As a group we decided to research Neurodiversity as a whole aswell as the chosen abilty we had picked in our previous meeting. With the task’s set, we all went away to conduct our own research and share back with the group in time for the next meeting. For ease of sharing, I completed my research on Word (which I have linked below) and copied my reserarch across to be easily readable on my blog.
Neurodiversity
Invisible Disabilities
“The term neurodiversity refers to variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions.”
1. Defintion of Neurodiversity
What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is most often understood in relation to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but it addresses a much broader set of neurological differences than that. It has been discovered within humans that we all have unique variations in our brain chemistry which can cause some people to perceive and react to the world in many ways. Traditionally, the different types of neurodiversity have been regarded as a deficit, but it is better to understand them as just that – differences, neither good nor bad, that can provide unique advantages or ways of perceiving the world. 2
- The different types of Neurodivergence:
- Dyslexia / Dyspraxia
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Autism
- ADHD / ADD
- Meares-Irlen Syndrome
- Hyperlexia
- Tourette Syndrome
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Synesthesia
- Aspergers
- Four ways employers can support neurodiversity at work: 3
- Recruitment
- Make role descriptions as clear and concise as possible, avoiding jargon.
- Performance
- Disclosure can be very helpful in preventing performance issues.
- Awareness
- Employers should be proactive in providing information on neurodiversity for those with neurological conditions as well as for those without
- Tailoring support to individuals
- Managers should lead on discussions and suggest solutions, communicate unambiguously and give advance notice of changes so individuals can be fully prepared.
- Recruitment
The Neurodiversity Paradigm 4
Neurodiversity is an essential form of human diversity. The classification of neurodivergence has no valid scientific basis, and instead reflects cultural prejudice and oppresses those labelled as such. The social dynamics around neurodiversity are similar to the dynamics that manifest around other forms of human diversity. These dynamics include unequal distribution of social power; conversely, when embraced, diversity can act as a source of creative potential.
Neurodiversity
Invisible Disabilities – Synesthesia
“Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which information meant to stimulate one of your senses stimulates several of your senses.”
5. Definition of Synesthetia
Overview 5
The word ‘synesthesia’ comes from the Greek words: ‘synth’ – which means together – and ‘ethesia’ – which means perception. Synesthetes can often ‘see’ music as colours when they hear it and taste textures, for example, round and pointy when they eat foods.
Researchers are still unsure about how common synesthesia is. One study in 2006, proposed that it occurs in 2%-4% of the population.
Examples of Synesthesia 5
If you have synesthesia, it means that your senses have intertwined, giving your perceptions of the world an additional dimension. For example:
- Eating foods could show a geometric shape
- Emotions can be seen as colours with your eyes shut
- You attach voices to what you read, characterizing each sentence with an identity of its own
Causes of Synesthesia 5
People who experience synesthesia are usually born with it, however it can also develop early in a person’s childhood. Research has indicated that the synesthesia can be genetically inherited.
Each one of the five senses (sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell) stimulate a different area of the brain. For example, looking at a bright neon sign will light up the primary visual cortex, at the rear of your brain. If you have synesthesia, it may also feel like you can taste the colour of the wall while you look at it. Meaning that not only is the visual cortex being simulated by the colour, the parietal lobe, which tells you what something tastes like, is also stimulated. It is believed that people who have synesthesia have a high level of interconnectedness between the parts of the brain that are tied to sensory stimulus.
Symptoms of Synesthesia 5
There are multiple types of synesthesia, all with different symptoms. The most well-known symptoms, might be the Grapheme-colour synesthesia, which connects letters and days of the week with colours. But there is also sound-to-colour synesthesia, number-form synesthesia, and many others. It is also possible for people with synesthesia to have more than one kind.
- People who have any type of synesthesia tend to have these common symptoms:
- Involuntary perceptions that cross over between senses
- (tasting shapes, hearing colours etc)
- Sensory triggers that consistently and predictably cause interplay between senses
- (every time you see the letter A, you see it in red)
- Ability to describe their unusual perceptions to other people
- Involuntary perceptions that cross over between senses
It is more likely that if a person has synesthetia, they are left-handed and have a strong interest in visual arts or music. It also suggests that synesthesia is more common in women than in men.
