Today’s episode discusses the exclusion of neurodivergent individuals from the social work profession in the US, arguing that the licensure exam functions as a form of gatekeeping that prioritises conformity over authentic empathy and diverse cognitive styles. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, cites a 2024 study that found 30% of social work exam-takers identified as neurodivergent, yet the exam is structured to reward a specific, linear style of thinking often associated with the dominant demographic, illustrating how this monocognitive standard punishes associative reasoning and embodied care. Dr. Hoerricks further contends that the exam is a form of “behavioural conditioning” that forces test-takers to mimic institutional language and suppress intuitive responses, linking this professional standardization to broader political efforts to suppress diversity and “woke” perspectives in education. Ultimately, she calls for a reimagining of licensure toward models that value multiple ways of knowing, such as peer evaluation or portfolios, to ensure the helping professions truly serve all minds.

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-right-kind-of-mind-neurodivergence

Let me know what you think.

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