The Mystery of Creativity & the Myth of Normality

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This week, join Simon on a deep dive through time into the evolution and possible origins of neurodiversity. From the ancient wisdom of neurodivergent shamans to the brilliant minds of Einstein, Darwin, and van Gogh, we'll uncover the hidden stories of how neurodiversity has been shaping our world in unexpected ways.

But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. We'll also explore the dark side of how society has often misunderstood and marginalized those who think differently, and how the fight for neurodiversity acceptance is still an ongoing battle.

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2. Basaglia, F. (1987). The Man Who Closed the Asylums: Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care. John Foot.

3. Donald, M. (1991). Origins of the Modern Mind: Three Stages in the Evolution of Culture and Cognition. Harvard University Press.

4. Eisenberg, D. T., Campbell, B., Gray, P. B., & Sorenson, M. D. (2008). Dopamine receptor genetic polymorphisms and body composition in undernourished pastoralists: An exploration of nutrition indices among nomadic and recently settled Ariaal men of northern Kenya. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8(1), 173. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-8-173

5. EurekAlert. (2021, April 7). ADHD and other disorders share the same cognitive deficits. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/648099

6. Feynman, R. P. (1985). "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character. W. W. Norton & Company.

7. Foucault, M. (1988). Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Vintage.

8. Hacking, I. (1975). Why Does Language Matter to Philosophy? Cambridge University Press.

9. Laing, R. D. (1967). The Politics of Experience and The Bird of Paradise. Penguin UK.

10. Mashour, G. A., & Alkire, M. T. (2013). Evolution of Consciousness: Phylogeny, Ontogeny, and Emergence from General Anesthesia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(Supplement 2), 10357-10364.

11. New Atlas. (2023, March 10). Evolutionary benefits of ADHD illuminate why it's so common. https://newatlas.com/science/adhd-evolutionary-benefits-foraging-explore-exploit/

13. Rogers, A., & Pilgrim, D. (2014). A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

14. Silberman, S. (2015). NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. Avery.

15. Spikins, P. (2013). The Stone Age Origins of Autism. Recent Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorders - Volume II. InTech. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/53883

16. Temple Grandin's website: https://www.templegrandin.com/, various YouTube videos and articles.

17. Thagard, P. (2013, May 21). When Did Consciousness Evolve?. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hot-thought/201305/when-did-consciousness-evolve

18. The Art of Autism. (2020, November 28). Was Napoleon Bonaparte on

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website.

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We would also recommend our friend The Autistic Women for another great view on living with autism and our friends at the All Bets are Off podcast who cover addiction.