I found this in the same blog as the functioning label post I put up. http://aspergersquare8.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-09-18T15%3A37%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=7
Autistic people are not the only ones affected by neurotypical privilege. Neurodiversity is a broad concept, including the entire range of human experience. We recognize that people labeled with ADD, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and a multitude of other conditions considered disorders by society also experience marginalization. However, this list was constructed by autistic people and allies, and will surely fall short of addressing neurotypical privilege as it impacts other groups.
Additionally, the authors of this list acknowledge that the term “neurotypical” has been identified as problematic, since even persons who may not have a specified neurological difference may not see themselves as “typical,” and that there is technically no such thing as a “typical” brain. We understand—and celebrate—that every single individual is complex and unique. We have chosen “neurotypical” precisely because of its neutrality—it is neither positive nor negative. This is not the place to entertain long discussions about the perceived implications of the term. Those discussions only serve to derail conversations about truly vital issues, such as exclusion, abuse, torture, and murder.
Safety
1. I have never been told, because of my neurology, that I am incapable of feeling pain.
2. If I have a medical problem, I do not worry that my doctor will dismiss it as part of my neurotypicality.
3. When attempting to purchase health insurance, I know that I will not be rejected because I am NT.
4. If I am bullied or abused, people will not assume that my neurology means I am at least partially to blame, or that the abuse would stop if I tried harder to behave like someone else.
5. I can assume that police officers will not become alarmed at my natural body language and find it necessary to subdue me in advance of any wrongdoing.
6. I do not have to carry a special card or bracelet with me to explain my natural body movements or the sounds I naturally make.
7. I am not considered more dangerous and more likely to commit a crime because of my neurology.
8. People of my neurology are not generally considered burdensome to our families or to tax-payers.
9. Nobody will murder me because of my neurology.
10. If I am murdered, my murderer will not be let off because my murder was deemed “an act of mercy,” or given a light sentence because of the stress caused by interacting with me.
11. I do not have to fear that important decisions about my life will be made by others who are considered more qualified based on their neurology.
12. I am not expected to accept seclusion rooms, restraints, or neuro-enhancing drugs as conditions of my educational experience.
Inclusion
13. For a child of my neurotype, everyday teaching of the skills they will need to live in this society is called education or parenting—not therapy, treatment, or intervention.
14. If someone of my neurology can do something well, I will not be punished for being unable to do the same thing well or at all.
15. People do not constantly tell me that I need to work on the things which I am very bad at, at the expense of things which I am good at and enjoy doing.
16. People who have power over my education will probably not decide that, instead of receiving the academic education most of my peers receive, it would be best for me if my time in school were spent learning non-academic “skills.”
17. I can reveal my neurology to my boss and coworkers without fear of losing my job.
18. I can ask for technical or social support on the job without being seen as a troublemaker or charity case.
19. People do not automatically assume that the best place for me to live is an institution.
20. The majority of people who make the laws of my nation share my neurology.
21. The services that I need to survive not only already exist, but even if I use those services on a 24-hour basis, I will still be considered independent.
22. When I need help performing a particular task, I can ask for help without having to produce documentation to prove I actually need help with it. The help will most often be provided in a manner I can understand, and will not be considered an inconvenience or an act of pity.
23. No one sees my neurology as being in need of elimination or cure.
24. If I am visibly upset, people generally assume something must have upset me, and will generally try to help me.
25. People do not suggest that groups that are made for the benefit of people of my neurological type be led and ruled by people of a different neurological type, because mine is seen as inherently incapable.
26. I have never had to take a single test that determines, for my entire lifetime, whether I get to communicate.
Relationships
27. My family, friends, and significant others are not told that I am incapable of relating to other human beings.
28. If I am an adult, I can be a sexual being without the assumption that any partner attracted to me must be a predator or pedophile.
29. I am never told that I should not have children lest I pass on the genes that cause them to share my neurological type.
30. No one speculates about whether I am competent to raise children based solely on my neurology.
31. People do not assume that living in the same household as me is inherently “tragic” or “devastating,” or that my family, friends and partner will need a support group to deal with living with me.
32. I will not be asked to leave a public place, or to change where I live, because people are uncomfortable with my neurotypical behaviors.
33. If I am unhappy, people do not automatically assume my unhappiness is the result of me being who I am.
34. My opinions on social mores and societal issues are not dismissed based on my neurology or on the assumption that I am incapable of understanding how these things work. Likewise, my gender identity and sexual orientation are not discounted because of my neurology.
Respect
35. I expect people to presume intellect and competence with me.
36. If I fail, most will encourage me by telling me that I will ultimately succeed.
37. If I fail to understand autistic people, this is attributed to a deficit inherent in autistic people rather than in me.
38. If I have a particular talent or ability, I can demonstrate that talent without being called an “idiot savant” or my talent being called a “splinter skill” or some other demeaning word.
39. The definitions of rude and irritating conduct were developed by and for people with my neurology.
40. I am not praised for acting less neurotypical or punished for acting more neurotypical.
41. I am not expected to alter or suppress my natural ways of moving, interacting, or expressing emotion in most circumstances.
42. If I fail to alter or suppress my natural ways of moving, interacting, or expressing emotion, I do not fear public ridicule or exclusion because of this.
43. When prospective parents and others speak of wanting a “healthy child,” I know that they mean a child like me.
44. People don't accuse me of grandiosity or derisively dismiss it if I suggest that some admirable historical figure might have been neurotypical.
45. It is considered good for people who are not like me to try to act more like me.
46. My natural movements and traits are not used by my peers to ridicule others of their neurological type, either jokingly or maliciously.
