Diego Orta
Research Mentor(s): Sandy Zalmout
Mentor Department: ICPSR
Authors: Diego Orta, Sandy Zalmout
Session: Session 6 (3:00pm – 3:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 54
Abstract
Neurodiversity refers to normalizing neurocognitive heterogeneity (the range of differences in how individuals’ brains function and process information) in humans. Neurodivergent individuals face many challenges on college grounds that separate them from neurotypical individuals. While some challenges are created by the difference in how different individuals’ brains function, other challenges are faced by the unfair treatment they receive for being “different.” This research aims to not only further understand neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals but also to be able to create a neuro-inclusive space for neurodivergent communities at the University of Michigan. My project has two main compartments: a literature review that underlines key elements of the interactions of neurodivergent-neurotypical individuals in different settings and a project proposal that aims to answer a gap in the existing literature. Through my literature review, I found issues that neurodivergent individuals go through daily when interacting with neurotypical and other neurodivergent individuals. Various policies and strategies have been formed to create neurodiversity communities and safe places for neurodivergent individuals. A setting that didn’t have much information on interactions between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals was a video game environment. My proposed project aims to understand these interactions further to learn more about the behavior neurodivergent individuals have in a virtual environment. In conducting my research, we can compare the similarities and differences between the interactions in real-world and virtual environments and create new strategies for forming neurodiversity communities.
