Neurodiversity: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

Neurodiversity is the idea that human brains function in a variety of ways. By understanding that people take in, process, and respond to information differently, we can appreciate how these profound differences affect the ways in which we experience the world and form relationships with one another. In spite of the central simplicity of this concept, the consequences of fully understanding and exploring neurodiversity can be transformative.

This Very Short Introduction looks at how neurodiversity has been understood in a variety of settings including education, research, workplace, health and social care, and criminal justice. Robert Chapman and Sue Fletcher-Watson also draw out interesting connections to models of disability, human rights, anti-capitalism, and intersectionality. Alongside this, they discuss how issues of gender, sexuality, neuroqueering, and decoloniality bear on neurodiversity. The book is an engaging read for students, thinkers, and practitioners interested in neurodiversity and its links to philosophy, psychology, sociology, political theory, medicine, and biology.


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Robert Chapman, Assistant Professor in Critical Neurodiversity Studies, Durham University,Sue Fletcher-Watson, Personal Chair in Developmental Psychology, University of Edinburgh

Robert Chapman is Assistant Professor in Critical Neurodiversity Studies at Durham University, where they are affiliated with the Institute for Medical Humanities. Chapman blog for Critical Neurodiversity and Psychology Today. Their books include Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism.

Sue Fletcher-Watson is Personal Chair in Developmental Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre. Her research draws on rigorous methods from psychology and applies these to questions with clinical, educational and societal impact. Fletcher-Watson's books include Autism: A new introduction to psychological theory and current debate.