Science continually shines new light on the wondrous, infinitely diverse ways that people develop, perceive, and behave. But how often does this emerging research inform the healthcare, education, and other systems that should help people of all neurotypes flourish?
Systems Change for Neurodiversity
Systems Change for Neurodiversity
Science continually shines new light on the wondrous, infinitely diverse ways that people develop, perceive, and behave. But how often does this emerging research inform the healthcare, education, and other systems that should help people of all neurotypes flourish?
Systems Change for Neurodiversity (SCfND) tracks research, practice, and advocacy to identify government and business policies, social institutions, and cultural norms that create barriers for neurodivergent people and their families. It envisions pragmatic changes to bring down those barriers by connecting the work of experts and advocates
SCfND focuses on systems for two reasons. First, systems determine how neurodivergent people access – or don't access – support and opportunity. And second, when a system changes to better serve neurodivergent populations, it tends to work better for everyone.
At its best, SCfND is intersectional; it consciously seeks to address the fact that neurodivergence spans race, gender, class, (dis)ability, and other dimensions of privilege or marginalization.
What does SCfND look like in practice? Autistic scientists increasingly leading research and making it more relevant to their needs. Years of persistent advocacy achieving mandatory dyslexia screening in schools. Clinical guidelines for adult ADHD finally taking shape.
Our field is evolving quickly, and its initiatives don't always know about each other across disciplines, geographies, research agendas, and advocacy campaigns. An advocacy win in one state might remain unknown to a coalition working on the same issue in another. Evidence-based, multidisciplinary support options for newly identified autistic children often don’t reach the pediatricians who could recommend them. These are the gaps in SCfND that I work to bridge.
People of all neurotypes deserve to thrive. Systems are where we can make tangible, life-changing progress toward that vision. Systems were built by people and can be changed by people.
© 2026 Jenn Raley Miller. All rights reserved.
