5 philosophical truths about neurodivergence you may not know
5 philosophical truths about neurodivergence you may not know…
(philosophical, but backed by research)
1. Brain wiring differences are not exclusively visible behaviors. Even though that's how the diagnostic criteria are largely written.
2. Brain wiring differences can SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIR a person without any visible signs.
3. The visible behaviors defined for each diagnosable condition are not necessarily features of the conditions themselves.
- I'm mainly referring to the ones that are considered "problem behaviors" (like meltdowns, shutdowns, defiance, rigidity, lashing out, self-harm, etc)
- Most (if not all) "problem behaviors" are MANIFESTATIONS OF UNMET NEEDS. Not a person being wired to behave that way.
4. Conditions like autism, ADHD, GAD, and OCD can be completely hidden.
As in, having NO VISIBLE SIGNS.
Before I get to # 5, I'm going to dig into this one a bit more because there's some additional nuance to it that's extremely important...
- When a condition doesn't present with visible signs, it's just one presentation of the condition. Not the ONLY presentation. But it's the one that's easiest to miss, and therefore needs extra attention.
- The "no visible signs" presentation explains why so many neurodivergent individuals reach adulthood without anyone (even trusted medical providers) recommending an assessment.
- It also explains why we have a "lost generation" of autistic adults (as described by researchers, link below). People with highly masked/internalized autism who made it to their 30s, 40s, and some much later, without a diagnosis.
- It also explains why there are so many ADHD adults (especially with inattentive type ADHD) who made it to adulthood without a diagnosis.
- It also explains "Pure-O" OCD. A version of OCD that only presents with mental compulsions. And why so many people with this presentation are diagnosed as adults without anyone ever suggesting an assessment earlier in life.
And because hidden traits are not visibly discernible in clinical environments... the field of psychology has had a very hard time incorporating them into the diagnostic criteria.
But, the good news is that the field is open to change and is listening to people with lived experiences.
And thanks to the tireless efforts of many extremely persistent autistic advocates over the past two decades, a meaningful change *has* been made to the diagnostic criteria for autism.
Particularly that "masking" is now recognized as an important factor during assessments.
But back to my 5th point...
5. The DSM (the diagnostic manual used in the US) does not properly incorporate the internal experience of most conditions because it is largely limited to visible behaviors.
This does NOT mean we should disregard the manual.
It just means the manual does not represent the full picture and that we need to look deeper than what's on the surface of these conditions to fully understand them.
Because if we don't, we are EXTREMELY likely to miss what's really happening in the brain and what's really causing neurodivergent people to struggle.
And we are therefore only able to address superficial "issues" rather than the underlying ones that are causing those "issues" to show up in the first place.
The ones that must be addressed and supported to make a meaningful change in the lives of those impacted.
Link to "lost generation" research for reference...