A plain-language guide for Hong Kong
What is neurodivergent? It’s a word that gets used a lot — and explained badly, or not at all. Here’s the straightforward version.
What it means
Neurodivergent means your brain processes information, learns, or behaves in ways that differ from what’s considered typical. That’s it. It’s not a diagnosis. It’s not a label with a fixed list. It’s a way of describing the fact that human brains don’t all work the same way — and that’s normal. The opposite term is neurotypical: brains that follow the majority pattern.
What conditions are included
Neurodivergent commonly includes:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia (also called developmental coordination disorder)
- Dyscalculia
- Tourette syndrome
- Sensory processing differences
Some people also include anxiety, OCD, and other conditions. There’s no single definitive list — the word is broad by design.
Why the word matters
Before terms like neurodivergent became common, people with these conditions were often described only through deficit. What they couldn’t do. What was wrong.
Neurodivergent doesn’t erase real challenges. But it shifts the frame from ‘broken’ to ‘different.’ That shift matters. It changes how people see themselves, how families understand their kids, and how schools and workplaces respond.
What this looks like in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has growing awareness of neurodiversity, but support systems are still catching up. Diagnosis waiting lists are long. School support is inconsistent. Workplaces are only beginning to build inclusion frameworks.
That’s what Talos Foundation works on. We distribute free lanyards and buttons so neurodivergent people can signal their needs in public without explaining themselves. We train corporate teams and schools. And we’re telling stories that Hong Kong hasn’t heard yet.
Language shapes how people are treated. Getting this one right matters.
Invisible Differences — Hong Kong’s first neurodiversity film
One of the things Talos Foundation is doing right now is producing Invisible Differences — Hong Kong’s first animated short film built entirely from real interviews with neurodivergent Hongkongers.
The film is not a documentary in the traditional sense. It’s animation. The choice is deliberate: some of the people whose stories are in the film use AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) technology, and animation lets the storytelling reflect how people actually communicate — not just how they speak.
Phase one of production is funded. The rest isn’t yet. We’re fundraising now to finish it.
A guide tells you what neurodivergent means. A film shows you what it feels like. We need both.
Get involved or support the work:
Back Invisible Differences — help us finish Hong Kong’s first neurodiversity film: click here.
Free Lanyard Programme — open to everyone, no proof required: Contact us.
Learn more about Talos Foundation: talos-foundation.org