The positives of neurodiversity

"I validate myself and remind myself that I’m a neurodivergent human living in a neurotypical society, that I’m not supposed to be functioning like everyone else, and that’s OK. I do need extra help at times. I do need to rely on my support network. I do need to care for myself differently… and that’s OK. I’m allowed to need that. "

"When hates go after your look and differences, it means that there it nowhere left to go and then you know you're winning! I have Aspergers that means I'm sometimes different from the norm and given the right circumstances being different is a superpower."

“It’s just about taking your time… giving yourself an appropriate amount of time to do the things you need to do. The better prepared you are for anything, the more you’ll be able to do and accomplish things that are fantastic.”

"My shoulder twitches when I am excited, happy, nervous or stressed. It is something I am living with."

"Having OCD is something that is an ongoing part of my life and I assume will probably be a part of my life for the rest of it."

"I don't aspire to be like other drivers - I aspire to be unique in my own way."

“I was a dyslexic child and am a dyslexic adult; that doesn’t really mean that you’re not intelligent — it just means that your brain functions differently."

Author of Captain Underpants. "ADHD helped me to write stories that were not boring, and my dyslexia helped me too. It helped me to choose my words very, very carefully."

"Do not let it stop you. It has never held me back, and some of the smartest people I know are people who have learning disabilities. The fact that some things are more of a struggle will only make you more determined, harder working, and more imaginative in the solutions you find to problems"

"I don't want other people to decide who I am. I want to decide that myself."

"It's not like I like it, but I feel like it's … part of me. I have made friends with it. And so now, I'm pretty confident in it."

“Almost everything I learned, I had to learn by listening. My report cards always said that I was not living up to my potential.”

"I’ll get a musical idea and I can’t not explore it to its conclusion. I don’t have any power to stop myself. I’m all in until the idea is done. It is hard to manage, but one of my doctors said it’s kinda like a superpower in a weird way. You have this ability, but it’s at the expense of other stuff."

"Lot of bright kids with dyslexia will be frustrated by what they receive, because the education system doesn’t play to their strengths – but I’m always keen to say don’t let this define you."