Social ecology of neurodivergence in nutshell. 👇 True understanding and acceptance of neurodivergence should be at core of any and all support efforts. This is most easily accomplished by seeking autism expertise from experts who identify as autistic themselves (in addition to their other qualifications). Same goes for all other neurominorities, by the way! That is why I won't speak about neurominority as a whole except when the context is strictly equality with main population on a general level. I am "just" autistic, not eg. an ADHD person, dyslexic etc. so I will not represent those people or pretend that I understand their experience and needs "almost as well" as I understand the neurominority I personally hail from. There is so much to know about *any* one neurominority that being a general expert about all neurominorities (the infamous Finnish nepsy-anything) is impossible. The ethical and sustainable way to talk about more than one neurominority in one event is NOT using a speaker who confidently claims to speak for us all (the truth being that such individuals are not actually competent to speak for ANY of us) but doing what Kaiao has done. I have partnered with speakers who are ADHD'rs, so that during one morning/afternoon one can learn about both autism and ADHD without compromising quality or ethical excellence of any part of the session. Complexity of real world is a poor excuse to compromise either of these, and as usual, even though this way the effort of learning about us may seem like a bigger commitment, it is still the way that pays off best from client perspective. This is the way.
Neurodiversity speaker, advocate, autism trainer and consultant | Former teacher | Author of "Autistic Not Weird" | Aiding the wellbeing and potential of neurodivergent employees | Shortlisted for the 2023 Speaker Awards
"Human progress relies on diversity of thought" has absolutely become my speaker catchphrase in recent years. And during Neurodiversity Celebration Week, I refuse to use the outdated mantra of "neurodivergent people can be just as valid and valuable as everyone else with the right support!" - we are valid and valuable as it is, and humanity is not served well by pretending people who think differently are lesser as a result. (Frankly, I'd go as far as to say that trying to turn neurodivergent people neurotypical is actively damaging to our species.) This week is a busy one for me, as is Autism Acceptance Month in April. But if anyone is interested in having me speak for you further down the line (including Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025!) please do get in touch. - [Black text on a faded photo background of me speaking. Text reads: “Autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other neurotypes aren’t just unexpected extras in the gene pool. They are essential to it. Human progress depends on diversity of thought - having a whole variety of different brains with a multitude of approaches. We can’t progress as a society with only one neurotype that everyone is expected to aspire to.” Chris Bonnello, Autistic Not Weird] #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #autistic #neurodiversity #neurodivergence #diversity #inclusion #diversityandinclusion #diversityequityinclusion
