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Other Categories => Controversial Issues => Topic started by: DavidGYoung on March 21, 2024, 07:16:30 AM

Title: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: DavidGYoung on March 21, 2024, 07:16:30 AM
If I replace the word "neurodivergent" with "unintelligent", "lazy" and/or "badly behaved", who am I leaving out that I should be including? Am I including anyone that I shouldn't?
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: tango on March 21, 2024, 09:32:58 AM
If I replace the word "neurodivergent" with "unintelligent", "lazy" and/or "badly behaved", who am I leaving out that I should be including? Am I including anyone that I shouldn't?

It depends what you're trying to achieve.

Not all neurodivergent people are unintelligent. Not all are lazy. Not all are badly behaved. Not all unintelligent people are neurodivergent.
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: RabbiKnife on March 21, 2024, 10:55:36 AM
What kind of word salad is. “neurodivergent”?  What is that even supposed to mean?

Divergent from what?
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: Fenris on March 21, 2024, 12:29:35 PM
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: RabbiKnife on March 21, 2024, 12:48:14 PM
Well why didn’t you just say so!!!????

Some of Brad Pitt’s best work…
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: DavidGYoung on March 21, 2024, 01:52:31 PM
Tango: Are you saying that there are neurodivergent people who are not any of those three adjectives at all? If so, how would someone know they are neurodivergent?

If there are lazy people who are not neurodivergent, how would you tell the difference between two lazy people, one of whom is neurodivergent and the other not?
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: tango on March 21, 2024, 03:49:03 PM
Tango: Are you saying that there are neurodivergent people who are not any of those three adjectives at all? If so, how would someone know they are neurodivergent?

If there are lazy people who are not neurodivergent, how would you tell the difference between two lazy people, one of whom is neurodivergent and the other not?

I'd say exactly that. Some neurodivergent people struggle to perform basic tasks. Others are brilliant in one field but struggle in other fields. Someone with Asperger's might be an absolute genius in one field but struggle in social situations because they fail to pick up on social cues that a neurotypical person would consider second nature.

I don't doubt that in some situations neurodivergence is little more than an excuse for bad behavior and laziness.

As to how someone might know they are neurodivergent, there are ways people might suspect it. If someone struggles to concentrate but can perform at a high level when they manage to avoid distractions that would potentially suggest something like ADHD rather than lack of intelligence. Someone who can function in most situations but struggles with specific noisy situations might have a different form of neurodivergence. I remember reading a while ago about a particular supermarket experimenting with what I think they called something like an autism friendly time, where they muted the endless beeps from cashiers (I forget the precise details, but I think it was aimed at providing a less stressful environment for people with autism, who may struggle with excessive noise). It's not a huge accommodation to simply not have everything in sight beeping loudly.

If someone is lazy then being neurodivergent doesn't change the fact they are lazy. If they appear to struggle with some aspects of life it may be that they are simply unintelligent, or it may be that they struggle with dealing with some particular aspect of it. It's a bit of a cliched example but trying to compare the intelligence of a monkey and a fish based on how fast they can climb a tree won't yield a useful result.

When dealing with a child who is very badly behaved it's hard to know whether it's down to neurodivergence or lazy parenting without assessing the child in detail, a lot more detail than it's possible for someone to do in a situation like a restaurant. In a case like that a screaming child should be taken away from the situation rather than imposed on everybody else - whether they are screaming because they are tired, badly behaved or severely autistic is secondary to the fact they are destroying everybody else's peace.

Bottom line, neurodivergence can explain a lot of things but doesn't necessarily justify everything in sight.
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: Athanasius on March 22, 2024, 02:44:03 PM
The term 'neurodivergent' is meant to be an umbrella term that encapsulates those who are ASD, ADHD, and whatever else.

What's the point of this thread?
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: Fenris on March 22, 2024, 05:16:48 PM
What's the point of this thread?
I got to post a scene from 12 Monkeys. That's always a win.
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: RabbiKnife on March 22, 2024, 05:56:00 PM
What's the point of this thread?
I got to post a scene from 12 Monkeys. That's always a win.

Serendipity
Title: Re: "Neurodivergent"
Post by: Athanasius on March 22, 2024, 08:01:00 PM
What's the point of this thread?
I got to post a scene from 12 Monkeys. That's always a win.

What a beautiful horror, that movie. I guess the TV show made up for it.

And that's going to be /thread, as I can't think of a single itty bitty reason why I should suffer insult (the OP, to be clear).