Treatment for Synesthesia 5
There is no treatment for synesthesia. Anecdotally, many people seem to enjoy perceiving the world in a different way than that general population. However, on the other hand, some synesthetes feel that their condition isolates them from others. This is because they may have more trouble explaining their sensory experiences because they are very different.
Finding communities of other synesthetes online may help ease this feeling of isolation. In addition to this, speaking with a mental health professional may also help to see the value that synesthesia can add to their life.
Instead of having a dominant side of the brain – left or right – you may find that both sides of your brain harmonize nicely as you pursue the work you are passionate about.
The outlook 5
Having synesthesia means you can still live a full and normal life. Lots of famous and successful people experience this phenomenon. Examples include:
- Kanye West
- Pharrell Williams
- Mary J. Blige
- Tori Amos
- Duke Ellington
- Lorde
- Vladimir Nabokov
Painters Vincent van Gogh and Joan Mitchel are also speculated to have had synesthesia.
Answer these questions with Synthesia in mind:
What’s the issue? Is there an issue?
No, synesthesia have no issues. It has been proven by several researchers that synesthetes can perform better on certain tests of memory and intelligence.
What CAN they do?
No two synesthetes are the same, even if someone classifies as having the same type, they will partner different colours to different words for example:
- Projection Synesthsia – Involves the projection of colours to certain letters, numbers, days of the week or words. Projection Synesthesia is furthered subdivided into different types:
- Grapheme Colour Synesthesia
- Able to associate number or letters with certain colours
- Chromesthesia
- Able to experience/perceives colour to every form of sound
- Number Form Synesthesia
- Able to map numbers with different spatial arrangements between numbers
- Misophonia
- Able to bring out a negative response from an individual.
- Personification
- Able to give personality to numbers, alphabets, or days of the week
- Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia
- Able to taste certain words or sounds
- Grapheme Colour Synesthesia
- Mirror Touch Synesthesia – Where a person experiences certain sensations on their skin, as they observe another.
What can they NOT do?
Synesthetes are people who see the world in a different perspective, with that in mind, I believe they can do everything that they deem as normal, whereas people without synesthesia can do everything that they deem as normal. Its all swings and round-a-bouts, but synesthetes are people that view the world in a different perspective, possibly in a better perspective.
Is it a disability or an ability?
Synesthesia is classed more as an ability, and people with synesthesia class this as their normal, in most cases, they believe their ability to be more like a superpower. People without synesthesia struggle to understand what it is and how people live with it. But the truth is, synesthetes enjoy their ability and don’t think of it as a hindrance to normal life. In fact, they pity non-synesthetes for having what they consider as a ‘one dimensional sensory experience.’
What abilities do they have?
The abilities of people with synesthesia differ for every synesthetes, no two people are the same.
Everyone competed their research on word, and for security sake we shared what we had discovered on Teams, as well as the Google Doc that Tom created, which I have linked below:
Neurodiversity : Group Research Merged
Edit : 12/01/2021
The download to my research document and the link to the shared document above now holds excess information from when it was first embedded into this blog. It doesn’t cause any harm to have this information early, but it does already have it’s own blog post, which is why this specific section has no explanation in this post.
Sources
- Wikipedia. 2021. Neurodiversity – Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodiversity. [Accessed 07 January 2021].
- Daivergent. 2021. Understanding the Different Types of Neurodiversity & Their Strengths – Daivergent. [ONLINE] Available at: https://daivergent.com/blog/types-of-neurodiversity. [Accessed 07 January 2021].
- Personnel Today. 2021. Four ways employers can support neurodiversity at work – Personnel Today. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/four-ways-employers-can-support-neurodiversity-at-work/. [Accessed 07 January 2021].
- Autistic UK CIC. 2021. What is Neurodiversity?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://autisticuk.org/neurodiversity/. [Accessed 07 January 2021].
- Healthline. 2021. Synesthesia: Definition, Examples, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/synesthesia#:~:text=Overview,(which%20means%20%E2%80%9Cperception). [Accessed 07 January 2021].
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