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Navigating Neurodiversity: A deep dive into diagnoses, treatments, and emerging solutions
Discover the fascinating world of neurodiversity! You'll explore conditions like Autism, ADHD, and OCD to uncover their science, causes, and how they’re represented in media. Dive into real-world topics, learn myths vs. facts, treatment options, and how neurodiverse individuals navigate a neurotypical world. By the end, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how we can build a more inclusive future in schools, workplaces, and beyond.
Week by week curriculum
Week 1
Introduction to Neurodiversity: Explore what neurodiversity is, how it’s diagnosed using the DSM-V, and how it’s portrayed in the media. Learn about the origins and current landscape of neurodiversity, including diagnosis statistics across conditions like ADHD, OCD, and ASD. Students will be introduced to the QuALMRI method for analyzing scientific papers and assigned their final project topics. Tools include PowerPoint presentations and anonymous surveys using Mentalab.
Week 2
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder, its causes, diagnosis, and symptoms, emphasizing its spectrum nature. Discuss common myths, such as vaccines as a cause, and explore media representations like Atypical and prodigy Derek Paravicini. Examine treatments, accommodations, and the experience of living with ASD in a neurotypical society while analyzing a related scientific paper in class.
Week 3
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Dive into ADHD’s origins, diagnosis changes, and overdiagnosis concerns. Explore the role of dopamine, gender disparities in diagnoses, and media portrayals. Learn about treatments, including stimulants, mindfulness, and concentration tactics like white noise. Discuss ADHD’s overlap with anxiety and depression, and reflect on the lived experiences of those with ADHD.
Week 4
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Anxiety: Understand OCD’s symptoms, origins, and its relationship with anxiety. Discuss the impact of media representations and whether casual language like "being OCD" is accurate or harmful. Learn about treatment options and highlight less commonly discussed neurodiverse conditions, broadening awareness of the neurodiversity spectrum.
Week 5
Mental Health and Neurodiversity: Explore tools and techniques for diagnosing and supporting neurodiverse individuals, such as music therapy, mindfulness, neurofeedback, and technology apps. Discuss how society can become more inclusive and whether treatments designed for neurotypical populations are effective for neurodiverse individuals.
Week 6
Presentations and Wrap-Up: Students will present their assigned scientific papers using the QuALMRI method, followed by a Q&A session. Conclude with a recap of the course, reflecting on key learnings, the challenges and benefits of neurodiversity, and strategies for building more inclusive environments in schools, workplaces, and communities.