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Neurodiversity Embracing Neurodiversity: Advocacy and Allyship Jessica Leza, MA, MT-BC Learning Objectives • Explore the concepts and culture of the neurodiversity movement that can impact a client’s therapeutic needs (CBMT Board Certification Domain I.D.9). • Identify cultural factors of the neurodiversity movement that can impact components of therapy such as rapport, motivation to participate in treatment, and appropriate goals and objectives (CBMT Board Certification Domain I.B.4.d). Overview 1. What is neurodiversity? Terminology 2. Values & culture of the neurodiversity movement 3. Autistic Experiences of Therapy 4. Implications for clinical practice in MT 5. Additional resources PowerPoint available at: http://www.JessicaLeza.com What is Neurodiversity? Terminology Neurodiversity (ND) - the phenomena of naturally-occurring, neurological diversity; the differences between all people Diversity does not only apply to race, sexuality, religion, et. al. Diversity also refers to disability & neurology. Term originally developed within autism community, independently coined by Judy Singer & Kassiane Asasumasu Read more: #Neurodiversity “Neurodiversity, some basic terms and definitions” by Nick Walker https://neurocosmopolitanism.com/neurodiversity-some-basic-terms-definitions/ “The essence of beauty is unity in variety.” – Felix Mendelssohn What is Neurodiversity? The Neurodiversity Movement Operates according to the Neurodiversity Paradigm – “the understanding of neurodiversity as a natural form of human diversity, subject to the same societal dynamics as other forms of diversity.” (Nick Walker, in “Throw Away the Master’s Tools”, in Loud Hands) •A disability rights movement, influenced by social model of disability •Fights for support & accommodations for diverse neurologies •Powered by self-advocacy (doesn’t speak for everybody, but stands up for the right for everyone to speak up for themselves) •Encourages a strengths-based perspective •Values the idea that human society needs/benefits from all types of brains. •“The acceptance & celebration of those that operate other than what most of the world considers to be normal.” (Alex Kimmel, “Interview” in Typed Words, Loud Voices) “It’s OK to be autistic - it’s not wrong for us to be the way we are, and it’s not our goal to become (or learn emulate) NTs.” – Jim Sinclair What is Neurodiversity? Terminology Neurodiversity Movement • Founded in early self-advocacy work by intellectually & developmentally disabled, institutionalized people • Includes the severely disabled • Political issues have included fighting for disabled people working in sheltered workshops to receive the same minimum wage as other federal contractors; right for disabled people to live in communities with supports rather than institutions, inclusion in education, access to AAC, preserving the ACA “But my mind is unstrange, I am not a different species, an alien creature, a changeling, a robot, a freak of nature. I am a familiar word, pronounced with a different accent. I am your mother’s favorite recipe, prepared by a stranger. I am your favorite song, recorded by a new artist. I am a human being; I am Autistic.” - Maxfield (Sparrow Rose) Jones, “My Mind is Unstrange” No You Don’t: Essays from an unstrange mind What is Neurodiversity? Terminology What is Neurodiversity? Terminology: Who is Neurodivergent? Neurodivergent (ND): people w/neurology different from the majority (see also, neurominority) Who is neurodivergent? ✔Autism (*many paths to diagnosis are widely accepted) ✔ADHD ✔Tourette’s Syndrome ✔Learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia) ✔Mood disorders (depression, bipolar), schizophrenia ✔Anxiety disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ✔Personality disorders ✔Down Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ID ✔Dementia, Brain Injury What is Neurodiversity? Terminology Neurotypical (NT) •brain functions in ways that conform to “normal” parameters / in socially accepted ways •Members of the dominant neurological majority are NT. •NT means “not-neurodivergent” •NT does not mean “non-autistic” •Term coined by Jim Sinclair Read more: Why Johnny Doesn’t Flap: NT is OK! By Clay & Gail Morton What is Neurodiversity? Terminology Allistic / Allism If you are not autistic, you are allistic. A person can be neurodivergent and allistic (e.g. non-autistic but with another type of neurological difference such as dyslexia, cerebral palsy, OCD, or dementia); OR, a person can be neurotypical and allistic (e.g. neuro functioning conforms to social norms – not autistic, not mentally ill, not brain injured) What is Neurodiversity? Terminology Cousin (AC): non-autistic neurodivergent; slang originating with Autism Network International (ANI), refers to a non-autistic person with some other significant social and communication abnormalities that make them “autistic-like;” AC refers to “autistics and cousins” Autist / Autie: An autistic person (* suggested for in-group use) Aspie: a casual identity label corresponding to an Aspergers Dx (*suggested for in-group use) Aspergirl: a girl/woman with Aspergers/Autism Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP): the pattern of autistic-like traits found in the general population Cross-Neurotype Competence: the ability to interact and communicate skillfully with people of different neurotypes, coined by Nick Walter, read more in “Throw Away the Master’s Tools” in Loud Hands. Ableism: an attitude that favors non-disabled people Aspie Supremacy: worldview possessed by a small number of “aspies” that autistic people are better than non-autistics, coined by Mel Baggs (1999); also used to describe autistics with low support needs who exclude or separate themselves from autistics with high support needs Pathology Paradigm: based on the medical model of disability; states that there is one acceptable narrow range brain type; falling outside this is considered a pathology Values & Culture of the Neurodiversity Movement “… but you are talking about developmental disabilities and mental illness – those are disabilities, not a culture!” Definitions of Culture identified by Ifte Choudhary (Texas A&M University) ✔ the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions ✔ systems of knowledge shared by a group of people ✔ communication, cultivated behavior, and patterns ✔ a way of life of a group of people ✔ symbolic communication, including a group’s skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives Values & Culture of the Neurodiversity Movement 1. Symbols 2. Self-Advocacy: “Nothing about us, without us.” 3. The Social Model of Disability 4. Visualizing the Spectrum 5. Functioning Labels 6. Identity-first language (IFL) 7. Autistic Pride 8. Holidays 9. Moving beyond awareness to acceptance 10. Realism 11. Criticism of Neurodiversity 12. Experiences in Therapy Values & Culture Symbols Values & Culture Symbols Values & Culture Symbols • April 2014, Jimmy Orr releases “We’ll Get By (the autism song)” featuring stigmatizing lyrics (“my autism is a prison”) https://youtu.be/1MbWshaywmU • Autistic organizations & individuals reached out to Orr • Resulting dialogue dehumanized autistics • Autistic self-advocates used humor to cope with the stress • Montana, the Autistic Party Giraffe resulted from attempts to use the situation for self-empowerment of autists Read more: Giraffe Party http://imapartygiraffe.com/on-the-origins-of-giraffe-party/ “G is for Giraffe” in The ABCs of Autism Acceptance, by Sparrow Rose Jones Values & Culture Symbols Red Instead for Autism Acceptance Month • An alternative to stigmatizing Autism Awareness Campaigns from groups like Autism Speaks (“Light it up blue”) • Launched 2015 • Steps away from the gendered symbols (blue) and stereotypes of autism as a diagnosis for boys and men • Red symbolizes love, celebration, & passion Read More: #RedInstead #WalkInRed “Toxic Autism Awareness: Fact from Fiction?” by Judy Endow http://www.judyendow.com/advocacy/toxic-autism-awareness-fact-from-fiction/ Values & Culture Symbols Âû AU - common abbreviation for autism, & chemical abbreviation of aurum (Latin for gold) Âû – autistic individuals and organizations (such as Âustic ûnion) often use this as a suffix added to their name A in Autistic may be capitalized as a proper noun, as seen with Deaf culture. Read more: #LightItUpGold Values & Culture Self-Advocacy “Unless our voices count, the bad events that happened to me will happen again.” - Amy Sequenzia, “I am an Autistic Woman” What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew Motto from Diversity Rights Movement “A hundred degrees on the wall from top universities may make you an expert in a field of a disorder, but they will never make you an expert on being autistic.” - Anonymous, “Tell Me I’m Autistic” What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew Values & Culture Self-Advocacy “Self-advocacy doesn’t always look good on paper. …real self-advocacy will always upset the status quo in some way. … Self-advocacy has been and is still is still often labeled intransigence, noncompliance, treatment resistance, lack of motivation, behavior issues, violence, manipulation, game-playing, attention-seeking, bad attitude, bad influence, babbling nonsense, Autistic Activist Sara Luterrman self-injurious behavior, inappropriate behavior, disrespect, disruption of the milieu, catatonic behavior, social withdrawal, delusions, septal rage syndrome, and even seizures or reflex activity.” - Amanda Baggs,
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