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https://theconversation.com/what-autistic-people-and-those-with-adhd-and-dyslexia-really-think-about-the-word-neurodiversity-264920>
"The term “neurodiversity” is still relatively new. Even now, there’s no firm
agreement among experts about what it should include. Does it refer only to
neurodevelopmental differences such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia? Or should it
stretch further, to include mental health conditions too?
Until recently, no one had asked neurodivergent people themselves what they
thought about the language used to describe them. So, we decided to do just
that. Our new research found a mixture of positive and negative views about
words like “neurodiversity” and “neurodivergent”.
Neurodiversity refers to the different ways in which people think and behave.
Just as everyone has an ethnicity, everyone has a neurotype. Around 15% of
people are thought to be neurodivergent, meaning their brains function
differently from what society considers “typical”. The remaining 85% are
neurotypical.
In our survey of more than 900 neurodivergent adults across the UK, almost
everyone had heard of the word “neurodiversity”. Also, 74% said they used
related language, such as “neurodivergent”, to describe themselves.
One finding stood out in particular: how often the language of neurodiversity
is used incorrectly. The word “neurodiverse” refers to a group that includes
both neurotypical and neurodivergent people. In other words, it’s a mix of
different brain types. But it’s often used to describe individuals or groups of
neurodivergent people, when the correct term would be “neurodivergent”.
For many participants, this mistake was more than a harmless slip of the
tongue. Some described it as deeply irritating, while others saw it as a
warning sign. When an expert or organisation got it wrong, especially one
claiming to be inclusive, it could be seen as a “red flag”. Some participants
thought this was a sign that they used fashionable inclusive language while
failing to change exclusionary practices."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
