different people's minds work and I know how valuable that has been for my ability to grow as a human.

I wanted to dedicate a page on OUR website to discuss how we as a community of builders, thinkers, and doers discuss the ever changing definitions of neurodiversity and what it means to them. Please share with me your thoughts on what it means to you, YOUR BUSINESS, or how you have found comfort or fears in accepting your differences. Please send me your comments, anecdotes, blogs, vlogs, whatever. I want to hear from you and IF WILLING, share your experiences.