User:Kassafrass/Neurodiversity

User:Kassafrass/Neurodiversity

The article's content is not fully relevant to the topic, which is Neurodiversity. It is under-developed in some areas and is lacking focus. There is also some sections that could have a more neutral tone (i.e., stating that autism researchers have sometimes been too ready to interpret differences as deficits).

Article body
Edit #1 9/30/23:

Within disability rights movements
Advocates who support those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurodevelopmental disorders do not agree in framing medical interventions as a way to "cure" or "fix" these individuals. Rather, they promote support systems such as inclusion-focused services, accommodations, communication and assistive technologies, occupational training, and being able to support themselves when living independently. '''Through this, individuals can receive support that honors human diversity and feel that they are able to freely express themselves. Other forms of treatment may cause them to feel as though they are being coerced or forced to adapt to social norms, or to conform to a behavioral standard.'''

Edit #2 10/8/23:

Removed the double empathy problem illustration from the article; was not properly explaining the theory.

Edit #3 10/22/23 & 10/26/23:

Medicine and Healthcare
Medical and healthcare professionals have begun to acknowledge neurodivergence among its employees. Specifically, more groups are being created that are centered around advocacy and peer support among medical and healthcare professionals who associate themselves with neurodiversity, such as the Autistic Doctors International created by Dr. Mary Doherty. Another approach is the implementation of a 5-minute video summary (5MVS) for medical learners and physicians who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It consists of a 5-minute recorded video summary in which an engaging speaker presents the relevant information from a scientific article about ADHD using a brief PowerPoint presentation shared using videoconferencing technology. The researchers state that providing this educational tool for helping medical learners and physicians with ADHD acquire relevant information from scientific articles could help in addressing their inattention, impulsivity and/or hyperactivity, and improve their development of critical appraisal skills when working in healthcare.

Similarly, healthcare systems may benefit from hiring neurodiverse individuals to gain a unique perspective when caring for patients. Some healthcare staff agree that inviting neurodiverse individuals to join patient advisory groups and/or hire them as staff are essential steps to acceptance and integration in the workforce. Neurodiverse people’s unique strengths can be vital to health system innovation and improvement efforts. One example of the push toward this is the Stanford Neurodiversity Project, in which one of their goals is to discover the strengths of neurodiverse individuals and make use of their talents to increase innovation and productivity of their society, such as working in the field of healthcare and medicine.

Neurodiversity has also recently been investigated as a new way of working within neurodevelopmental clinics in the UK. A team of researchers in Portsmouth, England have created an approach in aiding neurodiverse individuals known as PANDA, or the Portsmouth Alliance Neurodiversity Approach. This approach may help medical and healthcare professionals facilitate understanding, communication and early support for children who may identify as being neurodiverse.

Therapy
Neurodiversity and the role it plays in therapeutic settings has been a central focal point in recent years. Many therapists and mental health professionals have pushed for more inclusive psychotherapeutic frameworks appropriate for neurodivergent individuals. One example is neurodivergence-informed therapy, which reframes dysfunction as interconnectedness among society rather than strictly individual, advocating for acceptance and pride in the neurodiversity community, and the push for therapists to pursue humility regarding the knowledge and education associated with individuals who identify as neurodivergent. Similarly, neurodiversity affirming therapy supports neurodivergent differences, rather than viewing them as something that should be "cured," and to offer ways to support the individual with difficult areas, while still appreciating their needs and strengths.

Therapeutic programs and interventions are also being investigated for the neurodivergent community. Self-determination programs to help neurodivergent individuals achieve goals in their life has been founded to be successful, with neurodivergent participants finding it to be "appropriate, acceptable, and feasible." Various approaches (e.g., eye-tracking, longitudinal data, computational modeling) in understanding perceptual decision-making in neurodivergent individuals are also being studied and the implications it may have in the therapeutic environment in working with the neurodivergent population.

Another form of therapeutic intervention in that has been investigated in neurodivergent individuals is the use of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs). NDBIs have been shown to have positive effects on language and social-communication while, at the same time, respecting individuals’ needs and autonomy. One of the key goals in this type of intervention is putting the focus of therapy on the neurodivergent individual themselves in the creation of intervention goals, procedures, and outcomes. In doing so, they are likely to be seen as more acceptable, useful, and effective to that individual.