🌍 What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is the idea that differences in how the brain works are a normal part of human diversity.
The term was popularised by Judy Singer in the 1990s.
👉 It means:
- People think, learn, and process information differently
- Differences are not just “problems” — they are natural variations
🧠 Conditions included in neurodiversity:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- ADHD
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- Dyscalculia
- Tourette Syndrome
🧠 Brain, Nervous System & Emotional Processing
The nervous system controls:
- Thoughts
- Feelings
- Body responses
⚡ Fight – Flight – Freeze
- Fight → anger
- Flight → avoidance
- Freeze → shutdown
👉 Important for understanding:
- Anxiety
- Autism responses
- ADHD behaviour
⚖️ Neurodiversity & Social Model
Instead of:
❌ “Fix the person”
We use:
✔ “Support the person & remove barriers”
🌍 Social Model of Disability
People are disabled by barriers, not just conditions.
Examples:
- Loud environments
- Poor communication
- Lack of support
🧠 Key Strengths of Neurodivergent People
Many people may have:
- 🔎 Attention to detail
- 🎨 Creativity
- 💙 Honesty and loyalty
- 🧠 Strong memory
- 💡 Problem-solving skills
🧩 AUTISM, ADHD, EPILEPSY & MENTAL HEALTH
🧠 Core Understanding
Autism, ADHD, epilepsy, and mental health conditions:
- Are neurological differences
- Affect brain and nervous system function
- Can increase stress sensitivity
- Do NOT define a person’s worth
🌱 Strengths also exist:
- Creativity
- Focused interests
- Problem-solving skills
- Resilience
- Emotional insight
🧠 Autism, ADHD & Learning Disabilities – Key Idea
These are neurodevelopmental conditions.
They affect:
- Thinking
- Learning
- Communication
- Information processing
👉 They are not caused by low intelligence.
⚡ ADHD
ADHD affects:
- Attention
- Impulse control
- Energy levels
Common traits:
- Distractibility
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
Strengths:
- Fast thinking
- Creativity
- Energy
- Problem-solving
🧠 Autism
Autism is a lifelong spectrum condition affecting:
- Communication
- Social interaction
- Sensory processing
Autistic people may:
- Prefer routines
- Find change difficult
- Experience sensory overload
- Think literally
- Struggle with social rules
Sensory examples:
- Loud noise
- Bright lights
- Busy environments
👉 Autism does NOT affect intelligence.
🧩 Autism Spectrum
Autism is a spectrum:
- Level 1 → support needed
- Level 2 → moderate support
- Level 3 → high support
👉 Everyone is different and needs vary.
🧠 Co-occurring Conditions
Neurodivergent people may also have:
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- Anxiety
- Depression
🧠 Mental Health Connection
Mental health includes:
- Feelings
- Stress
- Wellbeing
Mental illness includes:
- Anxiety
- Depression
⚠️ Important understanding:
People may experience anxiety or low mood due to:
- Social challenges
- Sensory overload
- Lack of support
- Feeling misunderstood
⚡ EPILEPSY
⚡ Epilepsy – Core Facts
Epilepsy affects electrical activity in the brain.
During a seizure:
- Brain signals are disrupted
- Awareness may change
- Body may shake or freeze
After a seizure:
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Headache
- Emotional exhaustion
🧬 Causes:
- Genetics
- Brain injury
- Birth complications
- Oxygen loss at birth
- Unknown causes
👶 Linked conditions:
- Autism
- ADHD
- Cerebral palsy
- Rett syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome
⚠️ Risk & important facts:
- SUDEP is rare but possible
- Risk depends on seizure control
- Normal scans do NOT rule out epilepsy
- Seizures are real even if not visible in tests
🧠 DYSPRAXIA & APRAXIA
🧬 Dyspraxia (DCD)
Dyspraxia is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting:
- Movement
- Coordination
- Motor planning
👶 When it is noticed:
- Early childhood
- School activities
- Sports and handwriting
📉 Difficulties:
- Balance
- Writing
- Catching or throwing
- Shoelaces
- Planning movements
💡 Key message:
Dyspraxia is a brain-based coordination difference present from birth.
