In 2023 I met my neurodivergent brain for the very first time. As a late-diagnosed, high-masking “AuDHDer”, it was not until my mid-thirties that I learnt I’d been living with undiagnosed ADHD and autism. I am one of a growing number of Australian adults who initially discovered their children’s neurodivergence then began following the breadcrumbs all the way to their own diagnosis. The year began with my middle child’s autism diagnosis. Soon after, our family of seven quickly began accumulating labels like collectible cards. With six out of the seven of us diagnosed with something by the end of 2023, we almost had a complete set. This sudden eruption of “neurospiciness” not only permeated my household, but my social media feeds too, as the algorithm sent a sudden onslaught of neurodiversity-related content my way.

Neurodivergent influencers have carved out a sizeable chunk of the internet over these last few years, using their social media platforms to advocate, educate, and celebrate neurodiversity in all its forms. Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that encompasses any variation of brain wiring that significantly differs from what is typical brain functioning. Dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, tic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sensory processing disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and many more brain-based differences all fall under the neurodiversity banner, but ADHD and autism seem to be getting much of the airtime on social media. Searching the #ADHD hashtag will reveal a plethora of testimonies from people about the day they were diagnosed. They’ll often describe it as one of the best days of their lives. The recurring sentiment is one of finally being able to understand themselves. This diagnosis has become the key to thousands of adults seeing their entire lives in a new light and in a way that finally makes sense. The diagnosis that was once seen as the label given to naughty schoolboys who can’t sit still has become a salvation story of sorts, becoming a key component in the identity of so many thousands of people across the globe.

A Kind of Salvation Story

We’re in a cultural moment that is shedding the stigma attached to these labels. The ever-growing body of research and awareness around neurodiversity, that didn’t exist a generation ago, has shifted the cultural landscape. There is now an unprecedented prevalence of and positivity toward neurodivergent individuals. We Christians can thank God that he is moving our society in a direction that is becoming more open to embrace, celebrate and support brain-based differences of ourselves and our neighbours.

In reflecting on my own diagnosis journey, as well as hearing the stories of others who’ve walked similar paths, I’ve noticed some interesting parallels between a positive story of neurodiversity and a Christian conversion testimony. For many, a diagnosis is more than just a label on paper. It is an explanation as to why life is hard. It’s the key that unlocks our ability to see ourselves with clarity. It’s an invitation to belong to a community united around a common story. What the gospel offers to us in fullness is echoed in the experience of embracing one’s neurodivergence.

The true gospel is revealed throughout the unfolding story of Scripture, the story of creation, fall, redemption and restoration. Noticing the parallels between this great story of salvation and the story of embracing neurodiversity helps us understand why a diagnosis matters so deeply to the recipient. The similarities (and contrasts) between the two stories can also provide a fresh way for us all to appreciate God’s good news. Thinking about neurodiversity within the context of redemptive history enables us to cross-check various ways that people talk about neurodiversity, to ensure we are thinking about this important topic biblically.

Looking Toward Restoration

In the months following my diagnosis, I eagerly began engaging with books, therapists and other neurodivergent folk, all in an attempt to better understand this new side of myself. Of course, it wasn’t new at all. I was the same person I’d always been, my diagnosis only brought to light what had been there all along. But this is one of the strange paradoxes of neurodivergence. In one sense, a diagnosis didn’t change anything, yet on the other hand, my diagnosis changed everything. One such change was that I now had a vocabulary to understand and explain the challenges that came with being neurodivergent. Not only could I better articulate why life was hard, but I was also handed a roadmap to find reprieve from these challenges. It wasn’t a very comprehensive roadmap, mind you. Autism and ADHD don’t come with user manuals. But for me, diagnosis unlocked the pathway toward medication, skill building, strategies, supports, therapy, coaching groups and self-advocacy, as I began to understand and appreciate the unique constellation of strengths and challenges inside the brain God had given me. Diagnosis steered me in the right direction to experience a happier, healthier life where I could flourish, rather than merely survive.

In some ways, the experience is similar to Christian conversion. My particular sin tendencies and areas of weakness didn’t vanish the moment I turned to Jesus. Neither did life suddenly become easy once I became a Christian. I was a sinner living in a sin-affected world before and after putting my faith in Jesus. But the gospel changes everything. My new identity as a person in Christ gave me certain hope of salvation, of everlasting reprieve from all of life’s hardships and hurts. In the gospel, we are not only given the promise of final restoration in the future, but become partakers in God’s restoration work now. As we live under the kingship of Jesus, as we learn to put sin to death, and as we work to rightly order the creation by subduing whatever patch of earth God has placed us in, we are carrying out God’s restorative work

It is this “restoration sentiment” that is driving much of the conversation around neurodiversity. Both the Christian community and the neurodivergent community are pursuing restorations, of sorts. The question is, what does true restoration look like? Historically, neurodivergence was seen as a deviation from the ideal. Autistic and ADHD brains were considered problematic and suboptimal, so restoration meant finding treatments and cures that would assist neurodivergent people to function more like neurotypicals. Our culture is moving away from a deficit-based understanding of neurodiversity, shifting instead toward a “neuro-affirming” perspective. This understanding rejects the idea of neurodivergent people being defective, and replaces the notion of “deficit” with “difference”. The emphasis is placed on neurodiversity being a natural part of human diversity. Neurodivergence is seen as a difference that should be accommodated, rather than a disease to be cured. Through a neuro-affirming lens, restoration is about removing barriers that prevent neurodivergent people from accessing or fully participating in society. These barriers are usually invisible, but they exist in our schools, playgrounds, shopping centres, entertainment and leisure complexes, in government, and even in our churches.

