Myths About Neurodiversity: A Community Perspective

Authors

Abstract

Myths and misinformation about neurodivergent people are widespread, persistent, and potentially harmful, affecting access to diagnosis, accommodations, and support. In this community perspective, we identify and address a carefully considered selection of harmful myths about neurodivergence, drawn from an international collaboration of researchers, practitioners, and community members with lived experience. We collected 56 myths via open submission, then reviewed and organized key myths in four themes: 1) myths about causation, which commonly frame neurodivergence as preventable and assign blame to individual behaviors, most often of parents/caregivers; 2) myths about legitimacy, which question who counts as genuinely neurodivergent and deserves support; 3) myths about ability, which cast neurodivergent people as either fundamentally impaired or exceptionally gifted; and 4) myths about identity and diversity, which prescribe who can be neurodivergent based on demographic characteristics and often erase diversity within neurodivergence. Across these themes, a common thread emerges: false beliefs about neurodivergent people can affect whose experiences are validated and who receives support. We argue that effective responses require not only debunking but also prebunking strategies, media literacy and education, and the active co-production of research with neurodivergent communities.

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