People vary in many ways. Some find it easier to pay attention and concentration, others find it easier to socialise. Some are able to manage their emotions from an early age, whilst others need much more help for longer. Some find it easier to learn to read and write, whilst others find that really tricky.
Neurodiversity is that idea that people are different, and that these differences don’t have to be thought of as disorders. The medical model divides people up by diagnosis, giving us the impression that their brains fit into different categories. This isn’t what the science says.
Research shows that the differences between people are dimensional – they are a matter of increment. People don’t fit neatly into boxes. All brains are wired differently.
People who differ significantly from the average in ways which make their life more challenging are sometimes called ‘neurodivergent’. This is often used to refer to people who are autistic, have ADHD or have dyslexia, dyspraxia or dyscalculia.
Earlier this year, I went to see Wicked at the theatre with my daughter. I had no idea what it was about in advance except that it led into The Wizard of Oz. I expected it to be a light evening’s entertainment.
Autism has been trending in X/Twitter this week, as Dame Uta Frith gave an interview to the TES in which she questioned whether the autism spectrum was working in the way that it was intended. Uta is an emeritus professor of developmental cognitive psychology at UCL. I first met her in the early 2000s when I was doing my own PhD. She has been working in autism research since the 1960s and has a long term perspective which is unmatched. Despite this, many of those who responded to her interview tried to dismiss her thoughts on the grounds of lack of expertise.
I had high hopes for , the new book published by Routledge. It’s positioned as an authoritative guide to neurodiversity – the blurb calls it an ‘accessible and definitive resource’. It promised to combined knowledge and lived experience, and to be truly inclusive. The first hint that something might not be quite right came when I was reading the bios of those who contributed. The contributors all recounted their qualifications, rather like a CV. First class honours degrees, setting up businesses and charities, professional careers in nursing, social work, teaching and music production. These were a group of highly capable, multi-lingual and multi-talented people from around the world. Great, but not representative of many of the autistic people I have met and I work with. There was no one who reported living in supported housing, or having attended a specialist school. No one attended a day centre. Not particularly inclusive, it seemed to me.
We’re surrounded with misinformation, and it’s extremely hard to detect. That’s because most of the people who spread it have no idea that it’s misinformation. They think it’s true, that’s why they pass it on.
Naomi Fisher traces the extraordinary transformation of autism from rare medical diagnosis to defining cultural phenomenon. How do labels like autism shape lives – and who gets to decide what they mean?
With clear explanations and compelling case examples, Naomi demonstrates how EMDR therapists can flex to meet a wide range of sensory needs, cognitive styles, and communication preferences.
If you are a parent worrying whether self-directed education will work for your child, because you have been told that they have special needs which can only be met in the school system - think again. Neurodivergent children experience and interact with the world differently to many of their peers.