A paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women-those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder-exploring why these traits are overlooked in women and how society benefits from allowing their unique strengths to flourish.
As a successful Harvard and Berkeley-educated writer, entrepreneur, and devoted mother, Jenara Nerenberg was shocked to discover that her "symptoms"--only ever labeled as anxiety-- were considered autistic and ADHD. Being a journalist, she dove into the research and uncovered neurodiversity-a framework that moves away from pathologizing "abnormal" versus "normal" brains and instead recognizes the vast diversity of our mental makeups.
When it comes to women, sensory processing differences are often overlooked, masked, or mistaken for something else entirely. Between a flawed system that focuses on diagnosing younger, male populations, and the fact that girls are conditioned from a young age to blend in and conform to gender expectations, women often don't learn about their neurological differences until they are adults, if at all. As a result, potentially millions live with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed neurodivergences, and the misidentification leads to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and shame. Meanwhile, we all miss out on the gifts their neurodivergent minds have to offer.
Divergent Mind is a long-overdue, much-needed answer for women who have a deep sense that they are "different." Sharing real stories from women with high sensitivity, ADHD, autism, misophonia, dyslexia, SPD and more, Nerenberg explores how these brain variances present differently in women and dispels widely-held misconceptions for example, it's not that autistic people lack sensitivity and empathy, they have an overwhelming excess of it .
Nerenberg also offers us a path forward, describing practical changes in how we communicate, how we design our surroundings, and how we can better support divergent minds. When we allow our wide variety of brain makeups to flourish, we create a better tomorrow for us all.
NERENBERG JENARA
Imparte numerosas conferencias sobre neurociencia, innovación, sensibilidad, liderazgo y diversidad. El Aspen Institute la seleccionó como presentadora del festival «Brave new idea» Una nueva idea valiente por su trabajo en el replanteamiento de la neurodiversidad, Jenara también es la fundadora y anfitriona de The Neurodiversity Project. Se tituló en la Escuela de Salud Pública de Harvard y en UC Berkeley. Su trabajo ha sido publicado en Fast Company, la revista New York, Susan Cain's Quiet Revolution, Garrison Institute, Elaine Aron's HSP, Healthline, KQED, y en otros medios. Además de su trabajo como periodista, es facilitadora de talleres, oradora y anfitriona de eventos para instituciones como la Escuela de Posgrado de Negocios de Stanford y otras instituciones del Área de la Bahía de San Francisco.
