Neuropsychologist Diana Carolina Gomez Blanco brings us closer to the concept of neurodiversity in this article.

In recent years, a concept has emerged in the realms of autism associations and other neurodivergences that is changing the paradigm through which we usually understand disability, as well as the so-called neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. This concept questions whether there really is such a thing as a “normal” brain.

In this regard, humans have developed standards and exact measurements. For example, in the basement of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) headquarters in Sevres, France, there is a piece of metal that represents the worldwide standard for the kilogram, and all kilo measurements are calibrated and weighed against this prototype, which is highly guarded.

However, there is no such standard for the human brain. Currently, there is no preserved organ in any museum used as the measurement standard for what is considered normal or abnormal, despite attempts over the years to standardize human behavior and cognition based on different case studies. There have been models suggesting that brain weight was equivalent to intelligence, the popularization of intelligence tests for classification, or the postulation of psychiatric classifications for behaviors that deviate from the expected standard.

Nevertheless, thanks to advances in neuroscience studies, it has been understood that determining what is normal or abnormal is not as straightforward. How true is it that what we now know as disorders may not be exactly that? (Armstrong, 2015, pp. 1-4).

What is Neurodiversity – Neurodiversity Concept

Neurodiversity was first described in 1998 by sociologist and activist Judy Singer, who conceived it as a synonym for neurological biodiversity. It is estimated that between 15% and 20% of the population has a different neurological development and is called neurodivergent, while those who follow the expected development are called neurotypical (Fundaciò factor humà, 2020, p. 2). Both neurotypicals and neurodivergents make up the neurodiversity of the human brain.

Neurodivergents include individuals with diagnoses such as ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, or anxiety disorders. It is questioned whether they should be maintained as disorders, as sometimes they are preferred to be called conditions. Hence, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is considered ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition), although these types of modifications have not been made in different diagnostic manuals to this day.

The origin of neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is based on the idea that two major processes occur during the formation of the human brain: one establishes the basic development of essential human behavior, and the other determines the personal development of qualities, abilities, and multiple intelligences.

In this sense, it is important to highlight that genes, in interaction with all the accompanying chromosomal material, initiate, direct, and regulate brain creation, along with all the processes that shape its development throughout the prenatal and postnatal period. However, it is worth questioning how many neurons are born in a specific individual and how many are capable of fulfilling their role properly.

It is precisely here that it has been known, up to the present moment, that neural networks are susceptible to aspects such as nutrition, care, and many other factors, without representing the presence of pathologies but rather differences in functionality, which characterize cerebral diversity, in which, despite all having the same human brain and individual differences, these differences are what characterize neurodiversity.

At this point, it is important to clarify the key concepts related to neurodiversity and its appropriate use. Neurodiversity is not a perspective, an approach, a belief, a political ideology, or similar. On the contrary, neurodiversity is a biological fact, it is the diversity of human brains and minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning in the human species.

It is not a trait that an individual possesses, but a group does, and when a person deviates from the dominant or “normal” standard of neurocognitive functioning in a society, they do not have neurodiversity, they are neurodivergent, and this should be distinguished from the paradigm of neurodiversity or the neurodiversity movement.

Neurodiversity is proposed as an alternative to the concept of disability. As Thomas Armstrong says:

“My own definition of the word includes an analysis of what has long been considered neurological mental disorders but which may represent alternative forms of natural human differences” (Armstrong, 2010: p. 21).

Eight basic principles of neurodiversity

Therefore, among the postulates of neurodiversity, 8 basic principles have been proposed (Lopera Murcia, 2015, p.252):

1. The human brain functions as an ecosystem rather than a machine.
2. Human beings and human brains exist along continuous spectrums of competence. That is, there are subtle differences in cognitive domains. For example, from having a high capacity for memorization to severe deficits in the same.
3. Human competence is defined based on the values of the culture to which one belongs.
4. Whether one is considered disabled or gifted depends largely on when and where one is born.
5. Success in life is based on the brain’s adaptation to the needs of the environment.
6. Success in life also depends on modifying the environment to fit the specific needs of the unique brain (niches).
7. Building niches includes career and lifestyle choices, assistive technologies, human resources, and other strategies that enhance life and adapt to the specific needs of the neurodiverse individual.
8. Positive niche construction directly modifies the brain, which, in turn, reinforces its ability to adapt to the environment.

Functional neurodiversity

Some of the principles of neurodiversity are presented in an interesting way. As what is considered a disorder can be evaluated from another perspective, Armstrong (2010, p. 37-43) proposes in his book ‘The Power of Neurodiversity‘ how the so-called “disorders” also bring benefits, strengths, and skills that, in the right environment, can be developed and enhanced in different ways.

For example, in the case of ADHD diagnosis (one of the most studied and detected neurodevelopmental disorders), one of the established criteria is that it must generate social, educational, or family dysfunction. However, why not consider the joy of a hyperactive brain from another point of view?

