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Nick Walker

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Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities Kindle Edition

by Nick Walker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The work of queer autistic scholar Nick Walker has played a key role in the evolving discourse on human neurodiversity.

Neuroqueer Heresies collects a decade's worth of Dr. Walker's most influential writings, along with new commentary by the author and new material on her radical conceptualization of Neuroqueer Theory.

This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the foundations, terminology, implications, and leading edges of the emerging neurodiversity paradigm.

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198 pages
Language

English
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Publication date

December 1, 2021
File size

2507 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nick Walker is a queer, transgender, flamingly autistic writer and educator best known for her foundational work on the neurodiversity paradigm, her development of the term neuroqueer and the concept of neuroqueering, and her contributions to fostering the emergent genre of neuroqueer speculative fiction. She is a professor of psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, and senior instructor at the Aiki Arts Center in Berkeley.Dr. Walker is co-founder and Managing Editor of the worker-owned indie publishing house Autonomous Press, and has co-edited and contributed to multiple volumes of the annual Spoon Knife neuroqueer lit anthology published by Autonomous Press' NeuroQueer Books imprint.Along with her co-writer Andrew M. Reichart and artist Mike Bennewitz, Dr. Walker is part of the creative team behind the urban fantasy webcomic Weird Luck. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09LQG4SWQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Autonomous Press (December 1, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2507 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1945955260

Best Sellers Rank: #230,707 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #195 in Cognitive Psychology (Kindle Store)
- #217 in Social Philosophy
- #452 in Medical Cognitive Psychology

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Nick Walker

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Nick Walker is a queer, transgender, flamingly autistic author of both speculative fiction and nonfiction, and co-creator of the urban fantasy webcomic Weird Luck (weirdluck.net). Her nonfiction explores the edges and intersections of queerness, neurodivergence, embodiment, and creative transformation. Dr. Walker is a professor of psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, an aikido teacher, and a lifelong zen practitioner; for more information on her work, check out her website at neuroqueer.com.

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4.7 out of 5

166 global ratings

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Jia-Li

Clear & Well-Written, thought-provoking update to classic essays

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2022

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You may have read some of these essays on neurocosmopolitan or somewhere else, but this includes insightful updates and commentary on those classic pieces and it's wonderful to have them all combined in a print edition. The cover feels nice too.

4 people found this helpful

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S23M

Essential reading on the co-creation of Autistic culture.

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2021

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'Neuroqueer Heresies' is urgently needed in a world that is still dominated by the corporate co-opting of the neurodiversity paradigm, and by conversion "therapies" that have only one goal: turning the fears of parents and the trauma of neurodivergent people into profits. The introduction and consistent use of new language and new semantics is the most powerful tool at our disposal.

Over the course of many years Nick Walker has meticulously documented the origins and semantics of the evolving language that is co-created within autistic culture. The result has been a stable and trustworthy linguistic platform on top of which others have been able to build and continue to build.

Corporations can co-opt individual words, but they can't co-opt the entire language system of the neurodiversity movement without revealing their colours as part of the attempt. Onwards! Autistic people co-create Autistic culture every day, and it is recorded and made visible one publication at a time.

13 people found this helpful

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RBSeattle

Essential Reading

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2022

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I wish I had this book to guide me thirteen years ago as my fight against the pathology paradigm began. I'm sending it to all of my friends who are raising autistic children in our ableist society . Beautifully written book.

One person found this helpful

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A. Maez

Liberating and Enlightening

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2022

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I enjoyed reading this book. It is liberating and not just for neurodivergent people. It explains the neurodiversity paradigm in a way that is accessible to everyone. It makes clear how oppressive the current pathology paradigm is and offers hope for creating a new and better world that accepts and values the gifts of all people. It is truly a fantastic book that will open your mind and heart.

5 people found this helpful

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Brenda Mobley

Excellent primer on neurodiversity

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2022

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This should be required reading for anyone who is neurodivergent or adjacent, or who writes about us or works for us. The difference between the pathology paradigm and the neurodiversity paradigm is explained. The online fights I still see about these subjects tell me the public desperately needs education.

