The word neuro-affirming was born from our community — from Autistic, ADHD, and otherwise neurodivergent people demanding change and a right to live as our authentic neurodivergent selves. It emerged as a rejection of behaviourism, pathology, and neuronormativity. It calls for practice grounded in understanding, connection, and dignity rather than control or compliance.

As Nick Walker (2021) reminds us, the neurodiversity paradigm is not about celebrating difference in a superficial way — it’s about fundamentally rejecting the pathology paradigm. To be neuro-affirming is to resist the idea that there is a single correct way to think, feel, or communicate. It’s an ethical stance, not a therapeutic technique.

Yet the term neuro-affirming is increasingly being attached to the very systems it was created to move beyond. Clinics now advertise “neuro-affirming ABA” or “neuro-affirming behaviour support,” language that sounds progressive but conceals dangerous practices rooted in control and compliance. This trend is not harmless. It misleads those seeking safe, affirming care and risks erasing the hard-won progress our community has built over decades.

As Chapman (2022) observes, behaviourism operates within broader systems of oppression — neoliberalism, ableism, and what he terms neurotypical hegemony — where conformity is rewarded and divergence is pathologised. To attach the word neuro-affirming to such systems is to strip it of integrity and reduce a radical movement for autonomy and justice to a marketing slogan.

When professionals borrow the langauge of the neurodiversity movement without changing the systems of control behind it, the result is confusion and harm. Behaviourism and neuro-affirmative care are fundamentally incompatible — one is about compliance, the other about connection.

Kieran Rose explained all of this very eloquently and powerfully in their blog last week The Danger of Misunderstanding Neuro-Affirming Practice (Oct, 2025) if you want a deeper dive!

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What Neuroaffirming Practice Really Means

Behaviourism is based on the belief that human behaviour can and should be observed, measured, and modified to meet the expectations to fit into society a certain way. It assumes that certain ways of communicating, moving, or relating are preferable, usually those that align with neurotypical expectations and the dominant social norm.

Behaviourism is neuro-conformist NOT neuro-affirming.

To describe ABA, PBS, or any behaviourist approach as neuro-affirming is an oxymoron. You cannot affirm someone’s neurotype while intervening and trying to make them appear less Autistic or less neurodivergent. The two frameworks rest on opposite values: behaviourism seeks control, while neuro-affirmative practice seeks understanding and connection.

As Kieran Rose pointed out in their recent blog, ‘The Danger of Misunderstanding Neuro-Affirming Practice (Oct 2025);

“There’s been a lot of debate lately about whether “neuro-affirming” practice is just another form of brain determinism.

It isn’t.

The real problem isn’t the Neurodiversity Paradigm, it’s Neurodiversity-Lite: the watered-down, performative version that borrows the language of affirmation but strips it of meaning. It pathologises, reduces people to “brains,” and in doing so, ends up reproducing the very harm it claims to resist.

True neuro-affirming practice rejects determinism. It centres lived experience, identity, agency, and the messy realities of human lives. It isn’t about boxing people in, it’s about creating conditions where they can thrive as themselves while also challenging the systems that punish difference.”

Rose, K. (2025) The Danger of Misunderstanding Neuro-Affirming Practice

Neuro-affirmative practice begins from a radically different foundation in that Autistic and neurodivergent ways of being are already valid. As Dundon (2024) writes, neurodiversity-affirming practice “acknowledges that all brain types, including those that are different to what society considers the norm, are equal in value and valid in their right to exist.”

This means valuing strengths, accommodating challenges, and respecting differences in communication, learning, and behaviour. Dundon (2024) outlines Seven Guiding Principles of Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice:

1. Tailor support to individual needs.
2. Presume competence.
3. Promote autonomy.
4. Respect all communication styles.
5. Be informed by neurodivergent voices.
6. Take a strengths-based approach.
7. Honour neurodivergent culture.
   
   

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Protecting the Heart of the Neurodiversity Movement

The neurodiversity movement has always been about self-definition, collective care, and systemic change. We need neuro-affirmative practice that centres neurodivergent perspectives, rejects deficit-based models, and values autonomy, interdependence, and lived experience.

Behaviourism, by design, relies on external control. Neuro-affirmative practice, by contrast, is grounded in relational trust. To combine them under one label — as in the alarming trend of “neuro-affirming ABA” — empties the word neuro-affirming of its meaning. It is not evolution; it is appropriation. It is deeply harmful and painfully misguiding for those families trying to navigate the mass of misinformation out there to gain support for themselves or loved ones.

A great guide for authentic neuro-affirmative practice is embodied in Thriving Autistic’s “Commitment to Neuro-Affirmative Practice” (Neurodivergent Practitioners Directory, 2025), which outlines what genuine, ethical neuro-affirmative practice looks like and was inspired by the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective International.

