TPP 395: Where Are We in the Neurodiversity Movement? with Marcus Soutra

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What sparked the conversation about the neurodiversity movement and its evolution?

Marcus Soutra 0:00
I'd love to say that the stigma is all gone and that's not an issue anymore. I still think it's very prevalent, especially in certain environments. Some of them are high-stressed academic environments, especially, where there's much more of an unwillingness to talk about these types of subjects, or at least not a willingness to talk about them from any kind of positive lens. But if you go on TikTok or Instagram for three minutes, you'll see millions of young people sharing their stories and talking about their neurodivergence in prideful ways. And so I think it's probably more the adults who have the problem, and we're just not listening enough to the kids.
Debbie Reber 0:40
I'm Debbie Rieber and welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, supporting and informing parents raising differently wired kids. The movement surrounding neurodivergence has evolved so much since I started Tilt Parenting, which I originally launched as a revolution for differently wired kids back in 2016. I see changes everywhere in the language we use, the parenting discussions we have, the deeper understanding of diagnostic criteria for things like autism and ADHD, the adaptations some companies are making to support their neurodivergent employees. A few months ago, I grabbed a coffee with my friend Marcus Sutra, who until recently was the co-founder and president of Eye to Eye, a national organization dedicated to enhancing the educational journey and outcomes of neurodiverse youth.
Debbie Reber 1:28
Marcus and I got into a deep conversation about all of these things, and we thought, hey, why not have this conversation for the podcast to explore it further for the TILT community? And that's what this episode is, a thoughtful look at things like how the language and identity within the neurodiversity community has shifted, why community is a cornerstone of the movement, the ways privilege and access impacts a student's ability to fully embrace neurodivergence, the potential pros and cons of neurodiversity content on social media apps like TikTok, self-identifying versus formal diagnoses, generational differences in experience, and how we can help advance the movement in our everyday lives. Here's a little more about my guest before we dive in.
Debbie Reber 2:12
Marcus Sutra began his professional journey as a public school teacher before immersing himself in the grassroots movement of eye to eye and ultimately running it for nearly 20 years. Drawing from his experiences as both an educator and an individual with dyslexia and ADHD, Marcus deeply understands the challenges faced by students and teachers in navigating the educational landscape. Marcus has just embarked on a new venture with For the Good Consulting, where he leverages his expertise, network, and personal journey to support other organizations in scaling their missions. There is so much hope in this conversation and a lot of things to get excited about as we empower ourselves and our children to create a more inclusive world where we're all seen and celebrated for who we are.
Debbie Reber 2:57
I hope you enjoy our chat. And as always, I'd love to hear your feedback or what thoughts this conversation sparked for you. Hey, Marcus, welcome back to the podcast.
Marcus Soutra 3:12
Thank you for having me. Excited to be here.
Debbie Reber 3:14
Yeah, it's been a couple years. I'm excited because we are going to have kind of a general conversation about the state of the neurodiversity movement. You've been in this space for a really long time. And I'm very curious to see what we get into today. But as a way of introducing yourself, I read your bio already. But could you tell us a little bit more about your why in the world and what you're up to these days?
Marcus Soutra 3:39
Yeah, sure. Thank you so much for having me. I love returning. You're a returning champion today. But it's so great to be with you and have this conversation. Yeah, so myself, I'm neurodivergent. I'm dyslexic. I have ADHD. It's been a part of my identity since I was a very young person. I've been the president and co-founder of Eye to Eye for almost the last 20 years.

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