What is neurodiversity — and why should teachers care? In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Warner — a certified meditation teacher, 16-year classroom veteran, and AuDHD educator — breaks down the neurodiversity movement in plain language for teachers.

You’ll learn what neurodiversity actually means (and what it doesn’t), where the movement came from, its core principles, and what it asks of educators. Amanda also tackles common misconceptions, like the idea that neurodiversity denies disability or excuses behavior, and shares how understanding her own autism and ADHD diagnosis transformed the way she sees teaching, students, and herself.

This episode covers: what neurodiversity means vs. neurodivergent vs. neurotypical, the history of the neurodiversity movement and Judy Singer, the medical model vs. the social model of disability, presuming competence in neurodivergent students, “nothing about us without us” in education, why support doesn’t equal cure, shifting from compliance to accommodation in the classroom, and how ableist expectations in schools can disable students.

Whether you’re a general education teacher, a special education teacher, or a parent navigating IEPs, this episode will help you understand the neurodiversity movement and apply it in your classroom.

Resources for teaching neurodiversity to your students are linked below.

00:00 Welcome and Overview
02:17 Host Perspective
02:57 Defining Neurodiversity
03:27 Neurodivergent vs Neurotypical
05:08 Not a Diagnosis
05:24 Origins and Paradigm Shift
07:43 Core Principles
08:36 Disability and Environment
11:49 Presume Competence
13:18 Nothing About Us
14:31 Support Not Cure
15:07 Teacher Mindset Shift
16:26 Common Misconceptions
17:58 Personal Neurochemistry Story
21:29 Wrap Up and Resources

Editable Slides to Teach about Autism + Bonus Slideshows!

8 Outstanding Videos to Spark Discussion About Neurodiversity in Your Classroom

Amanda’s Favorite Neurodiversity Affirming Podcasts:

The Neurodiversity Podcast

Full-Tilt Parenting

Divergent Conversations

Uniquely Human

Meet My Autistic Brain

Hyperfocus

My Friend Autism

Adhd Experts

Transcript

Speaker: [00:00:00] Hello, I am Amanda Warner, the host of this podcast, the Empower Students Now podcast. Today we are going to be talking about the neurodiversity movement for teachers. I think it’s really important for teachers to learn about this movement because it’s a term that is becoming more and more popular, and I think teachers are hearing it more in IEPs in professional development, but maybe don’t actually know what it means or where it came from.

It really does this whole movement, I think it’s important to be aware of and to understand because it challenges a lot of what we’ve been taught about disability and there are, there’s a whole long history [00:01:00] of the medical model and. Various therapies like applied behavioral analysis, harming students who are autistic.

And so it’s, it’s just, it’s a, it’s a, it’s an important. Movement to know about and to even teach your students about. And I do have resources for you to teach students about this that I have linked in the show notes for you. And so today we’re gonna talk about what neurodiversity actually means. And doesn’t mean where the movement came from, the core principles, what it asks of teachers and common misconceptions about the neurodiversity.

Movement. So let’s start now. Welcome to the Empower Students Now podcast. A podcast about equity, [00:02:00] neurodiversity, mindfulness, and student engagement. There’s a lot that needs to change in our education system. The good news is teachers have the power to make these changes now.

First of all, I just want to mention if you’re new to this podcast that I, I am, I identify as autistic and A DHD, and I was diagnosed formally with both, so I. I just wanna make sure you know that because I’m talking from a place of authority here. Personal experience, type of authority, but also authority in terms of just many years of research and deep diving I’ve done into this.

This is a special interest of mine. I’m pretty passionate about it, and. Very knowledgeable. Okay, so what is [00:03:00] neurodiversity? Neurodiversity is the natural variation in human brains and minds. Neuro is brain Diversity means differences. Different brains, just like bio biodiversity describes variety in nature.

Neurodiversity describes variety in neurology. Your brain, it’s just a fact. Our brains are diverse, right? Neurodiversity exists. Uh, so who’s included in this? Like who is neurodivergent? ’cause that’s a different word. Uh, neurodivergent being neuro neurodivergent. Is a form of neurodiversity, right?

Neurotypical is a form of neurodiversity. It’s just an example of it. It’s an example of how our brains are different. So people who are considered neurodivergent, so meaning diverging from normal or [00:04:00] neurotypical people who are not typical in terms of their brain functioning. And in terms of the behavior, because of that brain functioning.

And the chemicals and the neurotransmitters and things in their brains are people with autism, A DHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and Tourettes. And sometimes people with OCD anxiety and depression are also included, but this is debated within their neurodivergent community. And the key to all of this is that neurological differences affect how someone processes information and experiences the world.

So neurodivergent is someone whose brain differs from the dominant typical neurotype. Neurotypical is someone whose brain matches societal norms and expectations. And these are all sort of relative terms. There’s no one correct brain and, and we all. I’ve [00:05:00] read that brains are as unique as fingerprints.

