Neurodiversity and STEM - Breaking Barriers and Changing Perceptions

By Renee Bakis

Neurodiversity is one of those words that you have probably heard before but not really given a lot of thought too. The term was first coined by sociologist Judy Singer in 1998 and has since been associated with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders, the initial idea behind it was to challenge old views faced by those on the Autistic spectrum, helping to shift the “mother blaming” theories that had been the popular scapegoat for the challenges faced by atypical individuals in society. Neurodiverse individuals face a lot of societal barriers that lead to disability as there is rigidity in the perception that being neurodiverse puts you at a disadvantage compared to everyone else, when often this would not be the case if there was more understanding of the matter.

In the last two decades alone, our understanding of neurodiversity has changed massively with a better understanding of the impacts of neurological conditions on individuals, which has enabled us to better accommodate the varied needs of the people around us. However, there is still a long way to go for us to be able to remove the barriers and challenges faced by atypical individuals, acceptance is still a challenge as the stigma surrounding those with cognitive differences is still a prevalent issue in society. We need better education and support, especially from an early age, to be able to properly make changes to our internalised views on neurodiversity, this can be in the form of specialised support available at an earlier point in our education as there is a distinct lack of support until higher education in some cases.

When it comes to STEM involvement in the neurodiversity movement, there is often mixed perceptions on whether it is considered a blessing or hindrance. Science is one field where diversity should be celebrated as it is one of the many fields of work that benefits from collaborative working, which fosters an environment where it is a good thing to have a broad range of opinions and ideas to draw from.