New CBC Radio Show Spotlights Neurodiversity

What is neurodiversity? Is anybody really normal? How can we address the strengths of those who’ve been labeled as ADHD, dyslexia, autism, bipolar, or schizophrenic? Those are some of the questions that are addressed in a new Canadian Broadcasting Company Radio One program entitled: ”The Myth of Normal” which aired Part 1 on April 29, 2022 and Part 2 on May 9, 2022. The show brings together a number of voices in psychiatry, psychology, medicine, sociology, evolutionary biology, and the neurodiverse community to explore how what are considered ”mental disorders” may in prehistory have been advantages important for survival, and in today’s fast-paced world may actually be assets for working in technology, medicine, and a range of emerging disciplines. Included among those interviewed for the program are:

Steve Silberman, journalist and best-selling author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity;
Temple Grandin, animal scientist, autistic individual, and author of Visual Thinking, and The Autistic Brain;
Thomas Armstrong, psychologist and author of The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain;
Gabor Maté, physician, trauma expert, and author of Scattered Minds: A New Look at the Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder;
Ed Hallowell, psychiatrist, ADHD expert, and co-author of Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder;
Suzanne Antonetta, poet and author of A Mind Apart: Travels in a Neurodiverse World;
Judy Singer, sociologist, autism activist, originator of the term ”neurodiversity” and author of Neurodiversity: The Birth of an Idea;
Bernard Joseph Crespi, evolutionary biologist and professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.

The two-part series is part of Radio One’s weekly radio program ”Ideas” hosted by Nahlah Ayed. Listen to archived editions of this program: Part 1 – Part 2.

This show is great for opening up conversations about disabilities, the meaning of normality, neurodiversity at work, special education, and a range of other cultural, social, and scientific issues with family, friends, and colleagues. I hope you listen and share (links are available for posting on Twitter, Facebook, and email)! Enjoy!