The term neurodiversity has been around since late 1990. The word Neurodiversity was brought to the forefront by Sociologist Judy Singer and journalist Harvey Blume. They successfully argued that neurological differences should be represented within the familiar political categories of class/gender/race and augment the insights of the social model of disability.
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term to describe neurological diversity in society. The term encompasses neurocognitive differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette’s syndrome, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and schizophrenia, as well as ‘normal’ neurocognitive functioning, or neurotypicality.
Neurodivergence specifically refers to the range of differences in individual neurocognitive functioning and behaviour – such as differences in learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering, processing, problem-solving, decision making and attention. Individuals with ‘normal’ neurocognitive functioning are referred to as Neurotypical.
We are a neurodiverse society, with variation in thinking and behaviour amongst neurotypical individuals and everyone has a neurological coin on both talents and challenges. However, for neurodivergent individuals the variation between those strengths and challenges is more pronounced; strengths can be hindered by systems/society not being designed for our way of thinking; and challenges can be further exasperated when our way of being go against societal norms and expectations.
You are probably wondering why this is relevant to social work. Well, it is estimated that 15% of the population is neurodivergent, equating to 1 in 7 social workers (Rolstone, 2022). Moreover, there has been increasing interest in the possibility that – due to medical research being based on males, patriarchal ideals of how women should ‘be’, and making -females have been underdiagnosed with Neurodivergent conditions (e.g. ADHD, ASD). Often being referred to as the ‘lost/hidden generation’ of ADHDers (Kirby, 2020).
Therefore, when we consider that according to Social Work England data from 2022, at 82.6%, the overwhelming majority of social workers identify as female (Social Work England, 2022). This could mean a high proportion of the social work workforce is neurodivergent some of which may be hidden or undiagnosed.
Moreover, if we consider that society and systems are based on neuro-typical ways of thinking and being, we can confidently assume (and I state from experience) that the social work education system and workplace are not designed for our brains.
This means as a profession, we need to purposefully and meaningfully reflect on and dismantle the barriers that workplaces and social constructs that affect neurodiverse social workers to facilitate a neuro-inclusive workplace. Moreover, when we begin creating change which is rooted in neuro-inclusion we are also creating neuro-inclusive systems for the clients we work with.
If we are struggling to work in a system we were trained to work within and which we are exposed to daily, how can we assume the people we work with can? Nevertheless, the barriers that workplaces and social construct that affect neurodiverse social workers and clients are still not sufficiently considered a social injustice.
It is hoped that this series will begin to bring neuro-inclusivity to the social work social justice agenda, by opening curtains – to which they will hopefully never be closed again - to some of the barriers which are encountered by neurodivergent social workers and dispelling some of the myths and stereotypes about neurodivergence which are still lingering.
A starting point to this, and contrary to popular belief, is understanding that the overlap of neurotypes is the rule, not the exception (Cleaton & Kirby, 2018). What I mean by overlap is the co-occurrence of neurodivergent neuro-types. For example, I am Dyslexic and Dyspraxic with ‘traits’ of ADHD, I know another social worker who is an ADHDer, Dyslexic and awaiting assessment for Autism and another who is OCD and awaiting an ADHD assessment.
Interestingly with co-accourance, some neurodiverse neuro-types are more likely to have another neurodivergent neuro-type. Many neurodivergent individuals have more than one neurodivergent neuro-type, and some may have elements or ‘traits’ but not meet the diagnostic criteria. See the infographic below.
Our brains are complex, and our way of thinking/being cannot be trimmed down and squashed into one neat and tidy box, no matter how hard society or the medical model tries. Considering overlap in social work is important because the assessments we are required to have for formal diagnosis do not take overlap or co-occurrence into consideration.
Therefore, receiving a diagnosis to understand our brain holistically can be expensive, could take years due to long and ever-increasing waiting lists, or could not happen at all due to lack of awareness of overlap– this could mean that we don’t receive a dual diagnosis.
Subsequently, it is important that when we think of supporting neurodivergent clients or social workers, we are not stuck into one box. You will not be supporting our needs and you will not be creating a neuro-inclusive environment. You will be re-enforcing harmful norms and stereotypes, resulting in our support needs going unmet. Therefore, if you see a
Moreover, formal, and legally protected support can be hard to receive without that formal diagnosis. Therefore, “Spiky profiles” are a great way to explore and support the differences of ability that are associated with neurodivergence, in addition to supporting us to conceptualise overlap in neurotypes.
The “spiky profile” is a visual representation of personal and work-related strengths and areas for development. Unlike psychometric testing, the aim of the spiky profile is to promote inclusivity rather than exclusivity. People with a neurodivergence are more likely to perform highly in some areas, and lower in others. This means that their “skill profile” looks “spiky” with peaks and valleys, rather than a consistent ‘middle ground’.
So as a profession, we need to:
Consider neurodiversity in everything we do – or we will be continuing to create a hostile environment for neurodivergent social workers and clients.
Be less rigid in our thinking and consider overlap/co-occurrence to support people to thrive – ‘We now recognise that if someone understands themselves better (both their strengths and their challenges) they have a greater chance of success’ (Kirby, 2020).
Think about spikey profiles and needs as opposed to putting neuro-types into strict boxes.
Reference:
Cleaton & Kirby (2018) in Journal of Childhood & Developmental Disorders, vol. 4, issues 3, p.1-20
Kirby, A. (2020) Where have all the girls gone? Neurodiversity and females, Do-it. Available at: https://doitprofiler.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Do-IT-Where-have-all-the-girls-gone-report-ppt2021-Int-Nat-Womens-Day-_compressed-1.pdf (Accessed: 04 June 2023).
Rolstone, G. (2022) Understanding neurodiversity in the workplace, Delphinium. Available at: https://delphiniumcc.co.uk/neurodiversity-in-the-workplace/#:~:text=Neurodiversity%20is%20a%20term%20used,is%20thought%20to%20be%20neurodiverse. (Accessed: 04 June 2023).
Social Work England (2022) Social work in england: Emerging themes report published, Social Work England . Available at: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/news/social-work-in-england-emerging-themes-report-launched/ (Accessed: 04 June 2023).
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