Best Practice Works for Everyone
What an emotional roller coaster of a week that social media, news media, etc, has triggered for so many of us is in the neurodiversity and autism communities, with the language used to describe our community, families, friends, and… us.
Here are some notable stats.
A third of entrepreneurs are neurodivergent
The majority of Gen Z identifies as neurodivergent
The highest employee retention rates and on-task times rates of any demographic are those of neurodivergent individuals
We think some of the greatest minds and creativities were autistic, but we didn’t call it that, and that includes individuals like Da Vinci, Einstein, Darwin, Mozart, and more.
These are very real truths for many individuals and families.
However, while most of us in the neurodiversity community are aware of this, we should also consider some other key statistics.
Raising an autistic child costs more, a lot more than a neurotypical child. According to Time magazine, it can cost up to $ 2.2 million to raise an autistic child.
Divorce rates among parents of autistic children are around 80%
The unemployment rate for autistic individuals is extremely high
A third of autistic individuals use technology to assist with speech and communication
Inclusion in classrooms and educational settings has come a long, long way
Depending on what stats you’re reading, 50 - 70 % of autistic individuals have a “cognitive impairment.”
There is more, but these are very real scientific data points for many individuals and families. It is their experience. Could that be a burden for some? Yes, of course, there will be some who view it through that lens. But judging them and shaming them is not a community-building tool.
As we’re finally moving past the medical and prescriptive model to a social model, we can’t ignore this and pretend that these don’t exist because it doesn’t fit into a narrative; in fact, by not acknowledging it, it weakens the footing for all of us promoting the positives and strengths of neurodivergent hearts, minds, and talent.
They both happen at the same time. It appears that the double empathy program is being hit on the nose, so to speak, in public view.
But, we’ve said it before, and we’ll repeat it - this is where the opportunity is!
Here’s the reality as we see it:
Current employment and educational models are not leading to innovation and creativity
Employment satisfaction is at an all-time low
American education was never designed for innovation and creativity; it was always set up like a factory line, and we need to change that.
The interview and hiring model doesn’t work
Retention rates for most businesses is struggling
HR costs are skyrocketing
And here’s my point. Best practice works for everyone! And what works for neurodivergent individuals is best practice, and all neurotypes win. Business wins, the economy wins, and families win.
Curious what best practice is? Connect with us, and we’ll teach you.
Contact us at info@cndcc.org