What is School For? (talk)

The Tyranny of Normal

Labelling gifts as deficits & disorders

Thank you for sharing this Jeff

As someone positively assessed for ASD & ADHD I take exception to the D words that very often, as you point out, are determined by an arbitrary normal whilst ignoring the gifts that they bring.

I have found that “fitting in” within what I call the “tyranny of normal” causes significant collateral mental health issues including depression and anxiety. I believe much of this could be avoided by better understanding across the professional, educational & societal domains about what we think “normal” really is & why.