The feeling of oneness or system unity gives us our power to change things. This is the joy of neurodiversity, and our movement has just begun. What better way to start a social justice movement than at the dawn of a new scientific paradigm!

Interconnected human systems are much bigger in the 21st Century than ever before. We receive messages on our cell phones from friends vacationing or living on the other side of the world. This is teaching us that time isn’t linear because we can’t all depend on the same clock.  

Social media gives us a way to network beyond old physical boundaries to find people who “feel like us”. This means that we often have “best friends” who we’ve never physically met. All these recent changes have increased social complexity.

Increased social complexity naturally changes the way we perceive the world. This 21st Century reality requires us to update old paradigm assumptions in what I now call the dawn of a new science and social paradigm. Today we will focus on the way new paradigm science has changed previous social assumptions. Here are four new paradigm scientific assumptions to get our update started.  

New Paradigm Scientific Assumptions: The Power to Change Things 

Since social environments are more complex now than ever before, we need to take the extra time needed to understand them. New paradigm scientific assumptions help build the objective thinking we need to create power-to-change-things solutions. Power-to-change-things solutions support well-informed decisions and strategic actions.

I started using new paradigm scientific assumptions to understand how to treat people with advanced dementia about 15 years ago. That was when I learned the importance for everybody of having good environmental fit. Later, I applied what that had taught me to my work as a sensory program design and development consultant by creating personally preferred therapeutic multi-sensory environments.  

I now apply new paradigm scientific assumptions, in my role as a healthcare organization leadership coach. That is teaching me even more. It’s my breadth of experience that has taught me so much about new paradigm science, but I still have a lot to learn.

A new paradigm scientific assumption update is not a one-and-done deal. We update to new paradigm scientific thinking, when we discover for ourselves that the static picture assumptions of old paradigm thinking no longer work. Here are four true and useful new paradigm scientific assumptions that help us make the switch. 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #1 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #1 is that human systems do not follow different patterns than other natural systems. Many of our old paradigm beliefs were based on the idea that human systems were different from natural systems. Plenty of new paradigm science has debunked that belief. Yet, we continue to fight over assumptions that were based on that now debunked belief. 

How many “ages of enlightenment” do we need to be assured that disorder-change-to-new-order cycles is a universal pattern? Nothing like a scientific paradigm shift to wake us all up to that reality. I’m just glad new paradigm scientists aren’t the only ones talking about this universal pattern anymore.  

Our part in the natural web of life is supported by lots of evolutionary and ecosystem science. Of course, all the best examples of this universal pattern come from nature. For example, we know that trees have evolved in ecosystems with lots of high winds to develop the strength and resilience they need to withstand those high winds.

In the same way, we know that people often must go through turbulent periods in their lives before they become resilient to stress. This is happening to us all but, may be magnified in people labeled as neurodivergent due to high emotional sensitivity and/or intensity. This leads us to New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #2. 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #2 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #2 is that cause is not universal truth. Illusions of causality abound due to differences between personal and cultural perspectives. This naturally creates confusing worldview differences about the cause of problems in an increasingly diverse culture (https://www.https://attunementsolutions.com/blog/the-neurodiversity-movement-a-transformative-start/). This is confusing for us all.

Confusing differences about the cause of problems, naturally create tensions between interdependent pairs (https://www. https://attunementsolutions.com/blog/introducing-a-neurodiversity-peace-process-in-2024/). Lots of tension between interdependent pairs, naturally creates cycles of turbulence or disorder (https://attunementsolutions.com/blog/neurodiversity-movement-needs-new-paradigm-science/). This is a universal pattern.

Remembering that disorder-change-to-new-order cycles is a universal pattern in natural ecosystems, builds an internal feeling of having the power to change things. It does this by teaching us that the turbulence isn’t inside of us. Remembering the science of turbulent ecosystems, helps us all have more adaptive responses during times of rapid change.

By remembering the new paradigm science that explains universal patterns, our power to change things increases. It does this by helping us when we have a huge disagreement with the views of someone we love. Remembering the natural sciences that explain disorder-change-to-new-order cycles, helps parents make a good decision when viewing commercials about yet another magic anti-anxiety drug to consider for their child. 

Cultures move through cycles between order and disorder just like every other natural ecosystem. We can reflect on history and see that periods of disorder have always gone ahead of periods of growth and change. For example, social and cultural disorder-change-to-new-order cycles follow the same universal pattern as forest fires.

Most people now know that forest fires have always been nature’s way of preparing for new growth and ecosystem change. Ecosystem science has taught us that a forest fire and later forest recovery, is one disorder-change-to-new-order cycle. This explains how understanding new paradigm science builds our internal feeling of having the power to change things. This leads us to New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #3. 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #3 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #3 is that difference is not a problem. Understanding that difference is not a problem might give the neurodiversity movement center stage. That would be an act of service because, the neurodiversity movement is a natural part of our culture’s increasing social complexity.

The label of neurodivergence has nothing to do with right or wrong. It has nothing to do with better or worse. The label neurodivergence just means different from most. 

Now that we know that human systems do not follow different patterns than other natural systems, it should be no surprise that neurodivergent people masked differences in the past in an attempt to fit in. This doesn’t mean we should return to masking our differences. It does mean that environmental fit matters and (if possible) we should choose our environments carefully. 

Most children in upper elementary grades now know the importance to animals and insects of environmental fit. One great example is the fact that brightly colored insects that enter dull colored environments or a monocrop of grass or foliage, usually don’t live long. This leads us to New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #4. 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #4 

New Paradigm Scientific Assumption #4 is that vertical thinking is not exact enough for solving complex problems. Objective thinkers know that we need to have explanations rather than quick descriptions when addressing problems with unknown causal relationships. They also know that we need to use objective thinking to consider all possibilities before addressing complex problems. In addition, they know that the only way to develop vision for an uncertain future is to take the time needed for objective thinking.

Before we understood that human systems follow the patterns of natural systems, we taught our children how to fit in with the center of a single imaginary bell-shaped curve. Research on talented and gifted populations confirms, neurodivergence is common in talented and gifted students. Differences are now referred to as “exceptionalities” (https://www.sengifted.org/).

It feels surreal to me that the “Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted” website says on its home page, “Giftedness is not something you outgrow or get cured of at age 18”. It’s true that mental health challenges are high in our country’s population of talented and gifted students. It’s possible that this population has more objective thinkers and that objective thinkers are more sensitive to the feeling of a turbulent environment.

Now that talented and gifted students are so commonly labeled neurodivergent, a question naturally comes to my mind. What if talented and gifted students don’t want to lose their exceptional color? Possibly, they now believe academic environments should allow them to fly while still feeling the benefits of good environmental fit. Sounds reasonable to me!

Creating New Order Out of Disorder 

Social complexity has skyrocketed in the 21st Century. New paradigm social assumptions weren’t just created for a time like this. They came naturally from new paradigm scientific assumptions.

I hope you’ve learned something new from this new paradigm scientific assumption update. I’m especially hoping you’ve learned something that will help make our neurodiversity movement more sustainable and successful during the coming years. If you learned something new or have something to say, I’d love to hear it! Keep those questions and answers coming! All are welcome by email or in the chat space.