ABSTRACT
This chapter claims that a critical neurodiversity perspective is required to re-evaluate the relationship between agency and neurodiversity, in order to challenge the (re)production of neuronormative theorisations of agency – in particular by challenging the ‘normal mental ability’ claim in agency theories and rejecting the idea that agency would be a capacity (to act or not act) of neurotypical people only. To this end, the chapter argues, first, that the ‘normality’ of that mental ability is actually a neurotypical ability and, second, that theorisations of agency that take neurotypical minds as the ‘normal state’ are arguably grounded in neuronormativity – if not neuro-ableism. A critical neurodiversity perspective can offer significant contributions by, first, critically assessing the role of the standard of neurotypicality in the thinking about agency; second, by exploring the agential and agentic quality of the actions of neurodivergent folk; and, third, by conceptualising agency from a neurodivergent standpoint.
