From the 17th – 23rd march Hong Kong along with the world celebrated the neurodiversity celebration week. This week saw several organisations holding workshops, panel discussions and events that promoted awareness around the topic.
In today’s day and age, it has become even more important to spread education around neurodiversity due to a lot of information and misinformation on social media.
What is neurodiversity
Neurodiversity, a term introduced by Judy Singer, highlights the fact that every person’s brain works differently; no two minds are exactly the same. This means people think, learn, and process information in unique ways. Instead of seeing these differences as problems, neurodiversity embraces them as a natural and important part of what makes us human.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week, observed globally, plays a crucial role in spreading awareness and fostering a more inclusive society, including in cities like Hong Kong, London, Sydney, and New York, where efforts toward neurodiverse inclusion are growing.
Types of Neuro Differences
While neurodiversity encompasses all types of thinking and processing styles, it is also sometimes used as an umbrella term for a range of neuro differences. Some of the most common neuro differences are:
1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by challenges in social communication and interaction across different situations. This includes difficulty with back-and-forth conversations, understanding social cues, and forming or maintaining relationships.
Alongside this, individuals with ASD often display repetitive behaviours, strong preferences for routines, deep interests in specific topics, and heightened sensitivity to sensory experiences.
2. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Individuals with ADHD experience ongoing challenges with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that can impact daily life. Inattention may show up as difficulty staying focused, frequent mistakes, trouble staying organized, forgetting things, or losing track of belongings.
On the other hand, hyperactivity and impulsivity might look like constant fidgeting, restlessness, difficulty sitting still, talking a lot, interrupting conversations, or acting without thinking. These behaviours can make tasks, social interactions, and routines more challenging.
3. Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects reading, spelling, and writing. It is a difficulty in processing and recognizing written words and sounds. Individuals with dyslexia may struggle with reading fluency, spelling patterns, and decoding words, often making reading feel slow and effortful.
4. Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty that affects a person’s ability to understand and work with numbers. It can make even simple tasks like counting change, telling time, or estimating distances feel confusing. People with dyscalculia may have trouble recognizing number patterns, remembering math facts, or understanding concepts like greater and smaller.
5. Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
DCD, also known as dyspraxia, is a condition where difficulties in learning and executing coordinated motor skills are more pronounced than expected for a person’s age and experience. This often appears as clumsiness, slow or imprecise movements, and struggles with tasks that require fine or gross motor skills.
These challenges can make everyday activities—such as self-care, writing, playing sports, or other routine tasks feel frustrating and overwhelming, impacting academic performance, social participation, and overall confidence.
6. Tourette’s Disorder
This is a neurological condition characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocal sounds called tics. These tics can be motor (like blinking, head jerking, or shoulder shrugging) or vocal (such as throat clearing, sniffing, or repeating words). They tend to fluctuate in severity and can be influenced by stress, excitement, or fatigue.
Raising Awareness:
While much has been spoken about neurodiversity there still is a lack of awareness around this topic. Many people often say things like ‘everybody is neurodivergent’ or ‘sometimes I feel like I am neurodiverse’. Never mind the intentions behind such remarks it minimizes the experiences of the neurodiverse populations and takes focus away from their challenges.
Neurodiversity is not a mental health condition, but neurodivergent individuals are at a higher risk of developing mental health challenges, particularly depression and anxiety. This is especially true for young neurodivergent individuals, often due to the pressure to
“mask” their natural behaviours to fit into neurotypical social norms. Masking involves consciously suppressing or altering one’s behaviours—forcing eye contact, hiding personal interests, or enduring sensory discomfort—to appear more socially acceptable. Over time, this constant effort to blend in can lead to exhaustion, emotional distress, and a heightened risk of mental health struggles. Additionally, societal stigma and limited access to appropriate support often make it difficult for neurodivergent individuals to seek help, reinforcing feelings of isolation and distress.
