What is the Neurodiversity movement?

A different look at mental disorders, claiming for social transformation.

We are living in a time in which social movements want to make visible those concepts that have been stigmatized with negative connotations. The medical dictionary and scientific etymology, especially those of a psychological nature (autism, ADHD, dyslexia) have been labeling groups that often suffer discrimination from others.

What is known as the neurodiversity movement encompasses the group of people diagnosed with mental disorders or neurological alterations who are treated in a discriminatory way by society and who claim their rights. Let's see what it consists of.

Neurodiversity

The neurodiversity movement was started by the autistic community. to refer to the diversity of human characteristics that are neurologically affected. The intention is none other than to replace one vocabulary with another, using terminology without stigmas as opposed to concepts such as disease, pathology or mental deficiency. Initially, it is an idea that has gained a lot of traction within the scientific and social sector, but there are detractors who are increasingly critical of the application of these measures.

The concept of neurodiversity is used to emphasize the nature of neurological and/or biological problems. In other words, it is intended to normalize in some way the differences that exist between people with mental disorders and those who do not experience them in the first place. and those who do not experience them in the first person. For example, being dyslexic is normal in the sense that it is a condition that should not affect the personal or professional development of individuals, nor serve as an excuse for discriminatory treatment. It is simply a different condition, neither better nor worse. They are natural variations of the human brain, nothing more.

The birth of this movement is attributed to the excessive medicalization that this community suffers from and that, according to their denunciations, only serves to increase the prejudices and differences with the rest of human beings. They are cared for in special schools, in special classes, they are put together with people in the same situation, avoiding contact with others. They are sent to specific jobs, usually unskilled labor, which makes it difficult for them to develop their interests and talents.

In addition, the neurodiversity movement highlights the fact of the constant terminological damage assigned to autistic people and others, this approach being only negative, as something to be solved or something that can harm society as a whole. The renowned doctor specialized in autism, Simon Baron-Cohen, or Dr. Thomas Anderson, a specialist in neurosciences, have been especially critical of the classic vocabulary of "disorders", and have already substituted terms such as disorder for diversity, or difference for disability.

Arguments in favor of the concept

The first thing that comes to mind when we say or read the word autistic, is that it is a person with whom we should not associate or, directly, we call him/her strange or weird. Well, according to experts in the field, neither adhd nor many other psychological conditions can be considered illnesses because they are not a problem that not being a problem that lies in the functioning of the body in isolation. In fact, the causes of these phenomena are unknown. For an abnormality to have the status of a disease, it must be curable or initiated by abnormalities in a particular area of the body or DNA.

Among many of the arguments that exist to defend the concept of neurodiversity, the most important is that of preventing the "affected" person from feeling undervalued, violated or considered a person with fewer rights. In fact, many autistic people consider the opposite to be true. They claim to develop cognitive abilities superior to those of the average population, they assert that they have a special and healthier way of perceiving everything around them.

Another of the beneficial elements of neurodiversity resides in focus on how to enhance the strengths of people with these types of differences rather than striving to find the problems they bring. rather than striving to find the problems associated with them. One of the tools used to implement this approach is the University of North Carolina's Universal Design for Learning. However, it should be noted that the neurodiversity movement does not deny the difficulties that affected individuals have.

Elements against

Without entirely contradicting the reasons and arguments in favor of the existence of neurodiversity, most scientific and medical experts in the neurosciences warn against the need to not underestimate the serious problems experienced by people suffering from autism or other disorders derived from neurodiversity.. They also consider autism as a serious disorder, and not as a simple variation of human diversity.

On the other hand, neuroanatomical abnormalities have been detected in the brains of those affected by disorders included in the neurodiversity movement, although no specific "starting points" of these alterations have been identified. Many family members also warn of the importance of not underestimating or overly normalizing this phenomenon, and point out the serious disadvantages of having an autistic family member: in many cases, self-injury, lack of communication and unexpected attacks of anger are frequent.