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Joined 11 months ago
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Cake day: December 7th, 2023

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  • Systemic ableism is the problem, not “having to deal with being neurodivergent”. Otherwise there would be no “solved” state. Though a solved state is pretty easy to get a decent definition of: A state wherein neurodivergent people have a equal outcomes in each area with respect to their neurotypical counterparts with the same base aptitude in the same subject matter, regardless of the differences in the path needed to realize whatever that aptitude is.

    Now, that said, that only describes something that is lacking. I haven’t even heard of an education system that doesn’t specifically punish neurodivergent behavior, which, worse than something that is missing everywhere, is a negative that is present everywhere. So let’s call eliminating this a compromise solve.

    As far as the ethnocentrism argument and it only being relevant if it’s solved somewhere, well, I guess the poor construction of that would be: “The ethnocentrism argument is only valid if there is an example of the problem being completely solved.” which I guess you sort or addressed effectively and I may have sloppily implied by accident. What I really was trying to say though, was, “The ethnocentrism argument only applies to this specific observation if you have an example of a school system to which the observation does not apply.” which I still stand by and still doubt you have such an example.


  • Can you name an education system globally that has solved the problems of diverse needs in education, and especially the type of neurodiverse needs that these types of memes generally reference? Because I do agree that activism that ignores diverse needs across a cultural and national axis is a problem, but it’s only a problem that applies here if there’s a place on Earth where this doesn’t apply.

    I used to have a sort of wishful thinking-esque belief that there were better places for the education of neurodivergent children. When I was much younger I thought it must be one of the other local districts near me. Then I thought maybe another US state or western country. Then I finally tried to think globally. But I’ve yet to hear a description, in all of that desperate searching, of a widespread approach to education that actually addresses these problems or even considers them problems. I’m open to being wrong though. Can you show me one? Can you point at even one? Because if my cultural bias has blanked one out I really want to know which.


  • I definitely never said that there aren’t education systems that are better than other education systems because none are perfect, or implied that at all.

    And the mistake you’ve made here is assuming that conceptually, something not being done correctly anywhere currently means it’s impossible. That idea basically negates the idea of human progress. There are lots of things currently being done that, in the past, were tried and failed simultaneously by many institutions across the planet before it was solved and the solution proliferated.

    Education that is applied equitably to people who have different needs is a problem that, if solved in the theoretical realm (still doubt), definitely hasn’t been solved at the implementation step widely anywhere. I don’t think you could name a single country where education outcomes are equitable for ND people with respect to their NT counterparts with similar base capabilities. But it’s definitely possible.



  • Not true. The state of the art of education is in a certain place where education systems that are doing the best anyone is doing are still doing so with ableist discrimination forward. Those looking to the “most successful” education systems will be imitating these practices as well. The current best is far from the best it could be though, and things could be changed radically to remove that ableist discrimination.




  • A different set of strengths can form the illusion of “powers” if the majority of the people with those strengths are gatekept by ableist systems. I think part of this is just a massive filtration of neurodivergent people who make it into the professional world at every level followed by the observation that we are rare afterward. Well, we aren’t, just the ones that succeeded with no systemic backing are rare.






  • Yes, and I used to get right to it and do it guilt free, but the negative association with having those things punished as a child and teen made it harder to enjoy things permanently. I think paradigms for raising kids right now kind of do this to kids that get fixated on stuff. There’s gotta be a way to nurture the deep enjoyment of things and still get the kid to eat and sleep and go to school (which is also broken and might make the whole thing harder to fix).