Talk:Neurodiversity Movement

Why this page is static
Although this resource is my brainchild, I never intended to be the only author! I've finished a small part of Section 1: The Basics, but I can't put it up yet because I'm waiting on two friends who promised to write the segments on OCD and Bipolar Disorder. In the meanwhile, I welcome anyone who is interested to write something- anything- and add it to the page or post it here, on the talk page, so we can edit it into the resource in the apropriate place. Additionally, if you have any suggestions for assignments/activities/other learning experiences that would enrich this resource, I would be more than glad to hear them! --Luai lashire 23:17, 29 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Hi Luai. I've been reading along a bit, and might be able to contribute later. I'm leaving an interwiki template on Neurodiversity for now, which might attract a few contributors.
 * BTW: welcome and expand is actually a cleanup template: it's primary use is to tag empty and non-useful pages a week or so before they get deleted for being empty and non-useful :). --SB_Johnny | talk 23:29, 29 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I wasn't sure it was the right template but I couldn't find one that was just asking for more contributions, so I figured it was the next best thing. ^_^;  --Luai lashire 00:30, 1 October 2007 (UTC)


 * I wonder if you ever saw a book called, "In the mind's eye" by Thomas G. West. I suspect that there has been heavy selection during human evolution for diversity in genes that regulate brain development.....this is one of the ideas I'm exploring at Human Genetic Uniqueness Project. --JWSchmidt 01:03, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
 * That looks like a really interesting project! No, I've not heard of that book, but I'll try to find it.  Thanks.  --Luai lashire 21:18, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Hey Luai, it's Lee (user "ahumanbeing" on aspie for freedom website). This is fascinating. I am a complete amateur in the topic and in using wikipedia. But I am very honored you've asked me to participate. I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks again. --unsigned comment by(assumed) Luai lashire 22:48, 18 July 2008 (UTC)

Multimedia Neurodiversity resources?
I want to get people who are interested in this course more involved in creating it, and one of the things I'd like to have happen is making this course more of a multi-media experience. I want to assign the students to read books, watch movies, hunt down articles, go out and meet people, listen to an interview, ect. Part of the goal is to have them find these things themselves, but I also want to have some directions to point them in and some specific resources to suggest. I've found a few, but I want to see what other people can come up with. Movies, radio shows, podcasts, books, articles, whatever. It can be pro-neurodiversity, anti-neurodiversity, or in-between. Post them here. Good hunting. --Luai lashire 01:31, 15 October 2007 (UTC)
 * There is a growing list of possible sources for learning resources at Hunter-gatherers project. --JWSchmidt 01:39, 15 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Mabye you could have people write essays and then use those to start a debate? --Rayc 07:07, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Question about Aspie pride?
There is an antipsychiatry group called the Icaurus Project who feel that they have gifts to be cultivated and taken care of, rather than a disease or disorder...Is this similar to Aspie pride? I am interested in this concept being that I work here on Wikiversity on recovery psychology and while I identify myself as in recovery from depression I know that I can maintain my attention span and stay on a subject for as long as twelve hours a day non-stop, while the normies are exhuasted after only 45 minutes and they will think of me to be manic however I have expierinced mania, and my wiring (as I call it) does not run very well in a manic state. I know I am wired different from others because as a child I learned to read and write developmentally delayed somewhat, but was inspired by the fact that George Lucas had been a screen play writer, and I understood at the age of 5 or 6 that movies like Star Wars were products of the mind. I can not think of other childern who think on that level at such a young age. Is it possible that I will forever expeirince fustration and depression because my wiring is not in step with the "normies" the "non-icuarians?"
 * Hi! Yes, the Icarus Project is part of a larger movement known as the Mad Movement (on which Wikipedia, oddly enough, doesn't have a page), which are opposed to the stigmatization and over-medication of "psychiatric disorders".  The Neurodiversity Movement and the Mad Movement do cross borders a lot; for example, some people who feel they have gifts from their Manic Depression identify with the Mad Movement, whereas others identify with the Neurodiversity Movement, believing that Bipolar is a Neurotype.  I personally identify and agree with both of them.  As for whether or not you will always experience depression and frustration...  Well, that probably depends on your attitude and your actions.  For example, I don't really make close friends with people that are not willing to accept quirky folks.  All of my friends are extremely open-minded and like me just the way I am.  Many of them are NT.  Such people do exist, although they can be hard to find at times.  If I were surrounded entirely by close-minded people, I would not be as happy as I am now.  --Luai lashire 17:22, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

course outline
hello luai, i was wondering as a potential participant in this project, how did you design the outline of topics? for example, i believe it would make more sense to put the chapter about "causes and cures" second, before "a history of abuse". id be happy to hear your way of thinking about the outline order and content, assuming a lot of thought was put into designing it. Hush ftw 13:58, 5 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Hi hush,

