Treatment of neurodivergent people before proper research was conducted was atrocious. They were thrown into asylums, prisons, and treated as if they were crazy and many people aren’t educated on neurodivergence so many still think it’s something to be cured.
With a new generation of change has come new narratives.
In the past Autism Speaks, an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) research center had approached ASD as a burden to be erased and treated. In 2009 they released a video in which autism was framed as a monster with autistic people being burdens to their environment.
Naturally the autistic community was appalled.
“We don’t want to be portrayed as burdens or objects of fear and pity,” said Ari Ne’eman, president of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network according to Time.
Neurodiverse people still have issues with the organization and many have objections to what the organization stands for because it has promoted fear and stereotypes in the past.
“I think Autism Speaks is a front for autism as a whole. It wasn’t created with good intentions and was built on eugenics,” states Norah McCabe, ’25.
Biases are also shown through the way neurodivergent people are referred to.
Saying, “She has autism,” instead of “She’s autistic” carries a negative reaction. Saying someone “has autism” feels a lot like saying they’re burdened with a kind of sickness.
The Autism Self Advocacy Network expresses that when someone says ‘with autism’ instead of ‘autistic’ it implies the person would be better off not being neurodivergent. By saying “autistic” the person’s identity is painted in a more positive light.
While this may seem silly, the most important take away is how people discuss these labels. Everyone has a different relationship with their diagnosis. Don’t be degrading or insulting, understand that while there may be sensitivities to labels, they aren’t insults.
Unfortunately, use of autistic, dyslexic, ADHD, and most neurodivergent labels still have negative connotations.
When neurotypicals use phrases like, “She’s so bipolar,” “Are they acoustic?” and “I’m so ADHD I just can’t focus,” it not only negative, but undermines the actual experience of having these disabilities.
The novel “The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain” by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. explains a study that was done to prove the power of a label.
The book states that when comparing words used to deactivate people with ADHD and creative people. “The lists appeared to be indistinguishable except for the fact that the words used to the ADHD individual were negative and those used for the creative person were positive.”
The ADHD person was “impulsive” but the creative person was “spontaneous.”
Neurodivergent labels are often used to express a bag.
People are also quick to assume neurodivergent people can’t take care of themselves.
A recent video titled “Assume That I Can So Maybe I Will ” starring actress and model, Madison Tevlin, was made for World Down Syndrome Day and challenges these stereotypes.
In the video, Tevlin expresses that if everyone assumes she can’t do something and refuses to teach her, she won’t be able to do it. Instead, treat her like everyone else and put the effort in to teach her so she will.
“When I was born, the doctor told my mom and dad that life would be really hard for me, saying that I can’t talk, or walk, or dance, or model, or act — or drink or get married — any of this stuff that’s part of normal life,” expressed Telvin in an interview with CNN, “And it’s so much fun proving people wrong.”
When meeting a neurodivergent person neurotypicals may do things like using baby talk. This infantilization happens because neurodivergent people are often portrayed as innocent and childish.
Simplifying things because of the assumption a neurodivergent person can’t understand it is not told degrading and insulting but it can lead to codependency. Just as the video said, “If your assumptions become reality, then assume [they] can.”
Neurodivergence is assumed to have a specific look, but it doesn’t.
When picturing ADHD most people would imagine a hyperactive little boy. What someone might not expect is a girl who isn’t hyperactive or an adult.
Neurodivergence doesn’t have a “look”, but it can present differently in girls and boys. Many doctors don’t take this into consideration and misdiagnosis is unfortunately common for girls.
The American University of Beirut explains, “… the diagnostic criteria for many neurodivergent conditions were historically developed based on studies conducted mostly on males, resulting in a male-biased diagnostic framework.”
The suppression of neurodivergent traits and mimicking of neurotypicals (masking) is common in neurodivergent girls. It can be taught and may happen without the individual realizing, so neurodivergent traits become harder to recognize.
The Autism Service states, “… an autistic girl could be interpreted as shy or quiet, but still be part of a friendship group at school. Being introverted can often be seen as a more feminine trait, which can be brushed off as normal behavior. This can make it difficult for a parent or teacher to know if they have autism or not.”
For autistic women, stimming may be subtle like the twirling of hair. Masking often includes forcing eye contact, hiding special interests, and having a planned mental script for social situations.
According to The Misdiagnosis of Neurodivergent Women, “Women with ADHD may not exhibit the hyperactivity that is often associated with ADHD in boys but instead may present with inattentiveness, impulsivity, or other symptoms that are less commonly recognized as ADHD in girls and women.”
People of color are also less likely to get diagnosed with a neurodivergent disorder.
In an experiment with Everyday Health, a study showed “Black children were 36 percent less likely and Latino children were 56 percent less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD,” than other children.
“There’s always that stereotype of autistic people being an eleven year old white boy whose special interest is trains. Especially as a woman of color whose high masking, you are not taken seriously. I was so good at pretending to be ‘normal’ it took a while to get diagnosed,” expressed McCabe.
Early diagnosis allows kids to get accommodations in school, gives time to teach them to manage negative symptoms, and allows family support. It’s hard for many neurodivergent people to get early diagnosis when these stereotypes still exist.
There must be some understanding that neurodivergence isn’t a sickness, neurodivergent people shouldn’t be treated like children, and being neurodivergent doesn’t mean you look a specific way.
Negative stigmas can be demolished if people can look over their bias and educate themselves on the subject.
Bullying is a common experience among neurodivergent people. Neurodivergent people are subjected to more bullying because they stand out and are seen as different.
“Up to 94% of autistics report experiencing bullying in school,” according to Embrace Autism, “Furthermore, 87% of autistics report being bullied weekly and 40% report being bullied daily, compared to 15% of neurotypicals.”
Ambitions expresses that up to 75% of dyslexic people have been bullied and the National Library of Medicine (NIH) states that about 47% of kids with ADHD have experienced bullying.
“…People with autism are more likely to be bullied, and this is especially concerning when these children are also more likely to have other mental health concerns…,” said Thomas W. Frazier, Ph.D., chief science officer at Autism Speaks.
It can be tricky for neurodivergent people to understand why they’re getting bullied or that bullying is happening at all because of difficulties with social cues.
“People make fun of things they don’t understand,” explained Theresa Onody, “If you feel unsafe you need to talk to someone.”
Bullying becomes a bigger concern with the high rates of suicide of neurodivergent people.
According to Government Events, “Autistic people make up approximately 1% of the population but 11% of suicides, and with estimations that there are over half a million undiagnosed autistic adults in the UK, this percentage may be higher.”
Bullying can be more than just insulting someone. It can be physical violence, pretending to be friends with a neurodivergent person as a joke, mocking their struggles, and much more.
Regardless of the reason, bullying is never okay. Targeting someone for exhibiting neurodivergent traits is an example of ableism, whether the bully is aware the person is neurodivergent or not.
These traits may include but are not limited to, stuttering while reading in class, speaking loudly about special interests, not understanding social situations, struggling with staying still in class, and so on.