Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (2:45)

Talk about news in Your feed on a Friday. It's Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (2:52)

Well, it's the end of it.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (2:54)

Yeah. Surprise.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (2:55)

It's the last day and now we're talking about it.

Sean Linda (2:59)

Yeah.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (2:59)

This is not like us to be late to the party, but did you know it was new Diversity Week? I didn't.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (3:07)

As of recording, since we're actually recording a week before this episode comes out, so technically it's next week. But as of recording, I only found out a couple of days ago when. When a friend of mine pointed out that they were traveling to London to do a talk for Neurodiversity Week. And I was like,

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (3:30)

oh.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (3:31)

And I had to Google. I was like, neurodiversity Week. And I was like, why is there a week for every brain on the planet? Because people. Let me be clear. I keep having to explain this. Neurodivergent. To diverge from the norm. To diverge. Neurodiverse is everybody. Now, originally it was coined as a phrase to describe autistic people.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (4:00)

Yeah.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (4:00)

Then it obviously didn't really make sense because all brains are diverse because everybody is different and that every brain is molded in a completely different way. So everybody is different. Everybody is diverse. So neurodiversity includes the. The predominant neurotype. The neurotypical neurodivergent is everything else. And ant the term that I coined, which is the alternative neurotype, which people who are born neurodivergent. So this is like three different categories, but essentially two of them, you know, belong in the same one, and one of them has all three or four different. Four different categories then. Yeah. So it's like, honestly, it's. It is funny that they keep doing it and it doesn't matter how many times people like, that's. It's neurodivergent, not neurodiverse, they just ignore us. Which is my problem with Neurodiversity Week in general is how it's not really a celebration. It's a chance for a company to put up some posters, to have some feel good, to get some really good PR going. Oh, look who we care about. Do you think all the people that neurodivergent who work for these companies actually feel seen? Or are they just paraded out just so they can look good this week

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (5:27)

for in Starbucks from March 16th to 29th, get your TISM cup. Nice and sparkly. Curly straw.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (5:35)

It. It definitely, definitely feels like that because people will sell the TISM T shirts. They'll sell. And this is also really funny. Is that Neurodiversity Week, if you want to use it in the term that it should be, which is Neurodivergence week

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (5:50)

is.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (5:52)

Come on, people. We have ADHD week, we have OCD week, we have Tourette's week, we have Autism Week. We have, we have, we have these weeks. It's, it's like, it's like now we'll have one week where we all get together and I'm just like, oh my

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (6:10)

God, this is, this, this has given me the same feeling that I hear when it. They go, oh, it's, it's Black History Month. And you go, oh, that history only counts for this every month.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (6:19)

There should be black history mean.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (6:21)

It's like, oh, okay, thanks for, thanks for letting us in the classroom just for these four Cheers, guys. That, that's sort of how it always makes me feel.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (6:29)

Honestly, I do feel like these things are made by, by white neurotypicals to make themselves feel better.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (6:37)

It's like we have to, we have to have a little bit of representation, but rather than doing it in everyday life, you get seven days. Seven days just for you. Use it wisely. Have fun. Great. So let me read just an explanation of what Neurodiversity Celebration Week. This is on a website called Mates In Mind. It says it aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities and organization and others around the world with the opportunity to recognize the many skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual. I like your manifesto, guys.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (7:21)

Shouldn't that just, should that just be every day though?

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (7:24)

Why is it only gonna be one week? Like literally you're gonna finish on a Friday and then as soon as you clock off at 5:00', clock, you're like, Nah, it off. Back in your box.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (7:32)

Parade them out just for the week.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (7:35)

Back in the box.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (7:36)

Yeah, it's like, oh, if, if anyone has ever watched the slam dunk contest at the last few NBA All Star Games, there's this, there's this one kid that plays Orlando Magics. Never actually has actually played, but he's really good at dunking. And they, they prayed him out every year to do these amazing dunks and win the dunk contest and then they put him back in his little box where he never plays for the land of Magic again.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (8:01)

For you, boy.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (8:03)

Getting the benchmate, they just wheel him out. Yeah, he's a, he's a trickster. He's really Good at dunking. And that's literally, that's.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (8:11)

And they just thaw him out for one week of the year.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (8:14)

Yeah. Just to sell some jerseys.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (8:17)

Well, I've just found a bit of information. According to the website neurodiversityweek.com it was founded by Sienna Castellon in 2018. Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. Again, it goes along the lines of. It aims to transform how neurodiver individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, organizations and all that around the world. But it doesn't say anywhere how they do that.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (8:49)

But. Well, I mean, that's it up to each individual company. I've, I, I definitely get it with, with my company. They've asked me to do some stuff in the past and I was like, well, why didn't you ask me last week? Like, why didn't you ask me the week before?

