What if the world around you wasn’t designed for the way your brain works?
For millions of Australians living with neurodivergence, including attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and autism, everyday tasks can feel far more demanding than they appear.
Across classrooms, workplaces and social settings, navigating a world built around neurotypical expectations often means facing challenges that others don’t see.
For 20-year-old Eloise’s living with ADD means every day requires careful management. Diagnosed at the age of 12, she describes her as an essential part of maintaining focus and completing everyday tasks.
Elosie’s experience highlights a much wider issue that faces Australian schools, workplaces and support systems who often fall short of meeting their needs. As a growth in development and awareness expand, a call for a greater understanding and inclusive environment remains.
“I get up, I make myself breakfast, then I take my medication,” she says. “That’s when it’s like a second wake-up for me because then I can be focused and attentive”.
But as the medication wears off, so does that sense of control.
“It’s very hard to pick myself back up from where I was,” Eloise explains.
“If I get distracted by doing something else while I’m trying to do another thing, it’s very hard to circle myself back to what I was doing” she said.
While ADHD and ADD are often associated with hyperactivity or an inability to concentrate, Eloise believes those assumptions fail to capture the reality of living with the condition.
“A lot of people just think about it as you can’t stay focused or you’re too hyper, but it’s a lot deeper than that.” She says.
For many young Australians, the understanding comes through organisations working to create safe spaces and encourage honest conversations about mental health.
Youth mental health charity 20Talk is one organisation aiming to make that difference.
Co-founder Leighton Bradfield says the organisation was born from personal tragedy after he and Lachlan O’Donoghuelost two close friends to suicide in 2017.
“We realised that the current mental health and wellbeing education that was available to us just wasn’t relatable,” Bradfield says.
Instead of relying on traditional education programs, 20Talk focuses on authentic storytelling through workshops, training and media projects designed specifically for young people.
The organisation produced a 30-minute documentary titled ‘Chasing Calm’, exploring the growing pressures affecting youth mental health.
“We’ve now had this screened in over 22 schools in the last six months, with another 20 schools booked,” Lachlan O’Donoghue says.
“When you show up raw and show up vulnerable and you provide stuff that’s real, people will show up.”
While organisations such as 20Talk are helping to break down stigma, educators say support within schools have struggled to keep pace.
Teacher Sacha Freedman has witnessed the first-hand challenges of creating inclusive classrooms as more neurodivergent students enter mainstream education.
“They’re closing down those regional centres or schools and bringing these children more into the mainstream,” she says.
“They are supposed to have support in a mainstream classroom, but they don’t.”
According to Sacha, funding has not adequately followed the shift, leaving teachers with increased responsibilities and students without the assistance they need.
“As a teacher, I can see that funding has not been redistributed from the old system of having them in separate schools,” she says.
“Kids are therefore not getting the support that they need.”
The consequences extend beyond academic performance, contributing to increased stress for both teachers and students.
“I’m not sure what the answer is, but there’s a lot of stress that I see in classrooms”, Sacha says.
University student Hayley Grosse believes those challenges continue long after students leave school.
“I do not think society is designed with neurodivergent people in mind at all,” she says.
“At schools, at unis, even in the workforce, it’s not catered to.”
Despite these barriers, Hayley emphasises that everyone’s experiences deserve empathy and understanding.
“I definitely believe that every single person, neurodivergent or not, has their own individual struggles that not every person can understand.”
As awareness of neurodivergence continues to grow, so does the conversation around creating environments where different ways of thinking are recognised rather than accommodated as an afterthought.
For people like Eloise, understanding begins with moving beyond stereotypes and recognising the realities behind conditions that are often invisible.
Building a more inclusive society isn’t simply about changing policies or increasing support services, it’s about changing perspectives.
Whether through education, open conversations or simply listening to lived experiences, understanding has the power to make people feel seen.
Because when the world begins to recognise that every mind works differently, it becomes a place where everyone can thrive.
