Many changes suggested by commenters have been incorporated. Items on employment and education have been added. Some items have been combined to make room for other points that had been overlooked. The introduction has been expanded to clarify issues around the words "privilege" and "neurotypical." A link to an article on confronting privilege has been added. Headings have been included to facilitate easier reading.
This is intended as a semi-final draft, and is still open to modification as needed. Please discuss any concerns in the comments section. As with the other posts on this topic, attempts to derail the discussion are not welcome, and will be deleted.
A Checklist of Neurotypical Privilege
Since its publication in 1988, Peggy McIntosh’s essay, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, has come to be seen as a standard tool for examining the often unacknowledged advantages conferred on the white majority. The article has since been adapted to reflect the advantages of many other majority groups, spawning lists of straight, thin, cisgender, class, (temporarily) able-bodied and other forms of privilege. As far as I know, the advantages of being neurotypical (having a neurology that roughly corresponds to societal expectations) have not previously been listed in a systematic way, with the goal of encouraging a similar analysis.
This explains the genesis of this list, but not its reason for being. As autistic adults, we have often found ourselves excluded from organizations claiming to speak for us. We have been told that our thoughts and experiences are of no value in general discussions of autism. Autistic adults who dare to speak openly on topics related to autism are often treated with condescension, ridicule and disdain. Autistic children are restrained in isolation rooms, bullied not only by peers but by teachers, while some of us have been told this is not our concern. Autistic adults are tasered by police for their communication and movement differences. Every year, autistic children and adults are murdered for no reason other than their neurology. A life in which a person can be fairly sure these things will not happen to her/him is a privileged life. Having one’s views taken seriously on these subjects is another example of privilege.
Autistic people are not the only ones affected by neurotypical privilege. Neurodiversity is a broad concept, including the entire range of human experience. We recognize that people labeled with ADD, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and a multitude of other conditions considered disorders by society also experience marginalization. However, this list was constructed by autistic people and allies, and will surely fall short of addressing neurotypical privilege as it impacts other groups.
Additionally, the authors of this list acknowledge that the term “neurotypical” has been identified as problematic, since even persons who may not have a specified neurological difference may not see themselves as “typical,” and that there is technically no such thing as a “typical” brain. We understand—and celebrate—that every single individual is complex and unique. We have chosen “neurotypical” precisely because of its neutrality—it is neither positive nor negative. This is not the place to entertain long discussions about the perceived implications of the term. Those discussions only serve to derail conversations about truly vital issues, such as exclusion, abuse, torture, and murder.
In compiling this list, we have been acutely aware that the topic of privilege is one many people find hard to digest. For anyone who has not come across the concept before, or who feels that he or she does not fully understand what it means in this context, I highly recommend reading the original McIntosh article in its entirety before beginning the list of neurotypical privilege presented here. For those who find themselves feeling defensive upon reading, you are not alone. For most of us, this is a necessary part of the process of acknowledging and understanding privilege. Here are a few basic things to remember about privilege:
Privilege is not your fault. It is an artifact of systems that favor some people over others, systems that have evolved naturally to meet the needs of the majority, but have failed to provide adequate accommodations for those outside it. For more information on understanding and confronting privilege, please see this link.
Privilege is not, in itself, a terrible thing. Having any form of privilege does not make you a bad person. Just about everyone has some form of privilege. No, that doesn’t mean it all somehow “balances out.” A person can have, for example, white privilege, male privilege, class privilege, and heterosexual privilege, while still lacking neurotypical privilege. Likewise, not all autistic people have had the same experiences; other forms of privilege can act as a cushion against many of the harsher realities endured by those who belong to multiple disenfranchised groups.
The statement that privilege exists is not an accusation or attempt to blame. It is an invitation to see your experiences and the experiences of others in a new light. It is not an admonition to change the world, but a simple tool with which to begin considering if, possibly, some changes might be worth working toward.
Checklist of Neurotypical Privilege
Safety
1. I have never been told, because of my neurology, that I am incapable of feeling pain.
2. If I have a medical problem, I do not worry that my doctor will dismiss it as part of my neurotypicality.
3. When attempting to purchase health insurance, I know that I will not be rejected because I am NT.
4. If I am bullied or abused, people will not assume that my neurology means I am at least partially to blame, or that the abuse would stop if I tried harder to behave like someone else.
5. I can assume that police officers will not become alarmed at my natural body language and find it necessary to subdue me in advance of any wrongdoing.
6. I do not have to carry a special card or bracelet with me to explain my natural body movements or the sounds I naturally make.
7. I am not considered more dangerous and more likely to commit a crime because of my neurology.
8. People of my neurology are not generally considered burdensome to our families or to tax-payers.
9. Nobody will murder me because of my neurology.
10. If I am murdered, my murderer will not be let off because my murder was deemed “an act of mercy,” or given a light sentence because of the stress caused by interacting with me.
11. I do not have to fear that important decisions about my life will be made by others who are considered more qualified based on their neurology.
