We recorded a podcast episode this morning in which I said, "ADHD is not a deficit of attention" right before reading this post. Thank you for articulating the issue so beautifully, Marni!
This is fantastic thank you! So many great insights. I’ve taken note of your references and excited to look into them. I’d love to chat more about how you feel that ADHD (and perhaps other ND) spaces don’t fully understand the Neurodiversity paradigm. I have SO many thoughts and questions about this.
I've made mistakes in the past in thinking that some neurodivergent people just don't understand the neurodiversity paradigm, and that all they need is to be educated about this new way of thinking about neurodivergent experiences. I think there's some truth in that, sometimes. I would love for all ND children, especially, to have access to the ideas of the neurodiversity paradigm.
But I've also come to see that there's a lot of hubris in assuming what other people do or do not understand, so I'm trying not to do that! People have a right to make meaning of their experiences in the way that works for them.
While most of my friends hold beliefs rooted in the neurodiversity paradigm, and that's where I choose to spend the bulk of my time and efforts, I also have at least one friend with ADHD (how they define themselves) who does not feel that the neurodiversity paradigm fully reflects their experience. This friend really likes the work of Dr. Russell Barkley and Dr. Ned Hallowell, for example, and feels that the way that they talk about ADHD as a medical disorder that has certain benefits and challenges is a better fit for them personally. This friend feels they've experienced a lot of challenges as a result of their ADHD.
That was a long winded way of saying, I think most ADHD spaces do not reflect or incorporate the Neurodiversity Paradigm, and for me personally that is a foundational belief about neurodivergent experiences. :)
Oh, and the other thing that I've come to realize is missing from so many writings/spaces that might be called "neurodiversity-lite", for me, is an anti-capitalist stance. It's the narrative around "hey, we can put these differences to work to win at capitalism!" without any critical analysis of what that will do to the person "winning" in the long run, or to others, that drives me away.
I am guilty of downplaying ADHD diagnoses in the past, having done what Marnina says people in Self-Directed Education (SDE) environments too often do by celebrating how ADHD “disappears” when kids are not (as) oppressed by their environment.
Last year I read the fabulous book Neuroqueer Heresies (which is linked to in the essay) which gave me a much better grounding in the ways in which disability is context dependent (e.g., social model of disability), and that downplaying neurodivergence, even if some are overdiagnosed or unnecessarily medicated to help them fit into schooling environments, ultimately works against the kids that I would point to as proof of SDE as a remedy for their struggles in school.
Understanding the social model of disability, and the affirmative model as well, has been key for me too. I still don't really identify as disabled, but I'm very aware that that is entirely because I've been able to design a life for myself and to fine tune my environment (to the extent that one can while unschooling three kids, ha!).
We recorded a podcast episode this morning in which I said, "ADHD is not a deficit of attention" right before reading this post. Thank you for articulating the issue so beautifully, Marni!
I can't wait to listen!
This is fantastic thank you! So many great insights. I’ve taken note of your references and excited to look into them. I’d love to chat more about how you feel that ADHD (and perhaps other ND) spaces don’t fully understand the Neurodiversity paradigm. I have SO many thoughts and questions about this.
I've made mistakes in the past in thinking that some neurodivergent people just don't understand the neurodiversity paradigm, and that all they need is to be educated about this new way of thinking about neurodivergent experiences. I think there's some truth in that, sometimes. I would love for all ND children, especially, to have access to the ideas of the neurodiversity paradigm.
But I've also come to see that there's a lot of hubris in assuming what other people do or do not understand, so I'm trying not to do that! People have a right to make meaning of their experiences in the way that works for them.
While most of my friends hold beliefs rooted in the neurodiversity paradigm, and that's where I choose to spend the bulk of my time and efforts, I also have at least one friend with ADHD (how they define themselves) who does not feel that the neurodiversity paradigm fully reflects their experience. This friend really likes the work of Dr. Russell Barkley and Dr. Ned Hallowell, for example, and feels that the way that they talk about ADHD as a medical disorder that has certain benefits and challenges is a better fit for them personally. This friend feels they've experienced a lot of challenges as a result of their ADHD.
That was a long winded way of saying, I think most ADHD spaces do not reflect or incorporate the Neurodiversity Paradigm, and for me personally that is a foundational belief about neurodivergent experiences. :)
And yes, we should definitely chat!
Oh, and the other thing that I've come to realize is missing from so many writings/spaces that might be called "neurodiversity-lite", for me, is an anti-capitalist stance. It's the narrative around "hey, we can put these differences to work to win at capitalism!" without any critical analysis of what that will do to the person "winning" in the long run, or to others, that drives me away.
YESSS
Excellent essay. I reposted this as a note:
I am guilty of downplaying ADHD diagnoses in the past, having done what Marnina says people in Self-Directed Education (SDE) environments too often do by celebrating how ADHD “disappears” when kids are not (as) oppressed by their environment.
Last year I read the fabulous book Neuroqueer Heresies (which is linked to in the essay) which gave me a much better grounding in the ways in which disability is context dependent (e.g., social model of disability), and that downplaying neurodivergence, even if some are overdiagnosed or unnecessarily medicated to help them fit into schooling environments, ultimately works against the kids that I would point to as proof of SDE as a remedy for their struggles in school.
Really grateful for this essay.
Thank you Antonio! Neuroqueer Heresies is wonderful.
Are you familiar with the work of Janae Elizabeth (TraumaGeek)? She wrote a post recently about how what are seen as ADHD traits are actually distress behaviors in ADHDers, here: https://www.facebook.com/TraumaGeek/posts/743437454487922/?paipv=0&eav=AfaCTHYDuP46mPNlCudDYXohFIUvh978bDR4P2vya5gvqqv4YHRH8vZaovx6wPBy99o&_rdr
Understanding the social model of disability, and the affirmative model as well, has been key for me too. I still don't really identify as disabled, but I'm very aware that that is entirely because I've been able to design a life for myself and to fine tune my environment (to the extent that one can while unschooling three kids, ha!).
I am not familiar with Janae’s work but thanks for the heads up. I’ll check it out.