Each brain is very, very, very, um, unique. So neurodiversity is not a diagnosis. It’s not a way of saying disabled. And it’s not that everyone’s brain is special in a vague, meaningless way. It’s not erasing the reality of disability or struggle either. And I first heard this term. Uh, probably in like 2020 is when I first heard it, but it’s been around actually for longer than that.

Apparently it was coined by Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, uh, who is autistic in the late 1990s. And. She wrote some books about it. Uh, her daughter was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and she also identifies as somewhere on the autistic spectrum. So she really is the [00:06:00] one that coined all of this.

And I think that it’s really gained a lot of momentum because of autistic people advocating for themselves and talking about the experience of being autistic online in social media and and things like that. And. So it really challenges the medical model of autism and other conditions that they’re like disorders or deficits.

And it actually promotes this new sort of paradigm shift that this isn’t a disorder, it’s just a natural variation in the brain. And it actually, you know, is part of evolution and it’s not a defect, but I. It’s also, there’s like this debate about like, we can’t just say that this is all like superpowers because it’s not, there’s real challenges when it comes to having a [00:07:00] divergent brain, and so I think that teachers need to know about this because.

They can inform parents and students about it, but also many parents are already informed about this movement, especially if their kid is neurodivergent. Students are are increasingly self-identifying as neurodivergent. A lot of people who haven’t been diagnosed with autism or A DHD, they just use that catchall phrase as neurodivergent.

Um, so that you don’t really have to like identify what. Type of neurodivergence you have. And um, it’s just changing the way that we talk about disability. And so here are some of the core principles around the neurodiversity movement. So the goal is not to make everyone neurotypical, which that used to kind of be the goal.

Like to, to, [00:08:00] to fix the deficit or the disorder. And that’s not what it’s about. It’s about acceptance and awareness and not something to overcome, but something to, to embrace and support. And it doesn’t mean that neurodivergent people don’t face real. Very challenge, hard challenges or that they don’t have very real support needs.

They do. Um, it doesn’t mean that everything is just fine and that we shouldn’t help. And it is a kind of an interesting debate to discuss just disability and what a disability really is. So I’ve thought a lot about this and debated with other people who are autistic about it. And some autistic people do feel their autism is a disability, and some don’t.

Some don’t believe that their autism is a disability because [00:09:00] disabilities are usually associated with like people who are blind or in a wheelchair because, um, they need certain, like, and it’s very obvious and you can see it, right? You can see the disability, but people who believe their autism is a disability, it’s like an invisible disability.

And so, you know, and it, and it really is when you think about a disability, if, if the autistic person had, was in an environment that was comfortable for them, would they even have a disability? You know, if, if they were in a place that felt safe and comforting to them. It’s an interesting thought, right?

Like if a school didn’t have fluorescent lights and didn’t have kids yelling in such large class sizes, would would the disability even really exist? You know, and all these [00:10:00] expectations that. Are placed on people and kids in, in American, United States of society about how to behave in schools. Like if those didn’t exist, would these deficits or disabilities even, would they just disappear?

You know, like if you had everything you needed. Um, it’s an interesting idea, like if, if someone with that had a wheelchair, if, if they always had access to. Things that help them, like, like if stairs didn’t exist, then would they have a disability? Um, I don’t know. It’s just an interesting thing to talk about.

I guess what I’m saying is sometimes it seems that our society and culture and the expectations that exist within are what disabled people more than their actual neurology.

I, [00:11:00] yeah, I think that this means that we have to really question what are our expectations of students? What is the environment like? And what sort of factors exist in the context of that quote unquote, you know, neurodivergent or not quote unquote, um, disabled person, uh, quote unquote. Like, how are those, uh, impacting the.

Quote unquote disability. Um, ’cause maybe it’s just about questioning and thinking about how we might be able to change the environment to help support that di neurodivergent person so that they don’t necessarily, aren’t necessarily disabled in their environment. So another aspect of the neurodiversity movement is.

Presuming competence. So assuming that a neurodivergent [00:12:00] person is intelligent and capable, even if they’re non-speaking, um, even if they stem a lot, which means like they, uh, moving their, maybe they’re moving their wrists around a lot or tapping their foot a lot or banging their head on the wall, like picking their skin, things like that, like assuming competence.

No matter what the behavior is, don’t mistake communication differences for cognitive deficits. Listen to and believe neurodivergent people about their own experiences. Don’t talk about people and students like they’re not in the room, or that they can’t understand what you’re saying. Provide challenges for these kids too.

Take student self-advocacy seriously and empower kids to advocate for their needs. And I, I have a slide show that you could access to teach about [00:13:00] self-advocacy. Um, if you’d like, I can put that in the show notes, uh, along with the other tools for learning and becoming more about aware about the neurodiversity movement.

Uh, another thing, another aspect of this movement. That’s come from the autistic community is nothing about us, without us. Um, and this is a slogan, uh, that basically pushes back against neurotypical experts explaining, uh. Autism or A DHD that or making decisions for them that autistic people and A DHD people should be the ones that are the experts in what they need.

