Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity refers to variations in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions. 'Neurodiversity' is a portmanteau of 'neurological' and 'diversity' that was popularized in the late 1990s by Australian sociologist Judy Singer and American journalist Harvey Blume. Neurodiversity refers to variations in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions. 'Neurodiversity' is a portmanteau of 'neurological' and 'diversity' that was popularized in the late 1990s by Australian sociologist Judy Singer and American journalist Harvey Blume. The term emerged as a challenge to prevailing views that certain neurodevelopmental disorders are inherently pathological and instead adopts the social model of disability, in which societal barriers are the main contributing factor that disables people. The subsequent neurodiversity paradigm has been controversial among autism advocates, with opponents saying that its conceptualization of the autism spectrum doesn't reflect the realities of individuals who have high support needs. The word 'neurodiversity' is attributed to Judy Singer, an Australian social scientist on the autism spectrum, who used the term in her sociology honors thesis in the late 1990s. The term represented a move away from previous 'mother-blaming' theories about the cause of autism. Singer had been in correspondence with American journalist and writer Harvey Blume due to their mutual interest in autism, and though he did not credit Singer, the word first appeared in print in an article by Blume in The Atlantic on September 30, 1998. In a previous New York Times piece on June 30, 1997, Blume did not use the term 'neurodiversity,' but he did describe the foundation of the idea in the phrase 'neurological pluralism.' Blume was an early advocate who predicted the role the Internet would play in fostering the international neurodiversity movement. Some authors also credit the earlier work of autistic advocate Jim Sinclair in advancing the concept of neurodiversity. Sinclair was a principal early organizer of the international online autism community. Sinclair's 1993 speech, 'Don't Mourn For Us', emphasized autism as a way of being: 'It is not possible to separate the person from the autism.' The term 'neurodiversity' has since been applied to other conditions and has taken on a more general meaning; for example, the Developmental Adult Neurodiversity Association (DANDA) in the UK encompasses developmental coordination disorder, ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, and related conditions. The neurodiversity paradigm was initially embraced by individuals on the autism spectrum, but subsequent groups have applied the concept to other neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, developmental speech disorders, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, intellectual disability, and Tourette syndrome; and mental health conditions such as bipolarity, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Neurodiversity advocates denounce the framing of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurodevelopmental disorders as requiring medical intervention to 'cure' or 'fix' them and instead promote support systems, such as inclusion-focused services, accommodations, communication and assistive technologies, occupational training, and independent living support. The intention is for individuals to receive support that honours authentic forms of human diversity, self-expression, and being, rather than treatment which coerces or forces them to adopt accepted ideas of normality, or to conform to a clinical ideal. Proponents of neurodiversity strive to reconceptualize autism and related conditions in society by the following measures: acknowledging that neurodiversity does not require a cure; changing the language from the current 'condition, disease, disorder, or illness'-based nomenclature and 'broaden the understanding of healthy or independent living'; acknowledging new types of autonomy; and giving non-neurotypical individuals more control over their treatment, including the type, timing, and whether there should be treatment at all.