Studies on children diagnosed with ADHD show normal patterns of growth but lag behind other children by an average of 3 years, mainly evidenced in areas of sensorimotor integration, planning, problem-solving, and inhibition.

Other studies suggest that they are like growing flowers rather than defective brains. Therefore, many children with ADHD tend to have a more childish or immature behavior, needing more time to reach maturity. And although immaturity is considered negative socially, is it really so?

The same author argues that in biology, there is a term called “neoteny,” which means staying young and refers to maintaining childlike qualities or behaviors in later stages. Almost everyone knows that photograph of Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue, one of many anecdotes that demonstrate his childlike nature. It is possible that if he were born nowadays, he would have been deserving of a diagnosis of inattentive ADHD. But he himself wrote the following:

“Sometimes I wonder how it is possible that I am the one who developed the theory of relativity. I think the reason is that a normal adult never stops to think about the problems of space and time. These are things I have thought about since I was a child. But my intellectual development was delayed, and as a result, I began to wonder about space and time when I was already grown up.”

Albert Einstein

Could it be that many great thinkers and inventors were, in fact, children trapped in adult bodies?

The hyperactive brain of ADHD also has other gifts. A human being who has increased hyperactivity (motor activity) is more efficient in seeking food, shelter, and other survival tasks; the ability to easily switch attention (distractibility) allows them to be alert to possible threats in the environment, and the ability to quickly respond to instincts (impulsivity) is vital for situations that require quick actions. That’s why ADHD has been likened to hunters in a world of farmers. While farmers require patience, planning, and thinking about the future, hunters are constantly on the move in search of food and shelter, remaining attentive to their instincts.

Those diagnosed with ADHD are creative due to their impulsive tendencies. Just as an artist’s creativity is appreciated, hyperactive individuals can be the vitality of an artist or inventor who tries hundreds of plans without faltering until they achieve their goal. One of their major disadvantages is that although they are supposed to have an attention deficit, they are excellent at paying attention to what they are not supposed to pay attention to.

Being a person with attention deficit disorder means seeing things that others do not see. While others see an apple, a fruit, they see its color, shape, the field, the fingerprint marks… They have the great ability to pay attention to what interests them (hyperfocus), so they can spend hours playing with Legos, video games, or dancing, completely absorbed. And when necessary, that capacity is crucial, for example, for a surgeon who spends 12 hours in the operating room and must not tire or get distracted.

You could go on for who knows how many more pages talking about the positive side of ADHD and you couldn’t conclude. And the same goes for other “disorders” and “disabilities,” in which you could list the benefits, strengths, and abilities they have. However, it is enough to create a suitable environment or “niche” in which, instead of forcing them to act like a neurotypical person, their unique characteristics are enhanced.

A case in point, and a very clear example of how the creation of niches allows what is considered a disability to become an opportunity, is that people with a condition on the autism spectrum are being hired for programming tasks. As Natalia Prevost recounts in a news article, this niche is increasingly growing.

In an interview with Sistach, he mentions that they have “found a market niche with high demand – ‘software testing’ – that nobody wants to do and that these people love and do very well.” He also refers to the importance of no longer thinking about people with ASD in terms of their difficulties, but rather valuing those special abilities that can make them shine.

They are perfect for this type of task since they possess “a genuine passion for details, a great capacity for concentration, perseverance in performing systematic and repetitive tasks, the ability to establish patterns where others only see chaos, a good memory and visual competence, or a high intolerance for error” (Prevost, 2018).

Conclusion

This change of perspective in recent years has been changing the way disability, mental disorders, intervention, and therapeutic models are considered, increasingly focusing on the individual and their family. Although it is still true that there is a long way to go to modify society’s preconceptions about all neurodivergent individuals, it is important to recognize that we are all neurodiverse precisely because, even though we belong to the same species, no two brains are the same.

Bibliography

• Armstrong, T. (2015). El mito del cerebro normal: abrazando la neurodiversiddad. Etica de la AMA, 17(4), 348-352.
• Fundaciò factor humà. (2020). Neurodiversidad. Unidad de Conocimiento, 1. https://motivacio.org/attachments/article/15536/neurodiversidad-cast.pdf
• Lopera Murcia, Á. M. (2015). El poder de la neurodiversidad. Las extraordinarias capacidades que se ocultan tras el autismo, la hiperactividad, la dislexia y otras diferencias cerebrales. Revista Española de Discapacidad, 5(1), 251 – 254. Dialnet. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/6023247.pdf
• Prevost, N. L. (2018, July 4). De autistas a especialistas detectando errores en sistemas informáticos. El Confidencial. https://www.elconfidencial.com/sociedad/2018-07-04/autista-tea-trabajo-desempleo-detectar-errores-bra_1584189/

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