Civic World-Building and Inclusivity
Civic World-Building and Inclusivity
A clinical psychologist and fellow mom on neurodiversity and encouraging civic building blocks in our kids
It’s Civic Learning Week!
When I first started writing about a group of young animals banding together to make their mountain better, I felt like something wasn’t working.
My main character Isabelle was an eight-year-old raccoon with a big personality and extroverted parents (her mom reports the morning news and her dad is a beloved raccoon judge). Isabelle’s best friend, Gigi, is a shy groundhog who lives with her grandparents and communicates most comfortably through her artwork. They’re an unlikely pair of friends, and at first, Isabelle’s foray into activism makes Gigi nervous. She can’t speak in front of a crowd and isn’t comfortable in a big group. I wondered if it might make more sense for Isabelle’s cohort to be more of a Jane Fonda and less of a wallflower. And then I realized that what Gigi brought to the table was fundamental to creating change on the Mountain. The poster she creates inviting others to join the “Animal Ambassadors Club” catches everyone’s eye. And while she’s not up for marching, each animal carries a sign that Gigi crafted personally, expressing her support through words and illustrations. She’s a shy groundhog with artistic superpowers.
Much like my belief that civics is inherently social and emotional, I fully believe the practice of civics thrives on inclusivity. As encouraging as it is to see schools and organizations prioritize DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) initiatives, there isn’t a lot out there specifically linking DEI to civic engagement, and so I’ve invited those who know better than me to start creating resources for parents, starting with Dr. Katerina Dudley, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist focused on early childhood development.
Encouraging Neurodivergent Kids to be Excited About Civics
Sarah and her past Civic EQ contributors have done an amazing job helping us think through how we can build the blocks of civic-mindedness in our children and in ourselves. Given that a growing number of caregivers are parenting a neurodivergent child, this platform is a perfect space to share tips and insights for how one might incorporate these concepts with differently wired children.
First, you might be asking yourself, well, what exactly is neurodivergence? Neurodivergence means that a person’s brain processes the world differently than we might expect (neuro=brain, divergence=different from the norm). Neurodivergence encompasses many different terms and diagnoses, including autism, ADHD, and learning differences like dyslexia. Just like neurotypical children, neurodivergent children benefit from embedding civic-minded concepts into their daily lives. Below are a few tips to help guide your neurodivergent child to be civically conscious.
1. Start conversations with your child about neurodiversity: It can be as simple as discussing that, just as all bodies are different, all brains are different too! Each of our brains come with different strengths and different things that are more challenging. You can model what comes easily to your own brain (e.g., “For mommy’s brain, keeping my body calm comes easily) and what is harder for your brain (e.g., “My brain has more trouble remembering numbers and doing math”). By modeling your own brain’s strengths and challenges, you are normalizing neurodiversity. If your child has trouble identifying these things for themselves, you can generate several things that are strengths (e.g., “Your brain is so good at remembering facts, drawing, and keeping track of rules), and one area that is a bit trickier (e.g., “And it’s a little trickier for your brain to feel calm when something unexpected happens). This type of conversation can be a great start to helping your child not only understand the strengths they bring to their community, but also the outward-thinking idea that everyone is different and has different needs. You can also incorporate books to celebrate neurodiversity and facilitate a neurodiversity-affirming conversation with your child.
2. Explore what makes your child’s brain amazing: Whether it’s their incredible ability to remember countless facts about a special interest, their ability to see details that others miss, or their energetic personality that allows them to stay on the go longer than their peers… your child’s brain comes with some “superpowers” that will serve them and their communities well! As their parent or caregiver, you can help them figure out what their “superpowers” are from a young age, which can help them think about how they can use their gifts to help others.
3. Create structured opportunities for community connection: The best way to increase engagement for any child is to make it something they enjoy and connect it to one of their strengths (see #2 above) or passions. Think together about how they can connect their brain superpowers to civic service. A quiet child who becomes overwhelmed in groups might love to plant trees with their family, whereas an extroverted child who loves to talk might like to pass out flyers about a passion topic with their parents for the next election. Most children will have trouble generating ideas from scratch, so it will be helpful to have 2-3 potential options written down with a corresponding picture. This allows your child to still be a part of the activity selection process, while limiting potential overwhelm from too many ideas.
4. Prep, prep, prep before the event: Talk about what to expect prior to a community connection event. Use visuals and books to help support the civic process. Whether it’s a visual schedule that lists the steps of the day to help a child know what to expect, or a visual social story help them understand what your activity will be, visuals are a great way to communicate with your child and help prepare their brains for what’s to come. You can discuss a coping strategy (e.g., putting on noise cancelling headphones, taking 5 deep belly breaths) that could be used if they start to feel overwhelmed at the activity to make it more likely they can use it in the moment.
5. Make a routine of civic service: Neurodivergent children (and generally all of us, for that matter) tend to thrive with routines. Create a routine around civic participation, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or yearly. Routines help us all remember things we want to accomplish and make it more likely we will remain consistent in our goals. Adding the activity to a visual calendar or schedule is another great way to support neurodivergent children in establishing new routines.
6. Practice what you preach: Modeling desired behaviors is one of the most impactful ways we can teach neurodivergent children. The key is to make the implicit, explicit. That is to say, live your values out loud. It could be as simple as saying, “You know, I’ve noticed some trash building up on the playground we like to go to. I’m going to bring a trash bag to clean it up today. Our earth is our home and we all can do our part to keep it clean.” Even if your child doesn’t help with the activity, neuroscience research indicates that they learn by watching us and hearing our reasoning for why we do things. This increases the likelihood that they will be active community members in the future.
Starting with even one of these steps can make an impactful difference in building civic-minded skills in neurodivergent children. Give them a try and let us know what you think!
Dr. Dudley is a licensed clinical psychologist with The Center for Assessment And Treatment (CAAT), a group of neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, and therapists dedicated to helping individuals, families and the community at large.