I was recently invited to contribute to an article on the benefits of thinking differently. I chose to focus on the empathy and concern for others that can be part of the neurodivergent perspective:
"Many neurodiverse people are strongly focused on social justice. What some consider rigid hyperfocus on rules can be better understood as a natural tendency to intensely believe in the import of fairness and justice. This focus on fairness, combined with deep empathy, leads to individuals who will fight passionately to protect the welfare of the disenfranchised and the environment. The belief that neurodiverse individuals are not empathetic is stunningly inaccurate for many neurodiverse people. In fact, the opposite is often true - they may become so distressed by the violations of someone's rights, or by seeing someone in distress, that they simply shut down and can't react in a way that neurotypical people interpret as empathetic. A very minor example of this is evident in the number of neurodiverse people who become physically distressed by watching someone in a movie embarrass themselves socially. The discomfort they feel watching a movie where someone endures minor social harm can transform into an overwhelming pain when they witness significant harm in the real world."
To read more, visit the article here: https://www.texthelp.com/resources/blog/12-neurodiversity-strengths-that-come-from-thinking-differently/
