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Hello Rosemarie, firstly, can you explain what ND means?
ND stands for Neurodiversity, although some people also use it to mean neurodivergent, in opposition to NT, or neurotypical. Neurodiversity is the overarching umbrella term analogous to biodiversity. It is the concept that there are many different ways of having a neurological system, of being embodied, of processing the world around us. It has its origins in the early internet, when autistic people managed to contact each other in large numbers for the first time, as opposed to parents and professionals talking about them.
The Neurodiversity Paradigm stands in opposition to the Medical Paradigm, which says we have broken brains and need to be fixed, and it's perfectly fine to torture us to fix us. I'm being hyperbolic, obviously, but given the 'treatments' for various disabilities, torture is an apt word to describe some of them.
It doesn't mean being neurodivergent can't be disabling or cause impairments; it can and if people want or need treatment for those impairments then they should have them. If there are ways to make life less disabling, that should happen.
An example: many autistic people have aural sensitivities - it hurts and can be incredibly distracting. Simple solution that would make the world less painful under the ND paradigm = ear defenders/ headphones/ earplugs. Solution under the medical paradigm = force person to endure and punish them for not doing so, they'll get used to it eventually.
Why did you write your book all about neurodivergent history?
Because I was paid to! Research and writing hours add up even at £10 an hour.
More seriously, I wrote the book because I was fascinated to dig into the past. History has always been an interest; disability rights was and is a current interest. My manager at the time at my previous organisation (now one of TOCs Directors!) got the funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for me to create a book and display. I found the research fascinating, and I got to buy and read lots of books on the subject. I try to keep up with the latest news but I'm often behind. I really need to update the book and the website…
Can you tell us what The Little Autistic Library is?
The Little Autistic Library started as a way for me to provide information to people coming to the Adult Autism Service in Grimsby when it was based at Neurospace. I bought all the books and the poster sign, set up the signing in and out system and left them to it. Basically, I wanted people to have access to information outside of the system so that they weren't entirely reliant on the medical paradigm for their sense of self, their identity, and their understanding of Autism and Neurodivergence generally.
One of my former colleagues worked as a support worker for the Adult Autism Service, now the Adult Neurodiversity Service (ANDS). ANDS is mis-named - they only provide Autism and ADHD diagnosis/support, and LD support. So, my colleague working for the statutory services had access to funding that I, working for a CIC, didn't and they were able to buy many more books on a wider range of subjects, but all related to Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence, so we agreed to rename it 'The Little Neurodivergent Library'. It is currently based in the upstairs waiting room of Val Waterhouse Centre, home to ANDS and my former employer, The Faraway CIC. People who are attending VWC in any capacity and will be back, can borrow books and magazines from the library. They have to be signed out and in.
What is the most interesting fact you learnt during researching for the book?
If you had 100 autistic people none of them would share any of the same genetic markers, and even then, it might be same genes, but different alleles and different copy numbers. It's about 0.1% shared genetic markers according to the study I read five years ago. Things have probably changed since then.
Recent news from Yale has identified a difference in certain receptors in the brain compared to NT adults. The research was only on 15 adults and the difference was only 15%, so much more research needs to be done and it might be a statistical fluke, plus, what are the origins and consequences of this difference? How does it affect our day-to-day lives? These are questions that need answering.
How do you hope this book supports individuals and organisations?
I wanted to provide information, a basic primer, on the history of neurodivergent people, and the concept of neurodiversity, so that they can start understanding us, accept us for who we are and stop trying to fix us.
The book is available for free as a paperback from Val Waterhouse Centre, or email info@faraway.org to get a copy, or there's an ebook on the website Ebook! – Neurodivergent History.