💾 Archived View for auragem.letz.dev › ~clseibold › standalones › a_theology_of_neurodiversity.gmi captured on 2024-08-25 at 00:53:53. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2024-03-21)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Published August 25, 2023 by Christian Lee Seibold
Neurodivergent people are those who have a different functioning of their brain. This includes those with Autism, those with ADHD, learning disabilities, ADD, Down Syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia, Highly Sensitive Persons, etc. What’s important about considering diversity is not only recognizing the struggles of these individuals in today’s society which expects neurotypical people, but also recognizing their strengths.
Autism is a spectrum with a widely diverse expression, but which typically has common elements, as outlined in DSM-5: repetitive behaviors or interests, and deficits in social interaction in multiple contexts (but not necessarily all contexts). One can view these as disabilities or strengths, depending on what they are being compared to and what one emphasizes as necessary or important functioning. Some people might have trouble with nonverbal communication, like body language, whereas others might have trouble with verbal communication, or such things as metaphors and sarcasm. Many Autistic people can also have Social Anxiety in certain social situations (again, but not necessarily all situations). It is important to note that many of these qualifications show up mainly when compared to those who do not have these differences in brain functioning, which leads us to the question of how neurodivergent people understand those who are different from them, and vice versa.
Many Autistic people seem to have trouble with relationships, which can possibly be due to what is called the *double empathy problem.* According to the double empathy problem theory, Autistic people do not lack the capability for empathy, rather they experience the world and express emotions differently, which means there’s misunderstandings between Autistic and non-Autistic people, *from both sides.* Some with Autism might respond to a situation differently than a non-Autistic person. These different experiences and expressions create a lack of understanding between Autistic and non-Autistic individuals.
For example, an Autistic person might not like eye-contact, but it is expected of by many people in contemporary society as a sign of respect. A non-Autistic person, therefore, might see the lack of eye-contact as disrespect, when really it wasn’t about that at all. The same can also be said for handshakes. Another example might be an Autistic person’s intense focus on a subject which is seen as irritating, bothersome, or self-centered. An Autistic person might also respond to emotional situations with something that hides their emotions, tries to fix the situation, or sticks to a rational or factual basis, which can be seen as emotionless, when really it is just a different way to express emotions like love or empathy.
Typically, non-Autistic people expect others to fit in with their way of social interaction and emotional expression, which has led to most Autistic people being required to learn how to empathize with and fit in with the neurotypical world. However, neurotypical people have put in very little effort understanding Autistic people. This shows a clear double standard.
Repetitive behaviors in Autistic people can be express in a variety of ways. One way is *stimming* - self-stimulation, often through repetitive bodily movements, like rocking back and forth, hand flapping, or repetitive vocalizations - which can be used to regulate that individual’s emotions and sensations, like stress, anxiety, pain, or overstimulation. There is also *echolalia,* repeating words that someone else said multiple times. Repetitive behaviors can also be expressed with routines or structures throughout one’s day. This doesn’t just mean having an intentionally strict schedule, but rather one’s seeming lack of schedule could in fact be a routine. One might also have intense interests, many times in niche subjects. Repetitive behaviors could also include getting *stuck* on a subject in conversation or thoughts, for example by continuing to talk about a subject after the rest of the group has moved on in their conversation or bringing back up past topics. This is called *perseveration.*
Finally, Autistic people can be highly sensitive to touch, sound, smell, taste, or sight, including being sensitive to light or loud sounds. A problem often noted is that many have trouble with Christmas lights, because it is too stimulating. Not every Autistic person has any one of these sensitivities, but some might be *hypo*sensitive, meaning they require more intensity to be stimulated. Some Autistic people don’t like to be touched or hugged, while others do like to be hugged (hugging can calm some down). Some might be too sensitive to taste, whereas others might search out for more extreme tastes. Both *hypersensitivity* and *hyposensitivity* are common in Autism, and one might have both for different senses.
While all of the above are struggles that a person with Autism has, people with Autism also have many strengths. This could be excellent spatial awareness, language abilities, memorization, logical thinking, imagination, creativity, processing of large amounts of information, pattern detection, or perception of auditory or visual information. The ability to hyper-focus on one or a few subjects can also be a strength that can lead to becoming knowledgeable in that field. Importantly, an Autistic person does not need to be a savant to have strengths.
Neurodivergent people in general are frequently misunderstood and judged for not having a life, being too nerdy, being too awkward, being less social, needing a break from social events, not having enough empathy (which is a very outdated view of Autism), stimming, needing to be in quiet or dim places, being hyper-focused or perseverating, taking longer to settle down after emotions like anger or sadness, not wanting to be touched (handshakes or hugs, etc.), having a monotone or robotic voice, being emotionally distant, appearing scattered in the way they discuss topics, etc. Sometimes they are wrongly accused of being evil, the devil, narcissistic, self-centered, emotionless, too distant, hyper-rational, rigid, loveless, or even stupid or unintelligent, etc. But most importantly, they are also judged for their weaknesses, which are often emphasized over their strengths.
So, what does this have to do with Theology? Many Autistic people are spiritual, at the very least, even though the stereotype is that they are hyper-rational. How do Autistic people, many of whom like routine, structure, and organization, come to reject organized religion that tends to have large amounts of routine and structure? Perhaps they have rejected contemporary religion because Theology has largely ignored them, or perhaps they have seen the lack of rationality in the majority religious within the US and other places. Certainly, the increased Fundamentalism in Christianity has harmed religion and its ability to connect with real human beings.
If we want Theology that is connected to humanity, then we should be educating ourselves on the full diversity of human personality and those with disabilities and neurodiversity. It is not enough to emphasize community at the expense of individuality. Rather we must recognize the unity in diversity by giving more balance to the *diversity of the human experience.* In Part Two, I will explore a Theology that takes into account Autistic people.