Page 4 | To think “neurodivergent” is being used too casually and too often?

MauveOrca · 2025-07-06T10:42:33+00:00

Every quirk or preference doesn’t mean you’re ND. I know diagnoses help some people but it feels like it’s now shorthand for anything outside the mainstream. Can we not just have variation without a label?

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 20:44

aGirlLikeJesamine · 06/07/2025 20:42

do you know how many neurodivergent children there are in the average primary school and that is purely the one's who are diagnosed, plenty going missed.

Yes not many. 1% of children are diagnosed with autism and 5% adhd. Many are the same children as it’s common to have both.

aGirlLikeJesamine · 06/07/2025 20:44

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 20:42

But so true 🤷‍♀️

Show quote history

but no its not helpful,
Tell me you know nothing about what it’s like to not fit in the world without telling me you don’t know what it’s like

i beg your pardon for those of us who are not fully and totally immersed in neurodiversity.

and actually isnt the saying, once you know one autistic person, you know one autistic person.

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 20:42

aGirlLikeJesamine · 06/07/2025 20:39

that phrase to me is so annoying and passive aggressive.

Show quote history

But so true 🤷‍♀️

aGirlLikeJesamine · 06/07/2025 20:42

do you know how many neurodivergent children there are in the average primary school and that is purely the one's who are diagnosed, plenty going missed.

Fargo79 · 06/07/2025 20:40

JaneEyre40 · 06/07/2025 20:15

ND is becoming the mainstream

Show quote history

What are you basing that on? It's quite a claim. I'm assuming by "mainstream" you are trying to say that neuro divergence is becoming more common than being "neuro typical".

aGirlLikeJesamine · 06/07/2025 20:39

cloudyblueglass · 06/07/2025 20:28

Tell me you know nothing about what it’s like to not fit in the world without telling me you don’t know what it’s like 🙄

that phrase to me is so annoying and passive aggressive.

aGirlLikeJesamine · 06/07/2025 20:39

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · 06/07/2025 16:17

By label do you mean diagnosis?
People who are nd shouldn't be made to feel like they ought to hide it.

ok they dont need to hide their quirky, individual behaviour, but do they really need to embrace it so much, and mention it - it feels like, who ISNT neurodivergent to me

VerityUnreasonble · 06/07/2025 20:37

Couple of examples of what people consider as covered by ND.

To think “neurodivergent” is being used too casually and too often?

cloudyblueglass · 06/07/2025 20:28

Tell me you know nothing about what it’s like to not fit in the world without telling me you don’t know what it’s like 🙄

DontbesorrybeGiles · 06/07/2025 20:26

ffsfindmeausername · 06/07/2025 16:38

Yes I'm kind of with you op. there are obviously people who are genuinely ND but for example just because someone is shy these days they are now labelled as ND even without an official diagnosis but parents insist and push their dc must be ND because the child is shy. I think its actually going to get to a point where there are more ND people in the world than NT at this rate. why can't people just accept that we as humans are all different with different personality traits which are all part of being a normal human being.

Yeah, no. Children don’t get labelled nd because they are shy. And no - there are not going to be more nd than nt people. Grow up.

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · 06/07/2025 20:21

"Barely meet nt needs"?

You talk as though meeting nt (neurotypical) needs is the priority here and so there's just not enough left over to then meet the needs of disabled people.

I would argue that the people with the highest needs should be the priority and if there are needs left unmet it should be the needs of those who are best able to function without additional help.

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 20:20

NeedAnyHelpWithThatPaperBag · 06/07/2025 20:17

Society can't afford to accommodate meeting everyone's needs. It can barely meet so called NT needs.

Well thankfully we live in a society where disability is protected and needs very much have to be met.

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 20:19

JaneEyre40 · 06/07/2025 20:15

ND is becoming the mainstream

Show quote history

Ridiculous, do you know how few people
are diagnosed with autism and adhd?🙄

TY78910 · 06/07/2025 20:18

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · 06/07/2025 20:10

MN have confirmed in the past there's an autism troll.

They get deleted quite often for it.

But they do help show what people really think about people with autism etc. Shows we're nowhere close to genuine understanding and acceptance .

Show quote history

Oh wow, I didn’t know that. Yeah, these threads amongst others are real eye openers.

