The Write Abilities, Exploring the Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius

Hello #JustWrite and hello October! Let's jump into this month's topic. As someone who has experiences within the education world, the majority of conversations that I have had through the years with educators and fellow learning facilitators is the frustration that we all share with the current educational system. Children are sometimes labeled erroneously according to their deficits and are not  fully embraced for those deficits actually being unique differences. My ongoing journey has allowed me to meet the most amazing students who fall within exceptional education labels (i.e. special needs ranging from autism, MOID, EBD, ADHD, ADD, Asperger syndrome, spina bifida, cerebal palsy, etc.) These deficiencies and disorders are discoveries as explained in this month's book club selection: The Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius by psychiatrist and best-selling author, Gail Saltz, M.D.    

  Dr. Saltz details in her book about the unique gifts of creativity, artistic abilities, empathy, and the ability to see things differently that arise from brain differences and disorders (dyslexia, depression, autism, etc.) "This book describes traits and gifts associated with seven broad categories of brain differences based on Saltz’s research and experience as Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell School of Medicine." 

The following seven categories are intentionally noted as symptoms instead of conditions: 

1. Learning Differences

2. Distractibility

3. Anxiety

4. Melancholy

5. Cycling Mood

6. Divergent Thinking

7. Relatedness

These symptoms are infused through real-life stories from individuals that Dr. Saltz interviewed to showcase that the way the brain processes and expresses itself is more important to understand than the associated label. Processes and expressions are two things that we all can agree with when it comes to creativity and artistry. 

Join us Tuesday, October 31 at 6pm for this unique and expressive conversation. Take a moment beforehand to process how these categories either resonated with you as a reader personally or if they brought forth more understanding to Saltz's views with support and empathy for those individuals who can relate.

In His service,

Lequvia Ousley