Early Modern Literature Reveals Long History of Neurodivergence

Research challenges the notion that neurodivergence is a modern trend, showing that people with different ways of thinking, sensing, or behaving have always existed. The study examines historical figures like Hannah Allen, a 17th-century English widow who wrote about melancholy and hearing voices, and Hugh Blair, an 18th-century Scottish laird whose fidgeting was cited in court as evidence of incapacity. Ben Jonson's play Epicœne features a noise-sensitive character that resonates with autistic readers. The research defines neurodivergence as divergence from social expectations, which vary across time and place. At the 2026 Wales Neurodiversity Show, only one of 15 visitors thought people between 1550 and 1750 knew more about neurodivergence than today. The work emphasizes that experience is a form of knowledge and aims to reduce stigma by showing neurodivergence as a spectrum of human difference.