Neurodiversity: Towards an interdisciplinary approach

Abstract

The concept of neurodiversity is exerting a powerful influence in academia and the real world. There has been a sharp increase in publications referring to 'neurodiversity' since 2000 (Figure 1), many people now identify as 'neurodivergent', and there are worldwide public initiatives such as Neurodiversity Celebration Week that actively promote the concept. In light of this growth, we are pleased to announce the launch of Neurodiversitya new journal that will focus on interdisciplinary approaches to improving understanding of neurodiversity and its application in realworld settings. Following in the spirit of the emergence of the neurodiversity concept from the autism rights movement, Neurodiversity represents an exciting new addition to Sage academic journals, like Autism, dedicated to advancing understanding and improving the lives of neurodivergent people.The concept of neurodiversity has immense potential, both to revolutionise our understanding of neurodevelopmental differences across the lifespan, and as a powerful force for positive social change (see Sonuga- Barke &Thapar, 2021 andShaw et al., 2021 for recent discussions). Yet there remain large knowledge gapsin research, practice and in interpretationthat must be addressed if we are to realise its full potential. An interdisciplinary approach is critical if we are to achieve this. Neurodiversity aims to lead this endeavour by bringing together theoretical and empirical work from a range of disciplines into the same outlet, and working closely with the neurodivergent community, to foster a truly cross-disciplinary, internationally collaborative, understanding of neurodiversity. Working closely with Sage to achieve this overarching goal, we have already taken several important steps to build a strong foundation from which to launch the journal. Diverse editorial boardWorking with Sage, we have recruited an exciting and diverse Editorial Board, including many internationally leading academics and clinician scientists who have championed the neurodiversity concept for understanding