I am honoured to work with Thriving Autistic as this commitment shows what neuro-affirmative work looks like in practice, not through neurodiversity-lite slogans, but through everyday ethics and accountability.

• We presume competence
• We offer alternative & augmentative communication methods
• We advocate for self-determination
• We advocate for inclusion
• We facilitate self-advocacy skills
• We do not support ABA practice or any methodologies that teach compliance
• We take a strengths-based approach
• We respect each client’s autonomy
• We respectfully appreciate intersectionality in both ourselves and our clients & work to unpack any privilege we may have
• We are actively anti-racist
• We are LGBTQIA+ affirmative
• We actively seek out Continual Professional Development (CPD), research and learnings from other neurodivergent adults
• We use identity-first language while respecting individual clients’ preferences

Thriving Autistic (Neurodivergent Practitioners Directory), (2025). Commitment to Neuro-Affirmative Practice. https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/about-verified-practitioners/

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Beyond “Neurodiversity-Lite”

In recent years, the words neurodiversity and neuro-affirming are popping up everywhere. Infinity symbols seem to be decorating therapists websites, clinic walls and educational spaces. At first, this visibility looks like progress, it is as though the world is finally listening to us, but unfortunately, this is sometimes surface-level and tokenistic.

Neurodiversity-lite describes a surface-level, performative use of neurodiversity, using language and phrases like “different, not less” without the deeper commitments to disability justice, systemic change, and lived experience that define the neurodiversity paradigm.

The neurodiversity paradigm is not just a set of nice words, it’s a political and cultural framework rooted in disability rights, the human rights movement and the social model of disability. It recognises neurological differences as part of human biodiversity, calling for societies to adapt rather than expecting individuals to “overcome” their neurology and be “fixed” or “treated”. It demands accessible environments, autonomy, and an end to ableist structures.

Neurodiversity Lite, by contrast, adopts this vocabulary but discards the politics. It swaps liberation for awareness and swaps systemic reform for inspirational slogans, and grassroots leadership for token representation. This diluted framing can appear affirming while reinforcing control over Autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people’s bodies, choices, and our narratives.

“Neurodiversity-lite” happens when people use our language and symbols without changing their practice. It’s when organisations call themselves “neuro-affirming” while still relying on behaviourist frameworks. It’s when services rebrand with the infinity symbol but maintain the same systems of control beneath it.

This kind of tokenism turns inclusion into performance, a way to look progressive without real change. Using the infinity symbol and things like identity-first language whilst still enforcing neuro-conformity sends a confusing message to people and leaves people doubting who they can really trust.

Keeping Neuro-Affirming Practice Authentic and Community-Led

As I wrote earlier this year in my piece about the harm of neurodiver sity-lite; neuro-affirming practice “is not a toolkit or checklist — it’s a paradigm shift.”

True neuro-affirmative practice means shifting the power imbalance, making systemic changes, listening to the lived experience of neurodivergent people, and letting go of methods that prioritise compliance over wellbeing.

Our language and symbols carry deep meaning. They were created within our communities to represent pride, connection, and resistance to the systems that try to “normalise” or “fix” us. When systems adopt our language and symbols without our values, they hollow it out.

To keep neuro-affirming practice authentic, it must remain community-led and be accountable to the Autistic and neurodivergent people who shaped it, not to the institutions that once (and still do) pathologise us.

Neurodiversity-Lite	Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice	Key References
Marketable, apolitical branding	Grounded in disability justice & rights frameworks	Walker (2021); Chapman (2020)
Controlled by institutions; professionals and those in power set the agenda	Led by neurodivergent and disabled communities	Botha (2020); Milton (2012)
Token awareness days & slogans and using language of neurodiversity without action	Structural change, accessibility, and autonomy	Walker (2021); Doherty, McCowan & Shaw (2023); Kapp (2020)
Individual “inspiration” stories	Collective belonging, care, and interdependence	hooks (1999); Kapp (2020)
Maintains neuronormative domination	Challenges systemic ableism & oppression	Botha & Gillespie-Lynch (2022); Walker (2021)
Isolated from wider struggles and lived experience	Intersectional solidarity with justice movements	Botha (2020); Botha & Gillespie-Lynch (2022); Walker (2021); Crenshaw (1991); Yergeau (2017)

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Neuro-Affirming Practice: From Behaviour Control to Human Connection

Neuro-affirming practice is about creating safety so that authenticity can emerge. It values co-regulation over coercion, curiosity over correction, and connection over compliance.

When we replace control with understanding, we move from managing behaviour to meeting needs. When we shift from compliance to compassion, we make space for growth that honours both autonomy and interdependence.

True neuro-affirmative practice lives in our relationships, in the moments of trust, listening, and mutual adjustment, co-regulation, shared flow and accommodating differences. It cannot coexist with systems that treat behaviour as pathology or authenticity as defiance.

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Finally…….

