April has long been recognized as a month dedicated to autism awareness and acceptance, starting with an initiative by The Autism Society in the 1970s. In recent years, this month has expanded to include the celebration of neurodiversity and neurodivergence more broadly.
This article explores the meanings of these terms and how PracticeWise supports the individual differences they encompass.
What is Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence?
Although there is no consensus on a standard definition, neurodiversity typically refers to the idea that differences in how people think, learn, and experience the world are natural variations of the human experience. Rather than viewing these differences solely as deficits, the neurodiversity perspective recognizes that they can also reflect unique strengths.
The term was first attributed to sociologist Judy Singer in her thesis in the 1990s and was conceived as a concept to organize communities and advocate for the rights of individuals who process the world in their own unique way.
Some scholars describe neurodiversity as falling into two broad categories: neurotypical individuals, whose cognitive styles align with dominant societal norms, and neurodivergent individuals, whose cognitive styles differ from those norms. This view aligns with a traditional paradigm that frames differences in thinking as disorders or diseases that are abnormal and should be treated. Another perspective within the neurodiversity movement calls for a shift away from this view. Advocates for this paradigm shift posit that variations in thinking are natural and beneficial forms of diversity that should not be viewed as deficits or disturbances to be corrected but rather as differences that society should accept and better accommodate.
In light of these perspectives, some advocates and neurodivergent individuals veer away from the use of diagnostic labels, while others embrace them as an identity that provides access to a larger community as well as services.
What are Common Examples of Neurodivergence?
There is considerable variation across organizations, advocates, and scholars on the ways of thinking and specific conditions that are thought to be under the umbrella of neurodivergence.
Most typically, neurodivergence includes autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Specific learning disorders, which may involve challenges in math, reading, or written expression, are also commonly included along with other neurodevelopmental disorders like intellectual disability or developmental coordination disorder.
Some organizations have also considered conditions like Tourette’s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and some anxiety disorders to be examples of neurodivergence, but this is less common and often debated.
What Are Ways to Encourage Inclusivity of Neurodivergent Youth and Families?
There is ongoing discussion within the neurodiversity movement regarding the best ways to support neurodivergent individuals. Some argue that change should be wholly on the societal level, with adaptations made to the broader environment to be more inclusive of neurodiversity. Others have argued that disability has both individual and societal components and that solutions might include a mix of individual interventions and broader social accommodations.
Across these groups, most advocates seem to agree that supportive interventions include increasing societal acceptance of neurodiversity, promoting practices that affirm the identity of neurodivergent individuals, including neurodivergent voices in research and policy work on inclusion, and building flexibility into environmental design.
For mental health providers working with neurodivergent youth and their families, this might look like:
- Emphasizing a strengths-based approach, which highlights the ways in which neurodivergence can be a source of pride and individuality rather than a disability. This might involve giving neurodivergent youth space to showcase their talents and encouraging them to develop their skills in ways that enhance these natural talents.
- Reorienting service goals toward wellbeing and autonomy rather than symptom reduction or moving toward the dominant style of thinking. This might involve focusing less on compliance-focused goals in behavioral treatments, creating social stories that better respect the experiences of youth with ASD, and tracking person-centered outcomes.
- Allowing neurodivergent youth and their families to choose specific emotions or behaviors that differ from the norm, which they would like to target, as opposed to those they do not wish to change. For example, a youth with ASD might wish to attend their classmates’ birthday parties, even though the environment can be loud and overstimulating. In this case, they might work with a provider to plan what activities they are able to tolerate and when they might need to take a break, as well as adaptations that might make it easier to join in the party, like noise-dampening headphones or increased space during games. On the other hand, they might really appreciate their focus on specialized interests and do not wish to change or target this behavior in treatment.
- Adapting sensory experiences by adjusting light or sound and building in sensory or movement breaks. This might involve conducting sessions in rooms that have the capacity to dim the lights, using a noise-canceling device to limit outside noise, or giving youths with more energy space to move their bodies during meetings.
- Reframing challenges as arising from interactions between individuals, rather than solely from the neurodivergent individual. For example, difficulty with social communication can be thought of as reciprocal misunderstandings where the goal might be greater understanding across conversation partners rather than working solely with neurodivergent youth to improve their communication skills. This might also include working with the neurodivergent youth on self-advocacy and assertiveness skills to ensure that their needs are met.
- Encouraging the creation of and participation in peer support programs that address lower peer acceptance and pressures to mask behaviors around others. A recent systematic review indicates these programs have initial support in terms of neurodivergent individuals feeling more understood and empowered, as well as having a sense of belonging. However, groups for younger children have been limited, and more research in this area is warranted.
Key Takeaways for Providers
- Neurodiversity emphasizes differences, not deficits
- Inclusive care balances evidence-based practices with individualization
- Youth and families should play an active role in defining goals
- Small environmental and relational changes can significantly improve engagement
How PracticeWise Supports Neurodiversity-Affirming Care
PracticeWise has many tools to help mental health providers support neurodivergent youth and their families.
- The PWEBS application gives providers access to a large database that details the treatments and specific interventions with the most rigorous research support for 13 target areas, including autism spectrum and attention problems. Providers can conduct searches that generate evidence-based practices for both target areas as well as several other areas that commonly co-occur with these targets, such as anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior, eating, and substance use.
- Providers can then use the results from the PWEBS application and the Treatment Planner Process Guide to build treatment plans that address the main concerns of the neurodivergent youth and families with whom they work. This might start with the practice of goal setting to determine the emotions and behaviors that a neurodivergent youth wishes to target, as well as those that might be priorities for the family. Many of the recommended practices involve teaching caregivers to be more attuned to their child’s strengths and to provide psychoeducation on the different presentations that are common in ASD and ADHD.
- The Embracing Diversity Process Guide may also be particularly useful for providers working with neurodivergent youth in that it encourages providers to think about how they might specifically adapt the content of their interventions as well as how these interventions are taught according to a youth and family’s characteristics. The guide supports an inclusive approach by considering the elements of evidence-based practices that providers might change to be more accepting of individual differences. For example, providers working with neurodivergent youth will likely also partner closely with schools and other contexts in the youth’s ecology (e.g., extracurricular activities, team sports leagues) to provide appropriate accommodation.
- Clinical Dashboards also promote collaborative measurement-based care discussions by allowing for truly individualized measures. For example, providers may choose to use a goal attainment scaling measure to track progress toward a youth’s nominated goals or a youth-designed measure (e.g., number of experiences feeling overwhelmed at school per day) rather than specific symptom-focused standardized measures to be more inclusive of the neurodivergent youth’s voice and choice.
Together, these tools help providers move beyond one-size-fits-all care and deliver more responsive, inclusive services.
Moving Forward
As the field continues to evolve, supporting neurodivergent youth requires both openness to new perspectives and a commitment to evidence-informed care. By combining strengths-based approaches with flexible, research-backed tools, providers can better meet the needs of diverse youth and families.
To learn more about how PracticeWise tools can support neurodiversity-affirming care, explore our resources or connect with our team to get started.
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About the Author
Jennifer Regan, Ph.D., serves in multiple roles on the Services and Products Development team for PracticeWise. Learn more about Dr. Regan on the PracticeWise team page.
