“The world needs all kinds of minds.”
(Temple Grandin)
Exploring Neurodiversity: This week you will have the opportunity to explore the beautiful realm of neurodiversity – a concept that celebrates the diverse range of neurological differences in our world.
Temple Grandin stated, “the world needs all kinds of minds”. We understand that neurodiversity is about recognizing and appreciating the unique ways our brains function, emphasizing there is no one “normal” way of experiencing the world we live in. Whether you identify as neurotypical, or neurodivergent, this assignment encourages you to express your own neurodiversity and reflect on the various facets that make you the remarkably unique individual you are.
Goal: Through your chosen creative medium, you will not only gain a deeper understanding of your own personal neurodiverse qualities, but you will hopefully acquire a more profound insight regarding empathy, acceptance, and inclusivity – all essential skills that will enrich your future career in Human Services.
Your Task: To be successful, you will need to ensure that you read, watch, and understand all content that has been provided to you for your learning. You will have a choice of three different types of expressions to design.
Remember, this is an assignment to celebrate what makes you special, unique, and to share you own personal story of self.
This assignment is in three parts.
Part A: Creative Expression
Choose to complete one of the following options:
Option One: Illustrative Self Portrait
Inspired by my daughter Molly, create a vivid self-portrait that visually represents your neurodiverse qualities and attributes.
Option 2: Symbolic Image
Select an image that captures the essence of your neurodiversity. Take time to self reflect and find an image that truly represents who you are as an individual.
Option 3: Personalized License Plate
Design a unique license plate that symbolizes your identity within the realm of neurodiversity. Be as detailed as possible.
Part B: Description of Creative Expression
Write a minimum 250 word, detailed description of your creative expression. Include what it represents about your personal story of neurodiversity. Include as many details as possible.
Part C: Reflection
Answer the following reflection questions (minimum of 5 to 6 sentences in length for each question)
- Now that you have created your visual expression and a written a detailed description, reflect upon how this activity might have influenced your personal growth and understanding of your own neurodiversity.
- How might the insights gained through this assignment, content, and lecture, assist you in supporting neurodivergent individuals in your future field in Human Services?
Rubric
Marking:
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | |
| Visual Expression | Incomplete | Weak, little effort shown, minimal detail and creativity | Fair effort shown, some detail and creativity | Adequate effort shown, sufficient detail and creativity | Excellent effort shown, extremely detailed and creative |
| Description of Visual Expression | Incomplete and/or vague. | A weak description of visual expression | A fair description of visual expression | An adequate description of visual expression | Excellent – a strong description of visual expression |
| Reflection Questions | Incomplete and/or vague. | Weak reflections, little insight provided | Fair reflections, fair insight provided | Adequate reflections, adequate insight provided | Excellent reflections, excellent insight provided |
Total: / 15 marks.
Value: 10%
