Neurodiversity is the wide variety of ways humans think, learn, feel and process information.

We all have different interests and motivations, and are naturally better at some things and not so good at others. Most people are known as ‘neurotypical’, which means their brain generally functions and processes information in the way society expects.

Around 15 per cent of people in the UK are thought to be neurodivergent, meaning their brain functions and processes information in a different way.

This includes a range of conditions including:

• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
• autistic spectrum condition (ASC),
• dyslexia
• DCD/dyspraxia
• other learning disabilities.

By accepting and valuing the ways neurodiverse people experience, interact with, and interpret the world, we can help to reduce the stigma they feel, break down barriers and improve their outcomes.

• Dyslexia should be redefined as a strength rather than a disability, researchers at the University of Cambridge suggest.
• The neurological condition is linked to “enhanced abilities” in areas like discovery, invention and creativity.
• These skills are vital in helping humans adapt to changing environments, researchers say.

What does the new dyslexia research say?

Cambridge researchers studying cognition, behaviour and the brain have concluded that people with dyslexia are specialised to explore the unknown. This is likely to play a fundamental role in human adaptation to changing environments.

They think this ‘explorative bias’ has an evolutionary basis and plays a crucial role in our survival.

Based on these findings − which were apparent across multiple domains from visual processing to memory and at all levels of analysis − the researchers argue that we need to change our perspective of dyslexia as a neurological disorder.

The findings, reported in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, have implications both at the individual and societal level, says lead author Dr Helen Taylor, an affiliated Scholar at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge and a Research Associate at the University of Strathclyde.

“The deficit-centred view of dyslexia isn’t telling the whole story. This research proposes a new framework to help us better understand the cognitive strengths of people with dyslexia.”

Dr Helen Taylor

Visual Stress is a perceptual processing condition that causes reading difficulties, headaches and visual problems from exposure to patterns in text, such as lines of text. Visual Stress is often linked to dyslexia and similar visual learning difficulties. Sufferers experience print distortion and fatigue when reading.

Visual Stress is also known as Meares-Irlen syndrome, after the two researchers who first discovered the connection between white page glare and reading difficulties. The severity of these symptoms can vary from person to person.

Visual Stress is not dyslexia but is prevalent in dyslexic individuals. Even so, a significant percentage of children and adults who are not identified as being dyslexic still suffer with symptoms of Visual Stress.