Protecting the meaning of neuro-affirming practice means drawing clear, compassionate boundaries. Neuro-affirming practice cannot grow in spaces rooted in compliance, coercion, or control. It cannot be defined by those who have not lived its necessity or felt what it means to be unseen, unheard, or misread by the systems meant to help.

True neuro-affirmative practice and care is not a technique or a trend; it is a relational ethic. It begins in the quiet shift that happens when we stop trying to make people fit systems and instead reshape systems to fit people.

It’s about cultivating environments where difference is not merely tolerated but centred , where every way of thinking, feeling, and being is recognised as part of the shared human story rather than a deviation from it.

Neuro-affirming practice isn’t a trend, it’s a human rights commitment.

Neuro-affirmative practice rejects behaviourism, control, and compliance, it is rooted in the neurodiversity paradigm.

To affirm neurodivergence is to reshape systems, not people.

Neuro-affirmative practice places dignity, autonomy, and justice at the core of care. These are non-negotiable foundations, grounded in human rights and disability rights principles.

Let’s protect the meaning of being neuro-affirming — not as a tokenistic label to display, but as a living, ongoing commitment to dignity, authenticity, and genuine inclusive practice.

FREE EBOOK:
What does neurodiversity-affirming really mean?

Download the FREE E-BOOK in my shop.
What does neurodiversity-affirming really mean?
Created based on the webinar by Jess Garner from GROVE for The PDA Space.

Inside, you’ll find:
✨ A plain-language introduction to the neurodiversity paradigm and movement
✨ Why behaviourist approaches can harm neurodivergent people
✨ How to spot “neurodiversity-lite” and performative inclusion
✨ Practical ways to be neuro-affirming in education, parenting, and services
✨ Key concepts, language guidance, and red flags to watch for
✨ Links to further reading and community resources

This is more than just a language guide, it’s a call to shift mindsets, challenge deficit-based models, and create environments where neurodivergent people can thrive.

Download for free and take the first step toward truly neuro-affirming practice.

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References & Further Reading

Behaviourism and Neuro-Affirming Practice: A Clash of Paradigms

ABA/PBS and Behaviourism can never be trauma-informed or neurodiversity affirming

Chapman, R. (2022). Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism. Pluto Press

Dundon, R. (2024, February). Breaking down the basics of neurodiversity-affirming practice. JKP Blog. https://blog.jkp.com/2024/02/neurodiversity-affirming-practice/

Edgar, H., & Adkin, T. (2025, August 11). Embracing neurodiversity affirmative practice: A path to inclusive support for autistic people. National Autistic Society. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/embracing-neurodiversity-affirmative-practice

Edgar, H. (Autistic Realms), (2025). Authentic neurodiversity affirming practice matters. https://autisticrealms.com/authentic-neurodiversity-affirming-practice-matters/

Edgar, H. (Autistic Realms), (2025). Neuro-affirming language glossaries. https://autisticrealms.com/neuro-affirming-language-glossaries/

Edgar, H. (Autistic Realms), (2024). Top 5 neurodivergent informed strategies. https://autisticrealms.com/top-5-neurodivergent-informed-strategies/

Edgar, H. (Autistic Realms). (2025). Beyond “Neurodiversity-Lite”: Why Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice Matters. https://autisticrealms.com/authentic-neurodiversity-affirming-practice-matters/

Rose, K. (2025, October). The danger of misunderstanding neuro-affirming practice. The Autistic Advocate. https://theautisticadvocate.com/the-danger-of-misunderstanding-neuro-affirming-practice/

Stimpunks. (2025). Neuroaffirming. https://stimpunks.org/glossary/neuroaffirming/

Therapist Neurodiversity Collective. https://therapistndc.org/

Thriving Autistic (Neurodivergent Practitioners Directory). (2025). Commitment to neuro-affirmative practice. https://neurodivergentpractitioners.org/about-verified-practitioners/

Walker, N. (2021). Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities. Autonomous Press.

Neurodiversity-Affirmative Autism Assessments

Hartman, D., Kavanagh, M., Azevedo, J., O’Donnell-Killen, T., Doyle, J., Day, A., & Day. (2023). The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook: A Neurodiversity Affirmative Approach. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Kavanagh, M., Day, A., Hartman, D., O’Donnell-Killen, T., & Doyle, J. K. (2025). The Neurodiversity Affirmative Child Autism Assessment Handbook. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Seeking A Supportive Neuro-Affirming Practitioner?

Check out: Thriving Autistics’ Directory of Neurodivergent Neuro-Affirming Practitioners.

Read more:

Why PBS is Harmful for Autistic and Neurodivergent Young People

Why ABA Can Never Be Trauma-Informed: Not now. Not ever.

Neurodiversity and Autism Intervention (ABA) can’t be reconciled.

Behaviorism

Alternatives to ABA

The Danger of Misunderstanding Neuro-Affirming Practice