Neurodiversity: An Explainer
The term "neurodiversity" (neuro: nerve or brain; diverse: different) was coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer in her 1999 essay Why can't you be normal for once in your life?
She wanted a broad term to describe various deviations from a normative neurocognitive process. While in her essay, she argued that being on the Autism Spectrum was not a disability but part of the natural range of the human brain.
Other groups have adopted the term in relation to various diagnostic “labels” - ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc.
Although Singer coined the term, the concept is older. Similar arguments have been made in the literature on dyslexia since the 1970s. Even Aristotle wrote about the boundary between healthy and unhealthy deviations in the way people perceive and think.
This theory has two sides:
On the one hand, it's a socio-political theory. It overlaps with the disability movement which regarded as "normal" is a social construct. For example, “dyslexia” only became an issue when everyone was expected to be able to read and write. Historically, this is a new situation! It was a specialist knowledge not so long ago.
On the other hand, the theory of neurodiversity is an evolutionary biological hypothesis. There are advantages for the population as a whole if some people have certain sensory and cognitive characteristics that deviate from the average.
The general theory is still a matter of debate...
...in the scientific community, but also among those who might fall under the term ‘neurodiverse’. Many prefer to see their condition as a disability, while others prefer the neurodiversity model.
But it's clear from scientific research that some neurodivergences have proven benefits. These come with challenges, but their pros and cons are different sides of the same cognitive patterns.
In the end, however idea of neurodiversity has grown and developed well beyond Judy Singer’s original conception, and is understood in a variety of different (at times conflicting) ways. However, it is becoming increasingly uncontraversial that neurodiversity is an important dimension of human diversity.
“‘Neuro’ was a reference to the rise of neuroscience. ‘Diversity’ is a political term; it originated with the black American civil rights movement. ‘Biodiversity’ is really a political term, too.
As a word, ‘neurodiversity’ describes the whole of humanity. But the neurodiversity movement is a political movement for people who want their human rights.”
Judy Singer