What is neurodiversity?

Judy Singer coined the term neurodiversity in the 90s, setting the stage for a global movement dedicated to supporting diversity of mind as an essential layer of our fight for inclusion.

At its core, the neurodiversity project seeks to include people with divergent sensory processing systems. I’ve often heard neurotypes compared to operating systems, and this analogy is mostly true. Though, all human neurotypes have far more in common than this metaphor suggests—in the same way that the chimpanzee and human genomes share 99% of the same DNA—but the phenotypical differences feel significant.

Neurodiversity spans the vastness of neural baselines and urges us to consider that there is not one optimal neural circuitry. And this idea changes our understanding of what it means to be autistic, dyslexic, or to have ADHD.

In the media, the dichotomy of autism coverage as either a debilitating disorder or as a superpower neglects the fact that all humans are unique with specific strengths and struggles—and neurodivergent people are no exception. The critical distinction between treatment of neurodivergent and neurotypical capabilities is the fact that most of our current economic and social structures are designed for neurotypical brains, within the boundaries of neurotypical strengths and weaknesses. So when an autistic person has an exceptional talent, it’s lauded as a superpower. Similarly, when they have significant sensory sensitivity, it’s treated as an inconvenience to the people around them.

Neurodiversity is an invitation to change our expectations of what normal means.

Neurodiversity is also an opportunity to shift our diversity paradigms to honor uniqueness, equitably.

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