Thinking differently: neurodivergence

After I suffered a TBI, my brain worked differently, which made me neurodivergent.  I’m late-blooming into my neurodiversity, and I’ve noticed how our world is made for neurotypicals, people whose brains function traditionally.  There needs to be a wider knowledge and understanding of neurodivergence. Not everyone’s brains work the same way! 

The Oxford Dictionary defines neurodivergence as any divergence in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical (or normal). I define it as any brain processing that differs from how most people’s brain’s function.  

In 2019, I was hit by a car resulting in my brain shaking around in my skull, kind of like shaken baby syndrome except I’m an adult. A traumatic brain injury that I will have now for the rest of my life. Months of hospitalization and years of rehab made me able again to walk, talk, and use my right arm and hand which had both been very rigid and paralyzed for months. However, many mental, cognitive, and emotional challenges remain.

By the five-year marking of the accident, I’m a published author, and a survivor looking to share my story with the people who need it most.  My book goes into detail about the changes my brain and body suffered and my rehabilitation process to get to where I am now!  I want to be a reminder of how quickly everything can all be ripped away, but also give hope and inspiration to those just starting their journey. 
I don’t want people to assume that the human across from them has a brain that works exactly like theirs. Just because someone looks a certain way, that doesn’t mean much. Traumatic brain injuries are called invisible injuries. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.