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Embracing Neurodiversity

Christine Carey, MS, CCC-SLP

October 3rd, 2022

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https://bit.ly/3E9xiHD

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A note about language:

We will be using both person-first and identity-first language in this presentation, in keeping with the wishes of neurodivergent adults.

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Agenda

Introduction
What is neurodiversity?
How does it look in our classroom?
Why should we shift?
What about intersectionality?
Where do we go from here?

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Your presenter - Christine Carey

Speech-language pathologist

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Your presenter - Christine Carey

Parent of three twice-exceptional kids

Philo - 14 - autistic

Etta - 12 - ADHDer

Cecilia - 9 - ADHDer

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Your presenter - Christine Carey

Diagnosed with autism in Aug. 2020

In August of 2020 I found out why I felt such a connection to my autistic students when I was diagnosed with autism myself, as an adult. It’s interesting to note that one of the fastest-growing populations of individuals being diagnosed with autism are middle-aged women, because when our children are diagnosed it gets us thinking about similarities in ourselves and our own experiences, and so more people are being diagnosed as adults. That is a crazy thing to find out about yourself at midlife, but so much made sense after my diagnosis.

My kid’s diagnosis is what lead me to learn more about the neurodiversity movement. I joined some Facebook groups run by autistic individuals in an effort to understand my kid better, and I was shocked when I started hearing things like, “You can never teach social skills,” or “All schools are inherently ableist.” To be honest, I was really put off by it, especially since they were advocating so many things that were the direct opposite of what I had been taught. However, I’ve since come around, and I can tell you that both my professional practice and my parenting have been dramatically improved by embracing the idea of neurodiversity. I really hope that I can provide you with a more gentle introduction than I had, and bring you around to these ideas.

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What is neurodiversity?

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“Typical” is not the only way to be.

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What is neurodiversity?

The idea that different types of brains are a reflection of biodiversity
The neurodiversity movement says that we should honor all ways of thinking, acting, and being instead of demanding that people change to become typical
Neurodiversity - a group of people with different brains
Neurodivergent - an individual person whose brain is different than average
Neuro-affirming - recognizing that differences are neurological variations, not disorders that need to be fixed

Neurodiversity borrows a lot of ideas from biodiversity. Biodiversity is basically the idea that plants and animals are all different, and evolve differently. Biodiversity is a huge advantage in an ecosystem because it lets every life form perform a slightly different role, and they all sort of fit together. If we think about birds, nobody is looking at a pelican and saying that it should be more like a flamingo, right? We look at all of the animals and understand that they all inhabit their own little place in the wider world, and that their differences help them inhabit that little place. However, when we look at people, we have a much less flexible view. Our range of acceptable behavior and acceptable ways of being is amazingly narrow. As an educational system we see kids whose brains are wired differently and our first instinct is to figure out ways to make them more typical instead of encouraging them to enhance and develop the abilities they already have. That is such a problem! And, increasingly, the research is catching up to what neurodivergent adults have been telling us all along - that we really can’t make kids typical. We can only make them hide who they really are.

Before we go any further, let’s define a few terms. Neurodiversity is when a group of people have differently-wired brains. Some people might be neurotypical, some might have ADHD, some might have autism, but they’re all different from one another in some way. If you were to walk into a Dungeons & Dragons session being played by five kids who are twice-exceptional with autism that is not a neurodiverse group since all of those kids are 2E. Neurodiversity means everyone is different, for example, your average classroom that contains neurotypical kids, maybe a gifted kid, a couple kids with learning disabilities, etc. Neurodivergent is the term for people whose brains are different than typical. So neurodiversity refers to groups or concepts, and neurodivergent refers to individual people who are different. Neuro-affirming means that we recognize that differences like ADHD and autism are neurological variations, not disorders that need to be fixed.

Now, this is where a lot of people get hung up and disagree with the neurodiversity movement because the idea of being neuro-affirming is pretty easy when you’re talking about people like me - people who can talk and hold down jobs and don’t need help with activities of daily living and can advocate for themselves. But think about some of our students in self-contained special ed units...kids who can’t do things for themselves, or kids who can’t communicate, or kids who have self-injurious behaviors that put them in physical danger. Are we supposed to accept them as they are without changing them? Yes and no. Accepting their differences doesn’t mean we can’t help them to develop their skills. I mean, we accept neurotypical children but we still try to teach them new things and build their knowledge. It’s absolutely okay to give kids accessible education, OT, PT, and Speech therapy...what’s not okay is doing those things solely to make the kid look and act more typical. For example, if you want a child to have OT so he can feel more regulated and comfortable in his body, that’s great! If you want a child to have OT so he stops rocking in class because it makes him look weird, that’s not cool. That’s the difference between being neuro-affirming, or not.

