BY RAEGAN NEUFELD
Sponsored by the Student Health and Wellness Services, Tigers Without Limits is a support group for students who are Neurodivergent. The group started this semester with the intent to foster a safe atmosphere for students to feel comfortable and be around others who are like them.
But what does it mean to be Neurodivergent?
“Neurodivergent just means that a person’s brain might learn or process information differently than what’s considered typical or neurotypical,” Practicum Student Mackenzie Giess said. “Originally the term was used specifically for people with autism, and then over time it became an umbrella term for individuals with autism, ADHD, Tourette’s, dyslexia, and different things like that.”
Brenna, a group member of Tigers Without Limits, also gave an insight into what being Neurodivergent means.
“Being Neurodivergent is quite an experience. There’s a lot of things that you have to deal with, like how the world isn’t really meant to be accommodating. A lot of people don’t really seem to care all that much about the comfort of Neurodivergent people,” she said.
Giess began her work with Health and Wellness Services, specifically Student Accessibility, last fall. The need for a support group was apparent then, but they didn’t have the right amount of staff to take it on. With more interns and senior staff members, Giess began preparing and researching last semester before launching the support group this semester. She was able to use the help of a coworker who is Neurodivergent, as well as Brenna.
“Mackenzie is my accommodations counselor,” Brenna said. “She was asking me all sorts of questions and asking what I thought, and I liked her ideas.”
According to Giess, Neurodivergent people may face problems with socializing, as it’s not an inherent skill. Other skills that may not come naturally include those that are used in the classroom and in daily living.
“It just takes a little bit longer to learn those skills. They can still be done, it just takes an extra push sometimes,” Guess said.
“It also depends on the person,” Brenna added. “I don’t have a hard time socializing with my peers. I have a huge friend group here and they’re learning how I work. But, not many people take the time to understand how a Neurodivergent person works.”
As mentioned, the support group was started to provide a safe environment for students. Giess also said that she hopes the support group will be a place for students to come for help. Sometimes, this means just being able to relax for a little while, which is what Brenna said she is hoping to get out of the meetings.
“I want a safe space for me to decompress with the activities, and a way to destress and destimulate, while also stimulating what I need.”
Since the group is still in its early stages, there are no concrete plans for what each meeting will look like. However, Giess has ideas.
“My hope is each week we’ll have something specific we’ll go over, like note-taking. There’s a really cool process we’ve discovered in Accessibility that I’ve used with a lot of my clients, so something like that,” she said. “Some weeks it might be sharing special interests, or if it’s been a super stressful week, just coloring and talking with each other. I don’t have a concrete plan for every week just because I want to dive into what students and members are wanting.”
Tigers Without Limits meets at 1:30 p.m. every Monday in the Smoky Hill Room in the Union. For further information, visit the Health and Wellness Services TigerLink page.