Neuro-Authenticity, Neuro-Identities, and the Neuro-Industry? A Response to an Unscientific Attack on the Neurodiversity Movement

By Dr. Patty Gently on August 4, 2024

Bright Insight Support Network founder and president Dr. Patty Gently (Formerly Williams) is a trauma therapist and coach who specializes in EMDR, ND-Affirmative DBT, and IFS modalities. Through Bright Insight, she works to counsel, coach, and advocate for gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodivergent persons, along with other marginalized populations.

Neuro-Authenticity, Neuro-Identities, and the Neuro-Industry? A Response to an Unscientific Attack on the Neurodiversity Movement

On July 29, 2024, two individuals whom I do not want to name again on the Google posted an anonymous article from a supposed mental health clinician about neurodiversity. It was shared in a group I admin for and received a lot of heat. I left the article and heat in the air because it was an important conversation given the nincompoopery I hear in the world and within my field.

And since I readily used the word “nincompoopery" which the Google corrected the spelling of (OMG that is so cool), you might already guess at my stance. It is important though, so here you go:

First, thank you to the Bloomers group member for approaching an unpopular idea. Though I do not agree with this article, the ideas in it are not exclusive. I have family and very intelligent people in my life who think along these lines. I will write more specifically about my thoughts though in several parts.

I will start with this quote:

“A diagnostic identity may be particularly appealing because it allows our various perceived failures to meet the impossible standards of neoliberal ideals to be very specifically re-cast as symptoms of ASD, ADHD, or neurodiversity.”

Well, isn’t this short-sighted? Ikes. Many folks suggest that adopting a label is a perfect scapegoat for bad (or non-neuronormative) behavior. Take for example PDA (pathological demand avoidance). I’ve done a lot of work with folx with PDA who thought there was something wrong with them that they were so resistant to demands- such as doing their taxes or brushing their teeth. In a common-enough instance, imagine a client’s loved one is worried that identifying their resistance to responsibility as PDA would give them an out. Let me tell you what happened instead. The PDAer label and understanding offered them the opportunity to FIRST validate and know there was nothing inherently wrong with them. THEN they went to problem-solving from a place of radical acceptance. That is, once individuals accept their differences, they feel psychologically free from internal judgment systems and they more easily move through PDA if needed. I’ve seen the same with other labels.

When I conducted research that explored the development of seemingly satisfied, twice-exceptional (gifted with a second neurodivergence in this case) individuals, there were so many stories about how learning about their neurodivergences and particular identities brought them opportunities for growth. In fact, there was NOT A SINGLE INSTANCE where a participant suggested that learning about their label limited their growth. Instead, major shifts and development happened after awareness of terminology or diagnoses happened. For example, one participant identified how “the autistic burnout was the key to understanding and beginning to change all of it… I wish I had known about this earlier,” or another shared how after being diagnosed and receiving appropriate treatment for ADHD, “I thought I was a really anxious person… my first medication I tried was like the perfect fit for me… I was like: holy Guacamole like, I'm not anxious, I'm overstimulated!” That is, shifts in awareness allowed 2e participants to accept themselves and develop in ways that were consistent with their identities and neurology.

You can read more about this research here.

The next quote I attend to is this:

“So, what used to be called ‘labels’ or diagnoses have become ‘identities’, and as such, they have become validating, life-affirming and precious. I see the consequences of this every day in my clinical work. Psychiatric ‘disorders’ are now seen as a tool for self-understanding. I met a parent yesterday who is pursuing an autism diagnosis for her daughter. ‘It won’t make any difference’, she said, ‘but we are desperate to understand her better, and for her to understand herself.”

Um, yeah. Exactly. I would love to NOT need labels to do this, I guess. However, there is a severe mismatch between neurodivergent individuals and society such that they are made to feel like something is WRONG with them. MY GAWD. This is a difficult reality for those who have no treatment for something that society says is broken, when in reality it is just different. If a person can own part of their experience as identity, they can DO something with it. According to identity development/gear theory, this is PIVOTAL to healthy development. That is, a person needs to know about themselves and their needs, to understand WHO they are and live a life in accordance with this. A parent saying “We are desperate to understand her better, and for her to understand herself” is parenting the child in front of them, in the most beautiful and affirming way. Bravo.

OK... now this, and I will not be quoting because it will take too long…

The author reports that happy children who found out they were masking became unhappy. Yes. The energy it takes to mask builds up and EVENTUALLY exhausts an individual. Once we know more about our needs for authenticity and authentic alignment, we lose tolerance for that which wears on our resources. As a scientist and consumer of research, I know that correlation does not equal causation. They may not understand this. The author leans on masking as a social skill. Well, fu**ing yeah. However, there are many social skills that 1) do not need to be used all the time, and 2) do not need to be accepted as a rule to another person’s detriment.

Mask when you want. Don’t mask when you don’t want.

Challenge neuronormativity- or at least question it.

Question anything that society says is fact.

Read about third factor and multi-levelness.

And then... OK… I was wrong… here is another quote after talking about how ND folks on social media experience fame:

“The message is clear: get a diagnosis and your life will be transformed. Welcome to the neurodivergent community.” To this, I holler a hearty “F YOU” to the anonymous author. This is a gross oversimplification based on some nasty bias, which is clear in this super unscientific article.

Next, oh gawd, I can’t. Headings read: Neuro-truths (and fictions), Power and the autistic community, Clinical implications and neuro-affirmation, A neuro-diagnosis as a qualification, Obscuring wider contexts, The Neuro-industry, Diagnoses without pathology?, Neuro-advocacy, and Diagnosing your authentic self. Most notably, the author suggests that actually autistic individuals and parents with no clinical background are using, >GASP< lived experience to speak out against inappropriate therapy practices.

YES.

You, idiot.

If a child or individual grows up to say ABA or conversion therapy is harmful (and better yet if several people say this), then maybe we should listen! And shame on any clinician who suggests lived experience does not have value here. Autistic individuals are autism experts- with or without degrees.

I am not going to do a full review at this point. I was going to go into this post with more of a line-by-line reflection and I cannot stomach it. This is a disgusting blog post made by a super self-centered clinician who does not listen to clients.

I am ashamed to be in the same field as them.

Patty