'I am different, not less"

Writer & Photographer Taylum Meyer

A Neurodiversity Centre recently opened its doors in Hermanus, offering a unique support service to neurodiverse individuals of all ages in the Overberg. The term ‘neurodiverse’ is often misunderstood and could be explained as ‘the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioural traits regarded as part of normal variation in the human population, used especially in the context of autistic spectrum disorders’.

The term was coined in the late 1990s by the Australian sociologist, Judy Singer, who rejected the idea that people with autism were ‘disabled’. Neurodiversity is complicated and often it is defined more by society’s expectations than by individual conditions.

Neurodiverse individuals have brains that are wired differently and this difference is understood to be genetic in origin. Practically this means that they process things differently from the neurotypical person.

The eight Neurodiversity Centres (NDC) in the Western Cape aim to “provide multi-disciplinary assessment, support and intervention to children, adolescents and adults presenting with neurodevelopmental needs and challenges”. They are affiliated with the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre founded by Christopher Gillberg and Agneta Holmäng, at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The NDC makes use of Gillberg's concept, ESSENCE (Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations), when working with and understanding their clients.

ESSENCE is an umbrella term which was coined by Gillberg in 2009 and refers to the presentation of ‘Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examination’. Neurodiverse individuals generally present with at least two if not three domains of neurodevelopmental difference or concern. Some examples of neurodiverse conditions falling within an ESSSENCE syndrome include ADHD, Tourette’s, dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, anxiety and OCD.

These conditions are often genetic, affect one in ten people and usually do not stand alone. According to Gillberg, problems associated with at least one condition before the age of five often signals problems in the same or overlapping conditions years later. Lack of appropriate intervention at a young age for Neurodiverse individuals can lead to an array of additional struggles such as low self-confidence, fear of failure and heightened anxiety.

Neurodevelopmental ESSENCE Centres, like the NDC, are needed for early intervention in children, but it is never too late to make a difference in someone's life. Each Neurodiversity Centre works closely with their multi-disciplinary team alongside their clients’ parents, family, teachers or employers to see how they can best improve their clients’ lives. Therapy is sometimes combined with the aid of medication and often by changing their clients’ environments to create an atmosphere in which they can learn or work calmly. To quote inspirational speaker Alexander den Hiejer, “When a flower doesn’t bloom you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”

The most recent Neurodiversity Centre to open its doors this year is the Hermanus NDC at Xpediant House in Dirkie Uys Street. The team consists of two clinical psychologists, Dr Nick Davies and Tracy Fletcher Davies, an education psychologist, Janine Boshoff, a paediatrician, Dr Michèle van Niekerk and office administrator, Monique MacDonald.

Nick and Tracy are originally from Johannesburg, where they used to run their own private practice. They discovered the NDC while looking to expand their knowledge on neurodiversity. After a few training courses with the NDC, they left for Northern Ireland in 2019 where they worked for the National Health Service for just under two years. Nick and Tracy decided to move back to South Africa in January this year and were delighted to be able to take up positions in the growing branch of the NDC in Hermanus, which is much in need of the support a centre like this can provide.

Janine and Michèle were already well-established in Hermanus before the centre opened and had started to lay the foundation for a Neurodiversity Centre through the work they were doing with neuro-atypical youngsters in the Overstrand. Both professionals had taken an interest in the NDC after feeling, at times, that there was something more going on with their client’s condition than they could easily identify. This is when they discovered the ESSENCE concept.

The Hermanus Neurodiversity Centre is here to assist neurodiverse individuals of all ages, as well as to provide support and psychoeducation for their clients’ families, schools and caregivers.

To make an appointment you can call Monique at their offices at Xpediant House (4 Dirkie Uys Street) on 087 094 2663 or email practicemanager@neurodiversitycentre.co.za. For more information visit www.neurodiversitycentre. co.za and click on ‘Services’.