Community Highlight – Empowering Neurodiverse Individuals

How Does It Feel To Be Neurodiverse?

For the neurotypical person, which is to say anyone whose brain functions in a conventional fashion, interacting with someone who has autism can sometimes be an exercise in frustration. Trying to understand the neurodiverse person can be like being “an anthropologist on Mars” to use the words of the great neuroscientist Oliver Sacks. People with autism struggle to relate and integrate with the neurotypical majority as well, and usually can only succeed in varying degrees.

While it is difficult for someone with autism to see things from a neurotypical perspective, there is also often a great reluctance for neurotypical people to see things from an autistic perspective. Miscommunication and misunderstandings can therefore result with harm done and trust lost. It is not uncommon, for example, to believe that one can understand autism simply from popular culture. Autism is different for every individual and while there may be similarities in symptoms, no two individuals with autism are exactly alike.

But no matter what the context, holding stereotypes and assumptions can cause wounds which can remain for a long time afterwards.

Statistics on Neurodiversity

Correcting these misconceptions is no small task, particularly when the incidence of autism is on the rise.

In 2010, the incidence of autism was roughly 1 in 68; now it is approximately 1 in 36, and studies suggest that this trend continues to grow.
- The reason is currently unclear as to what is causing an increase in cases of autism.
California has one of the highest rates of autism in the U.S., with over 700,000 individuals having autism.
- In contrast, Cerebral Palsy, which is the most common form of neuromuscular disorder, has only about 1 million individuals throughout the entire nation.

This means that more neuroatypical individuals will need to interact with normal society on a regular basis, and both sides need to be prepared for the inevitable interaction.

Stanford Neurodiversity Project Reach (SNP-Reach)

A group of high school students from across the U.S., including a Bay Area local, is trying to bridge this gap. Through their participation in the Stanford Neurodiversity Project Reach (SNP-Reach) summer program, they created an Autism Tools for Education (ATE) website.

With this website, the ATE team aims to increase awareness, empathy, understanding, and acceptance of neurodiversity in our communities and beyond. The website platforms a variety of free resources, including an eBook, newsletter articles, a story animations and comics section, activities, and a forum. Many of these features rely on participation and input from the community, which makes the resources more personal to everyone.

Find the Autistic Social Dictionary at SJPL

A unique offering on this website is The Autistic Social Dictionary, which helps define certain terms to help the neurotypical person better understand autism. This dictionary is now available to SJPL customers through Biblioboard*.

The tremendous efforts made by these students is just one example of how we can learn and grow together through education and collaboration.

Find Resources at SJPL

There are many free tools and resources available that can help us better understand one another so that everyone can thrive.

Resources:

Books:

Here are some books from our collection for parents, caregivers and people with autism:

Autism

Autism Working

Uniquely Human

Parenting Bright Kids With Autism

How to Find A Four-leaf Clover

The Scenic Route

Traveling Different

*Biblioboard offers curations of California indie authors and local community collections. It can be accessed through our website and with the Palace app. If you have self-published works that you wish to share, you can make submissions through the Indie Author Project. If you need help getting started, we encourage you to check out Pressbooks, a tool that allows you to create, edit, and generate print-ready and eBook formats of your book. All of these resources are free to SJPL members.