Beyond Born This Way: The Multiple Origins of Neurodivergence
- Dec 20, 2025
- 9 min read
Why labels fall short — and how a neutral, non-diagnostic tool emerged to map cognitive states and differences, clarify how to meet them, reduce friction, and allow human potential to fully unfold
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Did you know?
Neurodivergence has more than one origin story.
It is often described as something people are born with. That is only part of the picture.
At its most accurate level, neurodivergent simply describes a brain that operates outside the statistical and cultural norms of “neurotypical” functioning — in attention, perception, regulation, cognition, emotion, or motor control.
Different wiring.
Different rhythms.
Different thresholds.
What is often overlooked is that neurodivergence does not only carry friction.
It carries an extraordinary reservoir of insight, pattern recognition, creativity, systems thinking, and innovation.
Much of that potential remains untapped because it is rarely met in ways that allow it to come into full expression. When cognitive differences are filtered through rigid expectations, misread through labels, or forced into standardized molds, their unique contributions remain invisible.
Understanding neurodivergence therefore extends beyond inclusion.
It is a design question.
It also shifts our understanding of prevalence: when neurodivergence is no longer seen as purely inborn, it becomes evident that neurocognitive difference can affect anyone — and that widely cited figures, such as the often-quoted 20%, warrant re-examination.
What genuinely excites me is when someone asks:
“So… what does neurodivergent actually mean?”
Because that question reflects curiosity rather than categorization — and it shows how much of this field is still being actively understood. This is where awareness work becomes more important than labels.
Over the last few years, the neurodiversity discourse has expanded — rightly so — to include neurocognitive changes that emerge over time, not only those present from early development.
Let’s unpack that.
Two pathways into neurodivergence
1. Neurodivergence present from early development
These neurotypes are shaped by genetics and early neurodevelopment. They often appear in childhood, even if recognition comes later.
Including:
Autism spectrum profiles
AuDHD
ADHD / ADD
Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia
High Sensitivity
Tourette syndrome
Giftedness
Nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD)
Intellectual Disability
These profiles tend to be lifelong, but their expression is not fixed.
It varies with:
environment
stress load
sensory demands
masking and compensation
structural support
Importantly, neurodivergence itself is not synonymous with disability.
However, it can become functionally disabling when:
systems are rigid
sensory load is excessive
expectations ignore processing differences
regulation demands exceed capacity
In some cases — such as severe or extrem unregulated ADHD, certain autism profiles, or complex Tourette expressions — functional limitations may be persistent or permanent, particularly without adequate support.
The disabling factor is often contextual, not inherent.
2. Neurodivergence that emerges through events or neurological change
The brain is plastic. It adapts, reorganizes, and sometimes rewires dramatically in response to life events.
Neurodivergent states can emerge through:
psychological trauma (e.g. PTSD)
stroke or acquired brain injury
neuroinflammatory conditions (e.g. multiple sclerosis)
neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson’s, dementia, Alzheimer’s)
post-viral syndromes (including Long COVID)
chronic toxic exposure (e.g. mold illness)
complex infectious diseases (e.g. Lyme disease)
psychiatric conditions with strong neurobiological components (e.g. schizophrenia)
sensory processing alterations (e.g. auditory processing differences | APD)
These forms of neurodivergence often involve:
altered attention or processing speed
executive dysfunction
sensory hypersensitivity
emotional regulation changes
cognitive fatigue
identity and role disruption
Here, disability can be temporary, fluctuating, progressive, or permanent.
For example:
Post-viral cognitive impairment may improve over time.
PTSD symptoms can reduce significantly with appropriate treatment and regulation.
Neurodegenerative conditions often involve increasing functional limitations over time.
Including these profiles in the neurodiversity conversation is not about blurring categories.It is about describing reality accurately.
A critical intersection: neurodivergence & Parkinson’s
One of the most important — and still under-recognized — findings is the elevated prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in neurodivergent populations.
Large registry studies suggest that autistic individuals have an approximately four- to five-fold increased risk of developing Parkinson’s later in life. Emerging research also explores dopaminergic links between ADHD and Parkinson’s.
This reframes Parkinson’s as more than a late-onset condition.
It becomes part of a lifespan neurobiological trajectory, involving:
dopamine regulation
sensory and motor processing
cognitive load
stress vulnerability
This insight has implications for early markers, prevention research, and system design — especially in work and healthcare contexts.
Where does bipolar disorder fit?
Bipolar disorder illustrates why simple binaries do not work.
There is strong evidence for genetic and neurobiological predisposition, while environmental stress, trauma, sleep disruption, and life events significantly shape expression.
It is best understood as a neurobiological vulnerability interacting with lived experience — not as purely innate or purely acquired.
