Helen Bach: Unveiling the Neurodiverse Mind

A good friend of mine summoned the bravery to inform her general practitioner that she suspected she might be on the autistic spectrum. The doctor’s reaction was that since she had reached the age of 50 without receiving a diagnosis before, he saw little reason for her to pursue one at this stage.

Think about how that must have made her feel? Unfortunately, this scenario is not rare, as illustrated in Chris’s documentaries. Given that neurodivergent conditions are lifelong, a diagnosis at any age seems valuable, especially considering that one in every seven people has some degree of neurodiversity.

I viewed the autism documentaries when they initially released, but the recent ones – now accessible on BBC iPlayer – concentrate on ADHD and dyslexia.

Educational and poignant might be the most fitting descriptors for his account. The youth named Henry, who has ADHD, poignantly outlined the experience of living with this disorder, perpetually anxious about others' perceptions. Despite his struggles, he exhibited intelligence, eloquence, creativity, and wit.

The elderly lady with ADHD bounced from one employment to another – her father nicknamed her a butterfly – and she wasn’t diagnosed until her symptoms intensified during perimenopause. She experienced frustration at having lived without understanding her struggles, and as I watched the show, I shared her anger and empathised with other women facing similar circumstances.

The programme on Dyslexia included Lee from Wales, who referred to himself as merely a builder. However, this understated him—he’s actually a cornerstone of his community, an emergency responder, and a great vocalist—though he does face challenges with reading and completing paperwork. Additionally, Chris’s stepdaughter Megan, who likewise has Dyslexia, shared how she overheard her primary school teacher label the desk where she sat as ‘the dumb table’; it was truly distressing.

Bear in mind the statistics – one out of every seven individuals possesses neurodiversity. This implies that each of us encounters someone with such traits, regardless of whether they have received an official diagnosis or not.