What exactly is the neurodiversity movement—and what do parents need to know? Whether your child has a recent ASD diagnosis, you’re not satisfied with the treatment they’ve received from school staff, therapists, educators, or just about anyone else in their life, or you just want to learn more about neurodiversity, read on for answers to some of the top questions about autism and this movement.
Are Neurodiversity and Autism the Same Thing?
No, neurodiversity is not always synonymous with autism. But these two terms are connected. Neurodiversity is exactly what the name implies—diversity (or differences) in neurological function. A neurodiverse group of people include neurotypical (people with typically expected neurological function) and those who are not. While autism does fall under the umbrella of neurodiversity, it isn’t the only neurological difference. Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia and dyscalculia are examples of other neurological differences or neurodivergence.
Are Neurodivergence, Neurodiversity and the Neurodiversity Movement the Same Thing?
To better understand these three concepts, it’s helpful to learn more about the terminology.
Neurodivergent is the difference in neurological or mental functioning that a person experiences. Again, this can include autism. But autistic people aren’t the only individuals who are neurodivergent. While many people are born with neurological differences, others acquire them as the result of an illness, syndrome/condition or traumatic brain injury. Acquired neurodivergence is sometimes temporary and sometimes permanent.
Neurodiversity includes all neurodivergent people (regardless of their neurological differences) and neurotypical people.
The neurodiversity movement is a human rights/social/political movement that focuses on the acceptance of neurodivergent individuals. This cultural movement recognizes and respects the differences and variations between individuals and does not classify autism as a medical condition or disease to cure.
Why Is the Neurodiversity Movement Important?
Like other civil rights movements, the neurodiversity movement is crucial to protecting the freedoms of individuals and fostering acceptance. Not only can this movement help neurotypical people to better understand neurodivergence, it can inform professional therapeutic practices. This makes it possible to reframe behavioral therapy, speech-language therapy, and other types of therapy, in a person-centered, individualized way that helps to normalize autism—instead of treating ASD as a disease to overcome or recover from.
The neurodiversity movement, and the sub-section known as the autism rights movement, aim to help society as a whole accept autistic people and their differences. This can free members of the autistic community from the medical or pathology model of classification. It can also help neurotypical people to understand the cognitive, social and communication differences autistic individuals experience and remove societal stigmas.
How Can the Neurodiversity Movement Help Autistic Children and Their Families?
As you’ve read this post, have you noticed something that might feel unfamiliar or seem at odds with other articles you’ve read about autism in the past? It’s common practice to use person first language when referring to autistic individuals. Even though “person first” isn’t something that everyone has heard of, it’s likely that you’ve gotten used to reading or hearing information framed in this way. Like the name says, person first language puts the person first. Instead of saying, “Billy is an autistic boy,” person first language would rephrase this sentence to, “Billy is a boy with autism.” Even though the focus on the person isn’t a negative, this type of language doesn’t affirm autism as an identity. It emphasizes the person and not the “disability.”
But again, the neurodiversity movement doesn’t look at ASD as a disability. It views autism as part of who the person is. This makes person first language unnecessary. The neurodiversity movement uses identity first wording—such as autistic person or neurodivergent individual.
This emphasizes autism (or neurodivergence) as an identity and not as a medical condition or problem to treat. Identifying as autistic can help children to better understand themselves and their community. It can also help society (schools, jobs, social clubs or anywhere else) to accept autistic children as who they are and not think of them as people to fix.
Does the Neurodiversity Movement View Therapy As Unnecessary?
While this movement does value neurodiversity as an identity, it doesn’t eliminate the idea of therapy for individuals who may want to break down communication, behavioral or other barriers. But this doesn’t mean that the neurodiversity movement frames therapy in a medical model.
Acceptance is a cornerstone of the neurodiversity and autism rights movements. Therapists who value these movements shouldn’t create goals that attempt to fix, cure or “normalize” the child. This includes masking or camouflaging symptoms as a way to make autistic children behave, speak or communicate in the same ways as their neurotypical peers. The therapist also shouldn’t force autistic children into uncomfortable therapeutic situations that the individual does not consent to.
Instead of pushing an autistic child to talk like or act like someone they aren’t (namely a neurotypical child), the therapist who values neurodiversity should affirm the child’s identity, show acceptance, focus on the child’s existing strengths to help improve areas of need, promote self-regulation (physical, emotional and sensory), facilitate skills acquisition, foster functional communication... and help the child become their own advocate!
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