Where does epilepsy fit?
Epilepsy illustrates why functional understanding matters more than diagnostic labels.
While some forms of epilepsy are rooted in genetic or early neurodevelopmental differences, others emerge through injury, infection, inflammation, or structural brain change. Across both, expression varies widely.
What matters in practice is not the diagnosis itself, but how neurological stability, sensory thresholds, cognitive tempo, energy, and recovery fluctuate over time.
Epilepsy is best understood as a neurological condition that can create stable, episodic, or fluctuating neurocognitive states — interacting with environment, stress, sleep, and medication — rather than as a single, fixed category.
Where does OCD fit?
OCD demonstrates the limits of label-based thinking. Although classified as a psychiatric disorder, its functional impact lies in how it constrains cognitive flexibility and regulation. Viewed functionally, OCD can create sustained or episodic cognitive states that meaningfully affect work and relationships — making non-diagnostic, context-aware understanding essential.
Overview: Two Pathways into Neurodivergence
Pathway 1: Present from early development | Pathway 2: Emerging through events or neurological change |
Origin: Genetics & early neurodevelopment | Origin: Brain change through events, illness, or injury |
Autism spectrum profiles | Psychological trauma (e.g. PTSD) |
AuDHD | Stroke or acquired brain injury |
ADHD / ADD | Neuroinflammatory conditions (e.g. MS) |
Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia | Neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson’s, dementia, Alzheimer’s) |
High Sensitivity | Post-viral syndromes (incl. Long COVID) |
Tourette syndrome | Chronic toxic exposure (e.g. mold illness) |
Giftedness | Complex infectious diseases (e.g. Lyme disease) |
Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) | Sensory processing alterations (e.g. APD) |
Intellectual Disability | Psychiatric conditions with strong neurobiological components (e.g. schizophrenia) |
Course: Lifelong neurotype, variable expression | Course: Temporary, fluctuating, progressive, or permanent |
Disability risk: Context-dependent | Disability risk: Capacity- and course-dependent |
Contextual / Bridging Profiles
Profile | Why it sits between categories |
Bipolar disorder | Genetic vulnerability shaped strongly by stress, sleep, and life events |
Epilepsy | Can be genetic, developmental, or acquired; creates stable, episodic, or fluctuating cognitive states |
OCD | Psychiatric classification with functional impact on cognitive flexibility and regulation |
Key principle: These profiles matter functionally, regardless of whether they fit neatly into a single origin category.
One path begins with how the brain develops.
The other begins with how life reshapes it.
What matters in practice is not the label — but how cognition functions right now and what support enables it to unfold.
Moving beyond labels: why this distinction matters
The goal of neurodiversity discourse is not classification for its own sake.
Labels can help with:
access to support
shared language
research clarity
But labels are secondary.
What matters first is:
understanding how a brain processes information
recognizing where friction or overload arises
distinguishing between temporary and permanent limitations
designing environments that reduce unnecessary strain
Neurodivergence is a lens.
A lens that shifts the focus from:
“What is wrong with this person?”to“What does this nervous system need to function sustainably here?”
The practical shift: awareness → understanding → action
A neurodiversity-informed approach asks different questions:
What cognitive or sensory demands does this context create?
Where might overload, delay, or shutdown occur?
Which supports reduce friction rather than increase dependency?
Is the current limitation temporary, fluctuating, or permanent?
What adjustments enable participation with dignity?
This applies to leadership, healthcare, education, and everyday human interaction.
And this is why I welcome the growing curiosity.
Every time someone asks “What does neurodivergent really mean?”,it signals a move away from labeling — and toward understanding.
That is where meaningful change begins.
If you lead people — or work closely with them — this book offers a functional approach to neurodivergence that replaces assumptions with clarity and enables sustainable contribution.
From labels to lenses: what actually helps in practice
Once we accept that neurodivergence can be innate, acquired, temporary, fluctuating, or permanent, one conclusion becomes unavoidable:
👉 Labeling alone does not help people function better together.
In leadership, teamwork, healthcare, or close relationships, the decisive question is rarely“What is this called?”and much more often“What is happening here — and how do we work with it?”
This is where the discourse needs to shift.
Away from identity-first or diagnosis-first thinking
and toward functional understanding:
How does this nervous system process input?
Where does friction reliably occur?
Which conditions stabilize capacity — and which drain it?
This shift is especially important when cognitive changes are event-related, temporary, progressive, or context-sensitive, where static labels fail to capture lived reality.
A functional alternative: SNIP as a leadership lens, not a diagnosis
The Systemic NeuroCognitive Indexing Protocol™ (SNIP) was designed precisely for this gap.
SNIP does not diagnose.
