Neurodiversity Is Not a Pathology
By Sean Ivins
Embracing Your Neurodiversity
What would you do if you went to your doctor and they told you you’re ill, but you don’t feel ill? What if that illness was something you had zero control over? That’s something neurodivergent people face. Neurodivergence is a condition in which your brain is missing some pieces that typical brains have in order to function like typical brains. Neurodiversity has been a thing for a while now; after all the term “neurodiversity” has existed since Judy Singer coined it in 1998 (Clinic), but the neurodivergent community has been discriminated against for a long time as well. Even today, some people are still saying neurodivergent people are inferior to neurotypical people, and I say it’s about time we fix this injustice. Neurodivergent people shouldn’t be labeled as pathologic and inferior to neurotypical people, and more awareness should be brought to the forefront regarding neurodiversity.
Firstly, what is neurodiversity? People with typical brains are known as neurotypicals. This is in contrast to neurodiverse people, they have non-typical brains; in other words, their brains are missing some key components that keep them functioning normally. There are dozens of different types of neurodiversity, but here are some of the most common. The most common type and one you’ve probably heard of is autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), classified as having repetitive behavior and having difficulty with communication. There is also ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder); which encompasses difficulty focusing and impulsivity (Staggl), OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder); which encompasses having obsessive thoughts that can cause harm to the person (Staggl), and various learning disabilities which make it difficult to absorb information and make it more difficult to solve problems (Staggl). Neurodivergent people are often treated unfairly and don’t get the same opportunities as neurotypical people, and that isn’t very fair.
Variations, Not Pathologies
Why exactly shouldn’t neurodivergent people be labeled as pathologic? There are a good number of reasons. Firstly, neurodiversity is a type of natural variation. We are well aware that we are all different, and most of those differences stem from natural variations. Neurodiversity is one of those natural variations. It’s similar in this vein to various parts of the human makeup, such as skin color, gender, and sexual orientation. According to Pier Jaarsam and Stellan Welin’s paper, Autism as a Natural Human Variation: Reflections on the Claims of the Neurodiversity Movement, neurodiversity is a type of human variation because people don’t know the exact cause of neurodiversity. We don’t really know what exactly causes skin color, gender, sexual orientation variation amongst humans and, as such, these are considered natural variations amongst humans (Jaarsma and Welin). Skin color, gender, and sexual orientation aren’t really labeled as inferior to their counterparts anymore, so why should neurodivergent people be any different?
Another reason neurodivergent people shouldn’t be labeled as pathologic is because neurodivergence is considered a disability, not a disease. The difference between diseases and disabilities is an entirely separate issue, but according to the article Perspectives on “Disease” and “Disability” in Child Health: The Case of Childhood Neurodisability, disabilities are often chronic health conditions (Anton Rodney Miller and Rosenbaum). If you know much about neurodiversity, you’d know it isn’t something that can just be cured. That directly qualifies neurodiversity as a chronic health condition, and therefore a disability. You also wouldn’t call someone who is disabled ill or sick because of their disability. You wouldn’t look at someone in a wheelchair and say that they are ill or diseased. Therefore, neurodivergent people shouldn’t be labeled as pathologic.
Furthermore, neurodivergent people shouldn’t be labeled as inferior to neurotypical people because there have been several neurodivergent people throughout history who have achieved great success. One famous neurodivergent individual is Temple Grandin. Temple Grandin is mostly known for writing several books on animal behavior and autism, as well as her several contributions to the field of animal science. Just to name one, in her paper, Assessment of Stress During Handling and Transport, she mentions how fear in animals can manifest in different ways during the process of moving (Grandin). Some additional well-known figures are also neurodiverse: Albert Einstein, the creator of the theory of relativity, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of AC electricity, and Charles Darwin, the creator of the theory of Darwinism, are just a few examples of this (Behavioral Innovations). Due to all of the great things these people with neurodiversity have done (as well as the efforts of a whole bunch more), it is impossible to say that being neurodivergent is disadvantageous.