Forming a biblical perspective on what is a defect and what is a difference in regard to neurodiversity is not easy. The Bible gives us some guidance about what restoration looks like in terms of illness, disability and people deviating from the societal norm, but we are not given exhaustive answers. Nevertheless, the doctrine of the Fall warns us against overly simplistic affirmation, just as neuro-affirming culture warns us against overly simplistic labelling of difference as a problem that needs fixing. Whilst the Bible doesn’t have anything explicit to say about the topic of neurodiversity, it has a lot to say about restoration. God’s restoration work, first promised in Genesis 3:15, culminated in the death and resurrection of Jesus. God is now at work restoring a people for himself by granting them faith in Jesus. As we await Jesus’ return, looking forward to the day when we will live forever as restored people in a restored creation, we are learning to live out our new restored identity.

Much of the noise in the neurodiversity space is around challenging the notion that neurotypical people are the “gold standard” of humanity. Without a consensus on how the “ideal human” functions, we can’t know whether restoration comes by changing the individual, or by changing the society around them. Should restoration come through neurodivergent people conforming themselves to the pattern of neurotypical society (by seeking treatment or a cure)? Or should neurotypical society modify its pattern in order to accommodate neurodivergent people? These are important questions, but the gospel transcends this problem by focussing our concern on something far bigger and better. God’s “gold standard” for humanity is Jesus Christ. Regardless of a person’s neurotype, they can share in God’s restoration by trusting in Christ and imitating him. This might take some pressure off needing to have all t

he answers in this life to what is the ideal or norm of humanity in areas of neurology and biology, and make us open to being welcoming and inclusive of differences among people.

Diagnosis and Sanctification
Getting diagnosed was the springboard to a healthier, happier, more functional and more self-aware version of myself. But it was also a tool for my sanctification. Spiritual disciplines that I’d always struggled with didn’t suddenly become easy, but by better understanding my brain and biology, I was able to leverage tools and strategies to work with my brain, rather than against it, as I pursued godliness. I remember reading the Bible for the first time since being on stimulant medication for ADHD. I had grown up as a church kid and was well acquainted with the Bible, and yet I was reading with a newfound clarity that I didn’t even know existed. Medication helped me listen and stay focused through sermons and Bible studies. Regulating my nervous system by embracing healthy sensory-seeking and sensory-avoidant behaviours helped me to grow in the fruit of the Spirit. Learning about my brain’s natural tendency toward rejection sensitivity, people-pleasing and perfectionism caused me to lift my gaze to Jesus and see that he has already met all of my emotional needs in infinite measure. Learning about my own capacity and limitations grew me in humility and dependence on God.

Despite our culture’s growing acceptance of neurodiversity, there still seems to be a degree of cynicism and lack of understanding in our churches. It is right to be cautious about how we intensely we embrace our neurodiversity, for we are defined by Jesus first and foremost (Gal 3:28). Additionally, we need to be mindful of giving license to sin on the basis of biology. But we are embodied souls. Our identity exists within a body that God purposefully designed for us. Our brain is an organ within that body, and brings with it creaturely limitations. Likewise, our brains are subject to the same corruption and decay that has permeated all of creation ever since the Fall. By becoming better acquainted with my unique, God-given body and by learning how to best live in it to bring God glory, I am growing in my sanctification.

There are at least two ways we can get neurodiversity wrong. There’s the risk of over-emphasising and over-embracing our neurodivergent identity to the point of abandoning our gospel identity. But to use the gospel as the reason to invalidate or dismiss someone else’s neurodivergent experience is an overcorrection that can also have negative spiritual implications. A healthy view of neurodiversity is one that validates the neurodivergent experience without invalidating the gospel. As a neurodivergent person living in a neurotypical world, I don’t need to choose between changing myself to fit the world or changing the world to fit me. I trust in the Lord of all creation. By his providence, as human beings learn more about biology and psychology, and develop effective therapies, supports and systems of social life, we have further opportunities to live well and love others, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent. God is also at work restoring all things. He is restoring me through his Holy Spirit dwelling within me, he is restoring community life as his Spirit-filled community live together in grace and truth, and shine as a light in the world. And one day soon he will return to establish a new restored world where everything will be made right.

Thinking Biblically About Neurodiversity
The journey my family and I have been on these last few years has highlighted to me just how important it is for Christians to think biblically. This is no simple task. You can’t look up ADHD or ASD in your Bible index and expect to find verses that speak directly to the topic. Nevertheless, the gospel speaks into all of life. We need to understand the experience of diagnosis, support and acceptance within this larger story, too.

As the body of Christ, we need to be ready to love, welcome and embrace neurodivergent people in order to show them that the gospel offers something profoundly better than what the world offers. How this looks in practice will vary from church to church, but it begins with a willingness to receive neurodivergent people the way Jesus does.

Likewise, neurodivergent Christians must be careful to not immediately affirm all that the culture says about neurodiversity, but instead to test it against Scripture, receive what is true, and throw out the rest. The body of knowledge we now have about neurodiversity is a common grace from God, but it can only hold true in the light of Christ. Resources to support and strengthen Christians to think biblically about neurodiversity are few and far between. It is my hope that over the coming years, more content will emerge addressing the topic of neurodiversity through a distinctly Christian lens.

Learning how the gospel shapes and informs my experience as a neurodivergent woman married to a neurodivergent husband raising neurodivergent children has led me to a deeper love for Jesus, and shown me all the more clearly the riches of his glorious gospel. I’m thankful for my diagnosis and for the clarity it gives me in navigating life on this earth, but I’m even more thankful for the hope I have in Christ. In the joys and challenges of being a neurodivergent person living in a neurotypical world, I have the certain hope of being a restored person living in a restored world.

This article was first published 1 November 2024 by The Gospel Coalition and is reproduced with permission
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