In support of the neurodivergent

The Neurodiversity Foundation (TNF) was launched at Queen’s Hall, Port of Spain on October 30. The main aim of the Foundation is to advocate on behalf of neurodivergent persons to ensure they can participate fully in society.

Neurodiversity is the concept that the human brain is diverse and that neurological differences, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Tourette’s syndrome, are normal variations rather than deficits. The neurodiversity movement advocates for accepting and including all people, regardless of these differences.

Friends Dr Stacy John-Legere, Dr Andrew Mac Intosh and Jeremy Francis combined their expertise and experience to create the Foundation.

Dr John-Legere and Francis have been friends since secondary school; they are past students of St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando, and St Benedict’s College, La Romaine respectively. Dr Mac Intosh and Francis met at The University of the West Indies, where they studied Psychology.

Dr John-Legere is now a Community Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician based in London; Dr MacIntosh is a Kinesiologist working in Michigan; and Francis is an Organisational Development Specialist with his own consulting company based in Trinidad.

Dr John-Legere, in particular, works with children ‘on the spectrum’ and at-risk youth as part of her role with the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

The idea for the Foundation started with a casual conversation over dinner in 2016. While on a business trip to London, Francis was spending time with Dr John-Legere and her family, and she raised a concern about being able to contribute back home. That led to further conversations over the next couple of years.

In early 2020, Francis arranged for Dr John-Legere to visit Trinidad for workshops with the Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ASTT), which was aligned with her work in England. Then the pandemic happened.

Undeterred, the pair arranged a series of virtual sessions with ASTT on Zoom, which were well received.

Then, in 2022, with the support of some of his clients, Francis was able to arrange for Dr John-Legere to make the trip finally, and she spent three days with ASTT at their head office in D’abadie, working with parents, teachers and other stakeholders impacted by Autism.

They both felt that after that experience there was more to be done. So, they enlisted Dr MacIntosh, and together, they formed the Neurodiversity Foundation.

The Foundation’s work includes advocating for the equality of treatment for neurodiverse individuals, conducting research on neurodiversity locally to develop programmes and projects to further the cause, and promoting inclusion in schools, organisations, and other areas of society for neurodivergent persons.

The trio are passionate about making a change and are committed to doing the necessary work.

It is usually the case that we become daunted by the size of the task, but sometimes, you just need to make a few small steps, leading to a ripple effect. And so, on Dr John-Legere’s visit this year, the Foundation was involved in over 12 events over a seven-day period and held meetings and workshops with several key stakeholders, including teachers, parents, government agencies and educational institutions. The work has begun.

And faith and service are never far away. Dr John-Legere is also a catechist at her parish in London, where she takes charge of the Confirmation class. Francis has been involved in the Society of St Vincent de Paul in his parish of St Ann’s for over ten years.

This foundation of service, which their parents instilled, made the step towards launching a not-for-profit organisation an easy one.

For more information on The Neurodiversity Foundation email: foundation.neurodiversity@gmail.com.