The Neuro-Inclusion Revolution: Theresa Haskins (Transcript)

Read the full transcript of Dr. Theresa Haskins’ talk titled “The Neuro-Inclusion Revolution” at TEDxBGSU 2024 conference.

Listen to the audio version here:

TRANSCRIPT:

Imagine a two-year-old easily reciting the alphabet and counting to 100, but never saying hello or goodbye. Now envision a five-year-old tackling fifth-grade mathematics, completely oblivious to the feat they just accomplished. Beyond parental pride, these gifts are not celebrated because the child is constantly judged by others for not meeting societal expectations for social interaction. How can such an exceptional individual be met with such criticism and skepticism?

Why would doctors and teachers only focus on a person’s deficits and not acknowledge the skills they possess? Today I will share my experience as a neurodivergent parent raising twice exceptional children in a world focused on normative ways of being. Neurodivergence is a grouping of neurological differences that include conditions such as dyslexia, autism, ADHD, and Tourette’s syndrome, amongst many others. My eldest, specifically, is a bright spark with a spectrum of gifts spanning autism, ADHD, and giftedness.

He’s the precocious individual I described at the beginning of this talk, hitting significant education milestones early. Yet it didn’t seem to matter that he was reading at the age of two and exploring astronomy and writing at the age of four. People didn’t care that he tested into calculus at the university level at the age of 13. Disbelief and dismissiveness often marred these moments.

These achievements were countered to focus on his atypical communication. They shifted our joy aside and returned our focus back to this checklist of normative developmental milestones that he wasn’t meeting. And I vividly recall early conversations with doctors trying to make sense of my son’s abilities and getting them to recognize his strengths. But their concerns overshadowed these conversations every time because they dismissed what didn’t fit their understanding.

The Turning Point

The turning point in our story happens in 2011 when our oldest is preparing to enter kindergarten. After four days of intelligence testing, it is confirmed that he is beyond gifted levels, testing into middle school subjects. Yet the educational psychologist honed in on his lack of social skills because he lagged behind his same-age peers. And I remember sitting in that room with my husband, completely frustrated, and watching the faces of the kindergarten, first, second, and third grade teachers as the educational psychologist and principal still recommended that our son start in kindergarten.

Never mind that he was already reading and writing and had math skills years beyond age level. We were frankly dismayed. The third-grade teacher actually said, “What are we going to teach him? He’s already mastered everything at these levels. I suppose he could help me teach the class.”

So we spent four days with five education professionals to hear them say, “We can’t help you.” This remarkable moment that confirmed our child was brilliant also marked the moment when we realized that these people, and most of society, just focus on deficits. They only saw his disability.

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And despite an increase in autism supports at the time, they were not ready to help him. So this is when my husband and I decided to go on our own and homeschool the boys. But we didn’t just develop a plan for our kids. I returned to school. I got my master’s in educational psychology and a doctorate in education so I could build robust programs, not just to support my boys, but other children like them. I am a neurodiversity advocate because no family should feel the way we did at that moment alone. It was clear that if we were going to overcome this deficit-based culture, that we would be on our own. And alone served us well for quite some time.

In our home, we didn’t have to deal with constant pushback and questioning. And our children thrived. We effectively removed them from a culture that would have broken their spirit and love of learning. However, this didn’t reduce my awareness that there are so many other neurodivergent children who are inadequately supported and whose learning and sense of self-worth are negatively impacted every day.

Continuing Challenges

So let’s fast forward. By the age of 13, both of my boys are ready to enter college. I was so confident that in the halls of higher education, people would finally get my kids. Yet, during our first encounters with college advisors, they voiced concerns.

Never mind that they tested out of English and math requirements, administrators were not worried about scholastic aptitude, but about their task management capabilities and executive functioning skills to live independently on campus. Let me remind you that both of my boys enter the university at the age of 13. They would not be alone or living on campus. Yet, these conversations continue semester after semester because well-intentioned professors and administrators have a normative view of what makes a successful college student.

And these attitudes only change after direct interactions with my kids. So let’s be honest. The truth is most of us get sucked into the normative expectations of executive functioning and social interactions as the prerequisite for success. Not just in education, but the workplace too.

