What is Neurodiversity? (By Nicole Baumer, MD, MEd, Contributor and Julia Frueh, MD, Guest Contributor – taken from Harvard Health Publishing website)

Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning and behaving and differences are not viewed as deficits.

The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism as well as other neurological or developmental conditions. The neurodiversity movement emerged during the 1990s, aiming to increase acceptance and inclusion of all people while embracing neurological differences. Through online platforms, more and more people with autism were able to connect and form a self-advocacy movement. At the same time, Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, coined the term neurodiversity to promote equality and inclusion of “neurological minorities.” While it is primarily a social justice movement, neurodiversity research and education is increasingly important in how clinicians view and address different neurological conditions.

Outside the Box Learning Resources embraces this movement and has collaborated with publishers from around the globe to bring educators and clinicians a library of contemporary resources to help them to promote neurodiversity. Some of these can be found on this page. You may also find OTB’s UDL page of interest.