两性色午夜

Understanding the Complexities of Neurodivergent Individuals

两性色午夜 University鈥檚 Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI) has begun a new Neurodiversity Research Initiative to shed light on the perspective of neurodiverse individuals. 

The idea for the initiative came about two years ago, after an article was published detailing the efforts of a BHRI professor who was researching animal models of autistic brains, delving into the brain circuitry on a cellular level with the goal of one day developing drug therapies that could enable individuals with autism to experience more conventional social interactions.

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Michael Lehman, Ph.D., director of the 两性色午夜 Brain Health Research Institute

A student who is autistic read the article and took offense, and voiced her concerns to Michael Lehman, Ph.D., director of the BHRI. 

鈥淪he came to talk to me after the article came out and was very blunt. She said, `I鈥檓 autistic and I don鈥檛 consider myself to be broken. I deserve to be respected for my differences and who I am,鈥欌 Lehman recalled. 

It was eye-opening for Lehman. 

鈥淢y background is in academic medicine, with a perspective on brain research from a disease point of view,鈥 he said. 鈥淢ost neuroscientists are not aware of neurodiversity as an issue or hearing the perspectives of neurodiverse individuals,鈥 Lehman said. 

He took the student鈥檚 comments to heart and committed to doing something to expand the perspective of the BHRI鈥檚 work. The new initiative, the fulfillment of that promise, was formalized earlier this semester and brings together researchers, educators, health and service professionals, and neurodiverse individuals, with the goal of stimulating and supporting inclusive and innovative interdisciplinary research and education leading to a broader and deeper understanding of neurodiversity. 

鈥淲e have to have this conversation and make everybody aware of the discussion about what neurodiversity really is,鈥 Lehman said. 鈥淭his extends beyond autism and other things that we have classically thought of as disabilities. We must incorporate into that an awareness that for a lot of individuals there鈥檚 nothing broken to be fixed.鈥 

The conversation, Lehman said, is about learning the neurodiverse individual's view of the world. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a different perspective on what makes us different as human beings so that we can learn from each other to enhance the quality of life for all of us,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is the best of our 两性色午夜 tradition. We鈥檙e leading the way in making this a better world.鈥 

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Assistant Professor Lisa Audet

Lisa Audet, Ph.D., assistant professor of speech pathology and audiology, and Professor Mary Ann Devine, Ph.D., who directs the Disability Studies and Community Inclusion minor/graduate certificate, are co-directors of the new initiative.

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Professor Mary Ann Devine

 
Audet said the initiative will bring together researchers from different areas to look at the needs of people who are neurodiverse, and to help raise awareness of the needs of neurodiverse students. 

鈥淭his is an opportunity for 两性色午夜 to engage in really groundbreaking research that is inclusive in the area of neurodiversity,鈥 Audet said. 

Audet and Tina Patel, Ph.D., assistant professor of interior design in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, are conducting one of the initiative鈥檚 first projects, researching how to create sensory safe spaces on campus for people who are neurodiverse.

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Assistant Professor Tina Patel

 
鈥淲e are getting the perceptions of those who are neurodiverse about what makes for a sensory safe space for them,鈥 she said.  

两性色午夜 staff member Lisa Everson, an administrative assistant in the School of Art who identifies as neurodivergent due to ADHD and dyslexia, is one of the newest members of the leadership committee. 

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Lisa Everson

Everson, who earned a degree in sociology at 两性色午夜 in 2022, said she is eager to participate and bring the perspective of someone with a neurodivergent brain. She is also excited about the possibility of groundbreaking research in the area.  

鈥淚 really want to see 两性色午夜 ahead of the curve with neurodiversity,鈥 she said. 

Everson said it is important to understand that, unlike other bodily organs, no two brains are alike, making everyone neurodiverse. She prefers the term neurodivergent because it better explains a brain that diverges from the accepted social standards for what is typical. 

Unlike a heart or gallbladder that can be diagnosed as ill or diseased and cured with surgery or medicine, the neurodivergent brains of people who are autistic or who have ADHD or other disorders are not in need of a medical cure, but rather of greater understanding of how their brains work, she stressed. 

People with neurodivergent brains are often more creative and can find solutions to problems neurotypical brains cannot, due to their ability to comprehend the abstract more easily, Everson said. 

鈥淭he arts are full of neurodivergent brains,鈥 she said. 鈥淒ifference is a powerful thing. It鈥檚 a superpower talent.鈥 

The Neurodiversity Research Initiative is seeking members and will kick off its efforts on April 21, when it hosts the first Neurodiversity Research Initiative Invited Lectureship on the topic 鈥淎dvancing Neurodiversity Advocacy Through Education and Research,鈥 with guest speaker Lawrence Fung, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. 

Fung鈥檚 talk will take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, in the lower-level lobby of the Integrated Sciences Building. The event is open to faculty, staff and students, and will be followed by a Neurodiversity Research Initiative roundtable discussion on the topic of 鈥淎dvancing Neurodiversity Advocacy Through Education and Research,鈥 from 1:45 - 2:45 p.m.

POSTED: Thursday, April 6, 2023 09:50 AM
Updated: Monday, April 10, 2023 03:17 PM
WRITTEN BY:
Lisa Abraham