Understanding differences

Question 1

Why is it important to understand typical development?

Answer 1

1. allows us to understand variations in speech, language, and communication development
2. gives us a framework that allows us to prioritise by seeing who needs more support

Question 2

What are the main approaches to understanding development?

Answer 2

1. medical
2. social
3. impairment
4. developmental
5. educational
6. functional
7. psychological
8. biopsychological
9. ecological
10. neurodiverse

Question 3

Why might terminology use be important?

Answer 3

1. may reflect social biases
2. may affect treatment of the child and the support they are offered

Question 4

What did Bottini et al (2023) find about language in autism research?

Answer 4

Medical language continues to dominate autism research over neuro-affirming language

Question 5

What does the neurodiversity paradigm do for autism (Bottini et al)?

Answer 5

Incorporates alternative neuro-affirming language to describe autistic experiences without presuming incompetence or pathology

Question 6

What terms reflect neuro-affirming language?

Answer 6

strengths, differences, challenges, difficulties

Question 7

What terms reflect medical language?

Answer 7

problem, impairment, non-verbal, minimally speaking, deficit, atypical, typical

Question 8

What is a neurodevelopmental disorder/condition classified as?

Answer 8

child disability

Question 9

Where do neurodevelopmental disorders/conditions come from?

Answer 9

1. when complex genetic and environmental factors come together to change brain development
2. tend to run in families
3. exact causes have in many cases not been identified

Question 10

Who coined the term neurodiversity?

Answer 10

Judy Springer 1999

Question 11

What is a limitation of research into typical development?

Answer 11

not based on multicultural or multilingual research