Neurodiversity in History | LeechFest Ep 10

LeechFest

This month we tackle to topic of neurodiversity throughout history, focusing on autism. We start out by looking at how the term came to be and at how the etiology autism changed through time, and later we dive into some interesting myths connected to autism. Changelings, for example, were a major element of European folklore, and were believed to be non-humans/ fairies which were switched out for healthy babies, and which could be identified by their 'atypical' behavior or appearance. Aliens, and Indigo Children are other examples of tropes used in connection with autism. Lastly, we look at a non-Western approach to neurodiversity and discuss the (over?)medicalization of neurodiversity in the West.

The image represents the devil stealing a baby, and it is a detail of "The legend of St. Stephen" by Martino di Bartolomeo, courtesy of Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main.

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