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“Humanity is neurodiverse, just as humanity is racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse.
By definition, no human being falls outside of the spectrum of human neurodiversity,
just as no human being falls outside of the spectrum of
human racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity”
Nick Walker, Neuroqueer Heresies, 2021, p.44
A central aim of Dr. Walker’s book Neuroqueer Heresies is to “help bring about a paradigm shift in how the prevailing culture understands and engages with human neurodiversity” (Walker, 2021, p.72). The well-being and empowerment of “autistics and members of other neurocognitive minority groups hinges upon our ability to create a paradigm shift – a shift from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigm” (Walker, 2021, p.16).
What is The Pathology Paradigm?
The pathology paradigm is closely intertwined with the medical model of disability. In the medical model, disability is attributed to defects located within an individual. This model of disability argues that individuals are disabled by their individual impairments and differences and focuses on what is wrong or defective with the individual, rather than on what they need. The goal is to cure or fix what is impaired or different.
The pathology paradigm is based on two false fundamental assumptions. The first assumption is that there is one ‘right’, or ‘normal’ way for human brains and minds to be configured and to function. The second assumption is that “if your neurological configuration and functioning diverge from the dominant standard of ‘normal’ then there is something wrong with you” (Walker, 2021, p.18).
The pathology paradigm starts from the assumption that neurotypicals are ‘normal’ and autistics are ‘disordered’ because they diverge from the dominant societal standard of ‘normal’. As a result of its assumptions, the pathology paradigm defines autistic individuals as defective and therefore seeks to cure or fix them to make them more non-autistic and more ‘normal’. In the context of human diversity, “to treat one particular group as the ‘normal’ or default group inevitably serves to privilege that group and to marginalize those who don’t belong to that group” (Walker, 2021, p.22). The pathology paradigm pathologizes differences and marginalizes the neurodivergent.
What is The Neurodiversity Paradigm?
In stark contrast to the pathology paradigm, the neurodiversity paradigm rejects the notion of a ‘normal’ or ‘right’ style of human mind. It is intertwined with the social model of disability which locates disability in society’s failure to accommodate or remove systemic barriers to enablement and inclusion. The social model of disability argues that people are disabled by barriers in society, not due to a personal defect or individual difference. Thus, the neurodiversity paradigm seeks to change societal attitudes, remove barriers to access and inclusion, and accommodate autistic needs. The flaw does not lie in the individual, but rather, in the society that does not understand, support, or enable its neurodivergent citizens. The solution to disablement is not to cure or fix the individual, but to challenge and change the society that contributes to an individuals’ disablement.
With a paradigm shift away from the pathology paradigm towards a neurodiversity paradigm, the premise that there is only one ‘normal’ or ‘right’ way of neurological configuration or functioning is replaced with an understanding that neurological diversity is a natural and valuable form of human diversity (Walker, 2021). It is important to keep in mind that “the pathology paradigm and the neurodiversity paradigm are ways of understanding and relating to the phenomenon of human neurodiversity, and are foundations for practice – i.e., for how one treats one’s fellow humans” (Walker, 2021, p.51).
In addition, the shift from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigm calls for “a radical shift in language, because the appropriate language for discussing medical problems is quite different from the appropriate language for discussing diversity” (Walker, 2021, p.21). A true paradigm shift requires a shift in fundamental assumptions as well as a shift in perspective. This requires us “to redefine our terms, recalibrate our language, rephrase our questions, reinterpret our data and completely rethink our basic concepts and approaches” (Walker, 2021, p.17).
The Language of Neurodiversity
New paradigms require new language and concepts. To successfully build on the neurodiversity paradigm, it is important to clarify new terms so that they can be used properly and consistently. Here are some key terms to know:
· Neurodiversity is “the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species” (Walker, 2021, p.34).
· The neurodiversity paradigm “is the understanding of neurodiversity as a natural form of human diversity, subject to the same societal dynamics as other forms of diversity” (Walker, 2021, p.25).
· The neurodiversity movement “is a social justice movement that seeks civil rights, equality, respect, and full societal inclusion for the neurodivergent” (Walker, 2021, p.37).
· Neurodivergent means “having a mind that functions in ways which diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of ‘normal’” (Walker, 2021, p.38). Neurodivergence includes, but is not limited to, autism, epilepsy, dyslexia, traumatic brain injury, dysgraphia, ADHD, PTSD, and dyspraxia.
· Neurotypical means “having a style of neurocognitive functioning that falls within the dominant societal standards of ‘normal’” (Walker, 2021, p.40).
· Neurodivergence is “a value-neutral term that encompasses any significant divergence from dominant cultural norms or neurocognitive functioning” (Walker, 2021, p.48).
What is Autism?
In addition to defining the new terms for the neurodiversity paradigm, Dr. Walker (2021) provides a definition of autism that is not rooted in the pathology paradigm or medical model of disability. Autism is a genetically based human neurological variant that produces distinctive, atypical ways of thinking, moving, interacting, and processing (Walker, 2021). Autistic brains are characterized by “particularly high levels of synaptic connectivity and responsiveness. This tends to make the autistic individual’s subjective experience more intense and chaotic than that of non-autistic individuals” (Walker, 2021, p.85). In addition, the autistic mind “tends to register more information, and the impact of each bit of information tends to be both stronger and less predictable” (Walker, 2021, p.85). Autism is also a developmental phenomenon, “meaning that it begins in utero and has a pervasive influence on development, on multiple levels, throughout the lifespan” (Walker, 2021, p.85).
