Neurormativity is a set of norms, standards, expectations and ideals that centre a particular way of functioning as the right way to function. It is the assumption that there is a correct way to exist in this world; a correct way to think, feel, communicate, play, behave and more.

These neuronormative ideals, standards and expectations are enforced and normalised everywhere; from our relationships with each other and ourselves to our classrooms and workplaces.

And I’ll go as far to say that neuronormativity disadvantages everyone including neurotypical people.

Just a couple of examples of how neuronormativity shows up:

• Expecting individuals to learn or gain knowledge by reading or writing.
• Associating low empathy with having low morals or values.
• Expecting everyone to communicate using spoken communication.
• Labelling hearing voices as a sign of illness.
• Enforcing linear clock time and a 9 to 5 work schedule.

Neuronormativity is centered in such a way that when we diverge from neuronormativity and how society expects us to function, we are labelled as having a disorder; we are seen as abnormal, unwell or having deficits.

I don’t believe we can create a neuronclusive society and make room for all the different ways we function and exist unless we start to decenter neuronormativity.

Introducing Decentering Neuronormativity | LinkedIn

Normal is merely a social construct that controls individuals by enforcing a right way to function, a right way to be, a right way to exist as a human.

It’s not normal, it’s neuronormative.

As I mentioned in my first newsletter, neuronormativity is a set of norms, standards, expectations and ideals that centre certain ways of functioning as the right way to function; the superior way to function.

It is the assumption that there is a correct way to exist in this world; a correct way to think, feel, communicate, play, behave, learn and more.

Normal Is A Social Construct | LinkedIn

We cannot decentre and challenge neuronormativity without challenging white supremacy and whiteness because individualism, worship of the written word, perfectionism, one right way, sense of urgency, right to comfort and binary ways of thinking are all key features of neuronormativity.

It’s evident in how neuronormativity emphasises the idea that there is one right way to function and punishes anyone who diverges from this one right way.

Normal Is A Social Construct | LinkedIn

In line with a disability justice approach, one of the more positive recent developments is the theory and praxis of neuroqueering. Stemming from the work of Nick Walker and Remi Yergeau, neuroqueering focuses on embracing weird potentials within one’s neurocognitive space, and turning everyday comportment and behaviour into forms of resistance.3 This has provided a new tool for combatting neuronormativity from within the constraints imposed by history and current material conditions. By queering the social world, new possibilities are carved out for the future, helping us not just challenge aspects of the current order but to start collectively imagining what a different world could be like.

Empire of Normality by Robert Chapman

It is vital to say here that some neurodivergent disablement and illness will always exist, and that imagined worlds where they do not exist at all are fascistic fantasies. But mass neurodivergent disablement and constant, widespread anxiety, panic, depression, and mental illness, combined with systemic discrimination of neurodivergent people, is a problem specific to the current historical era. Hegemonic neuronormative domination, in other words, is a key problem of our time. For the Empire of Normality, and in turn the pathology paradigm, emerged in the context of capitalist logics, but have now become pervasive and partially distinct systems of domination in their own rights.

Empire of Normality by Robert Chapman

It’s no secret that Queerness is a significant intersection with Autistic experience. Aside from anecdotes from within the community, studies such as Janssen et al (2016) and Strang et al (2020)indicate that not only are we more likely to be gender-diverse, but that Queer communities are more likely to contain Autistic people. Strang in particular speaks of the lack of research looking into experiences over the lifespan and the need for such longitudinal study to be carried out.

With so much Queerness in the Autistic community, one might wonder why this intersection is so significant. I think the answer is quite simple. Albeit somewhat theory heavy.

Neuronormativity.

Neuronormativity is pervasive, and if you think that it only effects neurodivergent people you are wrong. Both BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities have fallen foul of the belief that there is a standard of neurology we should all achieve. It was not so long ago that being gay or transgender was listed in the DSM as a psychiatric disorder.

Autistic people naturally stand queer neuronormative standards. In this sense, queer is a verb. It is the subversion of societal expectation. Through our rejection of neuronormativity, we create space to explore our gender and sexuality (or lack thereof) unencumbered by the chains of bigoted standards of being.

When we begin to dismantle neuronormativity, we also begin to dismantle heteronormativity. Our experience of ourselves and attraction (or lack of attraction) to others is built upon the experiences we have of our environment. Experiences that we have through the lens of being Autistic. You can not separate autism from our queerness any more than you can separate a person from their brain. They are part of us, and without them, we would be someone different.

The link between autism and Queerness – Emergent Divergence

Many support schemes for autistic children and young people are designed to support them to fit in and conform with idealized notions of neuronormativity, “with the autistic lifeworld being invaded by a never-ending tide of interventions that try to eradicate autistic styles of diversity” (Milton, 2017). Rather than caring for the young person in a way that accepts and develops their individuality, these kinds of support often tacitly take neurotypical behavior as the standard to aim at and lead the autistic child or young person to mask their autistic traits and repress their atypical sensory and emotional reactions. While in the short term, it can lead to measurable improvements in adaptation to society and higher achievement, in the long term, it can lead to an increased mental strain, alienation from one’s authentic self, depression, and a higher suicide risk. Thus, we see the need for an approach to supporting autistic children and young people that is, by principle, grounded in acceptance of the autistic diversity of being and informed by autistic experience, which we elaborate on in this article.

The neuronormative interventions often stem from a neuro-disorder narrative that justifies targeting core traits by framing them as pathological (Yang, 2019). The consequence of a cultural narrative of tragedy, epidemic, and othering has resulted in the proliferation of interventions that have been justified as remedies, aimed at reducing the health, education, or economic “burden” of autism (Baxter et al., 2015).

An Experience Sensitive Approach to Care With and for Autistic Children and Young People in Clinical Services – Elaine McGreevy, Alexis Quinn, Roslyn Law, Monique Botha, Mairi Evans, Kieran Rose, Ruth Moyse, Tiegan Boyens, Maciej Matejko, Georgia Pavlopoulou, 2024

Many support schemes in current autism clinical services for children and young people are based on notions of neuro-normativity with a behavioral emphasis. Such neuro-disorder approaches gradually undermine a person, restrain authentic self-expression, and fail to address the impact of a hostile world on autistic well-being. Furthermore, such approaches obscure attention from a fundamental challenge to conceptualize an alternative humanistic informed framework of care for staff working with diagnosed or undiagnosed autistic children and young people. In this article, we offer an appreciation of the lifeworld-led model of care by Todres et al. We discuss how mental health practitioners can adopt an experience-sensitive framework of health care by incorporating the eight dimensions of care into practice. This neuroinclusive approach creates a culture of respect, honors the sovereignty of the person, prioritizes personalization of care based on collaborative decision-making, and enables practitioners to support well-being from an existential, humanistic view, grounded in acceptance of autistic diversity of being. Without a fundamental shift toward such neurodivergence-affirming support with practitioners being willing to transform their understanding, real progress cannot happen to prevent poor mental health outcomes for autistic people across the lifespan. This shift is needed to change practice across research, clinical, and educational contexts.

An Experience Sensitive Approach to Care With and for Autistic Children and Young People in Clinical Services – Elaine McGreevy, Alexis Quinn, Roslyn Law, Monique Botha, Mairi Evans, Kieran Rose, Ruth Moyse, Tiegan Boyens, Maciej Matejko, Georgia Pavlopoulou, 2024

Further reading,