22/08/2025
‘Some are born different, some achieve difference, and some have difference thrust upon them.’
When Shakespeare wrote his famous line about greatness, I doubt he imagined someone like me would reimagine it centuries later for SEND. But it feels so relevant, doesn’t it?
Some children are born different.
Their brains are wired in ways that don’t match the so-called “norm.” They may be autistic, dyslexic, have ADHD, dyspraxia, or any other neurodivergence. They come into the world already carrying difference within them — and that difference is not a deficit. It is simply another way of being human.
Some achieve difference.
These are the children who grow up developing coping strategies, adapting themselves to environments that weren’t built with them in mind. Sometimes this looks like resilience. Sometimes it looks like masking. Sometimes it looks like brilliance in a skill they’ve honed out of necessity. This “achieved difference” is often a double-edged sword — a strength, yes, but one that has grown out of struggle.
And some have difference thrust upon them.
A sudden illness, an accident, trauma, or life circumstances can mean that children and young people find themselves navigating the world in ways they never expected. Their difference was not there at birth, it was not something gradually adapted to — it arrived suddenly, demanding to be reckoned with.
Whichever path it comes from, difference matters. Difference shapes who we are, how we learn, and how we connect with the world. And yet, too often, education systems treat difference as a problem to be solved or a challenge to be “fixed.” That mindset misses the truth: difference is essential.
When we allow space for different brains, we open doors to creativity, compassion, and innovation. A classroom full of identical thinkers might be easy to manage, but it would be a dull and limited place. A classroom full of difference requires patience, understanding, and flexibility — but it also sparks new ideas, richer discussions, and deeper empathy.
As a SENCo and as a parent, I see daily how difference enriches us all. I also see how painful it is when difference is not accepted, when children are forced to bend themselves into shapes they were never meant to fit. Too many young people learn to mask, to hide, to survive. And while that might get them through a day, it does not let them thrive.
So when I say “some are born different, some achieve difference, and some have difference thrust upon them,” I am reminding us all that difference is part of the human condition. It always has been. It always will be. The task is not to erase it, but to embrace it.
Imagine what education — what society — could look like if we truly believed that difference was not second-best, but part of the gold standard of being human.
Difference is not the exception.
Difference is the rule.
And difference is where our strength lies.
Emma
The Autistic SENCo
♾️
Photo: Date night at in a Stratford launderette many years ago. That’s the wonderful thing about long canal boat holidays. The launderette often calls.
