Rethinking Neurodivergence for a More Inclusive Future

For years, society has viewed neurodivergent people through a deficit lens. Autism, ADHD, sensory sensitivity, even traits linked to OCD or anxiety, these are often medicalised, labelled, and treated as conditions to manage or "fix." But how about asking the deeper question: What if these traits exist because evolution put them there and they’ve helped us survive?

The Cliff-Edge Model

In evolutionary medicine, the cliff-edge model explains why certain traits that increase fitness (like cognitive ability or social awareness) might still lead to mental health vulnerabilities when they are expressed beyond a certain threshold.

The model imagines a fitness landscape where benefits rise steadily until a sharp drop-off — a cliff. For most of the population, the traits enhance adaptability and survival. But for a small subset, natural variation means they overshoot, and suffer dramatic consequences.

Originally applied to schizophrenia, the model is now being considered as a broader explanation for why complex, polygenic traits persist and why some individuals experience breakdowns, not because their traits are faulty, but because evolution placed them near the edge.

Adaptive Traits -  Until They’re Not

Think of traits often seen in autism or ADHD:

• Hyperfocus

• Deep pattern recognition

• Sensory sensitivity

• High emotional empathy

• Intense creativity or curiosity

• Unusual risk tolerance (or aversion)

These aren't "malfunctions." They're expressions of human diversity, and in many cases, adaptive strengths that have allowed human groups to thrive:

• The hyper focused thinker who notices threats or patterns others miss.

• The emotionally attuned individual who supports group harmony.

• The sensory-aware person who detects danger or environmental changes.

• The divergent mind that invents, questions, and innovates.
  

But when modern environments are noisy, fast-paced, rigid, disconnected from nature, or emotionally unsafe, these same traits can become sources of overwhelm or dysfunction.

Basically, the world pushes people closer to the cliff edge.

Not a Deficit - A Mismatch

The cliff-edge model invites us to reconsider neurodivergence as a contextual mismatch rather than a biological failure. It’s not that the person is broken. It’s that the system wasn’t built for their trait expression.

Classrooms that demand quiet compliance. Workplaces that punish restlessness. Cultures that value multitasking over deep thought. These systems are designed around the neurotypical average, but the average is not the ideal,  it’s just the midpoint of a curve. And curves have edges.

Why These Traits Persist

From an evolutionary standpoint, traits linked to neurodivergence likely offered real advantages,  just not for every person in every situation. The population benefits from variety:

• Some people to lead.

• Some to question.

• Some to notice tiny changes.

• Some to focus relentlessly.
  

But evolution isn’t designed to protect every individual from every environment. It's a game of averages and trade-offs. Most people hover comfortably below the cliff. A few fall over. That doesn't mean the traits should disappear,  it means we need to build better safety rails.

What This Means for Advocacy

Understanding neurodivergence through the cliff-edge model changes the conversation from "What’s wrong with this person?" to "How can we shape environments that support their traits before they become distressing?"

Which leads to real, systemic questions:

• Are our schools designed to support sensory diversity?

• Do our workplaces allow for deep focus, movement breaks, and emotional safety?

• Are we teaching emotional literacy, self-awareness, and co-regulation?

And it reframes support not as "accommodation for the broken" but as infrastructure for human variety.

The Takeaway

Neurodivergence isn’t some sort of a ‘glitch’,  it’s part of the evolutionary spectrum of what makes us human. Traits that challenge some systems are the very same traits that once (and still can) push humanity forward.

Instead of making our first instinct to ask neurodivergent people to step back from the edge, let our first response be to redesign the ground they stand on, so they can thrive, and we can all benefit from the brilliance they bring.

😊 A Smile and a Thought 🤔

My internal monologue has its own elaborate stage show, complete with musical numbers and dramatic monologues. Sometimes it's a bit much, but never dull!

“Neurodiversity is a concept where neurological differences are to be recognised and respected as any other human variation.” - Steve Silberman

#PainCoach #CatherineSophia #neurodivergence