The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain

232 Pages·2011·1.54 MB·English

by  Ph.D. Thomas Armstrong PhD

PRAISE FOR

The Power of Neurodiversity

“This quietly spoken book is at its strongest when examining the ideology itself
and outlining the arguments in its favor. It is sensible in examining how other
cultures, past and present, have accepted forms of neurodiversity, and it is wise
in its critique of the use of normative standardizations to identify objectives in
education and society in general.”
—Times Higher Education Supplement
“Armstrong uses neurodiversity to encompass a new way of thinking about a
variety of disabilities . . . by focusing on their potential benefits, rather than their
problems . . . useful and uplifting.”
—Library Journal
“Armstrong argues that there is no ‘normal’ brain or ‘normal’ mental capability
and that we are making a serious mistake in assuming that the kinds of
differences we see in people with conditions like autism or dyslexia involve only
deficits. People with these conditions also have strengths, he emphasizes, and by
focusing on these, rather than on the ‘labels,’ we can find the modes of learning
and living that can help them thrive.”
—Publishers Weekly
“In this engaging, accessible book, Armstrong offers a thoughtful consideration
of cognitive diversity, and many practical suggestions for maximizing the
potential of, and increasing respect for, those who are ‘differently brained.’”
—Kathleen Seidel, creator of Neurodiversity.com
“An engaging and provocative look into the emerging societal conversation
about neurological diversity. Our country has adapted to many new ideas over
the last century; acceptance of the broad scope of neurodiversity represents the
next step forward.”
—Ari Ne’eman, president of
The Autism Self Advocacy Network
ALSO BY THOMAS ARMSTRONG:
The Human Odyssey
In Their Own Way
7 Kinds of Smart
The Myth of the A.D.D. Child
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom
THE POWER OF
NEURODIVERSITY
Unleashing the Advantages of
Your Differently Wired Brain
Thomas Armstrong, PhD

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Copyright © 2010 by Thomas Armstrong, PhD
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First Da Capo Press edition 2010. First published as Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extraordinary Gifts of
Autism, ADHD, Dyxlexia, and Other Brain Differences.
First Da Capo Press paperback edition 2011.
HC ISBN: 978-0-7382-1354-5
PB ISBN: 978-0-7382-1524-2
E-Book ISBN: 978-0-7382-1553-2
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Contents

Foreword to the Paperback Edition
Preface

ONE Neurodiversity: A Concept Whose Time Has Come
TWO The Joy of the Hyperactive Brain
THREE The Positive Side of Being Autistic
FOUR A Different Kind of Learner
FIVE The Gift of Mood
SIX The Advantages of Anxiety
SEVEN The Rainbow of Intelligences
EIGHT Thinking in a Different Key
NINE Neurodiversity in the Classroom
TEN The Future of Neurodiversity

Resources
Notes
Index
Foreword to the Paperback Edition

As the paperback edition of The Power of Neurodiversity goes to press, we are
witnessing the expansion of what I’ve called in the book our “culture of
disabilities.” Currently, the newest version of the psychiatrist’s bible, the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM 5) is being prepared for publication in
2013. This manual, which influences not only psychiatrists, but also mental
health professionals, the legal profession, and the field of education, threatens to
add new categories of disorder to its already long list of mental disorders.
Among the manual’s sharpest critics is Dr. Allen Frances who chaired the Task
Force that prepared the previous version, the DSM IV. Frances contends that
“normality is an endangered species” with this new version, and that the DSM 5
will probably create millions of new diagnoses by including such proposed
disorders as Psychosis Risk Syndrome, Minor Neurocognitive Disorder, Binge
Eating Disorder, and Temper Dysfunctional Disorder with Dysphoria. Allen
contends that pharmaceutical companies are likely to welcome these new
illnesses into its fold. In Psychiatric Times, he writes: “There would be massive
overtreatment with medications that are unnecessary, expensive, and often quite
harmful.”
At the same time, however, there are positive developments in the emerging
field of neurodiversity that can hopefully counter at least some of the negative
influences of our disability culture. Politically, we’ve seen the appointment by
President Obama of a key neurodiversity advocate, Ari Ne’eman, to the National
Council on Disability, which advises the president and Congress on matters
concerning disability. Ne’eman, who himself has Asperger’s syndrome, is an
autism rights activist who believes that autism is a neurological difference that
should be respected, not a disease to be cured.
On the technological front, there has been a vast expansion in the past two
years of new applications for such devices as the iPhone and the iPad; “apps”
that can assist neurodiverse individuals in creating positive niches for
themselves. One mother of a thirteen-year-old with Down syndrome was
interviewed in Great Schools, and observed that “as much as he struggles with
reading, Aidan’s a wizard with the iPhone. He picked up his uncle’s iPhone one
day, and without anyone telling him how to do it, he found and figured out every
game app on it (and there were a lot). The touch screen and the apps are intuitive
to him in a way that a keyboard is not.”
Finally, there is an aesthetic dimension to neurodiversity that is being explored
by such artists as Ali Hossaini, a renowned artist, philosopher, and media expert,
who is developing a video installation entitled “Neurodiversity: The Autism
Project,” which will seek to simulate many of the sensory experiences of autism,
so that neurotypical individuals can begin to understand the world in which the
neurodiverse lives. In these positive developments, we can begin to make out a
subtle but significant shift in how mental disabilities are viewed, and there is
room for optimism that neurodiversity will continue to grow as a concept,
change attitudes concerning mental illness, and ultimately improve the lives of
those who are “differently wired.”
Preface

While working as an educational consultant, I used to go into schools and meet
with parents, teachers, and specialists at Individual Educational Plan (IEP)
meetings concerning specific “difficult” students. Before each meeting, I would
ask to have a copy made of the child’s “cumulative file,” consisting of grades,
reports, tests, and other official papers extending back into kindergarten. I’d take
a yellow marker as I read through the file and highlight anything positive about
the student including comments (e.g., a kindergarten teacher’s note: “Loves to
finger paint”), high grades or test scores (e.g., high score on the Object
Assembly subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children), and anything
else that seemed promising. Then I’d type all the positive material together on
two or three pages (often distilled from one hundred or more pages) and hand it
out at the meeting. First, I’d notice that many adults at the meeting would
express surprise at the number of positive things said about a student who was so
troubled and/or troubling to others. Second, I’d start hearing comments like
“Now that you mention it, he does have a flair for drawing,” or “It’s true, he
really is a hands-on learner.” Typically, IEP meetings would tend to dwell on the
child’s negative attributes, and a dark cloud would hover over the group.
However, I discovered that when the meeting started with people talking about
the students’ positive assets, this often opened things up to a broader discussion
of the children’s true potentials, and often some real solutions to helping them
would be generated in the course of the meeting.
This little exercise of mine points to something more significant about the true
nature of people who struggle with labels like ADHD, autism, and dyslexia both
inside and outside of school. Too often, the seven labels that I take up in the
course of this book (“autism,” “ADHD,” “dyslexia,” “mood disorders,” “anxiety
disorders,” “intellectual disabilities,” and “schizophrenia”) attract negative
thoughts and attributions from professionals, family, and others, and these
individuals go through their lives saddled with low expectations. However, once