And this is terribly concerning because these are often the areas that neurodivergent individuals need support. And I can tell you, it is exhausting when it feels like every conversation a neurodivergent individual has with a new teacher, a new doctor, or a new employer feels like this continuous fight to prove your value and worth just because we don’t meet the rules of your invisible checklist used to determine success. Yet nowhere on the checklist do we ever add the new skills and extraordinary abilities as future state requirements for others. In our case, they rarely acknowledge that in many areas, my sons are decades ahead of their same-age peers.

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Workplace Challenges

And this is more than just a problem in education. What happens when we do successfully educate our neurodivergent children and they’re ready to enter the workforce?

The statistics are sobering. There is an estimate that up to 85% of autistics are either unemployed or underemployed, meaning that they are in jobs that do not fully utilize their skills or pay their worth.

Do you know what happens when decision-makers use the exact same measuring stick as education professionals to determine workplace entry? Lots of talented individuals without jobs. And this story is not just my story. There are countless neurodivergent individuals and their families that have very similar experiences.

It’s a stark testament to how our society shapes our view of disability and the stigma towards people with neurodivergence. And then this is where the neurodiversity movement comes in as a beacon of hope to so many because it urges us as a society to acknowledge the infinite variation of neurocognitive functioning that exists within our species, but more so to create cultures and structures that embrace strengths and differences. If we acknowledge that neurodiversity exists and there is value in the talents of both neurodivergent and neurotypical people, then it justifies the need to go a step further and to respect those differences in being, learning, and working. This means making deviation the new normal.

And this requires us to focus on strengths and not to accentuate weaknesses. Now this is actually not a new concept. Most of us strongly believe in the power of teams and collaboration. By nature, teams are compiled to bring together individuals with strengths to work together and achieve desired goals.

In essence, we combine multiple talents to complement each other and offset weaknesses within the group. We know this is how sports teams and music groups are created. They thrive on differentiation of skills. An orchestra makes beautiful music because of the diversity of instrumentation and the player skills behind them.

The Need for Change

It’s clear we can’t have a single skill set and succeed. So why are we trying to push sameness in education and entry to the workplace? While neurodiversity is a call for recognizing the diversity in our being, it is also a movement that advocates for a unified mindset regarding success. However, this is not a rigid line to follow.

The rule becomes one of differentiation and flexibility as the standard. It requires us to challenge ourselves and question why we value those who conform to our expectations more than those who demonstrate unique skills and perspectives. If we don’t collectively redefine success, we will not only perpetuate stereotypes and exclusion, we will continue to create barriers to education and employment that will have detrimental consequences to our future. When my son was diagnosed autistic, the rate of diagnosis was 1 in 110.

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Today, one in every 36 8-year-olds in the United States is diagnosed autistic. And these numbers don’t include those diagnosed with other neurodivergent conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and Tourette’s syndrome. Combined, this means one in every six adults entering the workplace in the next decade will be neurodivergent. And the numbers are increasing.

We will not succeed as a society if we cannot create paths to gainful employment that sustain our economy. Now, I know we’re at a university, but this talk is not meant to be a lecture on autism, ADHD, or giftedness, even though neurodiversity is grounded in these foundations. This is a wake-up call to each and every one of us who has found success through conformity. I know I did.

And this is because our culture has narrow definitions of what makes success, influence, and achievement. Neurodiversity challenges us to counter thinking about who we include and why. It asks us to focus on strengths and work together to attain mutual success. Not only do these changes make a more engaged, productive, and collaborative community, we have to ask ourselves, what will happen to our society if we don’t?

Conclusion

Neuroinclusion is the future. And our neurodivergent population is growing. And the changes required are revolutionary because they require a collective effort that benefits each and every one of us. Together, we can accentuate people’s strengths to improve education outcomes, make a more robust economy, and ultimately create a stronger society.

When we work together with neurodiversity in mind, we’re all better for it. My research over the years has shown that autism-inclusive teams thrive. We see more creativity and a greater sense of belonging on neurodiverse teams. This rising prevalence of neurodivergence makes our collective change not a choice, but a necessity.

But you don’t have to fear the things you don’t understand. Instead, let’s embrace and support potential. Believe in the extraordinary. That is where we, together, will find our true path to realizing an inclusive world.

Thank you. Thank you.