Neurodiversity is a vital concept, and understanding the difference between neurodiverse and neurodivergent is much more important than just splitting hairs over linguistics. Here is a comic explainer.
Some questions to reflect on
- Whether you consider yourself neurotypical or neurodivergent, in what ways might you be impacted by neuronormativity? (Some examples of where neuronormative expectations might apply: how a person processes sounds or textures, what makes a person happy, how a person communicates, what they find easy or difficult)
- Can you think of any neuronormative messages that you have internalised, or pass on to others?
- Should some needs be considered ‘special’? What do we mean by that?
- Can you think of ways to challenge neuronormativity and encourage greater neurodiversity in your community, home, workplace, etc?
Image description
Page One
This is a black-and-white comic that uses charming, minimalist drawings. This page is filled with detailed plant and animal illustrations to communicate the idea of biodiversity.
(In large, hand-drawn text) NEURODIVERSITY is about EVERYONE (with stars and bursts)
Upper left corner: “An explainer comic by Sonny Hallett” with a self-portrait of the author, waving. The illustration is of a smiling person with short dark hair and glasses.
Below, the page is loosely divided into three panels:
Top Panel
A small bean with stick arms and legs and a happy little face has an arrow pointing toward it with the words “Bean of Explanation”. In a cartoon text balloon, the Bean says: “There’s been a growing trend in using neurodiversity as a synonym for neurodivergence – as another way to describe being different from normative or expected ways of being.”
To the right of the Bean of Explanation, there is a collage of posters, signboards, and buttons:
“Are YOU Neurodiverse?” (with a cartoon star character pointing at the viewer)
“We support Neurodiverse individuals!” (with a star)
“Recruiting neurodiverse employees!”
“Is your child Neurodiverse?” (with a shocked emoji face)
”For people with Neurodiversity” (with a flower)
”I’m Neurodiverse” (with the Autistic Leminscate (infinity/Moebius symbol))
In the upper right corner, the Bean of Explanation is visibly cringing at the collage.
The original Bean, on the left side of the page, adds, “Sometimes it’s straight up used instead of ‘autistic and/or ADHD’.”
Middle Panel
On the left, the Bean of Explanation is snuggled up with a frog. The Bean says, “I think it’s an understandable mistake, but a really unhelpful one. To explain, let’s talk about biodiversity for a moment.”
On the right, is a diverse array of plants and animals, including: An elephant, large leafy plant, worm, bee, axolotl, tiger, iguana, weasel, spider, bird, fish, snail, pill bug, mushroom, monkey, grass and flowers.
A pair of cartoon word balloons point with an arrow to the large group of living organisms and say, “Biodiversity describes the diversity of living things in a given area. On a really basic level, it just doesn’t make sense to call any one of these organisms biodiverse. Also, I think something could be missing from the picture above…”
Bottom Panel
The same illustration of many different forms of life, with a few small changes such as the elephant is now winking and the pill bug has rolled up into a ball. Also, there is one big change: a human being is peeking out from behind the elephant, saying “oh hi” in a word balloon and waving at the viewer.
The Bean of Explaining now stands to the right of the pile of biodiverse creatures, saying, “When we talk about biodiversity, we often assume that humans are either present by default, or absent entirely. It’s like how when we talk about animals, we don’t often qualify that we mean non-human animals.”
The numeral “1” between dashes is in the bottom right corner of the page.
Page Two
This page of the black-and-white comic is divided into three panels. Most of the characters on this page are geometric shapes with limbs and faces like the oval Bean of Explaining character.
Top panel
An image of a human being walking, eating, and obliviously throwing some food to the ground where a bird grabs it. Another bird stands behind the first. The Bean of Explaining is running toward the human being in a frantic rush, to try to rescue the little pill bug, who is about to get stepped on and squished by the oblivious human.
The Bean is saying, “But as the dominant species on earth, humans have a massive impact on the biodiversity of our planet. We are a PART of our environment and our actions and attitudes towards other life forms have consequences.”
