There’s something I wish more people understood about the neurodivergent community: no matter how many courses you take, how many books you read, or podcasts you binge—you’ll never truly know what it’s like to live our lives the way we do.
That’s not a criticism. It’s a gentle truth. Because neurodivergence isn’t a single storyline. It’s not a fixed set of symptoms or a neat little category. It’s a kaleidoscope—one that shifts and refracts differently with every person you meet.
Knowing about ADHD, Autism or any neurodivergent condition from a course, a textbook, or even a hundred conversations is never the same as knowing the person in front of you.
Lived experience is not a syllabus. It’s the nuance, the contradictions, the moments when you light up and the ones when you shut down. It’s how your brain navigates a world that often wasn’t built with you in mind and how you still get up and live in it every day.
Courses can offer facts, frameworks, maybe even a new lens. But they do not teach what it feels like to live daily in our shoes.
They do not cover the flicker of exhaustion when you are misunderstood repeatedly, or the strength it takes to keep showing up in spaces that do not bend to meet you.
No certificate or qualification can substitute for empathy earned through listening and not assuming.
I have encountered one too many people who mistake knowledge for connection and understanding, they tell me they have learned about my conditions from a course or seminar, then they try to tell me how to act and force me to suppress or control what is normal for me often causing more harm than good.
I don’t want someone to “fix” me with theory. I want someone to see me, understand me, and not judge me based on something they think they have learned.
I am not against courses, quite the opposite I think they are an essential tool to raise awareness and get people on the path of understanding but they need to understand they need to keep walking the path if they genuinely want to support us.
For many years now I have been involved in the school of health at my local University using my life experience and insight into myself to talk to and answer question from students.
I have also spoken at multiple events and other Universities through my role as a trustee and lived experience ambassador for Neuro Key a charity that changed my life.
I have seen the positive impact it has had on the students and the lecturers and the feedback on the extra knowledge and understanding gained is incredibly positive.
There’s something uniquely compelling about lived experience—it carries the weight of reality, the nuance of personal insight, and often the courage of vulnerability. In the context of neurodiversity advocacy, it is what transforms theory into connection, and awareness into empathy.
I would like to recognise the people who organise these sessions with me, treat me with profound respect and they care for me without being condescending.
https://neurologically-challenged.co.uk