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What makes people neurodivergent?

There are a lot of different ways that people can be neurodivergent. The two that immediately leap to mind are autism and ADHD...I think those are the two that are most closely tied with peoples’ concept of neurodiversity. However, ANYONE who has brain wiring that causes them to process information, sensory input, or emotions differently than most is neurodivergent. So, kids with dyslexia, kids with Tourette Syndrome, kids with dyspraxia or coordination disorders are also considered neurodivergent. And, of course, gifted kids are neurodivergent...they definitely process information and emotions differently than their typically-developing peers. People with mental health issues can be neurodivergent. You can also have acquired neurodivergence...people with traumatic brain injuries become neurodivergent. Neurodivergent a big umbrella term for people whose brains are different in some way.

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How does it look in our classroom?

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We value neurodiversity, right?

So when I talk to people who are on their way to being neuro-affirming, they often say, “Oh yeah, I love my kids who are different! I look at kids with ADHD and I know they’re the next Michael Phelps with all the ways they need to move, or the next Sheldon Cooper with how brilliant they are, or the next Greta Thunberg with their passion and focus. Neurodivergent kids are the best!”

Feelings like this are the first baby-step to becoming neuro-affirming...it doesn’t mean you’re there yet. People like Michael and Greta and Sheldon are easy to value because they’re still achieving things that are valuable by neurotypical standards. Michael is a champion, and Greta is an activist, and Sheldon is comic relief. What’s more challenging is seeing our kids’ differences as being valid and valuable EVEN IF they don’t provide any value in a neurotypical world.

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We value neurodiversity, right?

So what about that kid who skips playing kickball at recess because he’s busy reading obscure facts about Mars and reciting them to any adult that will listen? Or that kid who isn’t content unless he’s jumping or moving? Or the kid who can’t read and needs everything given to him as speech-to-text? Are we able to value them as they are, today, without thinking about how their tendencies might be channeled into neurotypical behavior?

Once we see neurodivergent behavior and needs as just as valid as neurotypical behavior we can start to identify the ways that we push neurodivergent kids into the margins...the ways that we defeat them and put them at a disadvantage before the school day even begins...and the things we can change to welcome those kids back in and make them valued members of the community.

Now, I would love to talk to you about neuro-affirmitive and neurodevelopmentally appropriate instructional techniques, but I can’t, because I’m a speech pathologist, not a teacher. I have no idea how you do the magic you do in your classroom. So to give you an idea of the types of changes I’m talking about, I’m going to talk about something that’s familiar to both of us...behavior management.

And just a note, this next part is interactive, so if you want to unmute or put something in the chat, that would be appreciated. I always need a moment to prepare for the interactive part of a presentation, so I figured I would give you the same heads-up that I appreciate. Here we go, let’s look at some behavior expectations.

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Case Study: Whole Body Listening

What neurotypical behavior is valued here?

Some neurodivergent kids would struggle - what needs

would be going unmet?

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Case Study: PBIS

What neurotypical behavior is

valued here?

What neurodivergent needs

may be going unmet?

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Why do we shift?

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Why create a neuro-affirming classroom?

It’s the right thing to do

It increases student engagement

It fulfills our obligation to provide a free and appropriate public education

It lessens the need for masking

I actually kind of struggled to write this part of the presentation because it was hard to think of reasons besides, “It’s the right thing to do.” We’re in the business of educating children, not educating “only neurotypical children that fit into the system we already created.” We’re supposed to reach all kids! And using neuro-affirmitive practices will help us do just that.

It also increases student engagement. As we saw when we discussed behavior, some of our kids are pushed out and alienated before class even begins. And they know it! Some kids will push through and keep trying, but as kids get older, more and more they act out or shut down. Using neuro-affirmative practices brings these kids in again and creates an environment where they aren’t immediately penalized just for being who they are.

In that same vein, we do have an obligation to provide a free and appropriate public education to all students, not just all students who fit the mold as structured. A lot of neurodivergent kids get special ed, but they deserve schools that are structured to accommodate them all day, not just when their special ed teachers are in the room.

And finally, using neuro-affirmative practices lessens the need for masking. Masking is when neurodivergent people hide their differences in order to get along in society. Being able to mask is a sort of privilege...I’ve worked with plenty of kids who couldn’t have hidden their differences if they tried. However, just because masking can give you certain advantages, that doesn’t mean that it’s always beneficial for the child doing it.

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Effects of Masking

Stress/Anxiety

Exhaustion

Suicidality

Loss of Identity

This is higher in people who have to mask their true selves

Constantly monitoring your behavior is tiring!

