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Minnesota governor and Kamala Harris’ running mate for Presidential elections Tim Walz has said he is proud of his son Gus – who has neurodivergence – an umbrella term that encompasses a range of conditions that impact brain function. Recently, Gus’ emotional moment at the Democratic National Convention went viral.
Sitting along with Harris for an interview with CNN, Walz said he was taken by surprise in the best way possible when his son stood, clapped, and tearfully shouted "That's my dad!" during his vice presidential nomination speech. Walz had recently praised the 18-year-old, calling him a “brilliant” teenager, as he lives with ADHD – an anxiety disorder and a non-verbal learning disorder.
"I don't know, as a father, I could have ever imagined that," Walz said. "I'm grateful for so many reasons to be on this ticket, but that moment, to understand what was important to, to have my son feel a sense of pride in me, that I was trying to do the right thing, and it was, you know, you try and protect your kids. You know, it brings, it brings notoriety and things, but it was just such a visceral emotional moment that I'm, I'm just, I'm grateful I got to experience it and I'm so proud of him."
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"I think the one thing is talking about the era we're in is our politics can be better, it can be different," Walz said. "We can, we can show some of these things and we can have families involved in this and I, I hope that there was, I hope people felt that out there and I hope they hug their kids a little tighter," he added.
What is neurodivergence?
According to experts, neurodivergence is a term that describes people whose brain differences affect the way they work. They have different strengths and challenges from others, which include medical disorders, learning disabilities, and other conditions. The possible strengths include better memory, being able to mentally picture 3D objects easily, the ability to solve complex mathematical calculations in their head, and many more.
The word neurodivergence came from the related term neurodiversity, coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer in 1998 to recognize that everyone’s brain develops uniquely. Experts identify neurodivergence as being differently abled. Neurodiversity means it is natural for both the adult and the child to develop differently and have their own abilities and struggles.
Signs and symptoms of being neurodivergence
According to doctors, people with very different signs and symptoms can still have the same diagnosis.
How to support those who are neurodivergence?
To be supportive of those who are neurodivergent individuals, you can keep the following in mind:
Listen
Before they feel misunderstood or left out, make sure you are willing to listen to them and respect their choices
Communicate in ways that help them
Many times, they prefer that you write and communicate through messages or texts. So, do that.
No two neurodivergent people are the same
Their personalities and thinking are very different, so deal with them individually
Don’t assume things
Those who are neurodivergent often have conditions or preferences that make them stand out or appear different.
Treat everyone with respect
Normalize taking and dealing with them