Neurodiversity
The week of May 19th, The Optimist Daily will focus on Neurodiversity.
Out of Body Pop is creating safe spaces for neurodivergent music fans
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Out of Body Pop, a unique music event at London's EartH Kitchen, provides a space for neurodivergent people to relax, dance, and create. The initiative, which is billed as "London's first neuro-inclusive music event series," caters to those with autism, ADHD, Read More...
WayFinder helps people with intellectual disabilities navigate independently
Many of us don’t think twice about daily tasks like going grocery shopping or visiting the mall, but for individuals with cognitive disabilities, these outings often require the assistance of a caregiver. A new app, WayFinder, hopes to make daily tasks more approachable for all by unlocking Read More...
OPTIMIST VIEW: Creating A Vision for The Life You Want
by Summers McKay In January of 2013, I sat on my living room floor amidst an egregiously large pile of magazines collected over the years, old bridal magazines, fitness, wellness, and Oprah mags, aging New Yorkers, dozens of unread Entrepreneur magazines and university alumni magazines. In Read More...
5 clever ways to sharpen your intuition
Imagine if you had a secret superpower that let you always make the best decisions for yourself. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Well, it turns out you do have such a superpower. It’s called your intuition, that little inner ‘hunch’ within you that gives you a feeling about what decisions to Read More...
Want to make a new habit stick? Research tells us this is the best technique
According to one study, only eight percent of people maintain their New Year’s resolutions for the whole year. That’s a rather unimpressive success rate, which is why during the past few years, researchers have been studying the best techniques for forming daily habits. Out of the 23 Read More...
5 Ways to cultivate a healthier microbiome this year
Conversations in health food circles often talk about the microbiome, but what exactly is the microbiome and why does it matter? The microbiome includes the microbes that live within the human gut and it is vital to both digestive and overall health. These bacteria affect digestion, mood, and Read More...
Understanding The Neurodivergent Perspective
What’s it like to live in a body and brain that functions differently than the majority of your peers? We are not talking about subtle differences - as always exist between any two minds - but rather those individuals who possess an entire mental processing system that is metaphorically blind to Read More...
How assistive technologies are helping children with ADHD in the classroom
Like we’ve said throughout this whole week, neurodiverse people with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have overlooked abilities that can be of great benefit to any organization or company. But in order to help people with neurological conditions unlock Read More...
The parents of dyslexic children are transforming the way schools teach reading
The reading proficiency of kids in America is shockingly low. Apparently, less than 40 percent of fourth and eighth-grade students nationwide are proficient readers—and the blame lies on flawed methods of teaching reading in our education systems where kids are taught simply the letters and the Read More...
Why having neurodiverse employees can give a company a competitive advantage
Yesterday we ran a story about how Goldman Sachs’ plans to hire job candidates on the autism spectrum as a way to boost diversity. As it turns out, doing so could also boost productivity within the company. Because neurodiverse people are wired differently from “neurotypical” people, they may Read More...