Every time I scroll through social media and see a post declaring that “ADHD is a Superpower” or “Dyslexia is a Hidden Gift,” I feel a familiar tightening in my chest. I know those posts are meant to be empowering. I know they are trying to fight the stigma that says we are “less than.” And if that label helps someone else get through their day or feel pride in their identity, that’s genuinely wonderful.
But for me… Calling it a superpower feels like a disservice to the sheer amount of work I have to do just to reach the starting line.
The Weight of the “Superpower” Narrative
When we frame neurodiversity as a superpower, we risk romanticising a reality that is often exhausting.
It’s one thing to say I look at the world differently—which I do, and which can absolutely benefit the people and the parish I serve. It’s another thing to say it’s a “gift” that makes me better than everyone else.
The Erasure of Effort: If my ability to problem-solve is a “superpower,” it ignores the three hours of mental gymnastics I performed to overcome executive dysfunction. It wasn’t magic; it was grit.
The “ADHD Tax”: There is no “superpower” in forgetting a vital meeting, losing my keys for the third time in a day, or the physical migraine that comes from trying to read a dense theological text. That is a cost. It’s a disability.
The Pressure to be Exceptional: The superpower label suggests that to be “valid” as a neurodivergent person, I have to be a genius or a visionary. But what if I’m just a person trying to follow Jesus while my brain is firing in forty directions?
Theology in the Weakness, Paul’s Thorn
I find much more comfort in the Bible than I do in modern “hustle” culture’s view of neurodiversity. I think of the Apostle Paul. He was a brilliant leader, a visionary, and a pioneer—but he was also a man who spoke openly about his “thorn in the flesh.”
He says it’s a weakness and that God’s grace is sufficient in that weakness. There is something much more profound in saying, "This is hard, it’s not a superpower, and yet God is using me anyway," than in pretending the struggle doesn't exist.
What About You?
But what about you? What about your neurodiversity? Is it a superpower?
My challenges, my thoughts about how they should be viewed … are just that, they are my own. I don’t like it to be called a Superpower…
But what about you, Do you like that term?