I'm not really agreeing with Penguin this time. Too many real life examples.

I have friends who had two boys somewhere on the spectrum. They were the kids who could not sit a desk to do their math sheets. No amount of wise verbiage could convince them to sit still.

But add in a little medication, they were able to better participate with the other kids. They got their high school diplomas and have been gainfully employed ever since. They no longer take the medication as they have developed coping mechanisms to make sense of their world.

In contrast, where similar kids are not diagnosed and not treated, they tend to drift towards the dysfunctional side of life.

Like my stepson. My wife refused to diagnose and treat because she does not like the stigma of mental illness. He did not have friends in school because he was a little too weird. He did not finish high school. He works in food delivery, which does not pay minimum wage or pay depreciation for his car.

Our second son is also on the spectrum. He is taking medication by court order. He is now doing better in school.

Neurodivergence is a strange term, probably because all of us have some tendencies--and the experts are not exactly united. But if we have too many tendencies, we need help. But with that help, we still need to be held accountable.