A person may be considered neurodivergent if his or her brain learns, functions, or processes information differently than most people, they are commonly referred to as neurotypical. Conditions such as autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, and Tourette syndrome encompass neurodiversity.
It is important to mention that not everyone who has a neurodivergent condition such as autism presents in the same way. It is possible for people to experience different characteristics, so it is sometimes referred to as being on a ‘spectrum’. Stereotypes should be avoided at all costs.
It should always be kept in mind that these are not different capabilities, but rather different processes. The term ‘neurodivergent’ was coined in the 1990s, when activists for the rights of people with autism founded the International Autism Network, under the principle that this condition is not a disease but a cognitive processing style.
It is a reality that one of the strongest stigmas regarding neurodivergent people is to consider them sick or disabled. But this is not the case; in fact, the term is synonymous with neurological biodiversity.
Thus, biodiversity indicates the coexistence and differentiation of various species in an ecosystem, neurodiversity indicates the natural variation between one brain and another in the human species.
These are some celebrities who prove that neurodivergence is no impediment to anything.
Anthony Hopkins
During an interview in 2017, Anthony Hopkins revealed that he lives with Asperger’s syndrome. He was diagnosed at a late age and says that it made him understand many situations in his life, when he did not fit in anywhere and had problems and caused some others, especially in childhood. But he also said that having Asperger’s he has seen it as something not bad because it has given him a wonderful memory.
Asperger’s syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. People with Asperger’s syndrome also have difficulties with the flexibility of thought.
Ryan Gosling
When Ryan was a child, he was diagnosed with ADHD, unfortunately, he had a hard time, had no friends, and was teased at school for being ‘unable to read’, for this reason, his mother decided that Ryan would be home schooled.
It is important to mention that ADHD does not necessarily complicate the lives of those who live with it. The children who do better are usually those who receive pharmacological treatment, psychoeducational and parental training. Ryan was medicated at school.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt lives with prosopagnosia, which prevents the actor from easily recognizing the faces and names of people after meeting them or spending time with them. In the highest cases of prosopagnosia, the individual cannot recognize himself.
This does not mean that Brad does not recognize his children or partner, as he recognizes the ‘context’ of the person, such as skin color, hair, smell, and voice, but he cannot understand the faces.
Billie Eilish
When Billie was 11 years old she was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, which manifests with tics or repetitive movements, and while she has learned to live with it, she also recognizes that it is ‘exhausting’.
This syndrome begins to manifest itself in childhood, being involuntary and repetitive movements, in the face, arms, and trunk, and they are produced in a frequent, sudden, and fast way. There are the motor and vocal tics, the motor ones are characterized for being sudden and apparently uncontrollable movements, exaggerated blinking, grimaces, and shakes of the head, among others, while the vocal ones, involve clearing one throat, and aspire for the nose or to murmur.
