Invisible disability
Why it matters to reframe neurodivergence this way
There are many neurodivergent people whose differences or disability are not physically apparent. They may only be noticeable in their behavior or when they fail to meet neurotypical expectations.
Having significant challenges that are invisible leads to so many issues- it can make it difficult to get needed accommodations and supports, for example. In the school setting, neurodivergence might only be visible if a student isn’t keeping up academically, socially, or isn’t meeting behavioral expectations, and students might need support before any of this happens. Often students don’t get flagged as neurodivergent until they are struggling academically or their behavior is disruptive.
What about the students who have struggles that aren’t obvious in this way, but who have social challenges and are lonely and isolated at school, or can fit into routines and expectations but are stressed and depleted doing so? Here are a couple of quotes that highlight some of these challenges.
Masking is an important concept to discuss in the concept of invisible disability as well. For many neurodivergent people, masking is a way to survive in not inclusive or unsupportive settings. Masking or camouflaging is a way of minimizing neurodivergent traits to meet the expectations of a given setting, and can be a way to decrease negative attention to themselves. For example, an autistic person may reduce stimming (repetitive movements that help them self-regulate) because it has led to bullying in the past. The key dimension of masking to be aware of is how draining it is for neurodivergent people to mask. Devon Price speaks to the toll that masking takes on autistic people:
“Though masking is incredibly taxing and causes us a lot of existential turmoil, it’s rewarded and facilitated by neurotypical people. Masking makes Autistic people easier to “deal” with. It renders us compliant and quiet. It also traps us. Once you’ve proven yourself capable of suffering in silence, neurotypical people tend to expect you’ll be able to do it forever, no matter the cost. Being a well-behaved Autistic person puts us in a real double bind and forces many of us to keep masking for far longer (and far more pervasively) than we want to.”
― Devon Price, Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
We all have contexts where we have to pretend to be someone or something that we’re not. Imagine having to do this to a much more extreme degree, and having to do it for so much of your life. This might come close to the experience of an autistic or ND person who masks. Consider this - How does it feel when you have to be around people who only like one part of who you are? How would you feel if that was your reality? I think it’s always important for neurotypical people especially to try to think about what these experiences feel like.
Another important point to bring up around invisible disability comes up in a quote from Michelle Garcia Winner: “There is no such thing as mild autism because once you look typical, we judge you so harshly there is no forgiveness factor.” - Michelle Garcia Winner, Uniquely Human Podcast: Beyond Social Skills
Winner is pointing out that for individuals who “pass” as neurotypical, expectations for their ability to conform to NT social norms and expectations are extremely high. Because as a whole NT society is so socially oriented, anyone who cannot or does not follow pervasive unwritten social rules is rejected. This could be at school, work, place of worship, or any community. While there is growing awareness of neurodivergence and ever-expanding options for ND people to find authentic community, we need to do better.
20% of the general population is neurodivergent, yet there is still so much stigma. Parents avoid diagnoses for their children. ND people suffer staggeringly high rates of unemployment and mental health issues alongside many other challenges. We can make change happen, but we need more awareness- it’s easy to miss these important issues if it doesn’t directly impact your life. Thank you for reading
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