Neurodivergent? Disabled?

[Obrien8175]

Has anyone been told that their FND has now put them under the umbrellas of neurodiversity and/or disability?

[nurseny]

no but there is no way with my unstable gait that i cannot take care of my patients that are constantly falling themselves I am a nurse

[GillyA]

in the U.K., no one will diagnose you or tell you you are disabled. You have a health condition, the extent to which it impacts your daily life and to some extent your own attitude feeds in to how you think about yourself. Having said that,

[GillyA in reply to GillyA]

(carrying on - sent too early) there is a ‘disability discrimination act’ but it defines disability your life being impacted routinely or long term by a condition - so cancer, blindness, autoimmune disorders or FND can all meet the definition.

I have epilepsy and an autoimmune condition. None of my consultants have ever said I’m disabled. I don’t think of myself as disabled although I do meet the definition in the act. (Should say I’m on this forum as my brother has FND).

[Lecture in reply to GillyA]

You may be interested by this research : sciencedirect.com/science/a...

Yours

[Van604]

I am on disability because of my FND. It depends on how much your symptoms affect your functioning. I have been told that I am probably autistic, but not as a result of the FND. However, there is ongoing research looking at a possible link between FND and autism. I was told by a specialist that a lot of his FND patients are also autistic.

[Mattie21]

The definition of neurodiversity is very broad so anything that is not typical or normal brain. Fnd is a type of neurodiversity, along with many others including autism, adhd, cerebral palsy, MS, developmental delay. The neurodiversity affirming movement is really great and addresses a lot of stigma. How much burden do we experience with fnd because of healthcare disapproval over how we choose to manage our symptoms, and is that disapproval valid or justified. How harmful is that stigma to our overall levels of functioning and wellbeing. The neurodiversity movement says that being cured isn't about masking or trying to look normal. Instead it's about appreciating what makes you different, playing to your strengths and being supported by others who "get" you and appreciate you for who you are.

There is so much shame with fnd. And in many cases traditional healthcare perpetuates this. But one day things will change. And just like they acknowledge that aba therapy is harmful and promotes poor mental health for people with autism, the therapy framework for fnd will oneday change too. Accepting the boom and bust cycle in the OT guidelines rather than the less evidence base this is reversible you just need to believe it, and if you don't get better you're just not believing enough junk....

[Van604 in reply to Mattie21]

Could not agree more. Well said. I hope that day comes soon! In my experience, it's the doctors who are hanging on to the old "conversion" paradigm, and the think yourself better nonsense. The physios, OTs and other allied services I've seen have been much more pragmatic and helpful in assisting me in managing my condition. Even my psychologist, who my (Freudian) neuropsychiatrist had me see for a year and a half, concluded that my condition was not psychological and advised me to find a good neurologist! And I've been feeling a lot better since ditching that neuropsych and following my own gut. Some of his advice/"treatment" was really odd...

[Brokendeer]

Hi not sure I agree with Neurodiversity for FND, because FND is not a Normal Variation in the human population, it is an abnormal one according to the medical profession and certainly abnormal symptoms are experienced by all FND Sufferers.

Oxford Dictionary defines `NEURODIVERSITY' as the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioural traits, regarded as part of normal variation in the human population (used especially in the context of autistic spectrum disorders).

Autism: has been scientifically proven, EVERY SINGLE HUMAN has Autism traits and is on the Autistic Spectrum - some just happen to be more to the extreme ends of the considered normal range, yet we are all still on the same scale!

Disability: My personal definition is `do you need adjustments or adaptions to function in the day-to-day environment, be it equipment, pacing yourself or personal assistance in order to live independent'. If the answer to that question is Yes, then probably class yourself as disabled.

It was an eye opener though; that a High School in the UK, did tell able bodied students that even their fellow student who was paralysed and a permanent wheelchair user, were no less capable than an anyone else - which of course was aimed at taking the stigmatism out of the whole disabled label and not wanting discrimination towards the disabled student.

However, not entirely accurate- because obviously that wheelchair user is dependent on physical assistance, adaptions and adjustments i.e disabled toilet, special transport needs etc and could not freely do everything an able bodied person can without further adjustments or adaptions, even then, maybe not absolutely everything the same or indeed at all (like playing standard sports for example).

Hope this helps?

Look for the calm in the Storm!

[Blackwitch]

The definition is set out in section 6 of the Equality Act 2010. (UK)

It says you’re disabled if you have a physical or mental impairment, your impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do normal day-to-day activities. Some impairments are automatically treated as a disability, even if they don't affect your day-to-day activities. You’ll be covered if you have cancer, including growths that need removing before they become cancerous, are certified as blind, severely sight impaired, sight impaired or partially sighted, have multiple sclerosis, are HIV positive - even if you don't have any symptoms, have a severe disfigurement - for example severe facial scarring or a skin disease.

These are covered in Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010 and in Regulation 7 of the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010.