NEURODIVERSITY AND ADOLESCENCE

By

Stephanie Mines, Ph.D.

Copyright 5/12

Adolescent Neurological Development
Courtesy of Paul Thompson/
UCLA School of Medicine

I am old enough now to see some of the young children I have supported therapeutically become adolescents. I hope I am growing up as beautifully as they are! I must report that neurodiversity doesn't change the face of adolescence at the core. All the telling characteristics are the same such as increased independence, curiosity about sexuality and attractiveness, physical growth, developmental and hormonal shifts, expressive differentiation and, oh yes, rebelliousness. These are all good healthy signs! They reflect the vital surge that acknowledges adolescence as a new phase of life experience.

At the same time there are some unique qualities of this rite of passage for neurodiverse youth that can only be revealed by talking about individuals rather than stereotyping the process. I have treated Sophie, for instance, since she was 8 years old. She has been diagnosed with Rett Syndrome which is on the autism spectrum. She is nonverbal. This summer she will turn 14. She becomes increasingly more beautiful, expressive, sensitive and aware. She relishes the sisterhood circle of women that surrounds her and she relaxes deeply in the feminine companionship of her therapists, aunts, friends, and her best friend, her mom.

As Sophie's emotions have deepened so has her articulation of her needs through sounding, movement, gestures, facial expression, and the use of her language augmentation systems. Her love for her family and particularly her enjoyment of her younger brother's playful presence and the companionship of her peers is more overt. At the same time she pushes away as any teen-ager would, to make her individuated needs known.

Sophie as a teenager is more engaged with her art and the physical activities that she loves like yoga and dance. And now she is writing a book about her uniqueness and her unique family!

Like Sophie Jack began seeing me when he was 8 years old. At that time he had a resistance to growing up and that continues as a theme in Jack's life. He is challenged to interact appropriately with his peers and the adults around him and he is facing the challenge! With the support and encouragement of his wonderful family and his team of therapists Jack is learning to find his place in the adult world. He is cultivating the appropriate language and respect for others that is at the edge of his learning curve but he is approaching it, often with others egging him on, but he goes there!

Jack is developing his athletic and technological skills with an eye to the future. His ability to articulate clearly is enhanced as he finds the value of friends and relationships. His desire to connect is beginning to supersede his anger and withdrawal. Go Jack!


If we keep our eye on the health of our neurodiverse youth we see their sensory abundance. It is not that they lack empathy and a theory of mind as many experts have stated. I beg to differ. My experience with neurodiverse children and youth convince me that their perceptions are abundant. Their struggle is sorting what they feel from everyone around them and finding a communicative medium. This has been a lonely, internal process in most cases. If we can become conscious of this then we will see how deeply our neurodiverse young people need the assistance of the adults around them to evolve into their maturity. Adolescence is a rite of passage with an obstacle course built around understanding one's feelings and expressing them. All adolescents struggle with this but neurodiverse adolescents much more so. Their enormous potential is evident if we invest ourselves in their health and support them wherever they are successful. This emphasis must dominate over an emphasis on dysfunction or "disorder."

Adults are the ones who need to cultivate empathy and theory of mind for neurodiverse youth. We are called to the kindness and compassion, patience and attunement necessary to help our neurodiverse youth communicate their complex inner experience even if, or especially if, they are nonverbal.

My forthcoming book due to be released next year from Jessica Kingsley Publications will provide you with a bounty of resources so that you can be this loving support network for the neurodiverse youth in your family, community or healthcare practice. I'm sorry I can't tell you the title yet because we are still sorting out our options! Somehow this is quite fitting for a book on neurodiversity! Get ready to revel in my theories and illustrations of sensory abundance and limbic stimulation. These will fuel you with renewed enthusiasm for the innovative and creative thinking that is needed to allow our neurodiverse youth to make their remarkable contributions to humanity. If you would like previews of these please attend my programs throughout the world. I am so excited about my research and designs for neurodiverse children and youth that I share them wherever I teach.