The Bean continues, “When we separate ourselves from our biodiverse environments, it can be easier to look away from what we do to them. For this reason, conservationists often take pains to emphasize that humans are an integral part of earth’s ecosystems – and a part of biodiversity.”
Middle Panel
The Bean of Explaining stands on the left side of the panel with word balloons that say: “So what does all this have to do with neurodiversity? Neurodiversity describes the diversity of different ways of being within a population based on the diversity of different neurological configurations.”
Various geometric shapes with faces (circles, triangles, octagons) stand around the Bean, smiling. The Bean says, “When we use it only to refer to neurodivergent ways of being, we are allowing neurotypical experiences to be separate and be seen as ‘default’.
On the right side of the page a grumpy square stands with hands on “hips” and a word balloon that says, “Diversity? That’s nothing to do with me. I’m normal!”
Bottom Panel
The Bean of Explaining looks sad. The Bean says, “We already live in a world dominated by neurotypical norms and expectations. When these norms and expectations are allowed to exist outside of the idea of neurodiversity, their impact on all neurodivergent ways of being goes unexamined and unchallenged.”
Across the panel from the Bean is the marquee of a movie theater with lights shining down on an image of three squares, cavorting, under the words “A Film About People!”
Between the Bean and the theater, four shapes have gathered in conversation, three squares surrounding a triangle wearing ear defenders. The squares are gaslighting the triangle:
Square One: “Don’t be silly, nobody feels like that!”
Square Two: “Why would you even need that?!”
Square Three: “This should be easy!”
Meanwhile, the triangle, looking distressed, thinks, “What if I’m just wrong and broken??”
At the bottom left of the page is the numeral “2”, flanked by dashes.
Page Three
The black-and-white comic is again divided into three panels. The illustrations include diverse geometric shapes with faces to represent different neurological configurations and panels of conversations among humans.
Top Panel
The Bean of Explaining is hiding in a potted plant on top of a filing cabinet next to a heavy table with a spider web in one corner, possibly indicating that this is an institution that has been here for a long time. They table has a sign on the front that says “FILM MEETING”
The Bean says, “Similar dynamics play out in other areas where minoritised groups are made out to be ‘separate’ and ‘special’ from the default:”
There are three people sitting at the table, each with a coffee cup next to them and a name tag that says “DAVE”
Dave One: “Hi Dave, we need a lead who is relatable. An everyman type character.”
Dave Two: “Ok Dave, what about… Dave? 30s, regular guy, girlfriend. A bunch of regular guy friends.”
Dave Three: “Now then Dave, we have to add a ‘diversity angle’ these days… (second word balloon added on)…how about we add a mixed race friend in a wheelchair? Oh also gay.”
Middle Panel
The Bean of Explaining is looking at three different humans, each of whom has a thought cloud over their head.
The Bean says, “Having the privilege of being part of a dominant experience comes with the responsibility of understanding the impact of that dominance. Of understanding our place and impact on other ways of being.”
Person One thinks, “What if some of the things I was told are simple aren’t actually simple for everyone?
Person Two thinks, “What do I mean when I say that something is or isn’t ‘manly’?”
Person Three thinks, “Why do I assume that all these line art people are white?”
Bottom Panel
Many Geometric shapes with faces are gathered together: A rectangle, circle, semicircle, arch, blob, star, oval, triangle, square, and our friend, the Bean of Explaining. All the shapes are smiling but the square looks like it might be struggling and the Bean is reaching out as if to help steady the square.
The Bean says, “I think it’s important to remind the world that neurotypical ways of being are a part of neurodiversity, because it’s vital not to let neuronormativity* off the hook.”
An asterisk at the bottom of the panel says, “*neuronormativity – the assumption that certain neurological ways of being (i.e. being neurotypical) are seen as ‘normal’ and ‘correct’.”
The Bean goes on to say, “When we say neurodiverse but mean neurodivergent, we are suggesting that neurodiversity doesn’t involve neurotypicals; and that people and institutions that fit in can look away.”
In the bottom, right hand corner is the numeral “3”, surrounded by dashes.