12. I am not expected to accept seclusion rooms, restraints, or neuro-enhancing drugs as conditions of my educational experience.
Inclusion
13. For a child of my neurotype, everyday teaching of the skills they will need to live in this society is called education or parenting—not therapy, treatment, or intervention.
14. If someone of my neurology can do something well, I will not be punished for being unable to do the same thing well or at all.
15. People do not constantly tell me that I need to work on the things which I am very bad at, at the expense of things which I am good at and enjoy doing.
16. People who have power over my education will probably not decide that, instead of receiving the academic education most of my peers receive, it would be best for me if my time in school were spent learning non-academic “skills.”
17. I can reveal my neurology to my boss and coworkers without fear of losing my job.
18. I can ask for technical or social support on the job without being seen as a troublemaker or charity case.
19. People do not automatically assume that the best place for me to live is an institution.
20. The majority of people who make the laws of my nation share my neurology.
21. The services that I need to survive not only already exist, but even if I use those services on a 24-hour basis, I will still be considered independent.
22. When I need help performing a particular task, I can ask for help without having to produce documentation to prove I actually need help with it. The help will most often be provided in a manner I can understand, and will not be considered an inconvenience or an act of pity.
23. No one sees my neurology as being in need of elimination or cure.
24. If I am visibly upset, people generally assume something must have upset me, and will generally try to help me.
25. People do not suggest that groups that are made for the benefit of people of my neurological type be led and ruled by people of a different neurological type, because mine is seen as inherently incapable.
26. I have never had to take a single test that determines, for my entire lifetime, whether I get to communicate.
Relationships
27. My family, friends, and significant others are not told that I am incapable of relating to other human beings.
28. If I am an adult, I can be a sexual being without the assumption that any partner attracted to me must be a predator or pedophile.
29. I am never told that I should not have children lest I pass on the genes that cause them to share my neurological type.
30. No one speculates about whether I am competent to raise children based solely on my neurology.
31. People do not assume that living in the same household as me is inherently “tragic” or “devastating,” or that my family, friends and partner will need a support group to deal with living with me.
32. I will not be asked to leave a public place, or to change where I live, because people are uncomfortable with my neurotypical behaviors.
33. If I am unhappy, people do not automatically assume my unhappiness is the result of me being who I am.
34. My opinions on social mores and societal issues are not dismissed based on my neurology or on the assumption that I am incapable of understanding how these things work. Likewise, my gender identity and sexual orientation are not discounted because of my neurology.
1. I have never been told, because of my neurology, that I am incapable of feeling pain.
2. If I have a medical problem, I do not worry that my doctor will dismiss it as part of my neurotypicality.
3. When attempting to purchase health insurance, I know that I will not be rejected because I am NT.
4. If I am bullied or abused, people will not assume that my neurology means I am at least partially to blame, or that the abuse would stop if I tried harder to behave like someone else.
5. I can assume that police officers will not become alarmed at my natural body language and find it necessary to subdue me in advance of any wrongdoing.
6. I do not have to carry a special card or bracelet with me to explain my natural body movements or the sounds I naturally make.
7. I am not considered more dangerous and more likely to commit a crime because of my neurology.
8. People of my neurology are not generally considered burdensome to our families or to tax-payers.
9. Nobody will murder me because of my neurology.
10. If I am murdered, my murderer will not be let off because my murder was deemed “an act of mercy,” or given a light sentence because of the stress caused by interacting with me.
11. I do not have to fear that important decisions about my life will be made by others who are considered more qualified based on their neurology.
12. I am not expected to accept seclusion rooms, restraints, or neuro-enhancing drugs as conditions of my educational experience.
Inclusion
13. For a child of my neurotype, everyday teaching of the skills they will need to live in this society is called education or parenting—not therapy, treatment, or intervention.
14. If someone of my neurology can do something well, I will not be punished for being unable to do the same thing well or at all.
15. People do not constantly tell me that I need to work on the things which I am very bad at, at the expense of things which I am good at and enjoy doing.
16. People who have power over my education will probably not decide that, instead of receiving the academic education most of my peers receive, it would be best for me if my time in school were spent learning non-academic “skills.”
17. I can reveal my neurology to my boss and coworkers without fear of losing my job.
18. I can ask for technical or social support on the job without being seen as a troublemaker or charity case.
19. People do not automatically assume that the best place for me to live is an institution.
20. The majority of people who make the laws of my nation share my neurology.
21. The services that I need to survive not only already exist, but even if I use those services on a 24-hour basis, I will still be considered independent.
22. When I need help performing a particular task, I can ask for help without having to produce documentation to prove I actually need help with it. The help will most often be provided in a manner I can understand, and will not be considered an inconvenience or an act of pity.
23. No one sees my neurology as being in need of elimination or cure.
24. If I am visibly upset, people generally assume something must have upset me, and will generally try to help me.
25. People do not suggest that groups that are made for the benefit of people of my neurological type be led and ruled by people of a different neurological type, because mine is seen as inherently incapable.
