A Multiply Neurodivergent Perspective
Guest Blogger: Cherish Graff MS, LPC-S
Are you on a path to learn more about Neurodiversity? The best source of information about neurodiversity will always be from actual neurodivergent folks.
It’s important to learn from multiple perspectives of people with actual lived experience. Meet Cherish!
Who is Cherish?
Cherish is a disabled, gender-fluid, multiply Neurodivergent mental health therapist in Texas. Cherish’s neurotypes include: Autism, Adhd, CPTSD, OCD and PMDD.
Cherish educates on Neurodiversity Affirmative practices in schools, residential treatment facilities and in therapy practices as Cherish has witnessed both sides of non-affirming care as well as affirming care and recognizes the need Neurodivergent humans have for more affirming practices.
Introduction to Neurodiversity
Essentially, Neurodiversity is the understanding there is diversity among the types of brains humans live with which we often refer to as “Neurotypes”.
The term “Neurotypes” describe how different “types” of brains vary and affirms there is diversity of brains humans have either from birth (due to a developmental disability) or can develop later in life (such as PTSD or a specific phobia).
The reason it is important to recognize the diversity among different types of brains is that those of us living with atypical brains often need different types of support. Recognizing this informs practices to be more inclusive and affirming.
5 Neuro-Affirming Practices
1. Openness to re-learning an entirely new paradigm
2. Paradigm shift to affirming language
3. Learn from those of us with Lived Experience
4. Learn about the Neurodiversity & Disability Rights Movements
5. Collaboration. Collaboration. Collaboration
#1 Openness to re-learning an entirely new paradigm
This one is not easy, especially for those of us who have differences in how our brains take in new information! It is also a necessary first step in becoming Neurodiversity Affirming.
#2 Paradigm Shift to Affirming Language
Language is so incredibly important as it impacts how we think about other humans. Research has shown how we talk about Autism, specifically, has the power to directly impact the treatment of Autistic individuals (2014, Sterponi).
A 2022 study found: deficit-based language directly increases physical, mental and emotional harm to Autistic people, whereas affirming language increases respect and accommodation of Autistic people.
Deficit-based language is particularly harmful as is shows now Neurodivergent humans are viewed as less than, other and in need of fixing or changing in order to be accepted (and regarded the same as anyone else).
Deficit-based language example: “Autistic people lack social skills.” In this example, the word “lack” is the deficit based term, which also happens to be inaccurate.
The wording would cause the reader to believe there is something missing or faulty in an Autistic person’s socialization when it could be systemic.
Example: Autistic person is not accepted by students at school, therefore hasn’t had the opportunity to develop social skills in the way other have.
Or it could be a difference where the Autistic person does socialize in a way that works for them and their peers when in a group of other Autistic people.
Deficit-based language is inherently ableist and directly contributes to harm done to Neurodivergent humans, especially multiply marginalized Neurodivergent people.
In general, researchers must work on avoiding ableist language, and instead adopt affirming language as the standard.
- Rethinking Language in Autism, 2014, Sterponi
- The use of language in autism research, 2022, Monk, Whitehouse and Waddington
#3 Learn from those of us with Lived Experience
Follow a variety of accounts on social media. Seek blogs written by people with a variety of neurotypes. Find articles written by multiply marginalized people (such as a Black, physically disabled person who also experiences life with an atypical Neurotype like Dissociative Identity).
We gain so much more insight from understanding how other humans experience the world, how they interpret information or how supports impact their specific way of processing. Once we know more from the lived experience lens, we have broader ideas to bring to the table and collaborate with students or clients in ways which are more accommodating to their needs than if we strictly learn from textbooks and so-called experts.
#4 Learn more about the Neurodiversity & Disability Rights Movements, as well as the Models of Disability
There are many useful resources online as well as in print on the Neurodiversity Movement, the Disability Movement and Models of Disability – however here are some suggestions for you start with:
Neurodiversity: the birth of an idea by Judy Singer
A Brief History of the Disability Rights Movement by ADL Education (article)
#5 Collaboration.
Collaboration. Collaboration.
I learned from a Marriage Counselor how the word “compromise” means someone is giving something up, whereas true collaboration is two people working together to come up with a mutually agreeable solution. Dr. Ross Greene explains this in his work where he helps parents and teachers find collaborative and proactive solutions to common difficulties.
In a classroom or a therapy office, we must keep collaboration as the connecting factor between practitioner/teacher and the human being we are serving. If we are truly practicing collaboration – we are ultimately being affirming.
Additional Resources to Explore
If you’d like to read more about the Medical Model, Social Model, Holistic Model, Human Rights Model and Social Relational Models of Disability, here are more resources:
