Disrupting Neuronormativity: Understanding AuDHD Experiences via TikTok

• In Event: Interrogating and Advancing Inclusive and Accessible Tech/Media Engagement for Neurodiverse Learners

Abstract

This study examines AuDHD self-representations and lived experiences through qualitative TikTok content analysis. Via Neurodiversity Studies and Disability Studies in Education, we viewed TikTok as a context for situated knowledge production, challenging neuronormative, deficit-based views of disability that have shaped historical and current educational practice. One hundred collected public videos and associated comments are currently being analyzed using a five-stage inductive framework. Initial findings show AuDHD creators articulate complex self-concepts amid diagnostic reductionism, process the internal and external impact of neuronormativity, and collaboratively construct strategies to navigate societal barriers. This work reimagines AuDHD experience beyond medicalized discourse, supporting educators’ reconceptualization of neurocognitive functioning through neurodivergent perspectives toward justice-oriented, inclusive educational environments that honor disabled and/or neurodivergent ways of knowing.

Authors

• Dana Baker, Fairleigh Dickinson University

• Laura Flores Shaw, Johns Hopkins University