Introduction to the neurodiversity paradigm & intersectionality
11 October 2023, 5:30pm to 7:00pm (NZDT) / (in your time zone)

Intensity: 3 hours
Education about the neurodiversity paradigm and intersectionality is not the same as education about neurodiversity. It answers an important question:
How does the mindset and language of the new paradigm differ from the language in the old paradigm?
Please note that this course is not intended to answer all the questions that you may have about Autistic culture, and Autistic people and their needs. Instead it is intended to introduce you to a new way of conceptualising and thinking about human diversity, and to raise your level of awareness about human ways of being that lie beyond your own lived experience and beyond your own cultural background and internalised social expectations.
Registration
You will receive a confirmation of your registration, including access to the learning environment and all the course materials for self-paced learning once we have received your payment.
This course includes:
✓ Materials for self-paced learning
✓ Access to a workspace for Q&A
✓ Collective learning in Open Space
Payment
Your learning journey
This course combines multiple ways of learning:
A. Self-paced learning
You can start your learning journey as soon as you receive the payment confirmation email with access details to the course workspace and the learning materials:
- A 75-minute video and a corresponding course handbook that presents educational content in a visual format, including additional references
- Approximately 15 minutes of reflection on your own experiences and on the course content, to identify questions for interactive discussion
- Asynchronous and / or 15 minutes of interactive Q&A depending on your preference
- 60 minutes of interactive participant driven discussion in Open Space break out groups, together with Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent volunteers from the AutCollab community
- Completion of the courses via a 15-minute comprehension quiz
B. Asynchronous collective learning
During the course you have continuous access to a dedicated anonymous online workspaces for Q&A, Open Space discussion, and collective learning in a safe environment.
C. Interactive learning
After you have worked through the visual content of the presentation or the course handbook, and have noted down your questions, including perhaps one or more topics for discussion in Open Space, you are ready to join the scheduled Zoom meeting for interactive discussion. As needed you can protect your identity by submitting potentially sensitive questions privately, via text chat to the course facilitator.
Content
- Motivation
- Terminology
- The social model of disability
- Dimensions of divergence from neuronormativity
- Intersectionality
- Autistic ways of being and the LGBTQIA+ kaleidoscope
- Autistic ways of being and kinetic / Aroreretini (ADHD) ways of being
- The communal definition of Autistic ways of being / Takiwātanga
- Anthropological background
- Exposing the cultural bias of normality
- The role of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
- Transdisciplinary understanding of human learning and wellbeing
- The connection between neurodiversity and creativity
- Ableism and lived experience
- Frequently asked questions
This professional education course has been developed by and with Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent volunteers from the Autistic Collaboration Trust. In order to continue to develop and deliver high quality education, we have partnered with S23M, a healthcare solutions advisory company in Aotearoa New Zealand that is operated entirely by Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent educators and digital health technology professionals. 80% of the revenue from this course is used to fund course delivery and provide livelihoods for S23M employees and their families, and 20% of the revenue is donated to the the Autistic Collaboration Trust, to support and scale peer support initiatives and advocacy campaigns.
For bulk registrations for larger organisations and teams, please use our online inquiry form to outline your needs, and our team will contact you to confirm the most appropriate delivery format, the cost, suitable dates and times, and as needed the location(s) for on-site delivery.
