“This is my dad. That’s MY dad!” exclaimed a visibly emotional Gus Walz, with tears in his eyes, at the Democratic National Convention. It’s rare to see this kind of wholesome love and admiration, especially in a public setting, from a teenager to their parent.
For most Americans, this was their first introduction to Gus, the neurodeviant son of Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. In one Interviewing people published during the convention, Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, described Gus’s specific type of neurodivergence. They noted that he has been diagnosed with a non-verbal learning disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and anxiety.
Audience reaction to Gus’ display of emotion was mixed. There have been negative responses like his conservative pundit Ann Coulterwho posted, “Talk about weird…” in a now-deleted post on social platform X. Others initially mocked Gus, a male teenager, for crying, but later apologized when they learned he was neurodeviant.
But there were also positive responses, including that of former first lady Michelle Obama, who posted on Instagram: “I was touched to see Gus Walsh’s joy when his dad @TimWalz took the stage last night. Thank you for showing us all what real love looks like, Gus.” Some of the positive responses came from other families with neurodeviant members who saw themselves represented at the time.
As a researcher of applied behavior analysis and disability studies, I see this moment as an opportunity, particularly for people whose brain functions, behaviors, and processing considered “standard” or “typical” from much of society to learn how to better understand and support neurodiversity.
The range of neurodiversity
Neurodiversity itself is simply a biological fact. No two brains work exactly the same, and there are a number of differences in brain and behavior that lead to human differences, similar to race or sexual orientation. Neurodivergent is a term used to describe people whose brains differ in the way they develop and operate. People with neurodifference can be diagnosed with any number of related conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia.
Research suggests that 15% to 20% of the US population is neurodivergent and likely an underrepresented number. That’s potentially 1 in 5 people.
When it comes to neurodevelopmental disorders, there are many co-existing conditions. You can think of various diagnoses as being on a spectrum with other diagnoses. For example, anxiety and depression often have overlapping symptoms or can be considered a spectrum of a mental health condition. Neurodevelopmental disabilities such as non-verbal learning disorder often coexist anxiety and ADHD.
What does the DSM have to say?
To learn more about neurodisorders like nonverbal learning disorder, ADHD, and anxiety, you might think that a mental health professional like myself would recommend turning to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)the gold standard reference for the mental health field.
However, I don’t recommend it, for two reasons. First, non-verbal learning disorder it’s a broad category that doesn’t actually belong in the DSM-5. Researchers describe it as a developmental visual-spatial disorder, discovered in 1967.
Her symptoms overlap with many other diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder, developmental coordination disorder, specific learning disorders and ADHD.
Second, the standard criteria for most of these diagnoses are created entirely by professionals who may not themselves know what the experience is like. Traditionally, the medical and psychological understanding of neurodivergence characterizes these differences as deficits that must be addressed or treated.
Maybe Gus experienced some of these symptoms at the DNC, maybe not. This type of response from society, in which a difference is characterized as a deficit, has led to social oppression by forcing the neurodeviant person to change their behaviors to align with neurotypical behaviors.
This attitude that any difference from the perceived social norm should be shamed or ridiculed persists in our society to this day, as evidenced by posts on X like Coulter’s. Unfortunately, these views have become deeply entrenched in society because of it medical model of disabilitywhich suggests that neurodeviant people should learn how to “fit in” rather than the rest of society creating inclusive communities.
Changing the paradigm
While the DSM can provide information about the symptoms of neurodivergence, I believe it is important to move beyond this kind of textbook information, which treats neurodivergence as a deficit, and learn from the lived experiences of neurodivergent individuals.
Neurodegenerative disorders such as autism or ADHD can be better understood by speaking directly to neurodeviant individuals so that society and therapists can understand their desires and support needs, rather than projecting neurotypical rules onto them.
This approach led me to write a book, “Understanding the lived experiences of autistic adults,” with Adam Paul Valerius, an autistic adult and advocate in California. My conversations with Valerius over two years taught me more about autism than 10 years of studying psychology, and we now often collaborate and present at professional conferences together.
The Walz family has proven on a global stage that while there may be obstacles associated with neurodivergence, there are also great strengths. Just as neurotypicals have the autonomy to choose which of their challenges to seek support for and how to get that support, research shows that Neurodivergent voices must be central in determining the supporters and solutions that best suit their needs.
This paradigm shift moves away from a medical or deficit model of disability to what is called social model of disability. This perspective centers the voices of disabled people and understands disability as influenced by social and cultural expectations.
The social model puts the responses to Gus’ display of emotion at the DNC in a new light. It gives space to explore questions like, why was it acceptable to make fun of a teenager for showing emotion, but not acceptable once they found out the person is neurodeviant?
Resources to learn more
In the courses I teach at University of Southern CaliforniaI ask my students to read a book from a list of about 50 autobiographies by neurodeviant authors.
I also invite neurodeviant guest speakers into my classes to talk to students about their hopes, dreams, and challenges. We study the history of disabilities in America, their various diagnostic criteria, and how support plans are heavily influenced by social and cultural understandings of neurodiversity and disability during this time period.
The mocking and shaming responses to Gus Walz’s display of emotion at the DNC demonstrate that society still has a long way to go in both understanding and acceptance of neurodeviant behaviors.
The good news is that now it’s easier than ever to learn. You don’t have to be a clinician or a student to work toward a better understanding of the experiences of neurodeviant individuals. There are many blogs, YouTube channels, social media sites and autistic autobiographies where you can learn directly from a neurodeviant person.
