Posted 04 Mar 2021
From Deficit To Superpowers: Is It Ableist To Focus On Neurodivergent Strengths?
Having worked in the Neurodiversity field for the last twenty years, I am proud to say that I have played a role in the shift away from a deficits based understanding of neurominority conditions and helped to increase awareness of the numerous strengths that come from thinking differently to the majority of the population. I remember a time where the only approach to a diagnosis of ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or Tourette syndrome was to hyper-focus on fixing what was perceived as “broken”, this is still true in for many. I have also witnessed the fallout from raising children to think of themselves in this way only to enter the workplace lacking self esteem and awareness of their own skills, or perhaps never enter it at all.
It is this experience that lets me know that the move towards a strengths focused approach is undoubtedly a net positive for our community. Since this change has gained traction and mainstream awareness I have seen the impact it has on outcomes for neurodivergent people not only through my business but also through the work I co-created with the BBC on the Employable Me series.
I have had the pleasure of providing positive assessments to thousands of people who simply had no idea that they had an incredible memory, or an outstanding ability to communicate visually because they had only ever been told to work on improving their poor spelling or verbal skills. Many have been long term unemployed or stuck underperforming in roles that did not suit their skill set, only to then see success by changing direction armed with the ability to focus on their talents and stop beating themselves up over their weaknesses. This reframing has enabled so many to see their neurotype as an asset and break free from the debilitating negativity that was holding them back.
Now that we have marked the fantastic progress that has occurred in the last few decades, I want to also note that there is a down-side to focusing too intensely on strengths without balance or nuance to our message. Whilst I will always be a cheerleader for the amazing abilities of neurominorities we must address the harm that reductive labelling can do when we tip over from a strengths based perspective to the superpowers narrative. Allow me to explain what I mean by this.
The Pressure To Be A Savant
It is important for us to acknowledge the difference between recognising that everybody has strengths and abilities, versus believing that people with neurominority conditions are all exceptional with talents that go above and beyond the norm. Yes, some of us do indeed possess incredible stand out talents and that is fantastic, but the idea that everyone with a spiky profile is exceptional in some way is not accurate nor is it helpful.
In my recent article about disability and human value I spoke about the importance of placing worth on all types of human qualities. This means that when we are talking about strengths we do not only mean skills that have commercial or academic value, we are also including attributes like empathy, humour and resilience. Having a spiky profile does not guarantee that you will be above average with all your talents, it means more simply that you do have areas of increased ability and knowing what they are can help you to focus your energy in the right directions.
A classic example of this issue is the representation of Autistic people in the 1988 movie Rain Man. Some might think that the infamous movie staring Dustin Hoffman as a mathematical savant would have been received positively by Autistic people but many Austists actually feel that the stereotype it created increased pressure on them to perform and demonstrate a unique ability so as not to disappoint. As though to have some kind of superpower was the only way for Autistic people to see their value. Through this example we can see how the superpowers angle tipped unintentionally from a compliment to a dehumanising stereotype.
Sorting Out The Confusion
I am seeing more and more in the online sphere that the pushback against this pressure to be superhuman is building. I am happy to see the conversation moving forward and becoming more nuanced but I am also concerned that the line between a strengths based view and the superpowers narrative is getting a little blurred. As we tackle the inherent ableism and toxic positivity of expecting neurodivergent people to be super heroes we must not over correct to a position where we lose ground and project a negative view of neurodiversity back into the world. Yes, we should be open about our struggles and fight for our accommodations always, but let’s not forget to also celebrate our geniuses and remind the world that our brains are different in a way that is useful. So to answer my own question, no it is not ableist to focus on strengths so long as our expectations are not unrealistic or ignoring the worth of a wide variety of talents. Let’s move beyond superpowers but not forget to keep promoting our strengths.
Thank you to Helen Doyle for your essential contribution to this article.