Leads to feeling like a burden, which can lead to suicidal thoughts

Constantly hiding how you act and what you love can make you lose touch with your true self

Constantly masking who you are can have some pretty negative side-effects. First of all, it increases stress and anxiety. That’s a natural result of constantly monitoring your behavior and trying to “be right.” It’s also exhausting. To give a personal example, I’m pretty fortunate to have a job where I’m working by myself with students in highly structured interactions for most of the day. When I’m in a less-structured environment it’s hard to keep up. Recently my daughter joined Scouts BSA, and I went with her to her first meeting. While she was with the kids, I was hanging out with some of the other parent leaders. Now, before I even left the house I tried to think about what a “scout parent” is supposed to be like...I figured they’d be confident, kind of outdoorsy and athletic, and down-to-earth, and I know they love to talk about scouting. So throughout that 90 minute meeting I was constantly checking my posture to see if it was relaxed and open, I had a pre-determined list of topics I could bring up and questions I could ask related to Scouting, I made sure to smile a lot and make eye contact. NONE of it comes naturally and constantly monitoring and checking and making sure I’m doing it right is completely exhausting. After the meeting I was totally spent! I feel so sad for kids who feel they have to choose between exerting that kind of effort, or never being accepted by their peers. Masking can also lead to a loss of identity...of course, when you’re basing your behavior on someone else’s preferences and standards, you lose touch with who you really are. And finally, sometimes the pressure of masking and the feelings of never being accepted can lead to thoughts of suicide for some kids.

We can do so much harm by forcing neurotypical behavior. But honestly, I can’t overstate how much good we can potentially do by embracing neurodiversity.

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What about intersectionality?

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Neurodiversity & Race

Physical safety

Multiple biases

Resources for families

Don’t impose white neurodiversity

“Quirky” mannerisms might be mistaken as threatening by police

Kids are already at a disadvantage in a biased system

We have a responsibility to be a neuro-affirming and culturally competent resource for families

Don’t exchange one oppressive system for another

The experience of being neurodivergent and part of a racial minority group is completely different than being neurodivergent and white. Unfortunately, some neurodiversity and disability rights advocates gloss over that completely. This is an area that I’m still learning about, but the big thing to think about here is that there will be layers of barriers for our neurodivergent children of color. One of the biggest ways this shows up is when we talk about social skills instruction. There are plenty of neurodiversity advocates who hate any form of social skills instruction because they say it leads to masking and denying who neurodivergent kids really are. So they want to completely give up any type of instruction or therapy that makes a kid look more neurotypical. Now, it sounds great for kids to be loudly, unapologetically quirky and unconventional, but black parents said, “Hold on! If my black kid is walking down the street acting in ways that seem erratic or unexpected, and someone calls the police, that interaction may end much differently than it would for a white kid.” So now we see the complexity of trying to honor neurodiversity while still keeping kids safe in the larger world. Children of color also face multiple biases at school...not only are they working against racial biases, but also neurological biases. Because of that we have a responsibility to be a resource for families...not only culturally competent, but also neuro-affirming, because professionals who are both can be difficult to find. We also need to be cautious about imposing our own versions of neurodiversity that are based on white advocacy. We need to listen to the families of our students and the students themselves about what they need and what is actually helpful.

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Neurodiversity & Gender Identity/Sexuality

More likely to be LGBTQ+

More likely to reject gender norms

More likely to be abused/in an abusive relationship

Less likely to have their orientation respected

Statistically, they’re more likely to be on this spectrum

Why pay attention to gender social norms when they reject social norms in general?

Research is still catching up on “why,” but this is true

People might pass it off as a phase or special interest

Neurodiversity can also intersect with gender identity and sexuality. Neurodivergent kids are more likely to eventually identify as LGBT and to reject gender norms. The science is still catching up on why, but one theory is that if you aren’t intuitively subscribing to neurotypical social norms, why adhere to gender norms? Kids are more likely to be creative with their gender expression and open-minded in their gender identity. Unfortunately, neurodivergent people are less likely to have their gender identity or sexuality respected. People pass it off as just a phase, or a special interest, or even say that they don’t have the cognitive capacity to know that they’re anything but cisgender and straight. And as long as we’re talking about sexuality and relationships, neurodivergent or otherwise disabled people are much more likely to be abused or in an abusive relationship than neurotypical people. Researchers are still figuring out why - although I could probably tell them why, as could other neurodivergent people - but statistically, this is true.

Just like with people of color, LGBT neurodivergent people face layers of barriers, and accommodating one barrier doesn’t erase the other.

