• Replies 119 replies
  • Subscribers 95 subscribers
  • Views 11247 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Has any one ever Neurosplained you?

Dawn

Neurosplaining...By analogy with 'mansplaining', I guess; the act of telling a neurodivergent person how they experience their neurodivergence.

A new word for my vocabulary today, but wondered whether anyone else had heard it before. 

I can't claim any credit for inventing this new lexical item here, but I like it and yes it does nicely sum up some rubbish we hear from others (sadly, often professionals as frequently as friends and family).  I just came across it in a post on LinkedIn from a psychologist and neuroinclusion specialist.  It's made my day.  So, I thought I'd share.

My doctor neurosplains me every time he tells me I "suffer with autism".  Or tells me he regrets that "he cannot cure my autism".

Has anyone neurosplained you recently?

Parents
  • Dawn said:
    My doctor neurosplains me every time he tells me I "suffer with autism".  Or tells me he regrets that "he cannot cure my autism".

    Hi Dawn.

    I have not experienced ‘neurosplaining’ (I really like the new word by the way!). We could create our own autistic/neurodivergent culture dictionary!

    I am so sorry you have had this experience with your doctor , you deserve to be openly proud of your autistic identity not pitied or pathologised!

Reply
  • Dawn said:
    My doctor neurosplains me every time he tells me I "suffer with autism".  Or tells me he regrets that "he cannot cure my autism".

    Hi Dawn.

    I have not experienced ‘neurosplaining’ (I really like the new word by the way!). We could create our own autistic/neurodivergent culture dictionary!

    I am so sorry you have had this experience with your doctor , you deserve to be openly proud of your autistic identity not pitied or pathologised!

Children
  • in reply to Ausomely Autistic

    I don't take it to heart.  It's just born of ignorance.  He assumes nobody can actively enjoy being autistic and clearly has never heard of the social model of disability.  It does rather inspire me to get into the training game though... they just need educating.

    I kind of think that as a community we have been developing our own lexicon for a bit - 'neurodivergent' for example and so many more people preferring person first language, or otherwise taking charge of the discourse by using terms like 'non-speaking' rather than 'non-verbal', because so many autistic people in fact have very many 'verbs' they use eloquently in written language even if they never utter them orally.

    But neurosplaining caught my eye today, and I liked it.  Another little tool for us to take charge of our own discourse.