Calling people neurodiverse spreads neurodiversity lite.
Neurodiversity lite is the pathology paradigm in disguise.
The pathology paradigm marginalizes/medicalizes neurominorities.
Utilizing the phrase “neurodiverse” to seek advice from particular person folks spreads neurodiversity lite (Neumeier, 2018), an appropriative, performative paradigm that upends the neurodiversity paradigm. Everybody follows paradigms, although many people don’t know which paradigms we comply with. This will develop into an issue once we depend on paradigms that hurt ourselves and people round us.
Relating to the intertwined realities of incapacity and neurodivergence, most individuals default to the medical mannequin of incapacity. The medical mannequin isn’t utterly dangerous, because it lengthens and saves lives by diagnosing and treating sicknesses. Nevertheless, the medical mannequin marginalizes neurominorities (cognitive minorities) as a result of it frames innate neurodivergences as sicknesses – “problems” and circumstances – and neurominorities as inherently damaged.
Beneath the social mannequin of incapacity, incapacity lies not solely inside an individual’s bodymind however inside boundaries inside their atmosphere: incapacity is a mismatch between an individual’s bodymind and their atmosphere. These boundaries not solely embrace bodily and sensory boundaries but additionally attitudinal boundaries, such because the neuronormative, ableist attitudes that pervade society.
Neurodiversity lite is the medical mannequin in disguise; it performs neuroinclusion, and feels like folks speaking about “neurodiversities,” “neurodiverse circumstances,” and referring to particular person folks as “neurodiverse.” Such a language might sound innocent, a easy matter of non-public alternative, however the reverse is true. The issue with the phrase neurodiverse lies not in its existence however in how neuronormative folks use it: to seek advice from neurodivergent folks, neurominorities. Calling an individual neurodiverse isn’t solely grammatically incorrect; it carries the pathology paradigm.
To pathologize somebody is to find out that they’re irregular not directly, although “regular” folks have by no means existed. Neurominorities have, traditionally and presently, been medicalized because of the pathology paradigm that pervades the Western world. In line with Dr. Nick Walker, a neuroqueer tutorial and researcher, and professor of psychology at California Institute of Integral Research, the pathology paradigm is outlined by two assumptions: (1) there is just one wholesome means for human minds to perform (neurotypical) and (2) in case your neurological functioning diverges from neurotypicality, then there’s one thing flawed with you (Walker, 2021). Beneath the pathology paradigm, there’s something flawed with neurodivergent minds. Which suggests there’s something flawed with the pathology paradigm.
In her ebook of essays, Neuroqueer Heresies, Walker notes that framing neurological minority teams by way of pathology (as “problems”) quantities to a cultural worth judgment, not not like drapetomania, a so-called psychological “dysfunction” that supposedly brought on these enslaved in America to flee their enslavers – as if an individual ought to recognize slavery. Solely in a capitalist-racist society would medical professionals assemble a “dysfunction” like this. Equally, queerness remained pathologized within the DSM as a psychological “dysfunction” till 1987. Solely in a heteronormative, queerphobic society would medical professionals assemble a “dysfunction” like this. Solely in a neuronormative, ableist society would somebody create a so-called autism spectrum “dysfunction.”
That is usually what neurodiversity lite feels like: “Neurodiversity is the concept that neurological problems like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia are regular neurological variations.” This sort of considering that there’s such a factor as a “disordered” thoughts and a “regular” thoughts opposes the neurodiversity paradigm, which sees all minds as pure and equal. Neurodiversity is, merely, the number of all human minds; it’s a deeper stage of variety that’s been ignored for too lengthy.
Beneath the neurodiversity paradigm, innate neurodivergences (non-neurotypical neurotypes) usually are not pathologies (or medical circumstances) however are the pure means folks see and expertise the world. The neurodiversity paradigm doesn’t decide which minds are precious and which aren’t. Everybody has neurology, which determines your considering and habits, and there’s no regular or irregular neurology any greater than there are regular or irregular pores and skin colours or sexual orientations. Or something. The idea of “regular,” just like the idea of “race,” won’t ever exist and solely serves to perpetuate dangerous paradigms like racial/ist ideology (Mason, 2024) and neurodiversity lite that endanger underrepresented people.
Neurodiversity is commonly incorrectly framed as an umbrella time period for neurodivergences. Nevertheless, the phrase neurodiversity isn’t synonymous with neurodivergence. Neurodiversity: study the phrase, a shortened type of “neurological variety.” “Neuro” means “nerve” (the nervous system) and is brief for “neurology,” which determines your considering and habits. “Variety” means “selection.” The phrase “numerous” doesn’t imply “minority” – it means “numerous.” A single particular person can’t be numerous. So, a single particular person can’t be neurodiverse. “Variety is a trait possessed by a gaggle, not a person,” writes Walker. “And to speak of people as neurodiverse is to situate them as ‘different’ to the norm” (Walker, 2020).
Human variety entails all people, simply as biodiversity entails all dwelling organisms on Earth. Neurodiversity is a part of biodiversity, and, like biodiversity, neurodiversity isn’t a social assemble however a pure phenomenon. Neurodiversity is all human minds. Everybody thinks in a different way.
Pay attention carefully to messages that use “neurodiverse” to explain particular person folks and “neurodiversities” to explain neurodivergences, and also you’ll hear the pathology paradigm, cloaked in neurodiversity lite: utilizing the language of the neurodiversity paradigm and motion with out understanding the true meanings of these phrases. The time period “neurodiverse” is commonly used to erase the phrases “neurodivergent” and “neurominority,” logical constructs created by neurominorities to focus on the injustice they face because of neuronormativity: the idea that neurotypicality is the one correct solution to assume and behave – and the behaviors and practices that associate with this considering.
