Week 10

What Is Neurodiversity?

 Caroline Miller

Reflection

 After reading this article, it really changed the way I think about how our brains work. The basic idea is simple but powerful — there isn’t just one “right” way for a brain to be wired. We all process the world in a slightly different way, and that’s not something to fix or hide. It’s something to understand, appreciate, and even celebrate.

    What stood out to me most was that the concept of neurodiversity started as a social justice movement. Judy Singer, who’s autistic herself, came up with the term in the 1990s. She didn’t just want people with autism to be accepted — she wanted society to realize that neurological differences are part of natural human variation, just like diversity in race, gender, or culture. That idea feels both revolutionary and, at the same time, so obvious. Why should we expect everyone’s brain to work the same way?

The section about identity also stood out to me. I thought it was beautiful how some teens find comfort in identifying as neurodiverse — like it gives them a way to make sense of their struggles and find community. I remember feeling out of place when I was younger, like I was “too much” or “not enough” in certain ways. I can see how powerful it would be for a young person to have a word that helps them understand themselves better, finally, and to know they’re not alone.

 I asked ChatGPT to create an image of different ways people view neurodiversity. I really liked this photo because it shows that just because people think differently, they are not all assumed to be "dumb."