SNIP does not assign categories or deficits.
Instead, it maps where and how cognitive divergence shows up functionally — so leaders, teams, and individuals can respond with clarity rather than assumption.
SNIP maps divergence in cognitive function, not identity.
It organizes neurocognitive variation into five functional domains — systemic points where human processing commonly diverges from dominant expectations in work and relational systems.
The Five Functional Domains of SNIP
1. Sensory & Emotional Processing
How individuals perceive, filter, and regulate sensory and emotional input
This domain captures variation in sensory thresholds, emotional tempo, and somatic–affective coupling. Divergence here strongly influences recovery time, overwhelm risk, and emotional visibility.
Functional relevance in leadership and relationships:
Why someone shuts down in noisy meetings
Why emotional insight arrives late rather than in the moment
Why emotional depth may be misread as instability — or absence of affect as disengagement
Key point:Differences here often look interpersonal, but originate neurologically.
2. Cognitive & Temporal Regulation
How individuals manage focus, memory, time perception, and cognitive rhythm
This domain makes visible why equally capable people operate on very different cognitive clocks.
Functional relevance:
Task initiation vs. execution mismatch
Hyperfocus that drives excellence — and exhaustion
Delayed responses that are mistaken for indecision
Friction with abstract timelines or future-oriented planning
Key point:Time is processed cognitively, not universally.
3. Motor & Energy Rhythms
How movement, coordination, and energy fluctuate over time
This domain reframes behaviors that are often misinterpreted as restlessness, inconsistency, or lack of stamina.
Functional relevance:
Movement as regulation, not distraction
Boom–bust energy cycles in high performers
Invisible motor effort in dyspraxic profiles
Fatigue driven by sensory or social load rather than physical exertion
Key point:
Stillness and linear endurance are cultural norms — not neutral performance markers.
4. Social & Communication Styles
How individuals express themselves and interpret social environments
This domain explains why “communication issues” are often style mismatches, not skill deficits.
Functional relevance:
Literal interpretation vs. implicit signaling
Asynchronous depth vs. real-time fluency
Formal or scripted speech under uncertainty
Sensory bandwidth determining social availability
Key point:
Misunderstanding here is mutual — but only one side is usually pathologized.
5. Executive Function & Systems Thinking
How individuals initiate, plan, prioritize, and integrate complexity
This domain distinguishes between execution friction and strategic intelligence.
Functional relevance:
Difficulty with routine paired with exceptional novel problem-solving
Need for visual or systemic structure to replace verbal overload
Delayed starts followed by high-output phases
Resistance to oversimplification when systems thinking is strong
Key point:
Linear workflow fit is not the same as cognitive capacity.
Why this matters for leadership — and beyond
Across all five domains, SNIP operates on a simple but powerful premise:
Human variation is predictable at the functional level, even when labels are unclear, absent, or evolving.
This is critical when:
neurodivergence is acquired (e.g. post-trauma, post-viral, neurological illness)
capacity is fluctuating
limitations are temporary or progressive
formal diagnosis is unavailable, unwanted, or insufficient
In leadership and relational contexts, SNIP enables:
earlier detection of friction points
targeted role and workflow adjustments
prevention of burnout, misattribution, and conflict
sustainable collaboration without identity exposure
Visual integration: from insight to action
SNIP uses a 1–10 scale across 70 expressions
(14 per domain).These profiles can be visualized via spider charts, making patterns visible at a glance — individually and across teams.
This allows leaders to move from:
guessing → observing
labeling → designing
managing people → shaping conditions
Without asking anyone to explain or defend their identity.
The real shift
Neurodiversity-informed leadership is not about knowing more labels.
It is about reading systems accurately.
When leaders understand how cognition diverges — rather than what it is called — they unlock something far more powerful than inclusion:
alignment.
And alignment is where performance, dignity, and sustainability meet.
From labels to clarity. From difference to design.
Explore how a functional lens transforms cognitive diversity into clarity, contribution, and innovation.
👉 Download free eBooks and printable spider radar and checklists
Selected sources (for further reading)
Singer, J. (1999). “Why can’t you be normal for once in your life?” Disability Discourse
Den Houting, J. (2019). Neurodiversity: An insider’s perspective. Autism
American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5-TR)
Lai et al. (2019). Autism and Parkinson’s disease: Shared mechanisms. Movement Disorders
Croen et al. (2015). The health status of adults on the autism spectrum. Autism
Fasano et al. (2020). Parkinson’s disease in autism spectrum disorder. The Lancet Neurology
Taquet et al. (2021). Neurological and psychiatric outcomes of COVID-19. The Lancet Psychiatry
McEwen & Akil (2020). Revisiting the stress concept. Neuropsychopharmacology
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