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (9:03)

Excuse me.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (9:04)

I literally turn around and go, no, I'm not going to be used. If, if anybody asks me to do anything. And I'm not, I'm not having to go, like, you know people out there who are speakers who do make money because of this. I mean, it's really great. I mean, you know, cash in while you can, make hay while the sun shines. And if neurotypicals want to pay you to, to, to talk about being neurodiverse. Neurodiverse. Because apparently they don't understand how they think, then, you know, all power to you. You know, but I personally won't do it. I won't do anything. And I, I kept saying this in the past. I won't do anything just for Autism Week. I won't do anything for ADHD Week, and I won't do anything for Dyslexia Week, and I won't do anything for Neurodiversity Week, particularly because it's that week. Except off my own back, which is doing this episode, mocking it, which is fine.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (10:00)

It's very on brand for us, which

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (10:02)

is okay, why we, why we don't do Neurodiversity Week in Neurodiversity Week. Yeah. But also, it's really funny when you say that because when you said the explanation, it's like for neurodivergent individuals, and there is this, this misconception of neurodiversity is everyone, as in everybody who is neurodivergent. But neurodivergent is an individual. But then people use individual as a neurodiverse individual. And we use the plural as neurodivergence. So it's a neurodivergent community. It's a neurodivergent experience. But there is neurodivergence. Is, is, is what we have in general. We have neurodivergence. But yeah, it's funny because words do matter. And although I don't find neurodiverse insulting at all, like I, I find has autism rather jarring when people say that about me. I don't like that, that, but that's an individual thing. I'm, I don't, I don't dismiss people who do want to, to, to refer to the TISM in that way. Everybody can do what they want, but I don't like the fact that generally, especially in media, it, it is always has autism, despite the fact that we have as a community said stop, stop doing that. Like stop, stop that, stop that that,

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (11:37)

stop that please and thank you.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (11:39)

But I, I do feel like the neurodiversity versus neurodiver just like a pet hate rather than a problem. But it, it, ah, I make it the TISM that makes me angry. Ironically. It's like, no, it's the wrong word. You have to use the right word. And especially when it's like an international thing all over the world and everybody is doing that. And, and, and also I, I, I, I remember one time someone said it's neurodiversity celebration week. And I went, cool, Celebration. What am I celebrating? Oh, you know, being neurodiverse. And I went, well, what part of my neurodiversity am I celebrating? Oh, just neurodiversity. And I went, so do I have to celebrate my ocd because it can be crippling. You can remember to drive to celebrate my pda.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (12:39)

Well, my feet hurt today. Let's put a sparkler in between my toes because eds.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (12:44)

Yeah, like what, what am I selling?

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (12:47)

Patronizing. Doesn't it?

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (12:48)

Anyway, it should. And, and I know, and I know that it used to be awareness and I think in some places they still do Awareness.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (12:59)

Be aware.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (13:01)

Yeah. And people said can we turn it to celebration? And I'll be honest, I was actually okay with that in the first place. I was like a celebration compared to awareness better. But now, now I've kind of gone the opposite. Now I'm kind of like, well, I don't want to celebrate it. I want to be proud of it. I want to be proud of my differences, but I don't want to celebrate pda. PDA fucks me up.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (13:27)

So to be honest, I wouldn't like to celebrate my RSD or my alexithymia at all.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (13:36)

My dyslexia is not to celebrate. My dyspraxia is so annoying. And and my, my freaking ticks as well aren't for celebration. And in a weird way, I might actually prefer where but I don't know. I don't know. Let's, let's, let's have a break and then when we come back we can try and figure out how to fix this.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (13:58)

We'll have a go. We'll be right back.

