Neuro-Diversity is a GREAT BIG BIOLOGICAL TENT ---

CONJECTURE

Ultimately, this is really about how individual biologies interact with individual environments --- That's Robert Sapolsky's "Behave --- The Biology of Humans at their Best and Worst."

Neuro-Diversity is a little bit narrower category than that --- BUT it keeps getting bigger.

Categories

Neuro-Diversity started out referring to people with Autism ---- and it has continued to EXPAND.

The National Institute of Mental Health in 2013 recognized that ADHD, Autism, Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia shared common genes and there seemed to be some COMMON MECHANISMS such as disruptions in CALCIUM CHANNELS.

Now --- MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION or other source of DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION such as CHILDHOOD TRAUMA are COMMON MECHANISMS behind Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders.

This CONNECTION between Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders is pushing our understanding BEYOND that of the DSM 5.

One of the reasons that there are so many LATE DIAGNOSES of ADHD and AUTISM is because many people are NOT NEATLY "PATTERN MAPPING" to current ADHD and AUTISM symptom clusters.

• BUT they have some type of BURNOUT or series of BURNOUTS and lo and behold may have a lot of those symptoms that they had been MASKING or were not as obvious for other reasons.
  
• ADHD and Autistic BURNOUT are big topics because a lot of people with LATE DIAGNOSIS have SUFFERED A LOT and want to bring this OUT IN THE OPEN.

In fact, now ADHD and AUTISM are viewed as quite BLURRED.   AND that is a BIG KEY ---- ADHD and AUTISM that many would see as DISTINCT OPPOSITES are in fact BLURRED.

The RELATIONSHIP between Neuro-Developmental Differences and Disorders and Psychiatric Disorders is a lot CLOSER than the Neuro-Diverse Community feels comfortable with now --- BUT it is really a BLESSING in DISGUISE  because it is the KEY to:

• getting out of LATE DIAGNOSIS
• getting out of DSM Symptom Clusters
• and recognizing underlying BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS