28/05/2025
Neurodivergence is a “Super power”
We didn’t suddenly become neurodivergent.
We just started calling it that.
For most of history, we used different words.
▪️ Disruptive
▪️ Difficult
▪️ Problem child
▪️ Genius, if you succeeded
▪️ Broken, if you didn’t
ADHD. Autism. Dyslexia.
These ways of thinking have always existed.
But our understanding of them hasn’t.
Some of the greatest minds in history likely fit today’s definitions:
▪️ Isaac Newton: obsessive focus, socially withdrawn
▪️ Leonardo da Vinci: scattered attention, restless curiosity
▪️ Thomas Edison: impulsive, relentless, experimental
▪️ Winston Churchill: explosive, driven, unpredictable
▪️ Albert Einstein: delayed speech, struggled in school
▪️ Agatha Christie: dictated her novels due to difficulties with writing
▪️ Pablo Picasso: couldn’t read or write fluently, but thought in pictures
We celebrate them now.
But here’s the harder question:
What happened to the ones who weren’t recognised as gifted?
Who didn’t have privilege, protection, or the benefit of hindsight?
The truth is confronting.
▪️ Many ended up isolated, misdiagnosed, or institutionalised
▪️ Many more ended up in prison
▪️ Others didn’t survive
Today, an estimated 50% of the UK prison population is neurodivergent compared to just 15% of the general population.
And those who are neurodivergent are statistically more likely to attempt su***de than those without.
That’s with the awareness and support we have now.
Neurodiversity isn’t a new phenomenon.
What’s new is the choice we have.
To see it.
To value it.
To support it.
Or to keep punishing it.
