WELLBEING AND INCLUSION
What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is a popular term that’s used to describe differences in the way people’s brains work. The idea is that there’s no “correct” way for the brain to work. Instead, there is a wide range of ways that people perceive and respond to the world, and these differences are to be embraced and encouraged.
In recent years, the neurodiversity movement has become increasingly prominent. Coined in the 1990s by Australian sociologist Judy Singer, the concept of neurodiversity acknowledges and embraces neurological differences i.e., variations in the way in which individuals interpret, process, and learn information. Neurodiversity can be broken down into two subgroups of individuals: those who are neurotypical and those who are neurodivergent.
Neurotypical describes individuals who think and process information in ways “typical” for their culture.
Neurodivergent refers to individuals whose brain functioning differs from what is considered “typical.” This encompasses a wide range of people, including those with the following differences:
· Autism Spectrum Disorder
· Attention/Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder
· Dyslexia
· Tourette’s
· Dyspraxia
· Sensory Processing Disorder
· Anxiety
· Other neurological conditions
A Neurodiversity Affirming Approach
In contrast to a deficits-based approach which focuses on “fixing” the impairments associated with neurodevelopmental conditions, a neurodiversity-affirming approach acknowledges that all neurotypes have unique strengths, interests, and support needs.
Neurodiversity Affirming Resources (Books for Children/Adolescents) · The Brain Forest by Sandhya Menon · The Awesome Autistic Go-To Guide: A Practical Handbook for Autistic Teens and Tweens by Yenn Purkis and Tanya Masterman · Just Right for You by Melanie Heyworth · Wiggles, Stomps and Squeezes Calm My Jitters Down by Lindsay Rowe Parker · The Superhero Brain by Christel Land · Some Brains by Nelly Thomas · Different, Not Less by Chloé Hayden
Virginnia Gilham and Sarah Jeffreys