Neurodiversity paradigms and their development across cultures: Some reflections in East Asian contexts

Added on 07/10/2024

Type de contenu

Journal article of the type Editorial ( ; english)

Tomoya Hirota , Keun-Ah Cheon , Meng-Chuan Lai
Neurodiversity paradigms and their development across cultures: Some reflections in East Asian contexts published in the journal "Autism" n°28, vol.3, 5 pages , doi: 10.1177/13623613241285678

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Summary/Presentation

[First paragraphs]
Neurodiversity, as a biological fact, is the variation in human minds and neurocognitive functioning (Walker, 2021). The neurodiversity paradigm posits that neurocognitive differences, such as autistic characteristics, should be respected and accommodated rather than pathologized. The neurodiversity paradigm has great potential to foster more inclusive societies and enhance understanding and support for people across neurotypes globally, via various neurodiversity movements (i.e. social justice movements for human rights, equity, and societal inclusion for neurodivergent people) (Walker, 2021). As the neurodiversity paradigm gains traction, reflections and changes in research, clinical practices, and policymaking become increasingly evident (Pellicano & den Houting, 2022), especially in English-speaking regions. For example, autism researchers in the United States and United Kingdom reflect and highlight the need to develop neurodiversity-affirming early intervention in response to concerns from autistic people and their families that prevailing interventions prioritize changing the autistic child’s behavior to fit neurotypical norms (Dawson et al., 2022; Leadbitter et al., 2021). A translational and clinical research consortium in Europe also embraces a participatory research approach to reimagine the next steps of biomedical autism research (Heraty et al., 2023).
Despite this growing recognition, discussions surrounding the neurodiversity paradigm(s) have predominantly occurred in Western contexts in the past two decades (e.g. in North America, Europe, and Australia) and are only recently emerging in non-Western contexts. This Western-centric status is reflected in the autism literature and discourses of autism advocacy, where the voices and perspectives of autistic individuals and allies who are White and English-speaking are most visible (Bottema-Beutel et al., 2021), which is emblematic of the current state of autism research (Divan et al., 2024) and psychological science more broadly (Henrich et al., 2010). As a consequence, current (Western) neurodiversity paradigms-inspired movements, such as efforts to harmonize the social and medical models of disability (Dwyer, 2022) and considerations of terminology use (Bottema-Beutel et al., 2021; Dwyer et al., 2022), have been “translated” and transported to non-Western contexts. However, direct transportation could inadvertently overshadow nuanced social-cultural considerations, regional contexts and history, diverse local perspectives, and various needs of autistic individuals and their loved ones in the non-Western world, repeating the colonization of Euro-North American-centric research practices and paradigms (Cheng et al., 2023). We hold the view that an indigenous psychology approach (i.e. a movement in psychology that emphasizes the primacy of the indigenous, local, or culturally derived perspectives, understandings, interpretations, explanations, frames of reference, and sociocultural realities) (Pe-Pua, 2015) to the development of neurodiversity movements globally, and the representation of diverse perspectives of autistic people and their loved ones in the non-Western societies are much needed to cultivate culturally informed and contextualized neurodiversity paradigms and related movements. In this editorial, the authors, whose backgrounds are rooted in East Asia (T.H. from Japan, K-A.C. from South Korea, and M-C.L. from Taiwan), though two are currently based in North America (T.H. and M-C.L.), share examples of local contexts that could contribute to the shaping of neurodiversity paradigms and movements in these countries, complementing examples in other non-Western regions (Ethiopia, India, and Hong Kong) offered by a previous editorial (Cheng et al., 2023). We believe an indigenous psychology approach could stipulate more dialogues around this theme across the globe.

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(2) Authors listed in this bibliography whose names are in color have published other resources referenced on the site. Clicking on the name allows you to see the list of resources they have published and shared on the site.

(3) Authors whose names are followed by an asterisk have publicly disclosed being autistic.

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