We're All Neurodiverse
Sonny Jane Wise (2024). We’re all neurodiverse: How to build a neurodiversity-affirming future and challenge neuronormativity. Jessica Kingsley Publishers: London
8-11 I don’t want anyone to hate themselves for their differences … When I stopped viewing myself through the lens of the Pathology Paradigm and started viewing myself through the lens of the Neurodiversity Paradigm … it gave me a framework to begin to accept myself … I want society to recognize and accept the diversity of existing, of functioning, of being human … compared to our current framework which frames our differences as a problem, a flaw, an abnormality and a disorder … I want everyone to know they belong to a community that accepts them and embraces them … I also genuinely believe that we don’t need to label people with a disorder in order to support their well-being … I see neurodiversity as the pathway to accepting our differences, honouring our needs and embracing who we are
36 The Neurodiversity Movement must recognize that neurodivergent individuals are whole individuals regardless of their ability to meet capitalist society’s idea of productivity or functioning
39 I also do not believe we can shift to an alternative framework, the Neurodiversity Paradigm, without recognizing and understanding the dominant framework, the Pathology Paradigm, and how it has and continues to harm and oppress so many individuals
41-42 the Pathology Paradigm is based on the assumption that any deviance or divergence from the dominant standard of normal is actually a deficit, disorder, or pathology – an illness or disease residing within the individual. It achieves this through the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM) … which results in us believing there is something wrong with us for simply existing the way we do.
At the root of these assumptions is the biomedical model that argues any deviation, and divergence, is a result of brain diseases and biological abnormalities that must be cured and treated … While the Pathology Paradigm may use the biomedical model as a scientific argument for its existence, it should be seen for what it actually is: a social construct rooted in cultural and social norms
42-43 Is the concept of a disorder actually valid? … What is dysfunctional? … the constructions of disorders are rooted in racism, colonialism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia and ableism
44 The DSM is the primary arbiter of what is disordered and non-disordered … it has always been more political than scientific … the inclusion of what is or isn’t a disorder is often made by a vote rather than any scientific data … the field of psychiatry and psychology as well as the DSM, for all intents and purposes, is a colonial system, built upon white supremacy
46 In order for pharmaceutical companies to prove the effectiveness of drugs and for insurance companies to be willing to pay, disorders needed to be defined as an illness that was treatable
47 In order for a mental health disorder to be treatable or curable, there needed to be a biological cause, which is why, in the 1970s, mental health disorders began to be defined as chemical imbalances and problems with neurotransmitters
47 1980 when the third edition of the DSM was published … Everything was now defined as a disorder instead of a reaction or response
48 psychiatry and … the DSM has always had the primary purpose of maintaining social control and social order … As Vesper Moore says, ‘anyone who does not fit a cis, white, hetero, patriarchal state of being could be deemed “mad” because their identity is against the conventions of what exists in our society’
51-53 also … psychiatry aims to control … uphold and maintain … capitalism … As capitalism has risen and, along with it, the need for individuals to be productive members of society, so has the criteria for acceptable behaviour when it comes to workplaces … executive dysfunction … It is much easier to blame the individual than to recognize that the way we expect people to function at work and school just isn’t sustainable or realistic
55-56 Ayesha Khan … “Mental health systems were built to pathologize people’s logical responses, suffering or diverge under systems of oppression. They are a form of victim blaming – where individuals who diverge from or rebel against capitalist/colonial norms are ostracized and diagnosed as mentally ill.”
