Neurodiversity Celebration Week: My family's beautiful, bittersweet chaos.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is here, and for my family, that means it’s time to celebrate the quirks, the chaos, and the creative genius that come with having brains that refuse to play by the rules. As a woman with ADHD and the mother of two neurodivergent sons—one with ADHD and the other with AuDHD (Autism + ADHD)—this week feels like a personal holiday. It’s a time to honor the unique ways our minds work, spread awareness, and, most importantly, remind the world that we're not broken—just running on a different operating system.

My Late ADHD Diagnosis: A Plot Twist I Didn’t See Coming

Finding out I had ADHD as an adult was like someone handing me the director’s cut of my life—suddenly, all those “deleted scenes” made sense. As a kid, I knew I wasn’t quite like my classmates. I was tested for learning disabilities. Then for seizures. Then for…who knows what else. But after all that testing, the grand conclusion was:➡ We don’t know. Just try harder.

Try harder? Sure, because that was the problem all along.

It never occurred to anyone that my struggles with focus, math (ugh), and some neurological and sensory differences had an explanation. Meanwhile, I could memorize entire books, spell like a champ, and hyperfocus on my passions, like performing on my school's colorguard and winterguard teams, where I truly excelled. Now, as an adult, it all clicks. It's no surprise that I found success working in Emergency Management—a field where no two days are the same, chaos is part of the job, and there’s no soul-crushing cubicle life. I’ve never met an emergency I didn’t want to manage (or at least hyperfixate on for hours).

Why We Celebrate Neurodiversity

Neurodivergence has historically been treated as something that needs to be fixed—but here’s the thing: we’re not broken. We just process, think, and experience the world differently.

My sons are perfect examples of this. They’re both neurodivergent, and while they share some traits, they experience life in totally different ways. My oldest is a "classic" ADHD case study, whose personality and scholastic traits are similar to my own (except he excelled in math but struggled in English/writing). With AuDHD (Autism & ADHD), my youngest son is more complex, introverted, deep-thinking, and sometimes sensory-overloaded. He's one of the most empathetic humans I've ever met, although you'd never know it on the surface.

When they were little, parenting them sometimes felt like playing two different video games on the same screen. Fast-forward to now—they’re young adults carving their own paths for the future.

Neurodivergence isn’t a flaw. It’s a different way of operating, and if supported properly, it can lead to amazing strengths.

The Stats: Just How Many of Us Are Out Here?

Spoiler: A LOT.

• ADHD: Affects 5-7% of children and 2-5% of adults worldwide (and plenty go undiagnosed, especially women).

• Autism: About 1 in 36 children is diagnosed as autistic.

• AuDHD: The overlap between ADHD and autism is massive, with 30-80% of autistic individuals also having ADHD (because, of course, we love a good combo deal).

• Dyslexia: Affects up to 20% of the population—meaning many brilliant minds struggled through school while being told they just weren’t trying hard enough (sound familiar?).

Despite these numbers, neurodivergent folks are still navigating a world designed for neurotypicals. That’s why this week matters.

Famous (and Probably Neurodivergent) Icons

Neurodivergent people have been shaking things up throughout history. Some were officially diagnosed, while others just scream “ADHD brain” or “autism brilliance” in hindsight.

• Albert Einstein (suspected Autism/ADHD) – The guy forgot to put on socks but changed physics forever.

• Simone Biles (ADHD) – Literally flips through life at an elite level.

• Greta Thunberg (Autism) – Calls her autism her “superpower” and is changing the world.

• Emma Watson (ADHD) – Hermione had ADHD? No wonder I related so hard.

• Richard Branson (Dyslexia & ADHD) – Built an empire by refusing to think inside the box.

• Temple Grandin (Autism) – Transformed the livestock industry and became a leading voice in autism advocacy.

These people prove that neurodivergence isn’t a limitation—it’s often the thing that fuels brilliance.

So, What’s Next?

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is about embracing, educating, and making the world a better place for neurodivergent individuals. It’s about ensuring future generations don’t have to go through years of confusion, misdiagnosis, and “just try harder” nonsense.

For me, it’s also about recognizing how far I’ve come—from a kid who "masked" her way through primary school and hyperfocused on her strenths in high school, to an adult who found a career that fits her brain perfectly. And, it’s about celebrating my sons (and people like them) for exactly who they are—quirks, strengths, and all.

So here’s to the ADHDers, the Autistics, the AuDHDers, the Dyslexics, and everyone else in the neurodivergent club. We're not broken, we're wired differently. And, that’s something to celebrate! 🎉