Cooper says, “I am not someone with dyslexia. I am dyslexic. Were I not dyslexic, I would not be me” [ 2]. The integration of conditions with self-definition has led individuals to exhibit apparently curious behaviors such as the rejection of possible cures. ADHD medication, for example, can reduce the creative upsides that someone with ADHD might find vital to their sense of self.

For Cooper, neurodiversity redefines dyslexia as another way of being: a cognitive style. It is the medicalized language of the neurotypical that speaks of a cure or support; this language dominates society’s approach and has an implicit effect on interaction design.

Neurodiversity spectrum. The
notion of cognitive upsides
explains why many conditions
exist; the second aspect, spec-
trum, explains how these condi-
tions fit into the population. Most
neurodiverse conditions exist in
a spectrum of disorders ranging
from normal to dysfunctional.
This spectrum makes it hard to
define the exact number of people
with a particular condition, as
that depends on severity. The
spectrum widens if we consider
the suggestion of Susan Baum,
who, looking at the education of
gifted and learning-disabled indi-
viduals, observed that the range
of those with intellectual differ-
ences may be larger than those
simply labeled learning-disabled.
Baum suggests that there are
three categories of “giftedness”:

• Figure 1. The neurodiversity spectrum.

Low cognitive difference
High cognitive difference
Gifted

Normal
Talented
Apparently
Normal
Disabled

Normal

March + April 2013

Dysfunctional