A transition is occurring from thinking about autism solely in terms of deficits, to recognising the unique strengths and abilities of autistic individuals. Acknowledging autistic strengths and abilities by supporting neurodiversity-affirming autistic owned and led social enterprises can play an important role in advancing the Neurodiversity Movement.
Deficit Understanding of Autism
Since its inception, autism has been described in terms of deficits. When the term was first coined back in 1911, autism was thought to be a psychiatric disorder. Since the 1970s it has predominantly been described as a range of cognitive deficiencies. This entirely deficit view of autism underpins the current autism diagnosis process. At no time during the diagnosis process are autistic strengths and abilities considered.
This constant focus on autistic individuals being deficient and the daily struggle autistic individuals face trying to fit into a world that was designed for people with a different brain type, has had devastating implications for autistic people. The life expectancy of autistic individuals is only 39 years, and they are seven times more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic people. Research has shown that a significant contributing factor to the suicidal thoughts of autistic individuals is the defeat and entrapment they constantly feel from having to mask their autistic traits in order to fit into the neurotypical world.
This constant focus on autistic individuals being deficient and the daily struggle autistic individuals face trying to fit into a world that was designed for people with a different brain type, has had devastating implications for autistic people. The life expectancy of autistic individuals is only 39 years, and they are seven times more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic people. Research has shown that a significant contributing factor to the suicidal thoughts of autistic individuals is the defeat and entrapment they constantly feel from having to mask their autistic traits in order to fit into the neurotypical world.
Neurodiversity Understanding of Autism
Neurodiversity recognises that human brains can be wired in a variety of different ways with none of them being inherently superior. From this neurodiversity-affirming perspective, autistic brains are considered to function differently to the average human brain type, but they are not deficient. While autistic individuals still face many challenges due to living a world where just about everything has been designed for people with a different brain type, using a neurodiversity-affirming lens enables the unique strengths and abilities of autistic cognition to also be acknowledged.
Central to a neurodiversity-affirming view of autistic cognition, is the concept of monotropism. Monotropism is the tendency of autistic individuals to passionately focus on one or a narrow number of interest areas with a high level of concentration that results in their having extensive knowledge and skill and a huge dataset of facts and concepts related to their interest areas. Unlike non-autistic individuals who are generally top-down thinkers, autistic individuals are usually bottom-up and associative thinkers which enables new ideas and innovations to emerge as they spot patterns amongst the detail in their datasets. Autistic individuals are also recognised as natural systemisers – they systemise the associations that they identify in their datasets in order to understand how things can work in practice.
Central to a neurodiversity-affirming view of autistic cognition, is the concept of monotropism. Monotropism is the tendency of autistic individuals to passionately focus on one or a narrow number of interest areas with a high level of concentration that results in their having extensive knowledge and skill and a huge dataset of facts and concepts related to their interest areas. Unlike non-autistic individuals who are generally top-down thinkers, autistic individuals are usually bottom-up and associative thinkers which enables new ideas and innovations to emerge as they spot patterns amongst the detail in their datasets. Autistic individuals are also recognised as natural systemisers – they systemise the associations that they identify in their datasets in order to understand how things can work in practice.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Social Enterprises
By their very existence, neurodiversity-affirming autistic owned and led businesses can be considered social enterprises as these businesses create social outcomes that go well beyond just benefiting an autistic founder. Through their very existence, these businesses challenge the prevailing deficit perception of autistic cognition and increase society’s understanding that autistic cognition is different but by no means less.
In addition, the existence of these businesses reframes how to address autistic unemployment from the current expectation that employers will make the necessary accommodations for autistic individuals, to enabling and supporting autistic individuals to design and control their own work environment. Research has shown that the process of having to negotiate workplace adjustments with an employer can have a detrimental impact on an autistic individual’s wellbeing.
In addition, the existence of these businesses reframes how to address autistic unemployment from the current expectation that employers will make the necessary accommodations for autistic individuals, to enabling and supporting autistic individuals to design and control their own work environment. Research has shown that the process of having to negotiate workplace adjustments with an employer can have a detrimental impact on an autistic individual’s wellbeing.