By saying that neurodiversity is simply about neurodivergences (so-called “neurodiversities”) neurodiversity lite (performative neurodiversity) excludes the neuromajority from the dialog, putting neurominorities in a separate field, segregating them, not not like some “neurodiversity” hiring applications (GoingConcern, 2021). Neurodiversity lite has spawned an business that appears like a pillar of the Autism Industrial Complicated (AIC) (Broderick, 2021) – superior by individuals who conflate neurodiversity with neurodivergence, (mis)utilizing Autistic liberatory language to hide dangerous, neuronormative “therapies” like utilized behavioral evaluation (ABA). Such “therapies” try and situation the neurodivergence out of individuals, principally younger Autistic individuals who have little to no management over their lives. These compliance applications train neurodivergent kids to hate their core selves and to prize neurotypicality, usually leading to trauma. In figuring out those that are accountable for spreading the pathology paradigm, Walker doesn’t exclude Autistics:
The psychiatric institution that classifies Autism as a “dysfunction”; the “Autism charity” that calls Autism a “world well being disaster”; Autism researchers who preserve arising with new theories of “causation”; […] anybody who speaks of Autism utilizing medicalized language like “symptom,” “remedy,” or “epidemic”; the mom who thinks that one of the simplest ways to assist her Autistic youngster is to topic him to Behaviorist “interventions” meant to coach him to behave like a “regular” youngster; the “inspiring” Autistic movie star who advises different Autistics that the key to success is to attempt more durable to adapt to the social calls for of non-Autistics […] (pp. 18-19)
Autists developed the neurodiversity motion and the neurodiversity paradigm, making neurodiversity lite a type of cultural appropriation, Twenty first-century colonialism. Whereas your misuse of the time period “neurodiverse” could also be unintentional, as my use of the phrase “neurodiversities” as soon as was, again after I didn’t know any higher, those that deliberately unfold neurodiversity lite use the phrase “neurodiversity” as a pathologizing buzzword to erase the neurodiversity paradigm and revenue from the appropriation of a needed civil rights motion.
When used precisely, the phrase “neurodiverse” refers to a spot that incorporates at the very least two folks of various neurotypes. A family of neurotypical and Autistic members of the family could be a neurodiverse family, for instance, whereas a family of purely neurotypical or purely Autistic folks isn’t a neurodiverse family, as there isn’t a neurological variety in that house. These houses are neurologically homogenous (although neurominorities are likely to multiply neurodivergent, so a family of Autists would seemingly be a neurodiverse family).
Regardless of what you’ll have heard, the neurodiversity motion isn’t about erasing incapacity. It’s about refuting neuronormativity and the pathology paradigm; treating human minds the identical means you’d deal with another type of human variety, akin to gender identification, faith, and pores and skin shade variances; specializing in the strengths of neurominorities whereas not disregarding neurodivergent disablement; refusing to see innate neurodivergences as pathological; serving to to interrupt down disabling boundaries, together with attitudinal boundaries; and together with the neuromajority (neurotypicals/neurotypicality) when speaking about neurodiversity.
Selling the neurodiversity paradigm feels like speaking about autism and different innate neurodivergences as neurotypes and cultural identities, like the way you’d communicate of queer identities. Selling the neurodiversity paradigm additionally feels like recognizing and accepting incapacity and neurodivergent cultures, together with neurodivergences which are acquired fairly than innate (traumatic mind accidents, post-traumatic stress), and emphasizing neurodivergent strengths with out excluding the fact of our disabling boundaries and want for assist.
Remember that the social mannequin is intertwined with the neurodiversity paradigm, whereas the medical mannequin is intertwined with the pathology paradigm. The neurodiversity paradigm exists to refute the pathology paradigm, which creates and maintains a hierarchy that dehumanizes neurominorities by prioritizing neurotypicality.
Whether or not knowingly or unknowingly, whenever you seek advice from neurominorities as “neurodiverse,” and whenever you seek advice from our neurotypes as “problems,” you situate neurodivergent folks as irregular, pathological not directly, seen by means of a medicalized lens. Neurodiversity isn’t mainstream; its appropriative paradigm is mainstream. Regardless of the fact that neurodiversity contains all human minds, society continues to be unsafe for neurominorities, and the neurodiversity motion is required to convey all human minds collectively to dismantle neuronormativity and the pathology paradigm in order that neurominorities can dwell (higher lives).
Bernard Grant is a author. Be taught extra at their web site BernardGrant.com.
References
Broderick, Alicia A. (2022). The Autism Industrial Complicated. Myers Training Press.
Chown, N., Stenning, A., & Rosqvist, H. B. (2021). Neurodiversity research: Mapping out potentialities of a brand new vital paradigm. Routledge.
GoingConcern. (2021, September 21). Right here’s the Reality About What Actually Occurs at EY’s Neuro-Numerous Heart of Excellence From Somebody Who Was There. GoingConcern. https://www.goingconcern.com/ey-neurodiverse-center-of-excellence-experience/
Neumeier, Shain (2018, February 9). “To Siri With Love” and the Downside With Neurodiversity Lite. Rewire Information Group. https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2018/02/09/siri-love-problem-neurodiversity-lite/
Sheena, Mason M. (2024). The Raceless Antiracist. Pitchstone Publishing.
Walker, Nick. (2021). Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Potentialities. Autonomous Press.
Walker, Nick. (2021, August 1). Throw Away the Grasp’s Instruments: Liberating Ourselves from the Pathology Paradigm. Neuroqueer. neuroqueer.com/throw-away-the-masters-tools/
Walker, Nick. (2021, August 7). Autism and the Pathology Paradigm. Neuroqueer. neuroqueer.com/autism-and-the-pathology-paradigm/
