What is neurodiversity, and why do some people disagree with it?

Neurodiversity is the idea that human brains naturally differ in how they process the senses, move, socialise, think and focus, and that many of these differences are variations rather than defects. A "neurodiversity paradigm" treats these as neurobiological differences, and the neurodiversity movement views autism and other neurodivergences, such as ADHD, dyslexia and Tourette syndrome, as a natural part of human variety, not as diseases.

The word was popularised by an Australian sociologist, Judy Singer. It first appeared in print in 1998, in an article by the journalist Harvey Blume and the same year in Singer's honours thesis. Singer's own story shaped it: she noticed traits in her daughter that resembled the social difficulties of her mother, and her daughter was later diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. She proposed thinking of neurological differences like biodiversity, a view she saw as more neutral than traditional ideas of disability.

The idea comes from the disability rights movement and the social model of disability, which says that disability partly arises from barriers in society and a mismatch between a person and their surroundings.

Not everyone agrees. The paradigm is controversial in autism advocacy. A common criticism is that autistic people with higher support needs would still face challenges even if society were fully accepting, and critics worry that talk of strengths can overshadow them. Some researchers propose a middle path that combines both ways of thinking.