The COVID-19 pandemic not only uncovered vulnerabilities in worldwide care infrastructure but amplified the mental pandemic, specifically for neurodiverse individuals, such as people with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Where mental well-being has received increased limelight in past years, pandemic times uncovered that conventional care structures consistently fall short in providing for the individual requirements of neurodiverse people, and such individuals struggled with concerns that received little traction during pandemic times.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates over 970 million people worldwide suffer from mental wellbeing ailments, and diseases such as anxiety and depression saw a boom during pandemic times. For neurodiverse individuals, it became even worse, with unpredictable and immediate disruption in routines, increased overloads of stimuli through excessive use of technology, and reduced access to important supporting networks taking a toll significantly. Remote learning hurts neurodiverse students, and most specifically, autistic individuals, who rely on routine and anticipation in moving through their daily lives. The same happened with persons with ADHD, who, because of a lack of school and workplace environments, suffered from increased anxiety, difficulty in holding onto concentration, and increased tension. Transitioning to distance working and distance studying added symptoms, and closing in-person therapy shut off access to important mental wellness care, with many neurodiverse individuals getting locked out and deprived of tools that helped them to function.
However, the crisis prompted institutions to re-think about providing room for neurodiverse individuals. Schools and working environments started providing flexible scheduling, spaces for sensitivities, and individualized planning for individualized learning, in acceptance that one-fitting-everyone doesn’t work. In addition, studies on re-shaping therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for adults with autism and virtual interventions for adults with ADHD have taken off, providing new avenues for more effective intervention.
Noting the gravity of the issue, international entities such as the United Nations have urged governments to enact policies that include neurodiversity in mental frameworks, practices, and approaches in care and therapy, for impairments in executive function, and social communications differences.
Although such advances have been accomplished, a lot of work must yet be accomplished. Much mental service continues to fall below in supporting neurodiverse persons, and stigma continues to deny access to care. For the future, work must go towards enhancing access to individualized mental care, towards creating genuinely accessible environments, and towards mental care that recognizes and values neurological variation. Only then can we have a system in which everyone, no matter their differences, can have access to whatever care and support they require to flourish.
Leave a Reply