Neurodiversity: Autism, ADHD, PDA and mental health – Part 2
CHALLENGES AND STRENGTHS
Challenges
Living in a world which is designed for neurotypical people can be challenging for neurodivergent folk. It can be like living in a country without speaking the language fluently – imagine the effort that goes into trying to communicate in a second language: it’s not intuitive, and can be exhausting! This is known as the double empathy problem – that neurokin (those of similar brain types) find it easier to communicate with each other and harder to communicate across brain types.
These challenges can be made worse if you are insufficiently supported. This can occur because you unconsciously suppress your own needs, to fit in, perhaps because you don’t know you are neurodivergent. Or it may be that your environment is not sufficiently adapted to your known needs. People may experience meltdowns, e.g., shouting, screaming, becoming physical, or shutdowns, e.g., inability to communicate or move. Meltdowns and shutdowns are exhausting and can take days to recover from. It is important to remember that these are signs from our body that we need to do things differently.
School “can’t” (feeling unable to attend school) can occur when the demands of school and social interactions are seen as more than a person can cope with.
Mental health
Anxiety and low mood (depression) are more common in neurodivergent people. There are a few possible reasons for this. Neurodivergent folk often need to put in much more effort to “fit in” or feel accepted. They also tend to receive greater amounts of negative feedback regarding their behaviour, for example, “hurry up, pay attention, stop talking so much” – although not meant as criticism. They may become particularly sensitive to noticing negative comments and find these very distressing, sometimes known as rejection sensitivity dysphoria.
Neurodivergent individuals are also more likely to experience trauma during their lifetime. This can be what is known as small t’s or big T’s. Small t’s are regular and distressing experiences such as outlined above, while big T’sare major life events. Neurodivergent people may be more vulnerable to interpersonal trauma because of their different way of relating to others, which can be exploited.
There is a higher risk of disordered eating in those with Autism and ADHD (Bleck et al., 2015; Carpita et al., 2022). For Autistic people, this is thought to be due in part to sensory sensitivities and difficulties interpreting internal body cues. For ADHDers, it may be related to difficulties with attention and self-regulation.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a greater risk of substance (including alcohol) misuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation in the neurodivergent community, because of the additional challenges that they can face.
Other health challenges
Lived experience accounts from Autistic people have identified higher rates of Epilepsy, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia (POTS). Epilepsy is a neurological condition which can cause seizures, EDS is a connective tissue disorder which may show up as hypermobility of joints, leading to injuries. POTS is a blood circulation disorder which can cause low blood pressure and unconsciousness.
Strengths
Autistic individuals often have strong urges for social justice, whether that means standing up for others who are marginalised, or becoming activists (think: the inspirational Greta Thunberg and Grace Tame). They may also feel close connections with animals, like the amazing Temple Grandin, an innovator in horse-training. Perhaps because of their attention to others and masking abilities, they may become actors like Chloé Hayden, writers like Amy Thunig, or researchers like Dr Jac Den Houting.
ADHDer talents include creativity, fearlessness and inventiveness. These are traits of entrepreneurs like Mia Freeman, Richard Branson and Abbie Chatfield (How to ADHD, on youTube), public speakers and authors such as Em Rusciano, singers Mel B and Solange Knowles and sportspeople like Simone Biles.
Gender
Fun fact! Queerness (gender and/or sexual identities other than straight or cisgender) is more common in Autistic individuals. This may be because they are less constrained by societal expectations and have a broader outlook.
* Note that our knowledge regarding these topics is evolving quickly as much-needed resources are now being made available to explore them; the information and terminology used in this blog is based on current thinking, and is likely to change as we learn more.
References
Bleck, J. R., DeBate, R. D., & Olivardia, R. (2015). The Comorbidity of ADHD and Eating Disorders in a nationally representative sample. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 42(4), 437-451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-014-9422-y
Carpita, B., Muti, D., Cremone, I. M., Fagiolini, A., & Dell’Osso, L. (2022). Eating disorders and Autism spectrum: Links and risks. CNS Spectrums, 27(3), 272-280. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852920002011
