Neurodiversity is a newer approach to thinking about a collection of brain-based disorders including: Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Apraxia, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Instead of seeing the brain as flawed, the idea is that neurological conditions are the result of normal variations in the human genome that have been present throughout history and have many positive qualities. The struggles associated with neurodiversity do not stem from the person, but from the mismatch between the neurodivergent person and the environment or society they live in.
The idea that neurodivergent individuals have strengths allows society to educate, employ and treat these people with the dignity and respect they deserve. With this positive mindset, a person with ADHD is not impulsive and hyper but instead is creative and adventurous. Throughout history these adventurous, creative people were valued members of their society as hunters, explorers and innovators. They could run further to hunt down a deer, find excitement in taking a new path and take risks with their craft to come up with new, more efficient methods.
There is a lot of variation within the Neurodiversity community about treatments with some utilizing traditional therapies like ABA and others feeling that common therapies are misguided and even unethical. This group prefers focusing on accommodations, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), assistive technology, independent living support and building a strong community. Most people fall somewhere in between.
Another area of debate is the word “disabled”. While some see this as a legal term that ensures access to certain benefits and accommodations others see it as a dehumanizing term. Another view is that of the people who are neurodivergent, only some are disabled by their brain differences and others are not. Some individuals choose to get a formal insurance based diagnosis in order to receive certain protections, services and support while others do not and instead self-identify as neurodivergent. Neurodiversity is a large umbrella and the people within the Neurodiversity label vary widely in their backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints. Whether to use the term or not is a personal decision. It is used on this website in an attempt to be as inclusive as possible.