The Value of a Diagnostic Label: Belonging, Language, and the Human Brain
Many parents hesitate to pursue a diagnostic label for their child, often out of fear that the label will limit how others see them. This hesitation is understandable in a society where discrimination and lowered expectations can follow neurodivergent (ND) identities. But avoiding a label doesn’t erase neurodivergence—it only removes a potential path toward understanding, belonging, and self-compassion.
The Brain and the Need for Categories
The human brain is wired to process language—and therefore information—through categories. This is likely an evolutionary adaptation: to learn, we must relate new information to what we already know. Whether it’s an object, a feeling, or a complex idea, our brains organize understanding by forming connections within existing mental “folders.” Labels, then, are not about confinement—they’re about making meaning.
When we name something, we give it context. Without language, even the most vivid experiences can feel isolated. A diagnostic label works the same way—it gives the brain a framework for understanding a set of experiences and challenges.
The Risk of No Category
While some parents worry that a label will confine their child to a category, the opposite risk is often overlooked: a child without any framework for understanding their differences may feel like the only one who struggles in certain ways. When a person doesn’t see themselves reflected in others, their brain may interpret that isolation as evidence of being “wrong” or “broken.”
Receiving a diagnosis, on the other hand, can offer belonging. It connects individuals to a community with shared experiences, language, and strengths. It says: you are not alone, and you were made this way on purpose.
Balancing Strengths and Challenges
Labels also create opportunities for balanced awareness. Every neurotype carries both strengths and struggles. A child with ADHD, for example, might have an extraordinary ability to hyperfocus, absorb information deeply, or think creatively—yet also find it difficult to transition tasks or sustain attention in less stimulating situations. When we present these realities together, we model for children that difference does not mean deficiency.
The Larger Human Spectrum
Sometimes people respond to neurodiversity conversations with “Well, aren’t we all a little autistic?” While this statement can be well-intentioned, it risks diluting the lived experience of autistic individuals. Yes, neurodivergent people are fully human—but their sensory and emotional experiences are often more intensely human. Their heightened shifts in arousal and perception illuminate the depth of what it means to exist in a human body and brain.
A Diagnosis is Not a Sentence—It’s a Map.
A diagnosis is not a sentence—it’s a map. It helps us locate ourselves within a landscape of human variation, to see both our shared humanity and our unique wiring. By giving our children language for their experiences, we offer them not limitation, but liberation: the freedom to understand themselves, connect with others, and live without shame.
