What is "NEURODIVERSITY"?
Neurodiversity is the idea that differences in brain function and behavior—such as the way someone learns, talks, performs physical and mental tasks, or interacts with others—are natural, normal aspects of the human experience. According to this perspective, brain variations that result in intellectual and learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental delays, among other things, are not problems that require a cure. They are simply different ways of functioning in the world. We refer to individuals with these variations as “neurodiverse,” and those without perceived differences as “neurotypicals.”
What is "NEURODIVERSITY"?
Neurodiversity is the idea that differences in brain function and behavior—such as the way someone learns, talks, performs physical and mental tasks, or interacts with others—are natural, normal aspects of the human experience. According to this perspective, brain variations that result in intellectual and learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental delays, among other things, are not problems that require a cure. They are simply different ways of functioning in this world. We refer to individuals with these variations as “neurodiverse,” and those without perceived differences as “neurotypicals.”
The concept of neurodiversity is bringing about a paradigm shift. It’s causing people to rethink long-held misconceptions about conditions such as autism and learning disabilities. It’s also encouraging people to more forcefully advocate for the inclusion of and accommodations for individuals with neurological differences.
The neurodiversity movement started out in the autism rights community in the 1990s and has expanded to include other neurodevelopmental conditions. Many people, including myself, use the term to describe brain variations that result from both genetic and environmental factors, such as a birth brain injury. We believe that these differences should be treated as natural parts of the human experience, regardless of how they originated.
Neurodiversity is not simply a politically correct view that compels us to respect and integrate people with neurological differences because it’s “the right thing to do.” Instead, it’s a viewpoint that is informed by decades of scientific research as well as the perspective of neurodiverse individuals.
There is no doubt that brain variations create day-to-day challenges for the neurodiverse, many of whom require accommodations at schools, the workplace, and other public venues to function effectively and thrive. But some of these differences are usually a mixed bag: they can result in challenges as well as gifts and talents. They generate unique ways of perceiving and experiencing the world which, if considered and incorporated into our societal dialogue and worldview, could truly enrich society.
Studies indicate that many individuals with intellectual disabilities display heightened musical abilities, for example. People with ASD might have strengths when it comes to working with machines, mathematical systems, and computer coding. Those with ADHD often display strong creativity and high energy, as well as the ability to hyperfocus. Individuals with dyslexia tend to excel at global visual processing, pattern recognition, and spatial intelligence.
Decades of research have informed us that a person’s “output” (or their visible behavior, such as their expressive language) doesn’t always reflect their brains’ ability to decode “input” (or their understanding of the world around them, such as their receptive language). We now know that some of the behaviors that baffled special needs parents and teachers a few decades ago are self-regulating strategies that people with neurodevelopmental disorders instinctively employ. Rocking one’s body back and forth, for example, a common sensory-seeking behavior that is commonly suppressed and discouraged, provides essential proprioceptive and vestibular input that helps neurodiverse individuals figure out the position and movement of their bodies. The same goes for flapping one’s arms.
But despite our scientific and anecdotal knowledge, neurodiverse behaviors continue to be stigmatized, often resulting in the social isolation of individuals with neurological differences. There are multiple efforts to include them in places like schools and the workplace, so it is fair to say that they are physically integrated into the social fabric. But physical integration doesn’t necessarily equal social integration. For true social integration to happen, neurotypicals will need to understand the neurodiverse better. And for that understanding to come about, neurotypicals will need to be receptive to, as opposed to fearful of, people with neurological differences. Perhaps most difficult, neurotypicals will need to acknowledge and overcome their prejudices against the neurodiverse.
Eventually, as we leave behind our socially inherited biases and embrace the neurodiversity paradigm, we might realize that the divide between neurotypicals and the neurodiverse is not as clear-cut as it appears. After all, people function on a spectrum, relying on their unique sets of strengths and weaknesses. In other words, every single person in the world is inherently “diverse” and uniquely wired—so, in the end, to be different is what is normal.