Neurodivergent (ND) brains vs. Neurotypical (NT) Ones
Hi, I am Jennifer Purcell, and welcome to my podcast, Living with an Invisible Learning Challenge, where we will discuss, discover, and learn more about the challenges and times of those with NLD and other learning challenges. I do have a website for this podcast, and it is called livingwithnld.com. I also have a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter account for the podcast.
They are all under the same name, which is Living With NLD. I also have a YouTube channel for the podcast, which can be found by googling the title of the podcast, which is Living With an Invisible Learning Challenge. I would like to tell you about a non-profit that I use for my research for this podcast.
It is called the NVLD Project and I use their blog for my research. They are a non profit that is based in New York and is trying to get NVLD back on the DSM and they provide many resources for people with NVLD on their website. I'll provide you with the website for them in the podcast description. All proceeds from the ads on this podcast will be donated towards the NVLD project. Please feel free to explore the other topics on the podcast, and hopefully you will learn something new from them. I hope you enjoyed today's episodes.
And Today I am very excited to announce that BetterHelp is now sponsoring this podcast. I have had seven years of therapy, so I know it can help change your life if you not only let it, but work on the personal goals that you set with your therapist. Without a healthy mind, being truly happy and at peace is hard. The good news is therapy works. But what is therapy exactly? It's whatever you want it to be. Maybe you're not feeling motivated right now and would like some tools to help. Or maybe you're feeling insecure in relationships at work, not dealing well with stress. Whatever you need, it's time to stop being ashamed of normal human struggles and start feeling better.
Because you deserve to be happy. And now you don't have to worry about finding an in person therapist near you to help. BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone, and even live chat sessions with your therapist. So you don't have to see anyone on camera if you don't want to. It's more affordable than in person therapy and you can start communicating with your therapist in under 48 hours. Join the millions of people who are seeing what online therapy is really about. It's always a good time to invest in yourself because you are the greatest asset. And special offering to listeners of Living with an Invisible Learning Challenge. You can get 10 percent off your first month of professional therapy at Betterhelp. com /, I'll put in the link in the podcast description for you, that's Betterhelp, HELP. Thanks again to Betterhelp for supporting, I mean sponsoring this podcast.
I also want to mention to you that I just launched my podcast swag on Wednesday of this week and have a page for it on my website. And I will also send you the link to it in the description below. Podcast description and I will also send it to you in the newsletter that I usually send out on Fridays. I am now selling t-shirts , water bottles and a backpack and They all have the podcast logo and title on it and the tagline. So I am looking forward to watching the sales and seeing who buys them and spreading the word more about my podcast Good morning. I'm going to re-record this episode because one of my listeners said that it was hard to hear. So sorry about the first recording. Have you ever wondered how your brain is working differently from a neurotypical because you are neurodiverse?
I definitely have. My brain is wired differently. So I think in different ways than neurotypicals do. And I tend to overthink things and make them bigger, more difficult than necessary. I have gotten better at doing This, or not doing it, I should say, and having it does not bug me as much because it doesn't do any good. I do sometimes wish it was easier for me to understand some things, like how to manage a budget more easily, but at least I can do some things more easily than neurotypicals can, and the things that are challenging for me, I've worked on to make them easier to do.
I also tend to think about the details too much compared to the big picture. Sometimes this is a good thing. Other times it is not. It was fun to read about how your brain works differently from neurotypicals when you're neurodiverse. So I'm going to give you some comparisons of neurodiverse brain to neurotypical brain and the definitions of the two from different articles. Difference between a neurotypical and a neurodiverse. A neurodivergent person is defined as one with neurological development and states that are atypical, usually viewed as abnormal or extreme. The term was coined in the neurodiversity movement as opposed to neurotypical. Previously, the term neurodiverse was something applied to individuals for this purpose.
Neurodivergent refers to the individual who has less Typical non cognitive variation as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc. Neurotypical refers to individuals of typical development and intellectual cognitive functioning. Individuals with NLD have a significantly smaller splenium, a part of the corpulous plasm, which Connects and facilitates communication between the left and the right sides of the brain the following article compares the thought process behind neurotypicals and Neurodivergence a day in the life of a neurodivergent versus a neurotypical. It's time to shower neurotypical showers while neurodivergent the trans Sorry, the sensory transition from dry to wet is too much to handle, so the ND sits on their bed working themselves up for 20 minutes before deciding what washing their face with a washcloth will do for this morning. It's time to get dressed.
Neurotypical gets dressed. Neurodivergent tries on five different outfits before finally settling on one, which does not seem good enough. Too itchy, rough, irritating, or uncomfortable. It just so happens to be the same outfit the ND wears most days. This article compares the difference between neurotypicals and neurodiverse. Neurodiversity describes the concept that everyone's brain is different and that these differences are not negative but can, in fact, be beneficial. The brain is the most complex organ in the body, so a one size fits all approach to thinking isn't always realistic. Neurological variation is natural and can often add beneficial, unique perspectives in society.
Neurodiversity counters the notion that there is a normal way of learning and celebrates the many different thought processes used by neurodiverse people, ultimately advocating for a more inclusive approach to instructive learning and therapy for neurodiverse individuals. Neurodiversity has become a trending topic on social media. When it comes to neurological variations, commonly referred to as disabilities, including conditions like autism, dyslexia, or ADHD, which all stem from neurological differences. On the other hand, the term neurotypical describes someone with typical brain development. Neurodiversity embraces the view that variations are all possible.
A part of being human and argues that the differences in brain development do not need to be coined as problematic. This more inclusive perspective prioritizes supporting individuals as they are rather than pushing them to operate typically. I can totally relate to this article because of how it describes how a neurotypical thinks of doing certain things versus Neurodivergence. I like that it says everyone is different, which is true. If everyone was the same in this world I don't think it would be as interesting as it is. I remember And appreciate when my mom takes the time to explain things. And really, sorry, in a way my brain will understand it because our brains think differently.
It's challenging for her to be able to describe things to me sometimes. But at least she tries to make it easier for me to understand rather than letting me figure it out on my own. I really appreciate her doing this because I don't think she did it. I would feel more lost in trying to do things like managing my budget and understand why it doesn't always add up. And sometimes that's just because I've done all the math and it does add up, but I'm still trying to get used to doing. That part and Because my brain doesn't actually think in the ways that a neurotypical does it's harder for me to grasp concepts like financial planning and managing a budget and trying to balance a book or a checkbook So I'm glad that you can help me with that.
As I wrap up today I would like you to think about the way your brain functions differently from your friends and family. Hope you learned something new today and talk to you next week. Sorry about the first recording being messed up. I hope this one was better. There are some things I would like to share with you. I do have a website for this podcast. It's called Living with an ld.com. I also have a Facebook and Instagram page for this podcast. It's called Living with NLD. I will include the links for those in the description. In conclusion, I would like to hear from my audience. If you know any individuals with NLD that I could interview for this podcast, please email me at livingwithnld at gmail. com. What are you interested in learning about NLD? I know I'm not an expert, but I do know I have the living experience of having it. I would like you to practice journaling about your gifts and differences. Also see if there is a way that you can make that difference become easier for you to do than originally it was. Thank you for listening today and please go to my YouTube channel and subscribe to it. Thank you. Bye