6 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A must read for every educator, clinician, and parent!

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2021

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Words cannot express how grateful I am for Dr. Walker's brilliant book. As an educator who teaches about neurobiological differences to other educators, I realized that I was using "neurotypical" through the pathology rather than neurodiversity paradigm. This is just one example of the many "a-ha" moments I had. I will definitely be assigning this book in my courses.

Thank you, Dr. Walker! You are a gem!

5 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A Neuroqueer butterfly that earned their wings

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2022

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Unapologetically and brilliantly original - groundbreaking ideas that created autistic culture.

One person found this helpful

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Helen C. Kinnen

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Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2024

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Walker repeatedly explains the “pathology paradigm” explaining that It would be outrageously inappropriate and likely to mark us as ignorant or bigoted if we were to refer to a black person as having negroism or or if we were to say that someone suffers from homosexuality. And because this is the case for these people groups, she states if we use the phrase “person with autism” we're using the language of the pathology paradigm- language that implicitly accepts and reinforces the assumption that autism is intrinsically a problem, a “something wrong with you”. I disagree with Walker as the reality is when discussing black people or people with various sexual preferences you are not discussing them having atypical brains, but the brain scans of those with ASD do in fact show there is a problem- particularly for the nonverbal child with autism. Neuroimaging studies have, in fact, identified structural and functional differences in the brains of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These differences may involve alterations in brain regions associated with language processing, social cognition, and sensory processing. Functional connectivity patterns may also be atypical in ASD, impacting communication and cognitive processes. Granted, ASD is highly heterogeneous, and the specific patterns of brain differences can vary widely between individuals. Nonetheless, the brain scan of a child with ASD is not the brain scan of a typical child who meets developmental milestones.

Walker refers to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in which “autistic children are abused, coerced, and traumatized into imitating the outward behavior of neurotypical children, at the expense of their long-term psychological well-being” ABA providers themselves know that modifying another person’s behavior is a great responsibility- hence the need for continued ethics coursework which is required of all behavior analysts. Do some do it “wrong”? Yes, but one needs to know that ABA is based on Skinner’s operant conditioning and almost all modern educational software with its animations and “rewards” as well as educational apps use the exact same principles as used in ABA. Just as technology can impact a person’s wellbeing if overused or poorly used, so is the case with ABA. But to discard it totally? IPerhaps that is fine for an autistic who has the intellect and social graces to become a college professor but it’s a large spectrum including those nonverbal children with self-injurious behaviors. ABA has kept them in their homes with families (versus residential care.)

Walker discusses “autistiphobia” in which those who freak out when they hear the adjective “autistic”. Walker state they do so because “Deep down, because of their own unresolved psychological issues, they fear and despise autistic people…because they need to convince themselves of their own goodness, they can’t admit to themselves that they feel such fear and hatred toward a group of people-” Walker presents herself as the sole authority speaking on behalf of all autisitcs and those who do not think the way she thinks are “tame, token autistic persons (like Temple Grandin) who have themselves internalized and accepted the language of the pathology paradigm and the ableism of the dominant culture.” She has invented new terminology of which is quite proud -”neuroqueer” but offers next to no practical suggestions. She refers to “Autism Speaks” as a “well funded anti-autistic hate group… promoting the stigmatization, silencing, disenfranchisement, abuse, murder and eugenic extermination of autistic people” Who was murdered by Autism Speaks? How is Autism Speaks promoting eugenic extermination of autistic people?? Walker cites no references for these claims and advocates for rejecting almost all autism related discourse and research produced over the past 90 years.

I do appreciate Walker’s stance on ableism and the need for the education of the neurotypical; I too advocate for the “correction” needed- that empathy and communication between autistics and neurotypicals needs to be improved immensely. However, I find her book overly emotional. Labeling those with differing views as bigots oversimplifies matters and isn't conducive to genuine care for autistic children and their families.

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Jillian

Subversive, Liberating, Transformative

Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2021

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Dr. Walker encourages the reader to be their true, authentic, oddball selves, regardless of what socio-cultural expectations dictate.... but this book is also much more than that.