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Neurodiversity & Girls

Diagnostic Criteria

Social Messaging

Accommodations

Representation

Some criteria were literally normed on boys

Girls are told to “get along” which leads to masking

Don’t assume that they aren’t struggling just because they’re afloat

Girls don’t always see themselves in neurodiverse examples

Finally, neurodivergent girls can face special barriers. For some diagnostic categories, the criteria was LITERALLY normed on boys, which leads to girls being underrepresented. Neurodivergence, especially autism, can manifest differently in girls, partially because girls get so much pressure to just “get along,” which makes them more prone to masking. Related to that, girls are sometimes under-serviced and under-accommodated because they’re taught to go with the flow at all costs and hold everything together. While boys may act out and show their need for accommodations, girls might quietly struggle and go unnoticed. And finally, neurodivergent girls don’t get to see themselves represented in the media like neurodivergent boys do. There simply aren’t as many role models for them, which can be incredibly harmful.

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Where do we go from here?

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So, what do we do?

Immediate problem
Child level
Classroom level
Furthering your education

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Immediate problem level

A great place to start is taking a step back and considering what to do the next time a problem or difficulty comes up with your child or student. When you go to correct that kid, I’d just like you to ask yourself why. Are you correcting him because everyone has to follow the rules? Because you think he has to learn how to act in order to fit in? Because he needs to be typical in order to get along in the world? None of that is actually true! There is actually nothing wrong with a kid who happy flaps or obsesses about the Renaissance period or whose brain free-associates five topics away from the original topic of discussion. Just stopping to reflect, “Why am I really telling them to do this?” or “Why am I enforcing this rule?” is the first step to becoming more open-minded about neurodiversity.

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Niche Construction

Similar to ecological niche
Change the environment around one student to help them succeed
Identify barriers that can be overcome
Identify strengths to build and leverage

If you’re thinking about changing things for one child, niche construction is a good place to start. Thomas Armstrong talks about this in his book Neurodiversity in the Classroom, and the idea is kind of similar to the idea of ecological niches, the idea that each species needs its own special space with resources and conditions in order to thrive. Basically, it’s changing the environment around one student to help them succeed. This is similar to IEPs for our kids in special ed, but often IEPs target modifying work (often by simplifying it) or making up lagging skills, including social skills. Good IEPs build on student strengths, but to be honest, I think that’s often overlooked. Niche construction changes the environment before changing the child, and then helps the child build skill by building on their strengths. And good niche construction helps a kid advance their strengths. Building a kid’s strengths is every bit as important as helping them make up lagging skills.

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Universal Design for Learning

Lessons start with a goal, but there are multiple ways to get there
Accommodations are open to all learners
Students self-select the accommodations they need and the path they take to learning

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Facebook Groups

Autism Inclusivity
Ask Me, I’m Autistic! (24 hour rule)
Ask Me, I’m an AAC User! (24 hour rule)
What ADHD-ers Want You to Know
TraumaGeek

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Instagram Accounts

Fidgets & Fries (discusses race as well)
The Autisticats (discusses LGBTQ+ as well)
The_neurodivergent_teacher (works with kids with high support needs)
Disability Reframed
Neurodivergent Rebel (discusses LGBTQ+ as well)

Instagram accounts are also good sources of firsthand information. There are lots of people who are generously using their time and energy to educate others. It’s also a fairly easy way to integrate education into your daily routine. I mean, you’re going to be scrolling through Instragram anyway, you may as well learn something while you’re doing it. Fidgets & Fries is one of my favorite thought-provoking accounts where the woman talks about being autistic, raising autistic kids, and being black. The Autisticats is run by three college students and provides good information about autism and LGBT issues. The Neurodivergent Teacher is run by a woman who has ADHD and teaches in a comprehensive classroom, so her stuff is really interesting because she talks about applying neuro-affirming principals while also providing a high level of support to students. Disability Reframed talks a lot about the social model of disability, which is valuable even though it’s not explicitly about neurodiversity. The Neurodivergent Rebel also talks a lot about neurodiversity and its intersection with LGBT issues, and also creative hair colors and rollerskating.

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Websites

LearnPlayThrive.com (for SLPs and OTs)
DorseySLP.com
Autismlevelup.com
Understood’s Neurodiversity Page - https://www.understood.org/articles/en/neurodiversity-what-you-need-to-know
Understood.org Root Causes - https://www.understood.org/topics/en/root-causes
Tiffany Hammond’s Buy Me a Coffee site: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fidgetsandfries

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Videos & Graphics

Me and my ADHD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVSnHCDAdCU
Carly’s Cafe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDGvquzn2k
A Day in the Life: https://www.understood.org/search-results/v1/search?query=a+day+in+the+life

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Books

Neurodiversity in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong
Unmasking Autism by Devon Price
Autism in Heels by Jennifer Cooke O’Toole
Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg
Neurotribes by Steve Silberman

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Questions? Concerns? Ready to shake things up? Contact me!

christinemarycarey@gmail.com
Call or text me at 414-210-8997

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THANKS

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