It is important to note that in the context of a society designed “around the sensory, cognitive, developmental, and social needs of non-autistic individuals, autistic individuals are almost always disabled to some degree – sometimes quite obviously and sometimes more subtly” (Walker, 2021, p.86). Autism is still widely viewed as a ‘disorder’ but this view is being challenged by proponents of the neurodiversity model, which holds that “autism and other neurocognitive variants are simply part of the natural spectrum of human biodiversity” (Walker, 2021, p.86).
Neurodivergence and Disability
When it comes to understanding disability, there are two main distinct models: the medical model and the social model of disability. The medical model is the prevailing model in the modern world. In the medical model of disability, “the term disability refers to an impairment or defect which is seen as being located in the body and/or mind of an individual” (Walker, 2021, p.61).
In contrast, the social model of disability defines the term disabled as the opposite of being enabled. This is due to society being set up “to meet the needs of people with a specific set of traits, needs, and abilities. Those privileged people are abled, or enabled – in other words, society is set up to enable their participation” (Walker, 2021, p.61). In the social model of disability, when a person is said to be disabled, it means that “society isn’t properly set up to enable their participation, and instead is often set up in a way that creates barriers to their participation” (Walker, 2021, p.61). Therefore, people whose needs differ significantly from the dominant majority are disabled by society.
In addition, in the social model of disability, “people don’t have disabilities, people are disabled” (Walker, 2021, p.62). Disablement and marginalization occur when a person’s access needs are not properly accommodated. Understood through the lens of the social model, then, “disability (or disablement) is a form of marginalization” (Walker, 2021, p.62). It is also important to note that societal attitudes “are a key component in the dynamics of enablement and disablement” (Walker, 2021, p.63). For instance, an autistic person can be disabled “entirely as a result of societal attitudes – specifically, the prevailing culture’s intolerance for divergence from the dominant norms of neurotypical social performance” (p.66). Therefore, disablement is created through societal prejudice and the failure to accommodate. The neurodiversity paradigm in conjunction with the social model of disability are about actively working to enable the full societal inclusion and participation of neurodivergent people by accommodating their access needs. True societal inclusion means access and enablement for all its members.
In summary, when one rejects the pathology paradigm and accepts the premise of the neurodiversity paradigm, it becomes clear that differences in neurocognitive functioning are simply a natural form of human diversity. Dr. Walker argues that when you reject the pathology paradigm and its false assumptions, “you don’t have a disorder after all. And it turns out that maybe you function exactly as you ought to function, and that you just live in a society that isn’t yet sufficiently enlightened to effectively accommodate and integrate people who function like you” (Walker, 2021, p.28). Furthermore, “maybe the troubles you have experienced have not been the result of any inherent wrongness in you. And that your true potential is unknown and is yours to explore. And that maybe you are, in fact, a thing of beauty” (Walker, 2021, p.28).
What is Neurocosmopolitanism?
Dr. Walker (2021) urges those engaged in fostering this cultural shift from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigm to reflect on the following two questions:
1. What sort of attitude or approach towards neurodiversity might one find in individuals who have truly comprehended, embraced, and integrated the neurodiversity paradigm?
2. What sort of attitude or approach toward neurodiversity might one find in a society that has fully embraced and been transformed by the neurodiversity paradigm? (p.73)
For Dr. Walker, the answer to both questions is found in the term neurocosmopolitanism. A person who has truly understood, embraced, and integrated the neurodiversity paradigm is likely to exhibit neurocosmopolitan attitudes (Walker, 2021). A society that has fully embraced and been transformed by the neurodiversity paradigm would be a neurocosmopolitan society (Walker, 2021).
The concept of neurocosmopolitanism comes from the term cosmopolitanism which is “the open-minded embracing of human diversity. The term is traditionally used in regard to the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities” (Walker, 2021, p.73). The cosmopolite views all humanity as part of a single global community – “an essential unity which is no way invalidated by the differences among us, and which in fact has the potential to be greatly enriched by those differences when we engage with them in a spirit of humility, respect, and openness to learning” (Walker, 2021, p.73).
Neurocosmopolitanism is about approaching neurodiversity in the same spirit as cultural diversity. The cosmopolite actively welcomes, celebrates, and engages with differences as sources of learning, growth, and mutual enrichment (Walker, 2021). Neurocosmopolitanism extends beyond mere acceptance and accommodation of differences “to an active embracing of and engagement with those differences as potential sources of growth, enrichment, and creative synergy” (Walker, 2021, p.76).
In conclusion, the goal is to continue the meaningful work of fostering the cultural shift from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigm to effectively change how the prevailing culture understands and engages with human neurodiversity. The well-being and empowerment of autistics and other neurocognitive minorities depend on creating this paradigm shift. The aim is to become a neurocosmopolitan society that embraces human diversity, engages with differences, removes systemic barriers, provides accommodations, and meets the needs of its diverse members.
Questions for further reflection
1. What does education look like in a system that centers the acceptance, inclusion, and accommodation of every neurodivergent student?
2. What does education look like when the environment is not solely created by neurotypical individuals, but rather, is shaped by the collaboration of a diversity of minds with a neurocosmopolitan spirit?
3. What does education look like at all grade levels in the context of a neurocosmopolitan approach to education that comprehends and accommodates the neurocognitive styles and communication needs of every student in the classroom?
4. What does a truly neurocosmopolitan classroom community look, feel, and sound like?
Reference
Walker, N. (2021). Neuroqueer heresies: Notes on the neurodiversity paradigm, autistic empowerment, and postnormal possibilities. Autonomous Press.