Quick Bites — ND World

Neurodiversity affirmative school

1. Appointment of Shadow Teacher and Supporting Nanny for the student
2. Sensory safe space enabled classrooms as per the student being a Sensory Avoider or Sensory Seeker
3. Hybrid model for the student, they can skip clsses offline if they have meltdowns and take up classes online.
4. Curriculum shall follow UDL guidelines.
5. Have at least one Sign Language Teacher or AAC Teacher
6. Only Generative Arts and Music classes for Non-Verbal kids
7. CCTV enabled class rooms 
8. No Parent Teacher Meetings
9. Withdraw IQ Scores & Oral Tests
10. Allow parallel play and Me-time for the kid
11. Allow screen time if it regulates a meltdown
12. Free to roam anywhere in the campus or class room
13. Sitting in chair is optional
14. Free to break things in lab rooms and learn stuff by fixing them
15. A neurodivergent person should be in the board of the members or hire them in Arts Department
16. School uniform dress shall be sensory friendly
17. A sensory avoider should stay far from school bell

LAW OF STUBBORN MINORITY

In most systems, law of stubborn minority favors minority and let them win. But in the case of Autistics, they lost it. Let's dig deeper and lets find out why ?

If you have a social gathering followed by dinner, and you have no clue on the dietary preference of your guests, you will invariably choose vegetarian dish for all guests.

Because, Non-Vegetarians can eat Veggies, but vegetarians cannot touch Non-vegetarian food.

This also explains the logic, why dedicated Disabled friendly restrooms exists across all the Shopping Malls and Restaurants and Office Spaces. An abled person can use a Disabled Restroom, but not the other way around.

Now what happens in a Neurotypical or any Traditional School, a Neurodivergent kid should get adjusted to their rules.

What if a Neurodivergent school which will have a rule that says, sitting on a chair is optional, imagine how happy an ADHD child be and I am sure most Neurotypical kids will accommodate themselves around these new play mates.

With Autistics, the so-called-majority who are Neurotypicals started dictating terms of the system. They fixed the rules and any deviation is branded as abnormal and made them an Outcast.

Probably a School which follows UDL principles by default, can cater to the learning needs of both NT and ND kids alike and some NT kids might even like it. 
So, as long as the stubborn minority is not dominating the system, Inclusion in a school will be a mere illusion and it only ends up as a nightmare for a Neurodivergent child.

♾️

Entropic Disability

Autism is a Round Peg in a Square Box. Even disability, was not categorized in an appropriate way for them. And this confused the system design principle on accounts of disability at every place (Play School, Primary School, College, Corporate Workspace, Airports, Mass Transit Stations, Hospitals, list is endless) and as the classic folklore goes around Neurodivergent community is, "we are disabled by the world, not by ourselves" and the only best place for them is home, and nowhere else in this world.

Let's take a scenario, if you are taking an Autistic child to Airport tomorrow, what are the odds that Security Personnel have an understanding of your kid. I mean true understanding.
Parents actually don't fight Autism, they fight uncertainty that happens with their kids, and to be precise it is wild uncertainty. Parents would be a playing a strange game all the time when they are outside, where they have no clue about the odds of the Autistic kid's meltdown, and why they portray a particular behavior, an action or a mood swing.

Parents of Autistic children can never outguess on what is the next move (like..is he going to jump, next? is he going to run out to the gate? is he going to shout in the silent lounge? or is he going to laugh out loud? or is he going to cry out loud?). They never have answers on when or why something would happen.

Entropy precisely means lack of order or predictability and that's why I would like to name the condition as "Entropic Disability" or "Entropic Ability" (when environment permits them the way they are)

This change in narrative gives better understanding, about Autism, instead of calling it as a hidden disability (as coined by Sunflower Lanyard program), which totally confuses the other professionals on what to expect from an Autistic Person.

What's next? How shall we handle this sort of unknown uncertainty?

That's a tricky question, human beings by nature are not fit to deal with wild uncertainty, we have too many cognitive biases that would interplay with our choices and actions. We usually take "fight, fright or flight" approach. Very rarely, we go with "feel the other person's soul" approach. So, Autistics and ADHDers and their caregivers are at a disadvantage in this regards.

An Autistic teen who has a meltdown and running abruptly in an Airport will be a disturbing scene to everyone and he will be high likely get pinned down by the security personnel, thinking he is a Terrorist holding a bomb. So, If I were the Trainer for the Security Personnel, I would ask them to pet a Persian Cat and try to understand it (Just kidding). Security can take up instructions from the Parents beforehand, what would be the common uncertainties that can be expected. Get an understanding on Sensory needs and also, fair understanding on meltdowns, mood swings, and anger outbursts.

This thought is just a beginning, and I always firmly believe, if we can understand the problem right, half the problem is already solved.

So, let's embrace uncertainty and befriend the wildlings the way they are.

To infinity and beyond.

Cheers,
Pal
∞