Neurodiversity has become an HR expression for extending the workforce to be more inclusive of those who think differently to the rest of us. Creativity and inovation has become so important to an organisations success that HR have been tasked with finding ways of integrating to capitalise on their unique skills and abilities.
When I think of neurodiversity I don’t think of a scientific definition, a re look at autism or a challenge to labelling people as odd, I think Big Bang Theory. I am not talking about an explanation for how the universe was born but the US t.v. comedy in which a group of extremely intelligent friends with poor social skills and limited insight struggle to relate to other people. The clearest example of this is Sheldon a young genius who has never fitted in. Like the others he has no interest in sport, is obsessed like the others with superhero comics and Star Trek and has no idea how to relate to the opposite sex.
Sheldon and his friends have difficulty reading people’s emotions, spotting sarcasm or finding an appropriate topic of conversation in social settings. Other people find them strange, anti social and awkward. ( For an even better understanding of what it’s like to grow up in a world neurodifferent watch Young Sheldon the prequel to TBBT it’s even funnier and full of empathetic insights into the main character.)