Can the Neurodiversity movement make space for Tourette’s? Dialoguing lived experiences and theory

Increasingly, people include Tourette's alongside autism and ADHD in lists of conditions fitting under the neurodiversity umbrella. In this study, we take a step beyond mere discursive inclusion. We critically examine whether Tourette's can also find a space in the neurodiversity movement in a more theoretical and political sense. Do Tourettic lived experience sufficiently match with the aims and methods of the movement which has been historically built on autistic experiences? We engaged in a back-and-forth dialogue between lived experiences of six Tourettic adolescents (age 14–17) and existing discussions in neurodiversity studies. The empirical data stem from an in-depth interview study, reanalyzed through the lens of the current research question. Three themes emerged (1) the (in)visibility of tics and the role of onlookers in experiencing Tourette's, (2) negative aspects of tics and desiring Tourette's to disappear and (3) benefits and complexities of establishing Tourettic community. Key insights of the autism-centered neurodiversity movement (camouflaging, socially embedded take on disability, value of community building) prove helpful in theorizing Tourette's. Other Tourettic experiences fit less well (Tourette's as visible disability, inherent downsides of tics including distraction and pain, complexity of community building given suggestibility of tics). We argue the neurodiversity movement cannot expand its scope without actively making space for the lived experiences and demands of new constituent groups such as Tourettic people. Among others, a reconsideration of strong anti-cure positions is needed and previous writings regarding the inclusion of chronic illnesses in the disability movement provide helpful insights here.