Today’s episode introduces a transformative framework for understanding neurodivergent cognition, specifically reframing gestalt processing as a form of whole-memory wisdom. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, challenges traditional medicalised narratives that categorise autistic individuals through a lens of social deficit or developmental delay. By rejecting eugenic-based standards, Dr. Hoerricks asserts that these unique patterns of thinking and connecting are coherent and valuable rather than disordered. She emphasises the importance of narrative sovereignty, arguing that the community must reclaim the power to define their own experiences from institutions that have historically sought to contain them. Ultimately, her writing serves as a call for cognitive freedom and a recognition of the relational ecology that exists between those who perceive the world in patterns.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/legacy-we-are-here-because-autistics
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.