47. I am never told that the fact I have a certain cognitive skill means that I am lying when I say I lack another cognitive skill. Nor am I dismissed as incapable of things I truly can do because I lack certain cognitive skills.
48. I can discuss my interests at length without this being viewed as a “symptom.”
49. When I communicate, people do not gather in crowds around me and gawk.
50. My behaviors, abilities, and skill levels at age 2 or 3 are considered indicative of an immature phase of life that will pass naturally, not as representative of my prognosis for the rest of life.
Apparently there is a more updated version of the list a few posts down.
This is a good read, thanks for sharing it.
Good list. I enjoyed reading it.
Just wanted to add....
1. I will never be labled "non-compliant", "Difficult", be told that I "lack insight into my illness", because I choose not to take medication that will "normalize" me.
2. I will never have my neurotypical status used against me, when I am involved in an argument, or debate (i.e. "well now you are just acting crazy/irrational/out-of-control, etc).
I know this came from an Autistic blog, but I'd like to discuss the label "neurotypical" as it pertains to Mad people (since it sounds like the authors want to include them). Being a psychiatric survivor is an important part of my identity, but I don't think that I got labeled as Bipolar due to some difference in my neurology, either.
Acrane, those are both excellent additions.
BGW, I'm confused about what exactly neurology is. Is it the way the brain is wired? Because I do think that for me, just as all of my Aspie traits come from the way my brain works, or the way it is wired, I also believe the same for the mental illness I suffer. I can't really separate okay, this is because I'm autistic, but this is because of my anxiety.
Maybe neurotypical isn't the right word if that's not accurate. But I've always seen it as "those who's brains/thoughts/interactions are what we classify as normal" and "those who's brains/thoughts/interactions are atypical." I think that spectrum and mental health diagnoses fall under that umbrella.
Autistic Pride, Mad Pride and Neurotypical Pride for me, as someone who is both aspergic and has chronic mental health conditions, are way too similar to really consider them different in any substantial way. I think that even if the wording itself, neurodiversity is incorrect, there is still a lot to be gained by these communities from focusing on the similarities rather than differences. When it comes to dealing with people in the health care system, education system, needing accommodations in the work place, addressing violence against people in these particular communities. The issues surrounding the way people on the spectrum and people identified as having mental health issues are treated in these environments is very, very similar. Obviously, though we need to find a term that does encompass everybody and not rely on one that isn't correct.
While some forms of what falls under the label of mental illness are more biologically based than others, I think that many of these conditions result from an interplay of biology, upbringing, larger society, circumstances, trauma, etc... When we choose to focus on the possible biological differences people labeled with mental illness may have, I think we uphold the medical model that treats the person it labels as mentally ill as having a biological problem that can be fixed with a biological solution like a pill.
I also think that these factors also impact labeling - that people labeled with a mental illness may not have that label given a different class or gender. To some extent, I'm not sure how much of a neurological difference between those labeled with mental illness and those who haven't.
I agree with everything you are saying. That the medical model of mental illness and treating everything with a pill is not ideal. I also believe that there are so many prejudices that result in diagnosis.
From what I've experienced of the neurodiversity, the movement is very much against the medical model of autism, mental illness, and anything else it tries to encompass. As far as autism, specifically higher functioning, most in the movement reject the idea of treatment, especially in the form of medication. They reject the idea that there is a cure for autism. Another idea that is not supported is the theory that there is an "autism gene".
Autism is actually less medicated than mental illness (although that's quickly changing - and the movement is opposed to that). Medical scientists claim to have found biological basis for a lot of mental illnesses, where science cannot find a cause of or a biological solution for autism. Not that I necessarily believe those claims. Drugs used to treat mental illness are quickly becoming the way to treat autism, though.
I do think that, as far as rejecting the medical model, closer alignment between advocates of the two groups would be beneficial for both.
Umm, yea, that shouldn't say Neurotypical Pride, it should say Neurodiversity.
They may not medicate to control autism itself, but there are cases (probably too many), where "un-desirable" (sp) symptoms are attempted to be controlled by different psychiatric meds (often anti-psychotics, which have some awful side effects) Or they get "Dual Diagnosis" (developmental delay, and mental health issue) slapped on them, and are controlled medically that way.
Really and truely, I dont beleive that Mental Health Issues are curable through medication, either. I think medication is handed out far to easily, with little follow-up from the doctor. These medications can be pretty hard core. I can't count the amount of people I know personally (not even on a professional level), who have gone to their GP, indicated that they are experiencing a mild depression, and walked out with scripts for medication like Paxil, or Effexor. Those are some heavy duty drugs....ask anyone who has ever tried to "quit". Psyco-social rehab is very effective, however vastly underfunded in Canada. The whole picture is being missed. Sure, someone with a chronic persistant mental illness can be prescribed a pill...but what about housing, social support, vocational support, etc. Hell, without these supports, chances are that individual wont even take their meds. And then they are "difficult", and "non-compliant". And NOBODY wants to serve them (and I have seen this happen, and it is tragic).
Looking at the side of Autism, and other Development Delays (this is what they are called in my line of work, if I am wrong with my wording, please correct me). Once you are an adult, you really have to advocate for yourself. Unfortunatly, I have seen quite a few adults having very low quality of life, because the buck is being passed, and no one knows "what to do" with these individuals. Often, the parents become frusterated, and they are putting these people into group homes (and if you have seen some of the group homes in the region I work in, these arent generally nice places, or at all regulated). Or, if the individual becomes to difficult to manage....they find their way into the prison system, which is even more tragic (and they often find it difficult to get out!).
That is a mini-rant from someone who works in the feild...I see some pretty disgusting things quite often. The mental health system needs to be re-programed in Ontario (and guess whose currently loosing funding?), so I have frustrations.