Celebrating Neurodiversity Awareness Month
“With awareness, education, and reflection – we will have growth. If we all take one step, with remembrance that none of our footprints will be alike, we will see not only our mindsets healing but the world around us too.”
April is Neurodiversity Awareness Month, a space supporting and sharing the importance of our differences – specifically the differences in brain function and the honest truth that there is no singular way to describe how a brain “should” work.
If you are unfamiliar with neurodiversity, it is defined as “the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits, regarded as part of normal variation in the human population.”
Normal.
Ugh, that word.
I have serious beef, or shall I say grievance, with that word.
Seriously, what is normal except what society has framed it as?
That is a rhetorical question.
Aren’t we all different in some way? Maybe we all conform to what society has told us are “normal” behaviors – how we process emotional and social interactions, a traumatic event, or even the basics of learning something new. The reality is that none of us process the same. Our general input and output of information may appear the same but our lives impact the way we process every little thing. All in all, changing our brain function.
Neurodiversity awareness celebrates and embraces all people. It challenges the misunderstood, miseducation and usual stereotypes labeled across neurological differences. A neurodiverse individual did not have life events or cultures that shaped their brain function but instead began this way. One individual may live with a cognitive condition that impairs them from asking for resources or is unaware of the considerations they might need without being taught how to self-advocate – whereas another individual may be high functioning with exceptionally refined skills that are overlooked due to their inability to understand social cues or feel safe in a highly stimulating environment. The range of differences cannot be defined or put in a box.
With that, how can we cultivate a culture of celebrating a neurodiverse world? How can we work together to advocate and empower the differences around us and between us?
Educating one another and celebrating our differences creates a culture of equity and inclusivity. Assumption is our worst enemy. We must ask questions, we must take the time to understand our neurodiverse friends, family, students, and colleagues. Our response must be advocacy, to support their voices and the necessary resources that will empower them to succeed. The more educated we become, the more opportunity we have to create a truly safe space for all.
So as April comes to a close, in honor & celebration of Neurodiversity Awareness Month, I urge
you to take a time of reflection and ask yourself these questions:
- What preconceptions do I have regarding neurodiversity?
- How can I continue to educate myself?
- What societal “norms” have I placed on myself and those around me?
- What first step can I take in creating a culture of inclusivity right now?
With awareness, education, and reflection – we will have growth. If we all take one step, with remembrance that none of our footprints will be alike, we will see not only our mindsets healing but the world around us too.
Here are a few good reads & resources to get you started –
● The Whole Brain Child, By Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. & Tina Payne Bryson Ph.D
● Raising A Sensory Smart Child, By Lindsey Biel M.A., OTR/L & Nancy Peske
● The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain, By Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D
● Moving Forward, By Jacki Edry
● The Kissing of Kissing, Poems by Hannah Emerson – identifying as a non speaking autistic poet, she invites you inside her mind encouraging you “to bring your beautiful nothing” into the light.