{"id":32330,"date":"2022-05-13T12:14:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T02:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.latrobe.edu.au\/mylatrobe\/?p=32330"},"modified":"2022-05-18T14:10:05","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T04:10:05","slug":"neurodiversity-as-the-next-frontier-part-1-celebrating-all-kinds-of-clever-in-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.latrobe.edu.au\/mylatrobe\/neurodiversity-as-the-next-frontier-part-1-celebrating-all-kinds-of-clever-in-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Neurodiversity as the next frontier: Celebrating \u201cAll Kinds of Clever\u201d in higher education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Authors: Beth Radulski and Nyssa Jaworowski<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of Neurodiversity, coined by Autistic sociologist Judy Singer, argues that just as a healthy ecosystem consists of several types of biodiversity, humanity enjoys a spectrum of neurodiversity including all brains\u2014even the norm! The traditional medical psychology model classifies the \u2018Neurotypical\u2019 brain as healthy, and Neurominority groups (also known as \u2018Neurodivergent people\u2019)\u2014for example, those who identify as Autistic, ADHD, or Dyslexic\u2014as \u2018disordered\u2019. However, the neurodiversity framework understands these different ways of being as social identity groupings known as \u2018Neurotypes\u2019. This doesn\u2019t mean that Neurominority groups don\u2019t experience Disability; it just helps us to understand how the lived experience of Disability is shaped by social inequity in addition to differences in biology. The Neurodiversity framework helps us to understand that, as in other realms of diversity, some social groups may benefit from societal structures being built around their norms, and experience privilege as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry partner and co-founder of Neurodiversity Hub Andrew Eddy <\/strong>notes that \u201caround 1 in 5 people are neurodivergent\u201d. Given that La Trobe\u2019s slogan is \u201cAll Kinds of Clever\u201d, it should come as no surprise that the demographics of our staff and student body reflect this cultural value. Accounting for all Neurominority groups (including mental health conditions such as bipolar, OCD, anxiety, Tourette\u2019s, and beyond), over two-thirds of students registered with a Disability at La Trobe are members of Neurominority groups\u2014and this does not account for the many staff who also identify as Neurominorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of fostering inclusion for these cohorts is highlighted by recent research into Neurodiversity: while 31.2% of Australians with no disability hold bachelor\u2019s degrees, only 8.1% of Autistic people successfully complete the same level of study<\/a>. Dyslexic students report feeling unsupported in secondary and tertiary education<\/a>, alongside low self-esteem in their academic pursuits, and people who identify as ADHD receive up to 20,000 more negative messages<\/a> by the age of 12 compared to their peers, resulting in low self-esteem that often persists into adulthood.<\/a> Each of these groups is disproportionately un(der)employed in adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Neurominority people opt out of disclosing their Disability status in schools, universities, and workplaces over concerns that the threat of discrimination will outweigh<\/a> the benefit of any support that may be offered. This in turn means staff and students could be going without much needed support required to help them achieve positive educational, graduate, and employment outcomes. However, since the Neurodiversity Project\u2019s commencement in late-2019, new registrations for Neurominority students at La Trobe\u2014formerly declining or plateaued depending on the group\u2014have skyrocketed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While new Autism registrations in 2018 and 2019 were just 14 and 12 respectively, in 2020 this number doubled to 23, and in 2021, it doubled again to 44. Similar patterns have emerged for Specific Learning Disabilities (including, for example, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Dyscalculia), which rose from 162 in 2020, to 241 in 2021. These numbers only represent the new<\/u><\/em> disclosures in these groups by year, meaning there are many more total students at the university who identify as Neurominorities. So, accounting for the many barriers to disclosure outlined above, how did La Trobe increase its disclosure rates so drastically in such a short time span\u2014and what does this mean for student and staff career and wellbeing outcomes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jessica Vanderlelie <\/strong>explains that La Trobe\u2019s Neurodiversity Project is playing a key role: \u201cThe Neurodiversity Project is helping our university to deepen our understanding and create a safe and inclusive environment for Neurominorities to share their experiences and stories\u2026 (this is how) we will truly be able to develop the range of supports, opportunities and infrastructure necessary to be an employer of choice for Neurodiverse staff, and to create educational experiences that allow our Neurodiverse students to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autistic Undergraduate Nicole Missios <\/strong>explains that having access to the Neurodiversity Project at La Trobe<\/a> empowered her to disclose: <\/strong>\u201cAccessAbility staff referred me to the Neurodiversity community\u2014it definitely helped\u2026 In high school I didn\u2019t really have any neurodiversity community\u2026 But being at university I\u2019ve met so many people who actually do come out as Autistic… It\u2019s a lot easier on me to really just be myself!