The impact of a little bit of (neuro)spice
Ok, so imagine you are sitting in a restaurant, that happens to have lots of incredibly spicy dishes from all around the world on the menu. Now, imagine what that menu might actually look like.
NEUROSPICINESS
Ok, so imagine you are sitting in a restaurant, that happens to have lots of incredibly spicy dishes from all around the world on the menu. Now, imagine what that menu might actually look like.
You can see a Phaal Curry from India, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Sichuan Hot Pot from China, Buffalo Wings from the States, Thai Tom Yum or Pad Prik King, Indonesian Sambal, Ethopian Sik Sik Wat, even Papa a la Huancaina from Peru. OK we’ll include the “Widower Curry” from the UK – it’s a thing we promise!
Some like it hot…
If you are fan of spice and heat, and indeed world cuisine, hopefully your mouth is watering right now. (That’s ok, we’re right there with you.)
You’ll be stuck about what to choose from that amazing menu, but at the end of the day you know whatever you choose, you are going to love it and it’s going to leave you very satisfied – if not a little sweaty on the brow.
BUT… dun dun duuuun! If you haven’t ever really tried spicy food, or you just don’t get on with it, you’ll might just have your jaw open at this point, wondering what the hell it is you are going to eat. And knowing whatever it is you end up choosing (because you have to choose something in this restaurant) – it’ll probably blow your head off.
You can see where are going here, right?
Well we hope you can. It’s a similar story with neurodivergence and indeed any disability. If you don’t understand it, then it can be a little scary and you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get or how you are going to deal with it. But, as we covered in our last post, if you get it, you get it.
So, to give a little clarity, let’s talk about what it’s actually like to add a little spice to your life, with a neurodivergent-forward marketing agency, for those who might not get it and (as with a scotch bonnet) are feeling a little wary of entrusting their marketing to a bunch of disabled people.
We’re not going to talk about superpowers again, although we could because we think they are awesome. But we are going to talk about what it’s like to actually work with someone who is neurodivergent (and don’t forget we all have our individual flavours, but here’s a general idea).
Neurodivergent Reasonable Accommodations
Ok we just put that headline in there to scare you. YES – anyone with a disability will require, in some way, at some point, and maybe forever, reasonable accommodations because of their disability. There’s no getting around it. But, once in place, and once they become part of the ‘everyday’ – that’s all they are. (When you get used to the spice it doesn’t make you sweat so much!)
For neurodivergent people – as a rule – one key aspect is calm and safe working conditions. When we say calm, we mean focused, quiet, flexible and, at the same time, and structured.
And when we say safe, we mean safe to be themselves i.e. not having to ‘mask;. This is not the same as having no behavioural rules – not at all. It means that neurodivergent people don’t always react, communicate or engage in the same way as neurotypicals, but to try to fit in, they ‘mask’. It doesn’t always work.
You ever say quietly to yourself – “I bet they’re on the spectrum.”? Go on, you know you have. Well that’s because 1. they probably are, and 2. you have noticed that they don’t behave, think, act, talk in the same way as you. Ergo – you notice the difference straight away but you don’t really understand it.
On the spectrum
Now this is where some of the terminology about neurodiversity gets tricky. Neurodiversity has almost exactly the same connotation as biodiversity – but with regards to brains. That is, we live in a neurodiverse world because there are lots of different types of neurological types in it.
The term neurodivergent is actually the correct term for someone who is not neurotypical. I.e. their neurological makeup/construction does not conform to the accepted standard of what a neurotypical brain is.
However, at We Are Spicy, we – and others like us – don’t particularly like the term divergent, so we are more likely to use neurodiverse or neurospicy to describe the fact that we are not neurotypical.
Had enough of the neurodiversity semantics lesson yet? ;)
But the most important things about neurodivergence is that there is a spectrum. There are different types of neurodivergence, including Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Conditions (ASD/C), ADHD, ADD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, cognitive functioning difficulties or executive dysfunction, Dysgraphia, Misophonia, slow processing speed, stammering and Tourette’s Syndrome. This list is not exhaustive nor is it always fully agreed upon.
But what is important is the point behind all of this. Neurodivergence, as well as neurodiversity, comes in a variety of flavours and levels of spiciness. Yes, we’re getting there finally…
So, working with a bunch of neurodiverse people, is actually just like working with a bunch of neurodiverse people. (See what we did there? We’re all part of the diversity crowd.)
It just depends on the type, and spiciness level, of the particular person you are working with, and adjusting to make it a positive working relationship for all involved.
Getting the very best out of neurodiversity
And that rests on the neurodivergent people just as much as the neurotypical. We know how we like to work, what gets the very best out of us, who we work best with, under what conditions, and in what environment.
At We Are Spicy, we won’t let our spiciness dominate the conversation (or your metaphorical palate), but we will add and layer the flavour that your particular business or projects needs to get the best results. After all, we ourselves, are the masters of spice!