I wrote up that outline a long time ago, so it's a bit difficult to remember little details of why I chose to do it that way. I don't think it's really that important, but looking at it again, I thought that putting the "causes and cures" section later on was a good choice because I want to introduce students to the experiences and perspectives of the people themselves, so it would be easier to understand why most of the object to the idea of a cure. If the resource launches right into the science of the causes and a discussion of the possibility of a cure right away, then the students aren't aware of the Neurodiversity perspective so much. I want them to be already doing things like picking out places where something very biased has been said, or thinking to themselves, "hang on, that isn't right" when something inaccurate or cruel has been said, before we get to that point. Sorry if this response doesn't make much sense, I am having trouble translating thoughts to words today. --Luai lashire 15:52, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

My thoughts
Sadly this course is inactive. :( However, I want to give my thoughts on why I support neurodiversity and to advance the understanding of curious people who don't understand it.

I am Autistic (Asperger's in DSM-IV, ASD in DSM-5), ADHD-C and my doctor confirmed I have OCD, something I had long suspected. I support neurodiversity because those conditions are literally how my mind is wired and how it works. I don't think I've ever lived without stimming, rocking, obsessive interests, impulsiveness in conversation, and inattention. I've also had some subclinical obsessive-compulsive traits for a while, and it probably become clinical OCD around 2013, for a while. I remember not letting people close doors because I was afraid of being locked in, even if the doors didn't have locks.

You will never see a person with asthma say "I'm happy being asthmatic, I am not broken and I don't want to be cured." However, Stephen Fry and all the manic-depressives/bipolar people (whatever term you prefer) interviewed said they wouldn't take a pill to cure their condition. Why? Because it is how your mind works. You are your mind, and if you weren't bipolar, autistic, etc. you wouldn't be you (assuming you had those conditions to start with). I wouldn't take a pill to cure my Autism, ADHD or even my OCD (although I want treatment to alleviate most of the symptoms). If I didn't have obsessive interests, I wouldn't be on Wikipedia all the time. If I didn't need stimulation all the time, I wouldn't be on Wikipedia all the time.

I don't believe a cure is likely in my lifetime. Yet I am strongly opposed to it because of the message it sends to me. "Your natural behaviors are broken and need to be fixed," and "you don't deserve a happy life if it means 'enabling' your differences." It sends the message that I can't stim, rock, or do all the Autistic and ADHD behaviors I love to do. It says, we don't want you to be you and, if the chance arises, we would like it if you become a completely different person and give up who you are. This is why I stress that, if there was a cure for Autism or ADHD I would never take it, even if I could.

I understand that Autism and ADHD can only be diagnosed if there is impairment but where does the impairment comes from. I understand my impulsiveness impairs conversation, my "Autistic inflexibility" impairs my ability to deal with authority, my hyperactivity leads to me destroying chairs by moving around too much in 'em, my inattention impairs my ability to do classes I'm not interested in, my communication style can be hard to understand and I can have trouble understanding others and my ultrasensitivity to background noise is extremely impairing. There are probably a lot of impairs I'm missing because that is my normal life. However, am I impaired because my brain sucks or because the system makes very little room for me and demands me to act neurotypical? Based on my experiences it is the latter. The value of my brain shouldn't be judged by how much it conforms with society and how much capitalists can make money off of it.

If you have any questions, please ask. Clr324 (discuss • contribs) 02:59, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

Section 2, some help needed.
Hi there, I'm apolo234, a fairly new contributor to this, and currently trying to make Section 2.

I added some examples of "curing" autism I found relevant, but, I wanted to ask if there was another to-be contributor who's got experiences with other disorders, (RAD, Bipolar disorder...) To put some examples on the topic, as I'm still not very knowledgable on them.

Thank you all!

This is very biased
Should be able to inform and instruct about this movement without pushing and promoting it so hard. Equinox (discuss • contribs) 23:54, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

Your opinion on Wikidata item?
Usually most main article pages have Wikidata items and so does this main page "The Neurodiversity Movement". I created a Wikidata item for this Wikiversity project that is currently linked with this project.

In a suggestion on Wikidata:Project chat it was suggested that the more well known Wikidata item be chosen to link to your main project page.

What item should your project be linked to? LotsofTheories (discuss • contribs) 01:57, 18 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Neurodiversity Movement would be the correct link. There is no advantage to including "The" here. I've renamed the pages. Thanks! -- Dave Braunschweig (discuss • contribs) 15:47, 18 January 2021 (UTC)