Neurodiverse people have superpowers! They will literally save the planet!

Hyper-focus, systems design, programming, scientific analysis, creative insight—there’s a lot of overlap between the kinds of skills that built the tech economy, and the superpowers of the neurodiverse. There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and other tech-heavy areas have a higher rate of autism diagnoses among their children.

Our species is evolving to become more neurodiverse, as a response to the ways we have changed the environment. It’s my bet that neurodiverse people will be key players in solving the problems that threaten our existence, such as climate change, because unlike most neurotypicals, they can’t easily ignore uncomfortable circumstances. Most of us learn to compartmentalize the idea that, say, much of our coastline will be underwater in 50 years, or that the Trump administration is killing small children and wrecking our democratic institutions. Neurodiverse people, not so much. They don’t have those cognitive filters. They see a problem, and will not rest until they solve it.

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