“Let’s play a game, okay? I’ll give you a bunch of clues, and you try to guess who I am.
I am not a person, place, or thing. You can’t see me or touch me or smell me.
I am considered a human condition, but really, I am a collection of symptoms.
I don’t like to play with other kids.
I don’t like it if we drive home a different way.
I sit and take the vacuum cleaner apart for hours.
I don’t like making eye contact
I am the twitching finger and the flapping hand.
I am the silent toddler with downcast eyes and a tippy-toe walk.
I am a diagnosis, a disorder; a box you check on the medical form or a postscript at the end of an email.”
This is Jack’s story, a 10-year-old boy with autism.
We all may know someone like Jack, who has very specific interests or someone who is a little “awkward”. But that someone who comes off as “weird” or “awkward” is WIRED differently! Some of us know someone who is or are ourselves diagnosed with conditions like dyslexia, Tourette's syndrome, as well as many other developmental and intellectual difficulties. These conditions all fall under the umbrella of a term known as neurodiversity.
This article will broaden our understanding of this term, its relation to autism, and the challenges currently being faced by neurodiverse individuals. Autism refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication (APA, 2013). Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges.
The premise of the neurodiversity movement is that humans aren't “one size fits all”. They are neurologically different or diverse. It recognizes that all variations of human neurological function need to be respected as just another way of being. This can be seen from Jack’s story. Jack’s story, viewed from a medical lens, may call for prevention and cure of such serious impairments. In contrast, those who support neurodiversity see such attempts as a threat to the existence of people like Jack. Neurodiversity encourages an unabashed adoption of diversity. If autism is viewed as just another way of being, it would allow us to stop looking at it as “suffering”.
Even workplaces greatly stand to benefit from more representation and equitable opportunities that the neurodiversity perspective brings. It allows for greater visibility, understanding, awareness and sensitivity around challenges that people with autism face. The movement is largely positive, encouraging a more equal treatment and outlook towards people with autism. Take, for instance, Café Arpan based in Mumbai, right from the head chef (diagnosed with autism) to its staff, all the employees are neurodiverse. They embody the statement - “We are freshwater fish in saltwater. Put us in fresh water and we function just fine. Put us in saltwater and we struggle to survive.”
Despite its benefits, neurodiversity does have its challenges. Autism manifests itself differently in every person. Some may require intensive lifelong support, whereas others may live independently. Consequently, in the wake of having inclusive schools and workplaces, a person with autism faces multiple obstacles. To mention a few, there are academic challenges, social isolation, anxiety, and inadequately trained teachers and mentors.
Similarly, workplaces recruit employees by seeing them through the same lens rather than accounting for individual strengths and interests. As a result, each applicant is evaluated through the same lens, pushing the neurodiverse population out of the competition.
We are all born different, raised differently. As a result, our thinking differs from each other, and this uniqueness brings in varied perspectives and innovative ideas. So, how do we start embracing neurodiversity in our schools, workplaces and daily lives? Here are a few tips that can help you:
At the end of the day, the principle behind encouraging and embracing neurodiversity is to move away from trying to force-fit someone with autism into a definition of "normal" behaviours. It's time for society to openly accept differences in behaviours and needs and create more opportunities for the inclusion of neurodiverse individuals in schools, workplaces and public areas.
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