So centering neurodivergent voices and conversations about neurodivergence hiring neurodivergent. Educators talking about neurodivergence, including students in their own IEP meetings [00:14:00] listening to autistic and A DHD adults when making choices for autistic children. Um, following neurodivergent educators and advocates online, I have lots and lots of people, uh, linked in the show notes that you can follow, watching YouTube videos that were made by autistic people and A DHD people.

Yeah, I just, this is so, so amazing that all of this information exists, so why not use it in our classrooms? Another really important aspect of the neurodiversity movement is understanding that support does not equal cure. We can support neurodivergent people without trying to erase their neurodivergence.

We’re not trying to make them comply or make them, uh, mask or eliminate their stemming, um, or forcing them to. To make eye contact or [00:15:00] talk, that’s not what this is about. It’s about accommodating, it’s about supporting, it’s about being curious about their experiences. So the neurodiversity movement really forces teachers to shift their, their mindsets from what has been practiced for so many years within the education system, which is what’s wrong with this kid.

How do I fix this kid? You know, like how do we cure this, um, to, how can I support this kid? What does this kid need? How can I adapt my classroom to support them? And it’s just pushing back on practices that are focused on compliance, on restraining or secluding kids and, and just questioning. Expectations [00:16:00] that are ableist and ableist is discrimination against people because of their disability, and I would say be because of their differences and their neurology.

And we have to, we have to consider just the different ways that people, the different ways that people’s brains function. There are some misconceptions about the neurodiversity movement. Like this one, the neurodiversity movement says disability doesn’t exist. That’s not true. It says disability is real and socially constructed, which is what I was talking about earlier.

And neurodivergent people face true challenges that disable them. It’s, and it, and, and can be even made worse. In environments that push compliance onto them or that weren’t designed [00:17:00] for them, like schools, schools are so overwhelming for autistic people. Another misconception about the neurodiversity movement is that it’s about policing language or political correctness, um, or about being woke.

Um, and I just. I really do believe that language, language and the words we use shape how we think and how we think about ourselves and how we think about others. And if we talk about autism like it’s some sort of disease or it’s a tragedy that needs to be fixed or cured, then we treat autistic people as like tragic, and that’s really, really harmful.

Another misconception is that this is just an excuse for bad behavior and it’s not. I mean, this is, this has been studied, and I’ll tell you this too. I had [00:18:00] a test done about, uh, it was a test that showed me the function of my neurotransmitters. And it actually, this was before I knew I was a DHD before I knew I was autistic.

I’ve talked about this before on my, on this show, and it showed I had abnormally low. Serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Like there’s a test that actually can show you where, what your levels are. And I, um, at the time, this was back in 2020 that I took this test and I took it because I was having all these really severe like.

Allergic reactions, and I didn’t know why. And I’ve had these my whole life, and I’m actually starting to associate and learning about, um, chronic illnesses that are associated with being neurodivergent. And I, I do believe that, you know, having a very sensitive, um, [00:19:00] a sensitive nervous system can cause a, um, sensitive, like a reaction.

To stress and it could cause your immune system to go outta whack. And I mean, I got a lot of answers from this test and learned a lot about different foods I’m sensitive to and chemicals and things like that. But I also learned about these neurotransmitters, and at the time I was like. But I don’t have depression and I, and I know that I don’t have depression because depression lasts for weeks, months of feeling low and sad.

And that’s not my experience and never has been. Um, and so I was so confused by this, these test results, and the doctor just basically said, it just means that you’re really sensitive to stress. And [00:20:00] so it did explain a lot, but as I learned more over the years, I was like, oh, okay. My neurotransmitter transmitters are abnormal.

And I do have moments throughout my day where I feel very low. So a day to me is. Um, I have really high highs and really low lows, and it, it’s all related to neurotransmitters throughout one day. You know, I can feel extremely sad and I can also feel euphoric, even like minute to minute. It’s pretty. It’s pretty debilitating sometimes, you know, and, um, especially in a school setting that requires neurodivergent teachers to mask all the time.

And I do think that this is one of the reasons that I left teaching, not one time, three times. Um, and I’ve tried so many different things [00:21:00] in my teaching career. I’ve taught kindergarten through. 12th grade, pretty much. I mean, I’ve taught various subjects, ELD, drama, English history, math, like, I mean, I’ve taught in many different types of schools, so I think that being able to say, oh, now I know why I’m neurodivergent.

Okay, so the neurodiversity movement has really changed my life and my understanding of myself and my behavior throughout my life. It’s been very mind blowing, and hopefully this episode has helped you understand this movement more and helped you embrace it. I hope you check out the resources and the show notes.

I have lots of resources for you to teach. These topics to your students, and to do it in a careful, mindful, [00:22:00] kind, um, manner. Okay? If you found this episode helpful, please share it with someone you know. Thank you and [00:23:00] goodbye.