58 we don’t actually need to call someone ‘disordered’ when the goal is to support someone to thrive with positive well-being
59 In the 1990s, Judy Singer introduced the term ‘neurodiversity’ … and defined it as ‘a subset of biodiversity [which] refers to the virtually infinite neuro-cognitive variability within Earth’s human population. It points to the fact that every human has a unique nervous system with a unique combination of abilities and needs.’ … While neurodiversity refers to the whole of humanity, neurodivergent specifically refers to individuals who diverge from dominant societal norms
60 just as Western society has tried to extinguish other forms of human diversity, the Pathology Paradigm aims to extinguish neurodiversity by labelling certain ways of existing as abnormal, unnatural and disordered … The Pathology Paradigm is not friendly to any form of human diversity, and it both harms and oppresses everyone
60 the Neurodiversity Paradigm … is about fostering and respecting the diversity of all brains and minds … This framework also has practical benefits that can create a cultural shift
61 it was Dr Nick Walker, an Autistic scholar, who proposed the idea of the Neurodiversity Paradigm
62-73 Principle 1: Neurodiversity is a natural and valuable form of human diversity …
Principle 2: There is no such thing as an ideal or normal mind or brain …
Principle 3: There is no such thing as normal because normal is a social construct …
Principle 4: Differences are just that – differences – and shouldn’t automatically be viewed as the problem when it comes to challenges, difficulties or struggles …
Principle 5: Neurodivergences are not disorders, but they can be disabilities …
Principle 6: We do not pathologize or blame people for their responses or experiences of distress … The Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) … moves away from asking ‘what is wrong with you?’ and moves towards asking ‘what happened to you?’ …
Principle 7: We respect the autonomy of individuals in defining their own meanings around their experiences … we cannot automatically accuse an individual of lacking insight … the provider or professional doesn’t always know best … We also need to make room for individuals to define success for themselves …
Principle 8: Everyone deserves personal agency in how we choose to work with our brains … Mind Australia acknowledges that recovery can be about reclaiming our right to a better life regardless of whether ‘symptoms’ … are present …
Principle 9: We must recognize intersectionality when it comes to neurodivergence
74 it might be helpful to know how we can actually apply these principles. The Neurodiversity Paradigm isn’t just a bunch of ideals or principles but a paradigm for everyone to adopt on a personal level as well as on a wider level within our communities, workplaces and classrooms
74 our language is very important … Nick Walker … ‘… the appropriate language for discussing medical problems is quite different from the appropriate language for discussing diversity.’ … deficits … differences
76 the Neurodiversity Paradigm … requires approaching difficulties, challenges and distress with curiosity, compassion and collaboration
83 In the year 2000, Kassiane Asasumasu … coined the term ‘neurodivergent’
85-86 ‘queer’ is an umbrella term for any identity that isn’t straight or cisgender … It’s the same for neurodivergent; it’s an umbrella term for anyone who diverges from dominant societal norms … It’s an umbrella term for all the ways we may diverge from the way we think, feel, learn, communicate, behave and function
86 neurodiversity means variation is neither good nor bad; it just is
87 ‘neurodivergent’ … is a social identity, not a clinical term, medical term or other diagnosis
102 When we call ourselves neurodivergent, we are challenging you to consider what ‘normal’ actually means and perhaps even realize that maybe our normal isn’t your normal
104 Kimberlé Crenshaw developed the term ‘intersectionality’
106-107 When you don’t see yourself reflected in research, in policies, in stories, in media, in everyday environments, it reinforces the message that you don’t count, your needs don’t matter, your experiences don’t matter. It’s an indication of society not seeing us
108-110 Mari Cerda … It is the often violently rejected truth that racism and ableism are two sides of the same philosophical coin, with the racism side face down out of reluctance to tackle … For example, a white woman with ADHD may exhibit impulsive behaviours such as talking over others, or interrupting, and those may be more willingly accepted as part of their neurodivergence, whereas Black and Brown women with ADHD are more likely to have those behaviours attributed to being an ‘angry Black woman’, or a ‘hot-headed Latinx’. Even in 2SLGBTQIA spaces deemed as ‘safe’, Black and Brown individuals report encountering hateful and racist rhetoric … When addressing neurodiversity across race and colour, it’s necessary for dominant groups to understand the amount of diversity even across Black and Brown communities in order to refrain from using a tactic of ‘wedging’ or a sort of pitting of two non-dominant groups against each other due to their unique lived experiences around race and neurodivergence
120 Derrick Quevedo – Two things can be true: we are never alone; we can always feel lonely
