Some people consider these to be part of the ‘neurodiversity’ umbrella and others like to keep them separate. They are included here to give a brief introduction.
It’s a lot more complex than people think it is.
Non-urgent advice: Cognitive functioning difficulties, or executive dysfunction
Often following a stroke or brain injury, some people may experience cognitive difficulties. This could include how they move or what they’re able to do, such as driving, operating machinery or sitting for long periods. It may change the way people store and process information, affecting memory, the way they read or being able to tell the time. It may also affect people’s self-control, concentration or motivation, or how comfortable people feel in large groups and their social behaviour. Many people with ADHD also have executive dysfunction.
Non-urgent advice: Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a learning difficulty that affects the ability to produce written language. It may present as difficulties with spelling or trouble putting thoughts on paper, with people often finding it challenging to convert the sounds of language into written form. Words might be omitted or ordered incorrectly, with verbs and pronouns sometimes formed incorrectly. People with dysgraphia are often able to articulate themselves much more fluently in speech than in writing.
Non-urgent advice: Misophonia
Individuals with misophonia usually have a strong dislike or hatred of specific sounds, which trigger an emotional or physiological response. Common triggers include things such as loud breathing, chewing, swallowing, clicking sounds such as pens, keyboards, or sounds associated with someone fidgeting.
“People don’t understand it and just find it amusing, or they think I’m intolerant or highly strung”.
Non-urgent advice: Slow processing speed
Some people need more time to take in information, make sense of it and respond to it, whether visual or auditory information. It does not correlate with intelligence. Individuals with slow processing speed might feel overwhelmed by too much information at once, need more time to make decisions or give answers and may miss nuances or social cues in conversations.
“It will take me longer, but I’ll get there”
Non-urgent advice: Stammering
Stammering is a neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak. Someone who stammers will often repeat, prolong or get stuck on certain sounds or words. About 8% of children will stammer at some point, with up to 3% of adults managing it as a lifelong condition. Negative responses and stigma from others and feelings of shame, embarrassment or anxiety can often be a part of the experience of those who stammer.
Non-urgent advice: Tourette’s syndrome
Tourette’s syndrome causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements, called tics. These can be a combination of physical and vocal tics, including eye movements, facial expressions or jerking of the head or limbs, as well as vocal noises, whistling, tongue clicking, random words or repeating a sounds, word or phrase. Swearing is rare and affects around 1 in 10 people with Tourette’s syndrome. Some individuals are able to control their tics with concentration, which can be extremely tiring.