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Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (15:42)

Welcome back to the neurodivergent Experience. Happy Neurodiversity Celebration Week. I've just got the image in my head of me now walking into the corner of a table and half the street grew. So if.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (15:58)

If we. If we're not going with celebration and we're not going with awareness, what. What do we go with? We. We can do this or. I've got it. I got it. Yesterday we talked about Accommodating Neurodivergence Accommodation Week. We get accommodated for one week. Just the one week, just the one week. Well, we only get celebrated for a week. So, one, you only get accommodated for a week.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (16:29)

All those listeners are going to walk into work on a Monday and all the lights are going to be dimmed. It's going to be a steam toy on every desk.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (16:35)

Accommodation, awareness. Okay, so we're not being aware of neurodivergence, but when being aware of the accommodations that neurodivergent people need, that actually does need awareness. That's the thing that always goes by the wayside. It's not that the, I mean, people can't understand neurodivergence unless they're neurodivergent. They can be understanding of neurodiverse.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (16:57)

It comes from lived experience.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (16:58)

Yeah, but being understanding is an accommodation in itself. It's one accommodation. So accommodations need. That is the things that we need from neurotypicals. We don't need a pity party. We, we don't need. Oh, bless. We don't need that crap. Stick that up their ass. What we need is accommodations, and we need awareness for those accommodations because those accommodations are the law and people don't seem to be aware of them. I know that schools don't accommodate properly. I know that workplaces don't accommodate properly. I know that. And until I massively complained, and I'm sure a lot of other people complained, airports didn't make accommodations. No, you know, we, we need accommodations more than anything else. Because the fact is, is I bet you, and I haven't checked this, but I bet you there's a Hidden Disabilities Week. And I'm like, well, isn't that the same thing? And I'm like, just, just make, just make people aware of the accommodations that we need.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (18:02)

That's even a great example. You've used the airport, right? Every single plane has the same routine when you get on it, where they do the safety checks and everybody sees it on, you know, accommodation week, I would have people say, and if you are a neurodivergent flyer, here's how we can accommodate you. Introduce it into your safety checks. Explain the rights of the Sunflower lanyard and why people need different things or why people that's, you know, do it in the moment, educate people in the moment. Like something I was thinking of if it was like neurodivergent, you know, neurodiversity Celebration week. There's a golf tournament that's on this Friday. Why don't they have a segment that's 20 minutes explaining how Bubba Watson and Tiger woods, who both have adhd, use it to Their ability in how they play. Like, that's a great way of educating people in how neurodivergent brains can excel in sports, but then also the effects it can have in life. Like, if, you know, the NBA is on at the moment, what if on the bottom, where it goes, here's your height, here's this. What if it puts you neurotype, it goes, Luka Doncic, neurodivergent. And this is why. And how it changes his game and go into a bit more sort of educationary detail on it.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (19:17)

I mean, I think. I think it's always down to the individual to be like, okay, this is, this is what I want to talk about. This is how I feel about it. Because not everyone feels.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (19:28)

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (19:29)

I mean, the, the. The reason I came up with the idea of the alternative neurotype is because it is separate from the conditions. The alternative neurotype leads to a diagnosis of autism or ADHD or ocd, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and so on and so forth might be the root cause of those difficulties that, you know, as in the DSM 5 conditions diagnosed. So being the alternative neurotype, the result of that and how we interact with the world and how we interact with education and learning styles and things like that, that does lead to difficulties. And those difficulties have names and those names in the DSM 5, and those names are what I've just mentioned. So you could go around going, okay, those are conditions, you know, of being an ant, as I call it. But the reason why I would then celebrate being neurodivergent is all of what we talk about the other side of that coin, the positives. And I see it in every single time I see these conditions are our neurotype being broken into these conditions of like, autism. Well, the positives are abcde. And then people go, oh, okay, so I'm adhd. And then you'll have those people who go, oh, well, the positives of ADHD are abcde. And then I was like, oh, I'm dyslexic. And they say, oh, the positives of that. Dyslexic people can do all these things. A, B, C, D, E. And. And when I was researching or becoming a neurodivergent specialist by myself on my own volition, that is the thing that I saw being the most common thing was every single one of my conditions, every time I would look at the. The charities, organizations or books or anything about that condition, the negatives were often the same. But a lot of them Would differed a lot, you know, but the positives. The positives that everybody liked to talk about were exactly the same for every single condition. That was where I first looked at all these different conditions, because I did used to separate them in my head. All these different conditions that I had, every time I heard anything positive about it, they all matched. That was my pattern matching. That's what made me first go, well, aren't all these the same thing? Then the. This is the same brain that struggles in these various different ways. And that way that struggles is called dyslexia. And the way that my one brain just struggles is called autism. And when my brain struggles is called ADHD or dyspraxia and blah, blah, blah. But this neurotype is not autism. It's not adhd. It's not dyslexia. It's alternative to a neurotypical, because the positive things that I can do, neurotypicals can't do. That's how it's different. And then I learned about the synaptic pruning and how that also connects these different brains. Dyslexia has the reduction and the overlap of synaptic pruning, same as adhd. And I'm sure that if we looked into other conditions, it would be the same thing. And some autism obviously is. Those are two major connections. The positive sides of these conditions and the synaptic. The difference in the synaptic pruning process. It is one brain. It's a. It's an evolved, different brain. It's freaking fascinating. I really wish that somebody would do some research. Maybe Utah Frith could have a freaking look at it. Maybe she needs re educating. But to celebrate the alternative neurotype, that for me, that pattern matches because I do want to celebrate having a different brain. I don't want to celebrate the conditions it leads to, but I want to celebrate the positive sides of it.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (23:52)

