When faced with the possibility that their child has a diagnosis or disability, most caregivers experience a range of emotions that often revolve around fear and other ‘negative’ feelings. This emotional response is often influenced by societal norms and perceptions surrounding differences and disabilities, which tend to portray them as inherently “wrong,” “bad,” “broken,” or in need of a fix or cure. But, what if we approached disability differently? If we viewed it not as a deficit, but as an equally valid and accepted part of human variation. That is exactly the heart of what Neurodiversity affirming care is all about! By reframing how people view disability, we can bring about significant positive changes for both caregivers, professionals, and neurodivergent people alike. 

Important Terms to Know

Before we dive further into the importance of Neurodiversity affirming care, let’s take a moment to go over some key terminology.

• ‍Neurodiversity is the idea that neurological differences are natural and expected variations of the human brain, similar to expected physical differences like eye color and height. The Neurodiversity movement emphasizes the value of each individual person, and focuses on support, equity, and inclusion for all people. 
• Neurotypical (NT) is a neurotype that describes how many/most brains process information, and is often idealized and prioritized by society. Unfortunately, it is frequently set as a targeted “goal” for many Neurodivergent people, leading many neurodivergent people to be marginalized.
• ‍Neurodivergent (ND) is a term used to describe any brain that processing information differently from what is considered neurotypical. This encompasses Autism, ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, personality disorders, learning disabilities, and various other brain based differences. 
• Neurodiversity-affirming care occurs when caregivers, teachers, therapists, and other supports in a person’s life accept neurodivergent individuals as they are, embracing their brains as equal, valid, and whole– rather than seeing them as broken or in need of repair. This approach focuses on understanding and celebrating a person’s unique strengths and abilities, rather than a deficit-based approach. Neuro-affirming care recognizes that our society is built for neurotypical people and this is often one of the biggest hurdles for neurodivergent people. As a result, the ND person will likely benefit from accommodations and supports to access the world around them.
  

At its core, Neurodiversity-affirming care prioritizes respect, understanding, autonomy, and acceptance of neurodivergent individuals. It involves actively listening to the voices of the neurodivergent community, honoring individual preferences, and involving the individual in decision-making processes about their care. 

Neurodiversity-affirming care requires a continuous process of rethinking, re-evaluating, and challenging stereotypes and previously held beliefs about disability. By doing so, caregivers and support systems can create an environment that fosters inclusivity, empowerment, and positive outcomes for neurodivergent people. 

At its core, Neurodiversity-affirming care prioritizes respect, understanding, autonomy, and acceptance of neurodivergent individuals.

Real Life Implementation

‍Now that we’ve explored the concept of neurodiversity and why neuro-affirming care is critical to support neurodivergent individuals, you might be wondering what this type of care looks like in real life. The truth is, it can look many different ways and should be tailored to meet each individual’s needs and personal goals. However, neuro-affirming typically encompasses the following ideologies: 

‍Redefined Success: Many people define success as the ability to meet, conform to, or exceed developmental and long-term milestones. While milestones can be helpful to identify if and when a child may need support or evaluation, once identified, the goal should change from meeting milestones to focusing on individual strengths and personal abilities. Regardless of neurology, priorities should include: fostering happiness, enhancing sensory and emotional regulation, self-esteem, and mental health (NOT milestones, grades, or positions in society). 

‍Shifted Perspective on Therapy Values: The goal of therapy and support should always prioritize the individual and THEIR needs - not others’ needs. Additionally, it’s crucial to recognize that attempting to make a neurodivergent person appear neurotypical not only communicates inadequacy and wrongness, but also sets unrealistic standards leading to failure, as it’s impossible to change one’s neurology. 

Therapy Goal Considerations

When developing and implementing therapy goals, the following should be considered:

• Regulation: When individuals are not in a balanced state of sensory and emotional regulation, their capacity to learn new skills or access previously mastered skills can be compromised. Therefore, prioritizing co-regulation and self-regulation is essential.
• Connection: Therapy and learning environments should always focus on connection, not compliance. Building relationships, trust, and rapport are key to a child’s success. Whenever possible, learning should be child-led and centerned around their strengths and interests.
  
• ‍Self-Advocacy: Sometimes adults have a tendency to view kids’ self advocating as “defiance” and as a result will not teach these skills and/or will not respect a child’s advocating for themselves. As much as it can be a pain for a child to say ‘no’ to an adult, or communicate they are mad or don’t want to do something they are asked - this is actually a REALLY important life skill. In truth, kids may not have a choice for some matters, but they should still have the opportunity to communicate their desires, refusals, or needs – just like every other child.
• Communication: We often see verbally speaking prioritized over all other forms of communication, and as a result, many people are left without a communication modality. Adults should keep in mind that having access to communication is a human right, so it is important to provide people with alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) systems such as pictures or devices to give them an opportunity to communicate as soon as possible to allow them an opportunity to express themselves.
  
• ‍Bodily autonomy: A person should always have autonomy over their own body. This may look like allowing and accepting stimming behaviors such as hand-flapping (NOT blocking stims, or giving directions like “quiet hands”). Stimming actions are needed for regulation and shouldn’t be stopped unless they are harming a person, such as head banging/hitting/pinching. Another way to respect bodily autonomy is to cease using hand-over-hand prompting; alternatively, when needed, hand-under-hand can provide needed prompts that still allows autonomy over their body. 
  
• ‍Eye contact: Many people feel strongly that eye contact is needed for communicative purposes. In reality, eye contact is a cultural and societal idea that is not actually needed for effective communication. Additionally, the Autistic community has shared that it can be physically painful for them to make eye contact, or that it is impossible to focus on what a person is saying while making eye contact.
  

‍Embracing neurodiversity and celebrating each individual's unique strengths and areas of needed support is a powerful way to foster independence and enhance one’s overall quality of life. Using a neuro-affirming approach allows kids to have improved mental health, less exposure to trauma, better sense of self, and stronger self-esteem. 

Finding Neurodiversity-Affirming Care

While the benefits of neurodiversity-affirming approach may seem clearly evident, accessing neuro-affirming care can pose significant challenges to families. Healthcare professionals often take time to adapt to new concepts, making it difficult to find  practitioners knowledgeable about neuro-affirming care. Additionally, there’s not a reliable way for families to find neuro-affirming practitioners in their area. 

Fortunately, The Connected Parent offers a simple solution with their new Neurodiversity-affirming filter. This tool empowers families to search for facilities and practitioners who value neurodiversity and routinely provide neuro-affirming care. By taking advantage of this resource, families can seamlessly connect with healthcare providers who are committed to their values and prioritize the well-being of neurodivergent individuals.