Educating the public:
Today, workshops around neurodiversity do not just talk about what neurodiversity or symptoms around it, rather every aspect of life is touched upon. Having a loved one who is a neurodiverse individual could be very demanding and would also mean getting some training for effective support and relationship building.
Intimacy and Neurodiversity is currently getting a lot of attention because it has never given the importance that it deserves. Human connection is an important of wellbeing and intimacy as a topic was ignored for neurodiverse individuals.
However, the neurodiversity celebration week 2025, saw several professionals that specialise in this area talk about challenges around intimacy with neurodiverse individuals.
Promoting an Inclusive Community: DE&I may have received backlash in 2025, but Hong Kong continues to stand strong as it leads in promoting an inclusive community culture. The neurodiversity celebration week was a clear example of promoting inclusiveness and building a table where everyone is welcome. Talks and workshops across schools, communities, workplaces created awareness but also provided best practices and food for thought to create an inclusive culture.
By celebrating neurodiversity week in Hong Kong, the community has come together to show that we care. Diversity is accepted, there is space for everyone to be their authentic selves, and that we can all thrive together. Various professionals, and organisations came together to celebrate the value of human diversity.
Such attitudes promote the strengths of neurodiverse individuals. By bringing together various stakeholders there could be conversations around policy and accelerate initiatives and solutions to support neurodivergent individuals.
Inclusion in the workplace
Neurodiverse individuals bring unique strengths that can enhance workplace performance. For instance, those with autism often excel in detail-oriented tasks like data analysis and quality control. Similarly, individuals with ADHD thrive in fast-paced environments, bringing creativity and strong problem-solving skills.
Dyslexic thinkers often have a knack for big-picture thinking and pattern recognition, making them valuable in fields like design, architecture, and engineering. Companies that embrace neurodiversity benefit from greater innovation, sharper problem-solving, and a more engaged workforce.
As global conversations around neurodiverse inclusion continue, businesses in Hong Kong, Berlin, and Melbourne are also making strides in fostering more accommodating work environments for neurodivergent employees.
Neurodiversity is a fundamental part of human variation, enriching our communities, schools, and workplaces with diverse perspectives and talents. By fostering acceptance, accessibility, and tailored support, we can create environments where every individual can thrive. Recognizing and celebrating these differences not only benefits neurodivergent individuals but also strengthens society as a whole, driving innovation, empathy, and collective growth.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week serves as a reminder of the importance of these efforts worldwide, helping communities, including Hong Kong, London, and Sydney, take steps toward a more inclusive future.
Photo Credits:
First image: freepik
Second image: freepik
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Augustine, A. (2024, April 18). The importance of neurodiversity in schools. EAV. https://earlyautismventures.in/importance-of-neurodiversity-in-schools/#:~:text=It%20encourages%20empathy%2C%20understanding%2C%20and,more%20inclusive%20and%20accepting%20society.
Digital, S. (2024, August 20). What are the Different Types of Neurodiversity? | Neurodiversity Types | Lexxic. Lexxic. https://lexxic.com/resources/neurodiversity
Sangha, J. K. (2023, March 27). The intersectionality of mental health and neurodiversity. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/intersectionality-mental-health-neurodiversity-%E0%A8%9C%E0%A8%97%E0%A8%AE-%E0%A8%A4-%E0%A8%95-%E0%A8%B0-%E0%A8%B8-%E0%A8%98-
Taghikilanidamavandi, L. (2024). Unlocking Potential: Embracing Neurodiversity and Mental Health in the Workplace. Economics, Finance and Management Review, (4 (20)), 80-93.
Sakshi
About the author
Sakshi is a clinical psychologist with a deep passion for understanding human behavior, a strong drive for research, and a keen eye for psychological intricacies. Committed to continuous learning, she seeks to explore every facet of psychology, from theory to practice, to better support and empower individuals. With a curiosity that fuels her pursuit of knowledge, she strives to bridge the gap between research and real-world applications, making psychology more accessible and impactful.
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