Neurodiversity

The term neurodiversity refers to the unique ways in which the human brain works. Although most brains develop similarly, no two brains are the same.  Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.

To find out more about Neurodiversity please have a look at this short video: ‘What is Neurodiversity’.

Children from Shetland have created a film about neurodiversity called ‘Embrace’.  The young people who created the film wanted to share their stories and celebrate and promote an understanding of neurodiversity. They hope that the film will be shared widely and ask that the following guidelines will be respected;

  1. The Embrace Film Project was funded by Creative Scotland through the Culture Collective Programme. Only non-commercial uses of the film are permitted.
  2. The film was intended to be shown as a whole and it is important that the stories of the young people are respected and remain within this context. No derivatives or adaptions of the film are permitted unless permission has been given.
  3. Credit must be given to all the creators of the film (please refer to the film credits).
  4. The film can only be shared on social media if all of the above guidelines are adhered to.
  5. For further information please contact: EmbraceFilmProject@hotmail.com

This short video from Edinburgh University can be used to introduce children aged 8-11 to the concept of neurodiversity.

Neurodevelopmental conditions refers to a range of diagnosis that a child may receive to confirm that they are processing information in a different way to the general population. The PINES Highland website contains lots of useful information, please see

The CIRCLE Education resources are free and are designed for teachers and other people working in schools and early years settings to support inclusion and participation of all learners:

Autism

Autism is a conditions which affects the way people communicate and interact with the world. It is called Autism Spectrum because it affects people in different ways. Around 1 in 100 people are Autistic.

The National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) resources including CIRCLE, SCERTS etc can be accessed here:

For more information about Autism please see:

 ADHD

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition with impacts on focus, impulse control and emotional responses. For more information about ADHD please see:

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia are descriptive terms used to refer to the range of identifiable strengths and difficulties children and young people may have with literacy, numeracy and other skills. Dyslexia and Dyscalculia are not medical diagnoses and an identification can be made by specialist school staff using the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit, please see Assessing and Monitoring | Addressing Dyslexia and the Dyscalculia resources from the Addressing Dyslexia | What is dyscalculia and the Dyscalculia | Resources | Education Scotland

For more information about dyslexia please see:

For more information about dyscalculia please see: