The challenges faced by neurodivergent youth, or kids with learning and thinking differences (LTDs), have always been many and in the past few years, they have grown. Not only do these youth have to deal with these challenges, but also the stigmas they’re faced with. The world sees them differently, treats them differently and doesn’t think twice of the impacts of their actions on these youth. Instead of working to accommodate these individuals, society instead works to isolate and evade them. These stigmas and such treatment has a negative impact on the individual with LTDs, and their self-confidence. In a world that constantly judges you for something, you can’t help but begin to judge yourself as well. You can’t help the plummeting of your self-esteem, or the creeping in of self-doubt. Such is the case of neurodivergent youth who must face these stigmas, and their impacts.

Understood.org conducted an online study in April 2022, the Understood.org Neurodiversity and Stigma Study. Parents of children ages 5-18 were surveyed, and asked about the stigmas they’re aware of or experienced relating to LTDs. What was found from this study was that a large percentage of parents still believe in the stigmas associated with LTDs, and that these stigmas are a barrier in the way of parents taking action to support their neurodivergent child. Nearly 70% of the parents said that the stigmas have a negative impact on their child’s well-being and mental health. This shows us how great of an impact society’s prejudices have on these youth. How it takes us a second to form a biased thought and to project it on another, but that thought stays with the other for a much longer time.

There were some important findings about stigma from this study. 69% of parents with a neurodivergent child said that they feel as if they’re the only ones who truly understand their kid, and 75% said that they feel their child is treated unfairly based on their LTDs. In addition to this, there was a greater percentage of kids with LTDs that struggled academically and emotionally in the school year than neurotypical kids. These kids struggled with maintaining their emotions in class, feeling anxiety about attending class, paying attention in class, and their self-confidence. Not only do these stigmas impact the kid, but they also impact the parent’s ability to help their kid. 55% of parents were afraid of telling others about their child’s LTD due to these stigmas, and of these some parents struggled to have a conversation with the child about their neurodivergence. These parents struggle with helping their child to maintain their emotions, and navigate their academic challenges. All in all, these stigmas place the child in a tough spot, from which they are unable to escape themselves or access help from a loved one.

However, there is hope. If parents take note of their child’s challenges, they can work up to having conversations about these and the child’s LTD. From the study, it was found that parents who took steps to have these conversations and provide support saw improvement in their neurodivergent child. There were improvements all around, in academics, emotion management, and the mental health and self-confidence of the child. It is no doubt a tough step to take, and a rough path to navigate, but it is the one a parent must take to help their kid. That is not to say that we, as a society, don’t have any responsibility towards these youth and their families. It is our responsibility to self-reflect, and keep ourselves in check. We must identify these stigmas inside our mindset, and work to erase them. We must actively see how we think of, act around, treat neurodivergent youth. Whether we are adequate in our behavior or not. If we see shortcomings in our behavior, we should work on self-improvement and accommodating neurodivergent youth. These stigmas do not come into existence out of nowhere. It is us, as a society, that breathes them into being, and so, it is our duty to take them out. Out of ourselves, and out of the world in which we all live, neurodivergent and neurotypical alike.

References-

Understood.org neurodiversity and stigma study. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_understood/177839/Understood.org%20Neurodiversity%20and%20Stigma%20Study.pdf