INTEGRATIVE THINKING & the CURRENT TRADE-OFFS of ---- NEURO-DIVERSITY

Rotman School of Management --- University of Toronto
Solving "WICKED PROBLEMS" with INTEGRATIVE THINKING

​Conjecture

• We have a much BIGGER PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS than we realize with regard to Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders.

One of the ways we got into this CRISIS was we have very STARK ideas about GOOD and BAD and the rather UTOPIAN IDEA that all the GOOD THINGS go together and all the BAD THINGS go together in terms of HUMAN TRAITS.

• Hmmm . . .
• There's been a lot of SELECTING for INTELLIGENCE, ATHLETICISM and CREATIVITY ---
  • On a BROAD SCALE that starts to look a lot different than that one IDIOSYNCRATIC GENIUS or OLYMPIC ATHLETE.​  

A lot of these BIG STRENGTHS are currently coming with various forms of SOME BIG TRADE-OFFS

• Some of these BIG STRENGTHS seem related to VARIOUS FORMS of RAMPED UP SENSORY PROCESSING ---
  • It might be greater BODY AWARENESS
  • It might be the development of LOGIC to process both a lot of information and often a lot of EMOTION --
    • that comes with PROCESSING MORE.
  • It's the development of "ARTS & SCIENCES" -- to have some place to off load all this information that may get to other people and other generations.

Neuro-Diverse Therapist Louise Taylor ends her video on Empathy by saying "The Future is Neuro-Diverse. "

• I think she is right and that brings its own set of CHALLENGES.

Further, Couples Counselor Mark Hutton notes that some think we may be "EVOLVING" towards "AUTISM" -- more "TASK-ORIENTED"-- and that could be more CHALLENGING than people realize.

​I think at least some of us would like to AVOID MAKING SOME OF THESE UNPLEASANT TRADE-OFFS.

• Or "MANAGE" them much more EFFECTIVELY.

Note:  I think a lot of Neuro-Diverse people fly "UNDER THE RADAR" because they have BLURRED characteristics of TRADITIONAL notions of ADHD & Autism.

Additionally, this problem is being RECOGNIZED in popular spaces such as ADDITUDEMag.  See also King's College London on the Blurred Nature of ADHD & Autism.

In some ways that BLURRED ASPECT can protect you.   On the other hand, it has more recently set people up for LATE or TOO LATE DIAGNOSIS.

That is one of many reasons why it is so important to get to the UNDERLYING BIOLOGY ---

• SYMPTOM CLUSTERS can be MISLEADING.
• To me --- the big issue is greater NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION that is not just impacting the BRAIN but other organs and systems of the body.
• INFLAMMATION is not all bad --- but if you're starting out with greater SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION than the NORM and it's DEVELOPMENTAL that can have BOTH PHYSICAL & PSYCHIATRIC health consequences.
• I know I really would have appreciated more of a "HEADS UP" -- but people did the best they could.
• AND we do need to be giving people more of a "HEADS UP" and TARGETED and INDIVIDUALIZED approaches to deal with these DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES.
  

This isn't an argument for "EUGENICS" --- AND the RESEARCH is pushing us to confront REALITIES that are DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT.  

• For those Neuro-Diverse kids who were made to feel "LESS THAN" ---
  • The REALITY is those CHALLENGES are often coming with SOME STRENGTHS.

 
For those Neuro-Diverse kids who were celebrated for their Intelligence, Athleticism and/or Talent

• The REALITY is those STRENGTHS are often coming with SOME CHALLENGES.