Neurodiversity (Nu-row-dive-ur-city) is a word that describes the endless variation in the way human brains function, recognising that it is normal for people to have brains that function differently from one another.
Rather than thinking there is something wrong when a person behaves in a way that is different to others, neurodiversity embraces the differences as a natural part of how diverse human beings are. In neurodiversity, the idea that there is one “normal” or “healthy” type of brain or mind or one “right” style of brain functioning, is no more valid than the idea that there is one “normal” or “right” gender, race or culture.
Neurodiversity can be broken down into two main categories: people who are neurotypical, and people who are neurodivergent.
Being neurodivergent isn’t the same thing as having a disability, though neurodivergent people can have disabilities. People who are neurodivergent are not abnormal, or less smart than neurotypical people; their brains work in ways we are still learning to understand and they have just as much to offer as neurotypical people do. An example of neurodiversity is how autism allows people to see the world differently to neurotypical people.