Paid bonus: Neuro-affirmation for our neurodivergent children?

Should Christians endorse neuro-affirmation?

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Hello paid subscribers and founding members!

Thank you so much for your continued support of my work.

In this article, we’ll dive into neuro-affirmation: what it is, what it isn’t, how important it is, and how harmful misapplications of neuro-affirmation can be.

Also, at the end, I’d love to update you and ask for your prayers regarding some of the exciting things I’m involved in during the month of June—giving a keynote address, running a seminar, consulting, running a training session, helping with a workshop, guesting on a podcast, and writing a chapter for a parenting book.

Please keep me in your prayers. I’m so glad to have the privilege of working in this important space. Please pray for energy for me and that God would be working to help grow the church in maturity and love.

In him,

Kate

What is ‘neuro-affirmation’?

Neuro-affirmation is a concept that’s been gaining traction. It’s an important topic, and worth exploring together.

Some parents have asked me about neuro-affirmation from a Christian perspective. Claire*, the mother of an AuDHDer, shared her concern:

Whatever the true meaning of ‘neuro-affirming’ is, my sense that it seems to be interpreted as ‘neurodiverse people can be/do/say/behave however they want to be with little regard for the other, and everyone around me should just accept it, and encourage me to continue in this’ or ‘the most loving thing to do is let them be themselves’. I have reservations about this perspective for all humankind – because I believe we are all sinners in need of a Saviour.

So what is neuro-affirmation, really? How much of the person are we affirming? And should Christians be neuro-affirming?

What neuro-affirmation is—and isn’t

The term ‘neuro-affirmation’ (neuro = brain) reflects a shift away from deficit-based models—where autism and other forms of neurodivergence were mostly defined by what a person could NOT do.

Today, many people are beginning to understand the brain as more complex than ‘correct/ordered’ or ‘incorrect/disordered.’ Neurological differences are seen less as faults and more as natural variation. Neuro-affirmation embraces this view. It focuses on recognising each person’s strengths, supporting their agency, and working with them to build supportive environments.^[1]