Castleman Brooke V, Jarvinen Lamis Z, Jarvinen Michael K
Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, Western New England University, Springfield, MA 01119.
Research, Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurial Center, Westfield State University, Westfield, MA 01086.
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2024 Aug 31;22(3):A217-A223. doi: 10.59390/QCWZ6366. eCollection 2024 Spring.
Neurodiversity is a social justice movement at the nexus of neuroscience, academia, and public policy. A contemporary view of neurodiversity is one that embraces neurological differences, encompassing all "neurotypes," including more specific identifiers like autistic or dyslexic. The goal of this study was to investigate student awareness and perception of neurodiversity since they are the next generation of public policy makers. Students enrolled in Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience (N=146) were exposed to different information sources (popular, academic, TED talk, or choose/find their own) on the topic of neurodiversity. They then wrote a paper where they summarized: a) the information source used, b) their ideas to better support a neurodiverse society, and c) their opinions on aspects of neurodiversity. Several important findings emerged. First, 64% of the sample had never heard of the term neurodiversity; this class was their first exposure to it. Second, students conducting their own searches on neurodiversity had the highest level of optimism (p < 0.05) that society was ready to accept neurodiversity. Students identified even higher rates of receptivity (85%) amongst their friends. Third, student ideas to advance neurodiversity were organized into more salient categories for campuses to consider. Our findings challenge neuroscience programs to consider their role in providing "first exposure" opportunities to students in the diversity, equity, and inclusion realm, especially in areas directly related to our field. We also discuss the growing relevance of neurodiversity in research and academia and offer programming possibilities to enhance neurodiversity awareness and support on college campuses.
神经多样性是一场处于神经科学、学术界和公共政策交叉点的社会正义运动。神经多样性的当代观点是接纳神经学差异，涵盖所有“神经类型”，包括更具体的标识，如自闭症或诵读困难症患者。本研究的目的是调查学生对神经多样性的认识和看法，因为他们是下一代公共政策制定者。参加行为神经科学导论课程的学生（N = 146）接触了关于神经多样性主题的不同信息来源（大众、学术、TED演讲或自行选择/查找）。然后他们写了一篇论文，在论文中总结：a）所使用的信息来源，b）他们关于更好地支持神经多样性社会的想法，以及c）他们对神经多样性各方面的看法。出现了几个重要发现。首先，64%的样本从未听说过神经多样性这个术语；这门课程是他们首次接触到它。其次，自行搜索神经多样性信息的学生对社会准备好接受神经多样性的乐观程度最高（p < 0.05）。学生们发现他们的朋友中接受率更高（85%）。第三，学生们提出的推进神经多样性的想法被整理成更突出的类别，供校园考虑。我们的研究结果促使神经科学课程思考其在为学生提供多样性、公平性和包容性领域的“首次接触”机会方面所扮演的角色，特别是在与我们领域直接相关的领域。我们还讨论了神经多样性在研究和学术界日益增长的相关性，并提供了在大学校园增强神经多样性意识和支持的项目可能性。
