History of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

After sitting through Dr. Keisling's presentation on the History of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, part of me felt glued to my seat. For the sake of simplicity, let's just say that I was utterly amazed at how little we hear of this topic in our society. See, the history of disability is something that is somehow swept underneath a rug, and it is not widely discussed by clinicians and practitioners, as well as by the average American. While this is a sad reality, it should be discussed because it is a frame of relation to the families that we could end up working with, and this history challenges our assumptions! This allows us to be leaders of the next generation in terms of advocacy, community inclusiveness, and even policy change.

Through my initial enlightenment to the topic, I began to see a correlation with things that were discussed through the Era Presentation assignment. Throughout different decades, there was a shift in what was valued in the medical field. From the rehabilitation movement to the disability rights movement, people with disabilities were heavily impacted by what was being done in each of those decades. In the early 20th century, it was thought that disability would lead to criminality, while in the 1990s, people with disabilities were encouraged to be seen as equals. In between these two stages, there have been eugenics movements, institutionalizations, as well as deinstitutionalizations taking place in state facilities. After noting the correlation between the Era Presentations and the History of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, I believe that it is important to remember this is not a finished fight, but it is a day-to-day battle to continue advocating for people with disabilities. It is still a relatively new shift in philosophy, and there is still much to be done!

I believe that my exposure to these materials will impact my career as a future occupational therapy practitioner in a substantial way. It will help me in being intentional about how I approach different situations, and it will allow me to think about what people can do, versus thinking about what they are unable to do. This information will also allow me to advocate for people with disabilities, even if it begins with small things, such as having no regard for clinical terms that have been turned into slander. This topic has been very empowering to me, and I hope to take the information forward with me into my career!