Let's Talk About Neurodiversity {Acceptance, Love, and Self-care: #AutismPositivity2015}

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 12^th grade. For an EASY READ VERSION, please scroll down.

[Note: the following blog post is my opinion. I certainly do not speak for everyone.]

Hello, everyone! Today, as part of Autism Acceptance Month (which was actually in April), bloggers from all over the world are posting to celebrate autism pride. This year’s theme, “Acceptance, Love and Self-Care” will be written about by hundreds of disability and autism bloggers. So, once you’re done here, check out #AutismPositivity2015 on your social media site of choice, and happy reading!

Today, I’d like to just have a quick chat about NEURODIVERSITY with all of you beautiful souls, and then I’d love to direct you toward some awesome autism-positive and disability pride resources so that you can feed your brains with the deliciousness that is the celebration of variation!

So what is neurodiversity?

Great question! Neurodiversity is an understanding that neurological differences should be recognised and celebrated as part of human variation. Differences in cognition should be valued and cherished as diversifying our communities and challenging false paradigms about “normalcy” (National Symposium on Neurodiversity).  Basically, the neurodiversity model posits that there is no one way for the human mind to function, and differences in neuro-functioning should not necessarily be pathologised.

So, who is neurodiverse?

We all are! Neurodiversity encompasses all people of every neurological status. Many people use the term Neurotypical when referring to people whose cognition is accommodated by the dominant culture and Neurodiverse (or Neurodivergent) when referring to someone who is poorly accommodated by social structures, such as those with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC), ADHD, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, and ADHD.

I also just learned the term Neurominority, which can be used to describe the latter category (Source). It is a term that is best understood using the social model of disability. If you will remember, dear readers, the social model claims that disability is a social construct built upon the poor accommodation of people with neuro- and physical differences in mainstream society. While the social model is a useful lens to view a lot of disability issues, it has its flaws…but that’s a different blog post! For now, I actually really like the term neurominority, and am planning on incorporating it into my daily vernacular. See, we ALL learned something! Thanks, #Autismpositivity2015!

So, Neurodiversity means that we should stop providing specialised supports for people with disabilities, right?

Nope!  Good try, though! What you’re referring to there is a misunderstanding of a concept known as normalisation. Normalisation (also known as Social Role Valorisation), was popularised by good ol’ Wolf Wolfensberger in the 1970s.

This guy. 

Normalisation is built upon the idea that people with disabilities should live a life as “culturally normative as possible.” I know, you guys, that language does suck, but it was the 1970s, what do you expect?  He also suggested using practices and means that were culturally normative and socially valid, which some people interpreted as, “Let’s stop providing specialised supports!” This push for de-differentiation of services often ended up failing people who needed support, placing unrealistic expectations on people with disabilities, and forcing internalisation of blame when people did not meet the standards of “normal.”

So…that’s not good.

More importantly, normalisation makes the assumption that there is an inherently right way to be. It assumes that one social culture is superior and the best way to live a good life is to adhere to that culture as closely as you are able.

The neurodiversity paradigm works from a multi-cultural perspective. There are many ways to be and to think, and no one is inherently better than any other. To me, this is an extremely important point, and one that does not exclude people who require support to excel in the world as we have constructed it. People who are supported by staff, receive counselling, use communication devices, or access any other type of support are absolutely as valuable and important as a neurotypical individual in a community. The multitude of ways in which a person can interact with their environment and the methods by which they communicate should not exist in a hierarchy. With a single dominant culture (in this instance, one that favours neurotypicality), one method of being achieves a favoured status, and therefore the culture is built to provide the best outcomes for that method. The neurodiversity movement challenges that paradigm.

It is the combination of all people and all our variable ways of thinking that make our societies valuable, innovative, and irreplaceable.

Neurologically diverse individuals are not broken, defective, or wrong. We are all part of one massive and endlessly varying species. Difference is beautiful. It is what challenges and changes our perceptions, breaks our faulty paradigms, and forces the creation of new and better systems and practices.

Yeah? Yeah.

Some Resources for Your Neurodiversity Reading Pleasure!

So, I am not an expert on neurodiversity outside of the context of the larger disability pride movement. There are some incredible resources out there if you would like to learn more. Below are some of my favourites:

-Neurocosmopolitanism: Nick Walker is an academic and activist who does a lot of work around neurodiversity and autism. His website has an excellent introduction into neurodiversity, as well as many posts that are more academic in nature.

-Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN): ASAN is the largest non-profit run by and for Autistic people in the United States. They focuses primarily on policy changes, self-advocacy, and the development of Autistic culture.

-Boycott Autism Speaks: This is a collection of individuals who are opposed to Autism Speaks and its consistent record of excluding Autistic people from its leadership, supporting “cure” research rather than funding supports and services for people, and pathologising autism using fear-mongering. It lists all the businesses that currently support AS and works actively to shift public interest toward listening to Autistic voices.

EASY READ VERSION

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 6^th grade

April was Autism Acceptance Month. Today, people all over the world are celebrating autism by creating blog posts. To read what everyone is writing, look up #AutismPositivity2015!

Today I am talking about NEURODIVERSITY. Neurodiversity means that everyone thinks in a different way.  The way you think is special. No one should tell you that your way of thinking is wrong.

People who think in different ways are called Neurodiverse or Neurodivergent. It includes lots of people, including those with autism. People who get help from staff or use devices to talk are also included. No one way of thinking is better than any other way.

People who think in different ways are not broken or sick. We are all different. It makes our communities better.

If you scroll up, there are some other websites for you to get more information.

Thank you all for reading! Don’t forget to check out #AutismPositivity2015 for loads more good stuff!