Why can't we call it ADHD? Or AdultADHD?
I've mentioned this before but a lot of people in the ADHD community find 'neurodiverse' problematic. And I'm inclined to agree with a lot of their points.
(I also agree there should be an ADHD board and an ASD board rather than them being lumped together under Special Educational Needs or Neurodiverse / Neurodivergent / Neuroabnormal / whatever we're calling it today).
Some people can choose to identify with that 'model of neurodiversity' but not everyone does, so IMO it's wrong to name the board meant to cater for those people something they don't align themselves with or identify as or choose to associate with?
The link has the full explanation from the community in question but I've copied and pasted the most relevant parts below.
www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/ms95dl/radhdspositiononneurodiversity/?utmsource=share&utmmedium=iosapp&utm_name=iossmf
r/ADHD’s position on neurodiversity
We consider the neurodiversity paradigm to be harmful to people with ADHD, both directly in terms of its stated goals and indirectly via constant attempts to silence us for disagreeing with them. This statement aims to address the concerns and questions of our community.
The terms "neurodiverse" and "neurodivergent" are flagged for review on r/ADHD due to their association with the broader neurodiversity movement. While we do not deny the principle of neurodiversity as a subset of biodiversity (i.e., a property of the human species as a whole), we have significant reservations about the political movement that has formed around these terms, and their usage to describe individuals rather than as a lens through which to examine society. We share many common goals, but our experiences with many who have used this terminology as well as our research into the subject leave us concerned that this rhetoric is being used - in the words of Judy Singer, who originally coined the term "neurodiverse", "as a scalpel for dividing 'us' from 'them'."
What beliefs do we have in common?
Note: this comparison is an overview, not a full exploration of our position.
- We acknowledge that mental health disorders are highly stigmatised and misunderstood.
- We agree that people with mental disorders have a right to equitable access and participation in society.
- We agree society disadvantages those with mental health disorders and we should accommodate these people as best we can.
- We believe that both the medical and social models of disability warrant consideration.
- We want greater patient autonomy in treatment.
- We believe people with ADHD are capable of leading happy, fulfilling lives.
- We acknowledge that psychology and psychiatry are not perfect. We acknowledge its historical harms, such as:
- failure to provide equal access to treatment;
- failure to ensure proper representation in academia and research;
- and causing harm at higher rates to marginalised groups such as people of colour or LGBTQIA+ people.
Where do we disagree?
- We disagree with the common assertion that mental health disorders are just "differences in cognition". These conditions come with very real innate harms.
We feel the social model creates a distinction between impairments and disability, which causes people to overlook the potentially life-threatening impact of impairments. For many people, our innate impairments can be just* as disabling as the oppression of society, if not more so.
- Parts of the movement appear to be distancing themselves from the term "disability" as if it is somehow an admission of weakness. We feel that rejecting any association with disability is ableist and dismisses those of us who require higher levels of care.
- We firmly believe there is a very real risk in framing mental health disorders as "gifts", "beneficial" or "positive states". Such claims would lead those in power to believe that we don’t need/deserve medication or accommodations.
- The medical model of disability is frequently rejected by the movement and we cannot accept this. We deem it a necessary foundation that enables the treatment of ADHD and many other mental health disorders with medicine and other medical interventions. We believe that both the medical and social models of disability are valuable and necessary tools for achieving our fundamental goal: improving the lives of people with ADHD.
ADHD causes difficulties not just with doing the things we must do (our obligations to society), but the things we want to do (our agency to do the things we find fulfilling in life). We don’t believe that natural, normal variation in neurological makeup is necessarily variation with purpose. Natural variation is a fact of existence, but nature does not moralise. Seeking to frame ADHD as a 'Good' thing runs the same risks as framing it as a 'Bad' thing.
ADHD is neither a blessing nor a curse, it simply is, and we must find ways to alleviate any distress or suffering it may cause.
We have observed that discussion of neurodiversity is frequently accompanied by the "superpower" narrative, the hunter-gatherer hypothesis or similar framings which attribute benefits to ADHD. There is little credible scientific research to support these theories, and in our experience, the introduction of such ideas without sufficient evidence does more harm than good. It gives ammunition to anti-disability rights activists, people who believe ADHD "isn’t real", and those who think we should not receive any help or accommodations. Because we disagree with claims like this, we are frequently accused of telling people that their ADHD makes them 'broken'. We wholly reject this idea that anybody is or can be 'broken', and actively advocate for people to consider themselves as more than just their ADHD.
We can help each other more when we’re realistic about our struggles and issues. Not everything has positive sides to it, but that does not mean that having ADHD should prevent anyone from having a fulfilling life. We do not want anyone to feel hopeless because they have ADHD. We want our focus to be on guiding our community to a more manageable life, whether their struggles are personal, professional, or interpersonal.
We hope our position is clear. Whether you agree or disagree with us, please understand that we are simply doing what we think is best for our community.
Our Vision and Goals
Ultimately what we object to is the framing of ADHD as identity. While everyone experiences ADHD differently, we encourage people to see their identity as more than just the disorder that they struggle with throughout their lives. We wish to celebrate who we are and the small victories we have each day, not be made to feel that we must celebrate having ADHD itself. Just as no one should ever have to feel ashamed of having ADHD, neither should we be compelled to take pride in something that has caused us hardship and suffering.
Acknowledging real circumstances that we face as a result of our disorder and being upset at those circumstances is not mutually exclusive with loving oneself or being able to find positive outlets and happiness in life. In our view, the empathy, kindness, compassion, and insight that we value and have witnessed so often in our community comes from the people, not the disorder we all share. When we attribute those qualities to ourselves rather than our disorder, it empowers us to feel more capable of dealing with the struggles we face - without having to find ways to love the thing that is causing those difficulties. We encourage our community to share coping strategies, tips, vents, emotions, and successes. We love to read about people’s latest interests or most exciting new ideas on managing their ADHD.
We do not encourage giving our disorder the credit for the things we achieve. Our achievements are in spite of the challenges we face, not because of them.
Our shared goal is a world which allows all individuals to express themselves freely without fear of judgment or hatred, a world which celebrates contributions from people with a wide variety of experiences, and a world which makes room for people to contribute what they are able when they are able. We cannot reconcile that with the behaviour of advocates who explicitly disparage and attempt to silence our own self-advocacy.