This week’s guest, Todd Charette, came to me through Facebook. First, I noticed his funny, and often endearing, posts, which brought daily refreshment rather than conflict. As the algorithms had their way, I saw more of these posts, and eventually, we got into an actual conversation.

I learned that Todd Charette had a neurodivergent brain around the time our family had discovered neurodiversity within our gene pool. Because I was doing a deep dive on the topic, I viewed Todd’s real-life experiences regarding this challenge—or “superpower”—with a heightened sense of curiosity.I wanted to learn more so I could better understand those I love who had been confronting an ADD or ADHD diagnosis in particular. Because neurodiversity can be a challenging diagnosis with many misunderstandings in the general culture, I knew Todd’s vantage point would be helpful to others. Most of all, I’m interested in hearing how he uses this gift to advance the kingdom of God in his own life, and how he imagines the Father gazing upon him as his beloved child.

 

SHOW NOTES: 

• “Flame of Faith church bestowed Streams of Justice Award for work with neurodiverse” article by Roxane Salonen (The Forum newspaper)

• “Driven by Love: Mothers on a Mission Ensure the Neurodiverse Are Counted Among Christ’s Flock” article by Roxane Salonen (National Catholic Register)

• “It’s time for the church to make room for neurodivergent people” article featuring Fr. Matthew Schneider

• Autistic Catholics online support group

• Todd Charette’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070431997264 and Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/tcc1212/

• Raymond Arroyo’s interview on Thomas Edison’s life of brilliant neurodivergence