If you are Autistic, or care about someone who is Autistic, or in any way an outlier, this book is for you and for them. It will change how you view yourself and others in your life, guiding you to fully embrace your weird and amazing self. It's more than that too.

Dr. Walker not only accepts those of us who are chronically defiant, insubordinate, oppositional dissidents, she celebrates them and welcomes them to her joyful club of bohemians and heretics.

This book is for those of us who were always railing against injustice, even when we didn't fully understand what it was we were fighting for or against.

This book is a work of advocacy for fellow neurodivergents, an intellectually demanding book that will challenge your preconceptions and assumptions.

If you aren't questioning at least some of your long-held beliefs by the end of this book, then go back to the beginning and start again.

4 people found this helpful

Byllilicious

Must read!

Reviewed in Germany on December 26, 2023

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Great read!!

Robert James

Seminal essays and great new content

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2022

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This is a beautifully written, edited, and designed book. It is full of Dr Walker's seminal essays which have been incredibly influential in neurodiversity theory, alongside new commentaries and essays with a focus on neuroqueering. The writing is clear and accessible, the insight deep and pertinent. It is also sometimes funny. I would highly recommended this book to anyone interested in autism, neurodiversity theory, queer theory, or any combination of these.

This short review does not do this book justice. I will write a longer review when I have more time. The key message is that I highly recommend this book.

4 people found this helpful

Lilly

Essential reading for neurodivergent people, researchers and professionals

Reviewed in Australia on May 3, 2023

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In this work of fundamental importance, Nick Walker provides an introduction to neurodiversity and the topics associated with it. If you are new to these concepts and wondering what neurodiversity actually is, what each of the terms—such as neurodivergent or neurodiverse—mean, and how this relates to autism and Autistic rights, Neuroqueer Heresies is the perfect place to start.

Neuroqueer Heresies is a collection of essays, written by Walker over the course of a decade, including new, previously unpublished works. Some of the older essays have been updated, and commentary is provided for each. As well as educating readers about terminology related to neurodiversity, you will learn about the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic empowerment, and postnormal possibilities—a challenge to normativity.

Walker discusses the pathology paradigm, which is deeply rooted in society—how it harms and controls Autistic people. Through a critical lens, she explores why the neurodiversity paradigm rejects the medicalisation of autism and neurodiversity. Throw Away the Master’s tools is a popular essay detailing the reasons we need radical changes to improve the lives of Autistic people.

If you are new to these topics—particularly if you are a non-Autistic person—some may be challenging to read. Early in the text, for example, Walker states the “pathology paradigm consistently results in autistic people being stigmatized, dehumanized, abused, harmed, and traumatized by professionals and often their own families.” If this makes you uncomfortable, it is worth persistence and engaging in self-reflection as you read further. Most people do not intentionally seek to harm those they love or work with, yet many of the current methods—which are accepted by society—are doing just that. For progress to occur, you will likely be left challenging at least some of your current assumptions. Autistic people must be treated in a more humanising manner, and Walker will explain why.

Neuroqueer Heresies provides hope—even a demand—of a more liberating future for Autistic and neurodivergent people. This is essential reading for anyone with a neurodivergent person in their life (which is likely to be everyone, even if it is unrecognised), as well as researchers and professionals. Neuroqueer Heresies also provide valuable foundational knowledge for Autistic and other neurodivergent people.

Madeline Elayne

She had me at "flamingly autistic!"

Reviewed in Canada on July 29, 2022

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This is a convenient, keep-in your pocket all in one place collection of Dr. Walker's most popular and educational essays. If your personal and professional life intersects with neurodivergent folx (and we are kind of everywhere, I'm afraid) then this is a rocking good guide to the future we're imagining for ourselves.

As an added bonus, Dr. Walker has added some thoughts and reflections on some of her older pieces and how her perspective has changed since writing them.

Not an easy read, but worth the trouble (and there is the occasional Princess Bride and Monty Python reference thrown in to keep you entertained!)

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