Making a Difference for Neurodivergent People
Many people have already been advocating for change in neurodiversity. One of the biggest ways is through the neurodiversity movement, where many people, some of whom aren’t even neurodivergent, advocate for the neurodivergent. Some big businesses like Microsoft have recognized that neurodivergent people are rather capable in the workforce and have made hiring programs geared towards neurodiversity. Specifically regarding Microsoft, they created the Microsoft Neurodiversity Hiring Program and Neurodiversity@Work Employer Roundtable to step up neurodiversity in the workforce (Emms). Another company that has neurodiverse teams is IBM, with their campaign DiverseAbility (“DiversAbility Community | Be Equal”). Plus, there are some organizations whose goal is to spread neurodiversity knowledge and awareness.
However, although what we are doing is good, we should be doing far better than this. We need to raise more awareness of neurodiversity. One way to accomplish this is through fundraisers. In my own school district, I worked with peers to establish a fundraiser for Different Brains. More fundraisers to support organizations like Different Brains would help immensely. Another way we could do this is with an awareness month. You may know that April is Autism Awareness Month, and during the month, people bring more awareness to people with autism. However, although autism is one of, if not the most, widely known neurological condition, there is no real reason to not include other neurological conditions. Another thing is that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I do believe that neurodiversity is a key part of “mental health”, but these months are standing alone. If we had a month that supported awareness for all types or even just more types of neurodiversity, like ADHD, OCD, and Depression, it would help a lot with making sure people know about neurodiversity and to make sure that neurodivergent people feel accepted. This also helps with another problem, the lack of belongingness of all neurodiverse people. Throughout various media and events, autism is the most talked about and fought for neurodivergent condition. However, a lot of others, like OCD and ADHD, are hardly talked about at all, especially in comparison to autism. Staging the creation of a neurodiversity awareness month would really help put wind in the sails of lesser known and under-appreciated neurodiverse conditions.
Acceptance for Neurodiversity
Neurodivergent people can be more widely accepted by just using positive language to discuss neurodiversity. Normally, when I hear people talking about neurodiversity, they talk about what neurodivergent people can’t do or have problems with. If we just flip the connotation and start talking about what neurodivergent people can do and fix, that would make them feel a whole lot more accepted than they currently are.
There are so many things that we as a collective can do in order to make neurodivergent people feel accepted. Everyone deserves the chance to do things, especially if their condition is out of their control. As the world continues to be made aware of neurodiversity, it seems that we are on track to receive the acceptance that we very rightly deserve.
Works Cited
Jaarsma, Pier, and Stellan Welin. “Autism as a Natural Human Variation:
Reflections on the Claims of the Neurodiversity Movement.” Health Care Analysis, vol. 20, no. 1, Feb. 2012, pp. 20–30, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-011-0169-9.
Miller, Anton Rodney, and Peter Rosenbaum. “Perspectives on ‘Disease’ and ‘Disability’ in Child Health: The Case of Childhood Neurodisability.” Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 4, Frontiers Media, Oct. 2016, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00226. Accessed 16 Mar. 2024.
Grandin, T. “Assessment of Stress during Handling and Transport.” Journal of Animal Science, vol. 75, no. 1, 1997, p. 249, https://doi.org/10.2527/1997.751249x. Accessed 8 Dec. 2019.
Behavioral Innovations. “20 Famous People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).” Behavioral Innovations, 14 July 2021, behavioral- innovations.com/blog/20-famous-people-with-autism-spectrum-disorder- asd/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.
Emms, Laura. “How Some of the Most Successful Companies Support Neurodiversity in a Workplace – Caption.Ed.” Caption.Ed, 18 Sept. 2023, caption-ed.com/blog/how-some-of-the-most-successful-companies-support- neurodiversity-in-a-workplace/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.
“DiversAbility Community | Be Equal.” Ibm.com, 2020, www.ibm.com/impact/be- equal/communities/diversability/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.
Clinic, Cleveland. “Neurodivergent: What It Is, Symptoms & Types.” Cleveland Clinic, 2017, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23154-neurodivergent. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.
Staggl, Sabine. “Types of Neurodiversity: Which Ones Exist and What Do They Mean – Noisli.” Noisli Blog, 18 Jan. 2022, www.noisli.com/blog/types-of- neurodiversity/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.
Sean describes himself as a “Neurodivergent nerd, who loves video games, computers, board games, and other nerdy stuff. I’m also a good student who is exceptional at math type subjects. I do plenty of things in my spare time, sometimes gaming, sometimes art, but all the time fun.”