26. I have never had to take a single test that determines, for my entire lifetime, whether I get to communicate.
Relationships
27. My family, friends, and significant others are not told that I am incapable of relating to other human beings.
28. If I am an adult, I can be a sexual being without the assumption that any partner attracted to me must be a predator or pedophile.
29. I am never told that I should not have children lest I pass on the genes that cause them to share my neurological type.
30. No one speculates about whether I am competent to raise children based solely on my neurology.
31. People do not assume that living in the same household as me is inherently “tragic” or “devastating,” or that my family, friends and partner will need a support group to deal with living with me.
32. I will not be asked to leave a public place, or to change where I live, because people are uncomfortable with my neurotypical behaviors.
33. If I am unhappy, people do not automatically assume my unhappiness is the result of me being who I am.
34. My opinions on social mores and societal issues are not dismissed based on my neurology or on the assumption that I am incapable of understanding how these things work. Likewise, my gender identity and sexual orientation are not discounted because of my neurology.
Respect
35. I expect people to presume intellect and competence with me.
36. If I fail, most will encourage me by telling me that I will ultimately succeed.
37. If I fail to understand autistic people, this is attributed to a deficit inherent in autistic people rather than in me.
38. If I have a particular talent or ability, I can demonstrate that talent without being called an “idiot savant” or my talent being called a “splinter skill” or some other demeaning word.
39. The definitions of rude and irritating conduct were developed by and for people with my neurology.
40. I am not praised for acting less neurotypical or punished for acting more neurotypical.
41. I am not expected to alter or suppress my natural ways of moving, interacting, or expressing emotion in most circumstances.
42. If I fail to alter or suppress my natural ways of moving, interacting, or expressing emotion, I do not fear public ridicule or exclusion because of this.
43. When prospective parents and others speak of wanting a “healthy child,” I know that they mean a child like me.
44. People don't accuse me of grandiosity or derisively dismiss it if I suggest that some admirable historical figure might have been neurotypical.
45. It is considered good for people who are not like me to try to act more like me.
46. My natural movements and traits are not used by my peers to ridicule others of their neurological type, either jokingly or maliciously.
47. I am never told that the fact I have a certain cognitive skill means that I am lying when I say I lack another cognitive skill. Nor am I dismissed as incapable of things I truly can do because I lack certain cognitive skills.
48. I can discuss my interests at length without this being viewed as a “symptom.”
49. When I communicate, people do not gather in crowds around me and gawk.
50. My behaviors, abilities, and skill levels at age 2 or 3 are considered indicative of an immature phase of life that will pass naturally, not as representative of my prognosis for the rest of life.
Definition of terms
35. I expect people to presume intellect and competence with me.
36. If I fail, most will encourage me by telling me that I will ultimately succeed.
37. If I fail to understand autistic people, this is attributed to a deficit inherent in autistic people rather than in me.
38. If I have a particular talent or ability, I can demonstrate that talent without being called an “idiot savant” or my talent being called a “splinter skill” or some other demeaning word.
39. The definitions of rude and irritating conduct were developed by and for people with my neurology.
40. I am not praised for acting less neurotypical or punished for acting more neurotypical.
41. I am not expected to alter or suppress my natural ways of moving, interacting, or expressing emotion in most circumstances.
42. If I fail to alter or suppress my natural ways of moving, interacting, or expressing emotion, I do not fear public ridicule or exclusion because of this.
43. When prospective parents and others speak of wanting a “healthy child,” I know that they mean a child like me.
44. People don't accuse me of grandiosity or derisively dismiss it if I suggest that some admirable historical figure might have been neurotypical.
45. It is considered good for people who are not like me to try to act more like me.
46. My natural movements and traits are not used by my peers to ridicule others of their neurological type, either jokingly or maliciously.
47. I am never told that the fact I have a certain cognitive skill means that I am lying when I say I lack another cognitive skill. Nor am I dismissed as incapable of things I truly can do because I lack certain cognitive skills.
48. I can discuss my interests at length without this being viewed as a “symptom.”
49. When I communicate, people do not gather in crowds around me and gawk.
50. My behaviors, abilities, and skill levels at age 2 or 3 are considered indicative of an immature phase of life that will pass naturally, not as representative of my prognosis for the rest of life.
Definition of terms
Majority: The dominant group.
Minority: (1) A racial, religious, political, national, or other group thought to be different from the larger group of which it is part; (2) A group having little power or representation relative to other groups within a society; (3) a member of one of these groups.
Neurotypical: (1) Having a type of neurology that is expected and/or favored by the society in which one lives. (i.e., having a “normal” or “typical” brain, and the typical sensory processing/body movements/facial expressions associated with a typical neurological system.)
We: (1) The people who helped to create this document—most of us autistic or with other less typical neurology; (2) those who support the recognition of human rights for autistic people and others with less typical neurology.