💚 Easy Read:
- Affects movement and coordination
- Not caused by injury or illness
- Not anyone’s fault
- Support helps
⚠️ Apraxia
Apraxia is a motor planning disorder.
The brain:
- Knows what to do
- But cannot plan the movement correctly
👶 Types:
- Childhood apraxia (from birth)
- Acquired apraxia (after brain injury)
🧠 Key fact:
Muscles are usually normal — the issue is brain planning.
🗣 Speech apraxia:
- Difficulty forming sounds
- Inconsistent speech
- Speech effort (“groping”)
🤲 Other types:
- Limb apraxia (movement tasks)
- Eye movement apraxia
🧠 Dyspraxia vs Apraxia
| Feature | Dyspraxia | Apraxia |
|---|---|---|
| Main issue | Coordination | Motor planning |
| Speech | Sometimes | Often affected |
| Cause | Developmental | Brain injury or development |
| Muscles | Normal | Normal |
🛠 Support
Dyspraxia support:
- Step-by-step instructions
- Extra time
- Visual aids
- Occupational therapy
Apraxia support:
- Speech therapy
- Repetition
- Visual + sound cues
🧠 Behaviour understanding
Behaviour may be caused by:
- Frustration
- Difficulty
- Overwhelm
👉 Behaviour is communication
❗ But this does NOT excuse unsafe behaviour
✍️ DYSGRAPHIA
🧠 What is Dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia affects:
- Writing ✍️
- Handwriting 📝
- Organising thoughts 🧠
👉 Not linked to intelligence.
📉 Difficulties:
- Slow writing
- Messy handwriting
- Poor spacing
- Difficulty planning essays
- Hand fatigue
🧠 Causes:
- Motor coordination differences
- Visual-spatial processing
- Language processing
💚 Strengths:
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
- Verbal skills
- Determination
🛠 Support:
- Typing
- Speech-to-text
- Extra time
- Pencil grips
- Occupational therapy
📊 DSM-5 classification:
- Specific Learning Disorder (written expression)
🔢 DYSCALCULIA
🧠 What is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia affects:
- Numbers
- Maths
- Mathematical reasoning
👉 Present from birth.
🧬 Causes:
- Genetic factors
- Brain development differences
- Number processing differences
📉 Difficulties:
- Understanding numbers
- Basic maths
- Time and money
- Number facts
- Sequencing steps
💰 Real-life impact:
- Money management
- Budgeting
- Banking
- Pressure in real situations
🧠 Strengths:
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
- Communication
- Visual thinking
🛠 Support:
- Visual aids
- Step-by-step teaching
- Extra time
- Calculators
- Real-life examples
⚠️ Key message:
- Not intelligence-based
- Support improves outcomes
- People can succeed in maths
🧠 LEARNING DISABILITIES & SUPPORT
🧠 Thinking differences:
- Memory difficulties
- Slower processing
- Planning challenges
- Language understanding
🧩 Behaviour differences:
- Frustration
- Social misunderstanding
- Impulse control difficulties
🛠 Support strategies:
- Visual aids
- Step-by-step instructions
- Structured teaching
- Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
🌱 Strength-based approach:
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
- Strong visual thinking
- Persistence
🧠 KEY FINAL MESSAGE (ALL CONDITIONS)
Autism, ADHD, epilepsy, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, and mental health conditions:
- Are neurological differences
- Affect brain and nervous system
- Can increase stress sensitivity
- Do NOT define a person
💚 Strengths matter:
- Creativity
- Resilience
- Problem-solving
- Focused interests
- Emotional insight
🌟 FINAL REFLECTION
- Why is patience important?
- How can support improve independence?
- How can society become more inclusive?
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