121 Asian men are statistically among the most disadvantaged at online dating (along with Black women)
126 many neurodivergent individuals, especially Autistic individuals … are often in a position to question norms
132 when you’re with community, you can be your authentic selves and you feel seen, safe and as though you belong … Unfortunately, in many community spaces and community events, this isn’t the case at all
141 What society deems normal … is actually the dominant norms, standards and expectations of Western society. We call it neuronormativity – a set of standards, expectations and norms that centre a particular way of thinking, feeling, functioning, behaving and communicating … normal has always been about framing certain traits and certain ways of functioning as superior
143 executive functioning skills are another set of neuronormative norms that don’t account for our vast differences in functioning and existing
146 by Jesse … and Ayesha Khan … Marta Rose says it best: executive functioning is ‘a set of capitalist values masquerading as skills’
147-151 13 White Supremacy Culture characteristics … from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones’s 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook …
Only One Right Way …
Perfectionism …
Either/Or Thinking … a binary way of categorizing things as good or bad …
Worship of the Written Word …
Quantity Over Quality …
Sense of Urgency … arbitrary schedules …
Fear of Open Conflict … labelling emotions as irrational …
Individualism …
I’m the Only One …
Objectivity …
Progress Is Bigger, More …
Defensiveness … a common response to new ideas …
Paternalism
154 Miriam Cherkes-Julkowski … ‘it is possible we have become entirely too focused on executive functioning as an end in itself, rather than as a sometimes-useful means to an end’
156-157 emotional regulation … is a process of recognizing, managing and controlling our emotions and responses to our emotions … Candice Alaska … ‘the idea of those being dysregulated still centres certain emotional responses as right and tells us that a certain intensity of emotions is not socially acceptable’
158-159 While emotional intensity may be seen as ‘socially unacceptable’, it’s not a bad thing at all, and it’s also not a sign that something is wrong with an individual … stop telling people to calm down … there aren’t right or wrong ways of expressing and feeling emotions; there are just neuronormative and non-normative ways of feeling and expressing emotions or, more specifically, what is culturally and socially acceptable
159-160 Individuals who don’t meet society’s expectations of the right level of empathy are pathologized and demonized … empathy is a complex concept that refers to the emotional and cognitive responses that occur when an individual observes another individual, where the purpose of the responses is to know what the other individual is thinking or feeling
160-161 three types of empathy:
- Emotional or affective empathy … the ability to feel what someone else is feeling …
- Cognitive empathy … perspective taking …
- Compassionate empathy … has two components: the ability to understand what someone is going through and the motivation or urge to do something about it
161 there is no right or wrong way to experience empathy … empathy isn’t necessary for compassion, acceptance or … being a kind person
162-163 we expect individuals to experience empathy because empathy is seen as the foundation of morality, and to have empathy is to act compassionately … Empathy levels are not an indication of an individual being a good or bad person … we need to recognize diversity in empathy
164 Damien Milton … Autistic people aren’t actually impaired; we are experiencing differences … the double empathy problem … Autistic people may lack insight into the minds and cultures of non-Autistic people, but the same applies to non-Autistic people; they also lack insight into the minds and cultures of Autistic people
165-166 social cohesion … is a set of shared values, norms or processes that provide a sense of belonging, where individuals feel that they are members of the same community
166-171 the status quo of communications and social norms … uphold white supremacy culture.
You must express an appropriate amount of emotion through verbal and non-verbal body language when communicating …
You must be able to assume or interpret someone’s feelings and intentions by their tone of voice …
It is important to make eye contact to demonstrate to someone that you are paying attention and are interested in what they are saying …
You cannot interrupt someone when they’re talking, as it is perceived as rude …
It is important to prioritize another person’s comfort when providing feedback, correcting someone, answering a question or communicating information …
It is expected that every conversation is a reciprocal conversation which begins with small talk …
Spoken communication is the superior and default form of communication …
173 politeness is a tool of oppression
178 Capitalism … schools became a way of ensuring every individual had the minimum knowledge to be employable
179 Alfie Kohn … ‘We must never forget the primary reason that children attend school – namely, to be trained in the skills that will maximize the profits earned by their future employers.’
