Editorial: Finding a Place in the Choir: A Clinical Perspective on Neurodiversity

Abstract

There have been many calls in recent years to recognize the value of neurodiversity, particularly for autism. Yet how clinicians in mental health services and psychiatry should do this, beyond monitoring language, is often not clear. The article by Petit and Jurek¹ provides details about a specific program involving a neurodiverse choir for autistic children and other singers as a metaphor for supporting neurodiversity. In the article, a hospital-based choir of 8 neurodivergent autistic children and adolescents, 3 therapists/professionals, and 4 to 5 amateur singers was led by a professional choir director.¹ The authors present neurodivergent perspectives coupled with recognition that the achievements of the choir were not accomplished without challenges for everyone, both for neurodiverse participants and for others.¹ The choir as a metaphor and the broader perspective of neurodiversity both highlight the need to go beyond typical assumptions in medicine and psychology that emphasize individual difficulties. For practicing clinicians and researchers, there are ongoing questions about how to balance respect for neurodiversity with the professional responsibility of clinical practitioners to effectively support individual patients who seek help in reaching their life goals. People come to clinicians wanting help, which sometimes begins with affirming the value of their neurodiversity, but most often that is just the start. Petit and Jurek¹ emphasize the need to support relationships and social connections among environments and people, neurodiverse or not, beyond more typical problem lists.