Good strategic thinking and problem-solvingĪble to develop their own strategies to overcome difficulties High energy, spontaneity and productivity Higher levels of creativity and curiosity, Seeing the bigger picture, often seeing things more holisticallyĬreativity and entrepreneurial proclivitiesĪDHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Improved visual processing and pattern recognition Propensity to think outside the box and generate novel solutions to problemsĪbility to absorb and retain large amounts of information, especially about topics of special interestĪbility to focus for long periods on areas of interestĪbility to perform repetitive tasks where accuracy, rules and routine are important Neurodiversity is a combination of traits that are seen as both strengths and challenges. Depending on the neurodiverse variation and its intensity, individuals can display strengths in different areas, including:Ībility to think in visual images and identify patterns Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):, Australia Bureau of Statistics (2018), Autism Spectrum Australia:, NDIS “Outcomes for participants with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)” (June 2018). As at March 2018, 29% of active participants in the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) were autistic.In 2018, Autism Spectrum Australia estimated that about 1 in 70 people in Australia were autistic - or about 353,880 people - but only 40% were employed.

Of those experiencing difficulties, the main problems encountered were fitting in socially (60%), learning difficulties (55%) and communication difficulties (51%).

Of the 106,600 autistic young Australians (aged 5 to 20 years) who were attending school or another educational institution, 78% reported experiencing difficulty at their place of learning.There are 205,200 autistic Australians - with males 3.5 times more likely to be autistic than females and prevalence rates of 1.3% and 0.4% respectively.Studies in Asia, Europe, and North America have identified average prevalence of between 1% and 2%.

In a study in the US in 2016, amongst children aged 8, prevalence of autism was estimated at 1 in 54. The prevalence was 1 in 34 for boys and 1 in 145 for girls - so boys were 4.3 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed as autistic.

NeuroDiversity by Judy Singer