By Bailey Mungiguerra

Neurodiversity refers to variations in neurological functioning among humans.  All humans vary in neurological functioning, but people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc., have particular differences in brain function; these populations are sometimes referred to as “neurodivergent” or “neurodiverse” (Hughes, 2016).  I will be focusing on populations with autism.

In the last few decades, new perspectives of autism have arisen in which it is viewed as a variation in neuro-processing that is unique but potentially adaptive.  In part, this change in perspective leads back to the speech of Jim Sinclair, an self-advocate with autism, at the 1993 International Conference on Autism entitled “Don’t Mourn for us”.  In this speech, he encouraged parents of children with autism to appreciate their child for their personhood rather than search for “treatments” that seek to change their innate personality characteristics.  Similarly, the social model of disability views autism as a disorder NOT because of deficits inherent in the person, but because there is a mismatch between the person and their environmental demands (Den Houting, 2018).  By this same line of logic, if the environment were changed or more accommodating, the condition would be less disabling.

We should accommodate and accept people with autism into our society without expecting them to change their cognitive style and uniqueness.  In fact, the cognitive style of neurodivergent people can be advantageous in numerous ways.  Extraordinary skills in areas such as memory, music, and art are far more common in populations with autism (Treffert, 2009), and studies have also shown that individuals with autism pay more attention to details than people who are neurotypical (Happe & Vital, 2009).  For these reasons, many people with autism excel in fields such as data science, engineering, music, and art, especially when they are properly supported and accepted within schools and workplaces.

Neurodiversity as a term is not a theory or a position, but rather a way of characterizing the variation in the human population.  However, the Neurodiversity Movement refers to a disability rights movement working towards acceptance and inclusion for neurodivergent people (Hughes, 2016).  Since the birth of the Neurodiversity Movement in the 1990s, it has become more popular for advocacy groups to be led by self-advocates with disabilities.  For example, Temple Grandin is an self-advocate who writes extensively about her experience having autism, shares resources for others on the spectrum, and advocates for greater acceptance of people with autism.

Even though proponents of this movement do not view autism as inherently pathological (Jaarsma & Welin), they typically agree that interventions and specialized supports such as speech therapy, positive behavior support, and social skills training can be necessary for many people on the spectrum to gain the skills to become independent and successful. Accommodations and skill-building opportunities are more widely supported by autistic self-advocates than interventions advertised as “autism treatments” or “cures” because this language does not promote autism as an acceptable condition.

The Neurodiversity Movement has been criticized for neglecting the difficulties of people with more severe forms of autism that require intensive support.  However, while proponents of the Neurodiversity Movement have more positive views of autism, they do not have less negative views of autism than people who do not support the movement (Kapp et al, 2013); this suggests that many people are growing to appreciate characteristics of autism while still recognizing how difficult it can sometimes be to experience the disorder or have a family member with the disorder.  It is possible to appreciate and accept characteristics of autism while also recognizing the challenges of the disorder, especially when autism is experienced alongside conditions such as an intellectual disability or an anxiety disorder.

Below I have included videos and websites with autism resources and more vivid explanations of neurodiversity and paths towards greater acceptance of people with autism.  Consider browsing these sites and resources in pursuit of finding new ways to both support and accept people with autism.  Like neurotypicals, people with autism desire to be loved, accepted, and successful.

Videos

• “The World Needs All Kinds of Minds” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn_9f5x0f1Q
• “Human Neurodiversity Should be Celebrated, Not Treated as a Disorder”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWxmEv7fOFY
• “Ask an Autistic #19 – What is Neurodiversity?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6xl_yJKWVU

Websites

• https://www.templegrandin.com
• https://www.baylor.edu/soe/doc.php/271150.pdf
• https://autisticadvocacy.org/
• http://idoinautismland.blogspot.com
• https://philosophy.ucsc.edu/SinclairDontMournForUs.pdf

Books

• Temple Grandin: “The Autistic Brain – Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed”
• Gail Saltz – “The Power of Different – The Link Between Disorder and Genius”

References

Happé, F., & Vital, P. (2009). What aspects of autism predispose to talent? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,364(1522), 1369-1375.

Hughes, Jessica. (2016). Increasing neurodiversity in disability and social justice advocacy groups [whitepaper]. Autistic Self Advocacy NetworkDen Houting, J. (2018). Neurodiversity: An insider’s perspective. Autism,23(2), 271-273.

Jaarsma, P., & Welin, S. (2011). Autism as a natural human variation: Reflections on the claims of the neurodiversity movement. Health Care Analysis,20(1), 20-30.

Kapp, S. K., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Sherman, L. E., & Hutman, T. (2013). Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity. Developmental Psychology,49(1), 59-71.

Treffert, D. A. (2009) The savant syndrome: an extraordinary condition. A synopsis: past, present, future. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 364, 1351–1357.