You May be Neurodivergent. How this Affects Your Learning Style and Career

Learning is the bedrock of accomplishment - for a person or institution - depending on how that person or institution builds on that bedrock. Whether achieved through deliberate study or the subconscious absorption of knowledge through intuition, everyone learns. So in a sense, learning is, by default, a lifelong endeavour, whether one thinks they’re learning or not.

In my experience facilitating technical sessions and interacting with learners, especially those without prior knowledge of a concept, the most fundamental question I ask, which you may find relatable is, “how do I average out the complexity of a concept across, what I call, absorption spectrums?”.

This could be oversimplified to imply that some are either “slow learners” or “fast learners”, but it goes deeper than that. It’s really, “how do I make the learners accept their own unique personas and absorb a concept ultimately?”. In other words, “time” here is negligible and irrelevant. It’s about results - learning, not speed of assimilation.

So where does “neurodivergence” fall into all of this?.

What is Neurodivergence (noun)?

“Neurodivergence” is a combination of 2 words - “neuro” and “divergence”. “Neuro” is short for neurological, which typically refers to a mental state. “Divergence” means, “separate from something”. So, someone who exhibits a trait of neurodivergence is called Neurodivergent (adjective).

Neurodivergence is the term for when someone's brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently or “abnormally” from what is considered "typical” - also called neurotypical.

So in short, neurodivergence means neurological or mental functioning that is separate from what is considered the norm. From this definition, you may go, “thank goodness, I’m not neurodivergent”. I have bad and good news: the bad news is, you are probably neurodivergent and don’t know it yet, the good news is, it’s a good thing.

Myths of Neurodivergence and Lessons for You

In the bad part of my “bad and good news” above, you probably heaved a sigh of relief that you are, in fact, not neurodivergent, or as West Africans put it, “your mind dey work well”, but it’s possible you’re accustomed to some myths surrounding neurodivergence. Let’s explore some below;

Neurodivergent people are bad at communication

It’s obviously true that lots of people in the neurodiverse spectrum are bad at picking up social cues in social events - a company meeting - a meet-and-greet event or a training session, but this is mainly because they have a preferred way of communicating.

Let me ask you this: have you ever felt you are called up to speak too often in a meeting? Do you think you prefer a communication style - written emails over talking for hours? You may be neurodivergent. So, you are not bad at communicating, and even if you are in one area, that’s because you have a preferred form of communication.

Now, communication is important. This can lead to more impact and visibility in your workplace, which can in turn lead to a promotion. But you can do these things:

• Communicate with your team on your best preference for communicating.
• Confide in your manager in setting you up for areas of your communications strengths. For instance, volunteering to send out meeting notes after a meeting.
• Incrementally work on weak communication areas. But don’t push yourself too fast. Take it slowly. Remember, “time” here is irrelevant.

Neurodiversity just means autism

An Australian psychologist, Judy Singer, came up with the term “neurodivergence”. Truly, this was quickly embraced by the autistic community, but the movement is not solely about autism anymore. Individuals with other neurological conditions like Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s syndrome have all keyed into the term.

Again, you might scream, “what does that have to do with me?”. Let me show you some symptoms of just ADHD as it affects your learning and career development. ADHD is exemplified in 2 areas, firstly, inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing) and hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

Check out these areas, and put a check mark when you see yourself:

• Having a short attention span and being easily distracted.
• Making careless mistakes, in writing basic mails or in assignments in school. Like, mistakes you see later and you go, “what in the world..?”.
• Excessive talking.
• Interrupting conversations.

See the below diagram for even more traits you may relate to:

Figure: Neurodivergent Cluster culled from Brain.HE 2017

Related attributes to the above are even more severe in autistic children who exhibit full-blown learning challenges. But the point is, the above points aren’t what you typically consider a trait of a neurodivergent individual. You may even call them assertive. But when it becomes compulsive, it’s actually a neurological condition. You can try out these things:

• If you exhibit the above ADHD traits, seek regular feedback from others in your team or learning community. Many folks are genuinely not aware that they interrupt others in meetings. This could be an opportunity to know this and incrementally work on it.
• Have specific productivity periods. For instance, if you can’t concentrate on a research at length, have 15-minute gaps or even shorter, where you push yourself to read or research. Increase these gaps as you become better at it.
• Again, seek feedback from your mentors, teammates and co-workers on your growth over time.

High-functioning people aren’t neurodiverse

When you see charismatic people - those able to get along with others and build relationships, communicate excellently verbally and in writing, there’s a tendency to see them as “normal” or neurotypical. This could be a costly assumption.

A tendency of that thinking will be to overlook certain neurodivergent traits that may hamper their learning or career development.

If you consider yourself “normal”, take note of these:

• The neurodivergence spectrum is extremely vast, and you definitely exhibit a trait from one of these spectrums.
• Empathize with those who have their own portions of the spectrum more pronounced than yours in different areas.
• Learn about how you can contribute to modalities and learning strategies that accommodate for all groups under distinct spectrums.

Neurodivergent traits are in themselves healthy, because from the word itself, it represents the diversity of mental states. However, where self-awareness is needed, is in identifying behavioural traits that emanate from these neurodiverse areas that may impact on your learning and career development.

Take note of the tips above, and in the wise and prescient words of Socrates, “…know thyself”.

Reference

Brain.HE. 2017. What is neurodiversity? [diagram]. Brain.HE. Available at: https://www.brainhe.com/neurodiversity%20venn.jpg [Accessed 07 February 2022]