Demistifying (neuro)Diversity

I thought I’d start off Theory Thursdays with a few posts on neurodiversity. There seem to be a ton of misrepresentations of what it is all about, and the pro-diversity and pro-cure side seem to mean two different things when they use the word. So, over the next few weeks I’ll be writing about what neurodiversity is (this week), what it isn’t (next week), and how autism “therapies” can be adapted to make them more pro-diversity and less pro-cure.

• So what is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is the belief that there is a wide range of ways that the brain can be organized. None of these particular ways are any better or any worse than the other varieties, merely different.

• Who qualifies as neurodiverse?

There are many different opinions about who is and who is not neurodiverse. The most limited construction says that people with autism, aspergers, or other PDDs are neurodiverse. More liberal definitions include people with a wide range of neurological conditions such as Epilepsy, Tourettes, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, and others.

• Is there a word for people who have a typical neurological construction?

In fact, there is. The word is, intuitively, neurotypical, abbreviated NT.

• Why support neurodiversity?

The concept of neurodiversity allows people who are not NT to accept themselves for who they are, along with their special needs and abilities. It does not force them to self-define as “diseased” or “disabled.” The goal of neurodiversity movements is to allow people who are not NT to live successful, meaningful lives, without having to conform to a stereotype.

• Why not support neurodiversity?

Many people who condemn neurodiversity have misconceptions about what the movement is all about. They believe that neurodiversity is equivalent to believing that being autistic is better than being neurotypical, or think that neurodiversity movements want to prevent them from helping their children learn to communicate or interact with society. They may believe that only high-functioning autistics/ those with aspergers would support neurodiversity, but that those with classical autism, which they may refer to as “real autism,” cannot benefit from the movement and will only succeed once taught to be neurotypical. I’ll be debunking these myths and others next week.

• Can typical “autism therapies” be used in a neurodiverse context?

Of course. ABA, Floortime, PECS, and others can all be made neurodiversity-friendly rather than cure-oriented. I’ll be discussing the various ways that this is accomplished over the course of the next month.

I hope that this was a useful introduction to the neurodiversity movement. If you would like some additional information, this site, this article, this opinion piece, and this organization will be useful. For an amusing take on the topic, I recommend this site.