NeedAnyHelpWithThatPaperBag · 06/07/2025 20:17

Society can't afford to accommodate meeting everyone's needs. It can barely meet so called NT needs.

JaneEyre40 · 06/07/2025 20:15

Ponderingwindow · 06/07/2025 15:58

Nope. It’s time for us to stop being quiet. We have lived in a world build for the mainstream for far too long. The more noise we make, the more we can change things.

ND is becoming the mainstream

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · 06/07/2025 20:10

TY78910 · 06/07/2025 20:00

Starting to wonder if it’s the same person just NC every week.

Show quote history

MN have confirmed in the past there's an autism troll.

They get deleted quite often for it.

But they do help show what people really think about people with autism etc. Shows we're nowhere close to genuine understanding and acceptance .

Fearfulsaints · 06/07/2025 20:06

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 19:57

Services don’t use the term neurodiversity and they don’t pay lip service to it either. They use the correct names and are the ones pushing for diagnosis for good reason. The NHS has policies and hospital passports for autistic people because it helps them to have autistic people properly catered for, CAMHS often push for diagnosis because it helps them to deliver better provision, ditto eating disorder services….

Show quote history

I was more thinking of organisation's o have come across that do things like Pride in thier shop windows, or tourist sites, or may fairs etc, or employers at career fairs. And my personal experience is that some are indeed paying lip service. I turn up and they have zero interest in supporting my sons neurodiversity in the slightest.

Not hospital services, where the correct terms are used.

Sorry for any confusion by the term services! But nhs was not what I meant at all.
.

VerityUnreasonble · 06/07/2025 20:05

Part of the issue is defining neurodiversity.

In various professional training sessions I've been told that it not only includes things like ASD and ADHD but potentially things like generalised anxiety, bipolar, trauma and even perimenopause all under a big ND umbrella.

Which is starting to make it sound like NT is a minority outweighed by the huge ND umbrella and therefore maybe NT is really just a whole other sort of ND??

As a person with ASD (and a collection of other letters that may now fit under the umbrella), with a child with ASD, I'm not really sure the term ND is doing us any favours. It feels like it just waters everything down to become almost meaningless. In the circumstances I need to tell anyone I'd much rather just say I have ASD, so at least people might have a clue what I mean.

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 20:02

TY78910 · 06/07/2025 20:00

Starting to wonder if it’s the same person just NC every week.

Show quote history

I strongly suspect it is.

Fearfulsaints · 06/07/2025 20:01

Fargo79 · 06/07/2025 19:54

Sometimes people don't want to disclose their diagnoses. Neuro diversity encompasses a range of diagnoses, not just ASD and ADHD. It's unrealistic to expect an organisation or service to type out every possible neuro type on a flier for example. Sometimes shorthand is required.

Show quote history

Yes the want was missing from my post. But that's exactly what I meant.

Uderstand neurodiversity is incredibly broad and I often can't be arsed to give personal medical information out to people.

I am sure they can't type out every neurodiversity on a flyer, but I also can't see how they can be friendly to such a broad range of needs that often contradict each other either. I dont find that organisations that say they are neurodivergent friendly seem any better or worse than others. It seems more about luck and understanding.

TY78910 · 06/07/2025 20:00

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 19:57

Yep it’s weird, somebody is disturbingly obsessed .

Show quote history

Starting to wonder if it’s the same person just NC every week.

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 19:57

TY78910 · 06/07/2025 19:56

I clicked on this thread to say the same.

Show quote history

Yep it’s weird, somebody is disturbingly obsessed .

L1ghyn1ngBug · 06/07/2025 19:57

Fearfulsaints · 06/07/2025 19:45

I think ND is purposely a bit vague and used when people dont to give personal information about which diagnosis they have.

Or when a service decides to cater for something in more of a lip service way.

Services don’t use the term neurodiversity and they don’t pay lip service to it either. They use the correct names and are the ones pushing for diagnosis for good reason. The NHS has policies and hospital passports for autistic people because it helps them to have autistic people properly catered for, CAMHS often push for diagnosis because it helps them to deliver better provision, ditto eating disorder services….

TY78910 · 06/07/2025 19:56

FloofyBird · 06/07/2025 15:43

This gets posted like every week

I clicked on this thread to say the same.