Response to:The Neurodiversity Framework in Medicine: On the Spectrum (2025) --- Harvard & the Autonomous University of Mexico

​Val's Take/Conjecture

• It is a HUGE PARADIGM SHIFT to recognize bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression as DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY ISSUES.
• Modern Psychiatry and Psychology got a lot wrong and they're still getting a lot wrong -- but they were left to hold down the fort until new evidenced based understandings and treatments were available.

Hallelujah!!!!

• ​Tailored support and interventions that accommodate individual needs.
• Focusing on Neuro-Divergent Strengths and Perspectives
• Innovative Treatments that increase Quality of Life and improve Functional Results
• Including neurodivergent people in all sectors of society, including research, clinical practice, and policymaking
• Including NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE as one of the disciplines that needs to be included for people with "Mental Illness."

The authors got the "DEVELOPMENTAL" aspect of these disorders.

• ​It is hard to over-state how important that is.

​The authors use some interesting phrasing:​

• ​This new viewpoint "undermines established notions of these conditions as disorders/diseases that may be healed or corrected."
• On the other hand, they talk about the need for innovative treatments to improve quality of life.
• And Neuro-Diverse folks need to be included in Research.

It is very hard to acknowledge and especially hard for Neuro-Diverse people to acknowledge that a large percentage of the Justice-Involved and Homeless populations are Neuro-Diverse. ​

When We're Talkin' Neuro-Diversity --- We're Talkin' Neuro-Diversity

If you have some DEI Initiative that doesn't seem to understand that  there are "pathological" aspects to Neuro-Diversity ----- you're an easy target for Trump and others.

Finally, the idea that Neuro-Diversity is just about identity makes it harder for people who are struggling the most and the most ostracized by the society to get the help they need for complex Neuro-Developmental and Neuro-Immune Disorders.

​Funding:   Funding was provided by Harvard University's Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging as part of the Culture Lab Innovation Fund.

​Affiliations

​1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
2Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of Mexico State, Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico, Mexico.
3Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

​ABSTRACT

The term “neurodiversity” refers to the natural heterogeneity in human neurological functioning, which includes neurodevelopmental differences and other mental health conditions (e.g., autism spectrum disorder [ASD], attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], dyslexia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression).

This new viewpoint has significant consequences for the future of medicine, specifically in psychiatry, neurology, and neurodevelopmental medicine, as it undermines established notions of these conditions as disorders/diseases that may be healed or corrected.

The neurodiversity approach, on the other hand, acknowledges these divergences as natural variations, calling for tailored support and interventions that accommodate individual needs.

Neurodiversity could impact current medical perspectives by supporting a shift from pathology to identity.

Rather than focusing on the difficulties associated with a specific ailment, the neurodiversity approach stresses the strengths and distinct perspectives that come with neurodivergent identities.

This shift has significant consequences for research and therapy by fostering the development of innovative treatments aimed at increasing quality of life and improving functional results.

This new perspective advocates including neurodivergent people in all sectors of society, including research, clinical practice, and policymaking, by recognizing, accepting, and integrating natural variances in brain functioning.

In this article, we review the development of the neurodiversity movement and propose “The Neurodiversity Framework in Medicine,” which challenges traditional views by recognizing neurological differences as natural variations, advocating for inclusive, person-centered approaches in healthcare.