Published on 12, July, 2020
I've always had a lesion in my brain and I've had epilepsy for as long as I can remember, so I was pretty neuro atypical long before I got this autism diagnosis as an adult just one or two years ago. I don't think you can say that someone you never met and know nothing about is "neurotypical" It's just a complete assumption and it's rude.
OK, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I think it is a rude comment, others don't.
In reply to Tom's comment that anyone who is called "neurotypical" is not autistic, please read my first comment again. An epileptic brain with a lesion cannot be said to be typical.
an autistic person is not neurotypical but then neither is someone who suffers from epilepsy
I would agree that an epileptic brain is not neurotypical, it has neurology that is divergent. An MRI scan would pick up atypical neuro-anatomy as evidenced by your lesion.
I don’t think anyone has to agree to disagree. What’s wrong with just having different views and each person using the words that make the most sense to them? Tom didn’t say nt refers to anyone who isn’t autistic, he said autistic or in any other way neurodiverse. It’s just a term that has come into popular use to replace the term normal as anyone who was not normal or typical was thought of as abnormal, which some people took offence to. It wouldn’t bother me to be called abnormal but many people objected to it and so far, neurotypical is the best they have come up with so far. I prefer weirdo, but a lot of people don’t like that term either. I also like the term retard but a lot of people don’t like that either. So I guess we all have our preferences.
I have read it, several times. I work with people who have epilepsy - but who aren't autistic. Just as I work with people who have epilepsy and are autistic. It's about the way the brain perceives, processes and responds to sensory information. Epilepsy in itself doesn't mean neurodiverse.
Dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia.... these are all conditions which autistic people may have. They are also conditions that non-autistic people may have.
Perhaps this can explain it better than I can:
What does it mean to be neurotypical?