Is Neurodivergency Becoming More Common?

With a greater number of individuals, especially adolescents, identifying with the ‘neurodivergent’ label, more and more debates have emerged questioning the prevalence of neurodivergency.

While the discovery of autism, ADHD, and other learning or developmental disorders took place throughout the 20th century, the term ‘neurodiversity’ wasn’t coined until 1998, according to Hook Research. Australian sociologist Judy Singer was the first to recognize the difference between ‘neurodivergent’ and ‘neurotypical’ peoples, arguing that modern day society has based most of its structures on the latter, therefore creating an unsafe and impossible environment to find oneself in.

As greater research was conducted on the previously unknown causes and effects of neurodiversity, more diagnoses began to be put in place for those who were suspected to be neurodivergent.

During the coronavirus pandemic and resulting quarantine era, the use of the internet and social networking sites boomed. For those stuck at home, the only form of communication to the outside world was often through their phone, creating a higher dependence on technology.

Through the study “Share of individuals using TikTok during the coronavirus outbreak in the United States in 2020’, it was found that a 180% growth of 15-25 years old users on Tiktok was experienced throughout the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

However, this reliance wasn’t all bad. As a greater number of neurodivergent individuals found their way onto social media, resulting outreach through various content creators also occurred.

Led by the nonprofit organization Understood, a study over the effects of social media on perceptions of neurodiversity found that approximately a third of Americans questioned their neurotypical statuses after seeing neurodiverse content on social media, with 70% of that group taking action afterwards.

There are over 16 billion searches for 'ADHD' on TikTok, with Reddit’s neurodiverse and ADHD communities holding 50,000 and 1.5 million members respectively.

For those who prefer online or long-distance communication over in-person contact, the pandemic strengthened their potential for self-discovery and awareness within themselves.

Specifically for people with autism, greater friendships and connections with like-minded individuals often took place online, with the Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research expounding on this idea.

While social media undoubtedly facilitated neurodiverse safe spaces and the spark of the neurodivergent movement, it is important as well to recognize the negatives. Despite the growing awareness campaigns being conducted online, many misconceptions about neurodiversity have also risen in size.

Through the same Understood study mentioned earlier, nearly 60% of Americans do not hold a clear understanding on the topic of learning and thinking differences. Specifically, 24% of young adults aged 18–34 continue to believe that learning and thinking differences are nonexistent.

Consequently, discourse has emerged over the validity of the modern day neurodivergent movement, citing the susceptibility of teenagers towards misinformation and false representation.

Through the sudden spike of self-identifying neurodivergents on social media and rise of adolescent diagnosis, it’s easy to forget the long-fought and drawn out history of neurodivergent recognition.

Independent research and discovery are the first steps towards official diagnosis, and are inextricably intertwined with later medical findings. Self-diagnosis isn’t damaging in itself, and many are only able to obtain this sort of acceptance within themselves before being recognized by others.

‘Visibility is a double-edged sword’- with a greater amount of information online, whether accurate or inaccurate, both a higher understanding and discrimination towards the neurodivergent community comes forth.

Neurodivergent education may be promoted through the means of social networking, but cannot be relied on as the sole source of findings. Furthermore, this concept can be applied to deniers of teenage neurodiversity as well, with the presence of adolescent advocates existing in the real world first and foremost.

While social media is an effective facilitator of greater neurodivergent outreach, both the journey of self-discovery and understanding of others must eventually be pursued on your own accord.

With newcomers and those already established, the neurodivergent community has always remained alive, and will continue to do so long after online disputes have quieted down.