What is the Neurodiversity Paradigm? Exploring Thomas Kuhn's Theory of Paradigms Through Autism Advocacy

Society has experienced a significant shift in attitude towards Autism from Autism as a medical disorder to Autism as a part of the Neurodiversity Paradigm. Such attitudes have seen the abandonment of adverts that argue that Autism ‘kidnaps’ children to celebrities embracing their identity such as Fern Brady. However, the media has paid little attention to what is meant by a ‘paradigm’. It is often used incorrectly and explained as merely a set of assumptions. In reality, paradigms refer to a particular philosophical understanding of how science works that was developed by Thomas Kuhn. This series explains the shift in understanding Autism through Kuhn’s theory of paradigms