The term “Neurodiversity” was coined by sociologist Judy Singer in the 1990s. She was looking for a word that could encompass the wide range of people coming together in online communities to share their experiences of being neurologically diverse. The Neurodiversity movement arose from the Autism movement which sought an end to the stigmatization and oppression of Autistic people. Neurodivergent people are different from - but not less than - “neurotypical” or non-neurodivergent people. (Image credit: "Neurodiversity" by walkinred is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0; "autselfad8" by walkinred is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.)

One of the central ideas behind the Neurodiversity movement is that people with anxiety, Autistic people, people with ADHD, Dyslexia, OCD, Tourettes, and a variety of other conditions are not experiencing deficits or disorders. Neurodivergent people are different, and their differences mean they have unique needs that are not met by neurotypical (or non-Neurodivergent) social contexts. Instead of providing nourishing contexts, however, our society absolves itself of responsibility by pathologizing Neurodivergent people as having disorders without recognizing their uniqueness and equality. (Image credit: Nightcafe (2023). Created with the prompt, “yellow fish surrounded by a school of purple fish”.)

Neurodiversity Aware Therapy™ (NAT) recognizes the unique characteristics and needs of Neurodivergent people and encourages healthy self-esteem promoting behaviours and connections. Therapies that have been proven harmful are excluded from this approach. NAT provides a unique therapeutic model - and integrates other therapies - with a careful eye to the social and psychological needs, characteristics, and identities of Neurodivergent people. (Image credit: Dan Spring, “Down Kootenay Lake”, 2018)