181 It isn’t the individual who learns differently that’s the problem, it’s the fact that our education system and classrooms are set up in such a rigid way that they only support individuals who learn in a particular way
181 time is a social construct
182 Virginia Woolf … there is a discrepancy between how an individual experiences time versus the time on the clock
183 Western cultures view time as a linear state divided into past, present and future, where time can be measured and managed … in Native American cultures as well as African cultures, time is viewed as flexible; relationships are more important than schedules, and time is connected to our natural rhythms. In Australia, First Nations people view time as procedural where time is relational and revolves around events, activities and personal meaning
185 the Doctor from Doctor Who … ‘People assume that time is a strict progression from cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey … stuff.’
185 Plurality, or multiplicity, is the existence of multiple selves or entities within a single physical body
189 When it comes to neurodiversity and challenging neuronormativity, we need to reject the notion of the right way to function, and we need to reject the notion of an ideal set of characteristics. In fact, we need to reject the notion of normal in general
191 Any kind of paradigm shift or change within society starts with small steps, quiet questions and hopeful ideas
191 How do we stop pathologizing neurodivergent experiences and responses without minimizing people’s challenges and distress?
192 If we had a needs-based system, we would recognize all access needs as valid human needs where everyone got their needs met – not because there was something to be fixed but because it’s just the right thing to do … we do not have to let a diagnosis be the master of the support we do and do not receive
193 In order to design spaces and environments for all individuals, rather than just some individuals, we need to consider Universal Design. Universal Design refers to the design of physical environments, such as buildings, to be accessible and user-friendly for all people regardless of their ability. Instead of relying on individual accommodations … Universal Design sets up spaces to meet the needs of every individual … this removes feeling like a burden … Instead of inclusion being an afterthought, it should be an integral part of every environment and every space
194 how on earth can workplaces even accommodate every difference and every need? … perhaps the solution comes down to designing spaces where individuals can control the sensory input or designing spaces where individuals have options in regard to sensory input … also … policies, procedures and processes
195-196 When it comes to designing learning spaces, it’s not just the physical aspects of classrooms … it’s also about designing how teaching and learning is done, too … CAST … has developed a framework for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that focuses on providing flexibility in how individuals learn as well as how they express their knowledge
196-197 Universal Design for neurodivergence isn’t about accommodating needs on the basis of having a disability or diagnosis, it’s about recognizing diversity and the multiple ways of existing and functioning … I also believe Universal Design within workplaces and education can reduce the risk of stigma, discrimination and even segregation because these built-in accommodations are available to everyone
199 If there’s one way you adjust your workplaces, it needs to be allowing employees to pick and adjust their hours and having the option to work from home
200-206 ACCOMMODATIONS IN WORKPLACES
206 when students thrive, they will learn so much more easily
207 self-directed education. Ann Hansen
208 While traditional education focuses on comparison and competition, self-directed education encourages diversity
210-216 ACCOMMODATIONS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS
216 While it is so important to focus on adjusting workplaces and classrooms to accommodate neurodivergent individuals, we sometimes forget that we also need to adjust our lifestyle and home … affirming environment
219 I also believe a lot of it comes down to adjusting our expectations as well as redefining what success, functioning, well-being and even independence looks like for us … I believe no one is independent; everyone is actually interdependent
220 we need to allow individuals to define what success looks like for them because success is subjective; it’s unique for each individual
220-221 PROMPTS FOR ADJUSTING YOUR HOME AND LIFESTYLE
222-223 If we can acknowledge that there are multiple ways of doing things instead of one right way to do things, we can move away from trying to fix or change people and we can start moving towards changing and improving society and our systems within society … we also need to acknowledge and dismantle white supremacy culture … White supremacy culture makes us believe that we must do everything ourselves, but community is the answer – community is the solution … disrupt white supremacy, neuronormativity, heteronormativity and cisnormativity, and challenge ableism, racism and sanism … recognize the importance and value of community care