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Autistic Autism researcher Kate Gore<\/strong> offers further insight into how focussing on Neurodiversity at a university-wide level can facilitate disclosures: \u201cBeing the first Autistic student to receive the Sylvia Walton Scholarship<\/a> emboldened me to finally begin to disclose that I was autistic\u2026 (Now), high points of my experience at La Trobe include colleagues seeking my input because<\/em> I sometimes learn or think in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neurodiversity Project Officer Beth Radulski<\/strong> asserts \u201cOften times Neurominority groups are asked to disclose their identity in the context of asking for help with challenges, but it\u2019s important to see encouraging disclosures as a balance of offering support for both the strengths and limitations of Neurominority groups. We don\u2019t ask most people to define themselves by their limitations alone, and this should be no different in the Neurodiversity context.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VC Prof. John Dewar (AO) <\/strong>shares the view that to facilitate inclusion for neurodiversity, the university must take a strengths-based approach in addition to offering reasonable adjustments for Disability: \u201cWe want to be attractive to outstanding staff, and we know that Neurodiverse staff and being outstanding is a very close overlap! It\u2019s true that there are some absolutely remarkable people who are Neuro(minorities), and we strengthen ourselves by being able to accept them and include them\u2026 (by) understand(ing) that there are alternative ways of thinking and being that are equally valid\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La Trobe\u2019s first openly ADHD lecturer Dr Rebecca Flower<\/strong> similarly believes that: \u201cCelebrating neurodiversity relates to all of the cultural qualities we practice at La Trobe. By being aware of neurodivergence and the strengths, challenges, and needs of neurodivergent people, we’re showing we \u201cCare\u201d and are holding ourselves \u201cAccountable\u201d to ensure equity\u2026 I’ve had many great conversations with teams within the university, who \u201cConnected\u201d with me to learn more about my lived experience of ADHD, and to learn my thoughts on inclusive practices for neurodivergent students. Through these conversations, I’ve learned about \u201cInnovative\u201d practices already in place, and we’ve discussed ideas for more\u2026 (ways to) remove barriers to equitable participation in higher education and employment for neurodivergent people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Director of La Trobe\u2019s Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre Prof. Cheryl Dissanayake <\/strong>summarizes the importance of planning for Neurodiversity in university-wide equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives: \u201cLa Trobe is a University for the public good. It is a university with a strong sense of social responsibility and a focus on the big issues including health and wellbeing, gender equality, (and) cultural recognition\u2026 Celebrating and supporting neurodiversity is inherent to all this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Director of La Trobe\u2019s Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre Prof. Cheryl Dissanayake<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Autistic Alumnus and Disability Support Worker JoJo Fernando<\/strong> offer: \u201cJust because someone may not be \u2018visibly disabled\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t experience adverse life outcomes as a result of the majority group\u2019s (privilege). La Trobe could be a sector leader in ensuring that they are providing social and\/or intellectual accessibility options (as is done for other forms of diversity)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neurodiversity Project Officer Beth Radulski is an Autistic sociologist currently completing a La Trobe-based PhD on barriers to disclosure and inclusion for Autistic people in social, educational, and workplace settings. Radulski\u2019s research both informs the Neurodiversity Project and includes a study on it. She offers the following insights on the rising disclosure rates at la Trobe:

Beth Radulski:<\/strong> \u201cTraditionally the assumption has been that inclusion is best accomplished by assimilating Neurominority groups into mainstream social, cultural, and educational norms, through the expectation of masking and camouflaging (defined as concealing Neurominority traits and replacing them with Neurotypical behaviours)\u2014and only facilitating disclosure in the context of asking for help. However, research is showing that masking causes anxiety, depression, identity loss, and minority stress\u2014which are all factors that can reduce the likelihood of positive personal, educational and graduate\/professional outcomes. My PhD involves developing a recently published Minority Group Model of Neurodiversity to help explain these barriers to inclusion and disclosure<\/a>, and this new model informs all the work we do at La Trobe. Our goal in the Neurodiversity Project is to take this academic research and translate it directly into positive practical outcomes for community stakeholders here at La Trobe\u2014and the next stage of my PhD involves conducting a study on this process, with the goal of creating a La Trobe Model of best practice principles for Neurodiversity inclusion. Overall, we\u2019re changing our university culture, institutions, and policy to make it safer for Neurominority groups to disclose by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n