The Joy School Unlocking a Child's Learning Potential

The History of Neurodiversity

BY LAURA SPAULDING Staff Writer/Consultant

There's an ongoing avalanche of brain research, educational and curricular trends, and technological advances impacting the world of education and how we think and talk about learning differences and disabilities. Here are some changes in how we think about learning disabilities and disorders over The Joy School’s lifetime which have informed how we do what we do.

 

1950s

• First edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I) is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), with 60 diagnoses.

 

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1960s

• Second edition (DSM-II) is published, with 145 diagnoses.

• In the early 20th century, the term “learning disability” emerged, but it wasn’t widely recognized until 1963 when psychologist Samuel A. Kirk first used the term at an education conference.

• The Association for Children with Learning Disabilities (ACLD), now known as the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), was established in 1964.

• The first federal law supporting kids with learning disabilities was passed in 1969.

 

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1970s

• Several court cases and laws were passed, shaping the future of education for students with disabilities including The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and requires that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) requiring all states to provide equal access to education for children with disabilities.

 

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1980s

• Third edition (DSM-III) is published, with a new multiaxial system and 265 diagnoses.

• The Handicapped Children’s Protection Act was signed into law, giving parents of children with disabilities more say in the development of their child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP).

 

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1990s

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, banning discrimination against people with disabilities.

• The fourth edition of the DSM (DSM-IV) was published in 1994, three years before The Joy School was founded. It contained 297 diagnoses, including the first introduction of the Aspbergers diagnosis.

• The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was replaced by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which emphasizes special education services.

• The term “neurodiversity” is first coined by Judy Singer, an Australian social scientist and autism advocate, in her 1998 honors thesis drawing on the concept of biodiversity to describe the diversity of human brains and minds.

 

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2000s

• The neurodiversity movement begins to take shape, with a focus on autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

• The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2002 as a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included provisions such as annual testing, annual academic progress, report cards, and teacher qualifications.

• In 2004, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized, including an addition of response to intervention that could be used in the identification of students with learning disabilities.

 

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2010 - Present Day

• Fifth edition (DSM-5) is published in 2013, with a new organizational structure and 300 diagnoses. Asperger’s syndrome (among others) is removed as an official medical diagnosis.

• The neurodiversity movement gains momentum with the rise of online communities and advocacy groups and expands to include a broader range of conditions, such as Tourette’s syndrome, dyslexia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

• In 2013, the term “neurodiversity” is officially recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.

• In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed, replacing No Child Left Behind and provisions for students with learning disabilities. 

 

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While all these cultural, educational, and therapeutic changes have continued to inform how we approach learning differences, The Joy School's timeless mission has remained the same.

To learn about our school's timeless mission and it's history, please read a letter from our Head of School, Shara Bumgarner