Yeah.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (23:53)

So if you want to make it into one thing, then just call it the alternative neurotype and then celebrate that.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (24:03)

No. Yeah. No. Just sort of thinking about that and visualizing it. Yeah, that. That makes total sense to me. Makes absolute, total sense to me. It. It's got to be an education as well as a celebration.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (24:16)

Education is another good word. Education week.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (24:21)

Well, yeah, like alternative neurotype education week. Yeah, it's. It. That would make total sense to me because I feel like that's what these weeks really are for. It's not just a celebration. It's an education. It's to raise awareness and to. To give a Bit of understanding and to create a connection or a conversation that wouldn't happen organically unless, you know, somebody actively goes into a workplace or to a school or whatever. But I don't think that that should just be singled down to a specific week. I think there are so many of us within society and you know, regarding whoever you read or freaking research you read, that number, in my opinion, is a lot higher than the people seem to believe it to be. And it shouldn't just be categorized into one week. I think it should be something that should just be. Be a general part of society. And if starting with a week is the start, then that's great. But I don't want to just narrow it down to a week that you and I, as autistic advocates who are within the space are finding out about it the Friday before.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (25:26)

Yeah. Literally, I'm just like, oh yeah, I

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (25:29)

wouldn't have even known if you'd not brought it up. And I'm in spaces where you think that this would be something that would be planned and within the making of months and months in advance, not just a newsletter that goes out on the Friday that starts on the Monday.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (25:41)

I do think you make a really good point of that. It shouldn't just be a week because the, the positive sides of it being a week is the fact that it's. All the attention is on it for a week. Well, I mean, not we even knew about it, but that's the idea. It's like, well, you know, it's. It's good. I mean, for a whole week, you know, people. And then people can get educated for a week. And it doesn't mean that the next week they forget what they learned in that week. So in a weird way, that does work. But the problem with it being this celebration week mostly is the fact that most companies will only put any effort into doing it in that way and that one week. Because that's all they have to do. As long as they. Because most companies, most schools, most, most of the time. And I don't mean all the time, I do mean most of the time. In my experience, it is about the bare minimum. It's. It's what. What legally do we have to do? What PR wise bare minimum do we have?

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (26:51)

It's a HR checklist through the year. Did we do a neurodivergent neurodiversity week?

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (26:56)

Yeah. Yes, 100%. And we shouldn't have to force organizations to do this. This should just be part of the education within the organization. It should be grounds grassroots. Everybody should understand and know about this as part of the internal structure of the school or the business or the airport or the supermarket. And I think, I think that with the lanyard thing, I do think that that really does work. I wish that they would be sort of more understanding about the Sunflower lanyard in more places. I think that that's definitely something that I would like to see more awareness and education being brought to the forefront. But I don't see that happen in, in these special weeks. And I, and I think that, that, that I, I, yeah, I don't know. I, I know I'm out of spoons.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (28:08)

Yeah, me too. Okay, well, this has been your new story for this week. I'm really intrigued to know. Will you be seller? Have you been celebrating this week or have you just learned about it? When we have, let us know in the comments. I'm intrigued to see your opinions on this, but that has been your hot topic for this week. Ashley will be with you for Mindful Mondays on a Monday and we will be back with the main show on a Thursday. So be kind, be safe. We'll see you in your feed then. Bye everyone.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 1 (28:32)

It's a good excuse for Kate. I'm eating cake nightly. Bye.

Neurodivergent Experience Host 2 (28:38)

Thanks for tuning in to the Neurodiverse Experience. We hope today's episode sparks something for you. Whether it's a new idea, a bit of validation, or just a moment of connection. Remember, new episodes are every week, so be sure to join us for the next one for more conversations and insights into the neurodivergent experience. If you've enjoyed this podcast, help us grow. You can do that by rating and reviewing this show. Your support makes a huge difference in helping us reach more people who could benefit from these conversations. You can connect with us on social media, find us on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok. Just search for the Neurodivergent experience. Thank you again for listening and until next time, take care of yourself. You're not alone in this journey.

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