We all have a story to tell.
This change in perspective was what I needed to understand the Supports Paradigm.
The Supports Paradigm is a model of care that improves the quality of life for individuals who are neurodiverse. It addresses the intersection of the person’s impairments with the expectations of the environment around them. This model is adaptable regardless of the complexity of an individual’s needs and focuses on the necessary social and environmental supports in the home, school, work, and community.
To fully grasp the Supports Paradigm, you have to make a perspective shift in thinking. It’s necessary to look at someone else’s life, their story, in a personal way. By making it personal you are able to consider different viewpoints, to allow room for change, but to make this shift, you need to understand a person’s life from their point of view.
This is the story that helped me: Baby in the Backseat. I am not sure where I heard it originally or if it’s a folk tale, but this is how it goes:
There was a Subaru stopped at a traffic light that did not instantly move forward when the light turned green. The driver of the car directly behind the Subaru got frustrated and honked. Still, the Subaru did not move.
The driver’s frustration turned quickly to anger, honking, and yelling. The Subaru continued to sit still. The second car’s anger turned to rage and escalated to rolling down the window, shouting obscenities.
Suddenly, a young woman jumped out of the Subaru’s driver's seat, swung open the back door, and bent inside. A few seconds later, she pulled out a baby, held the child upside down, and began hitting him on the back as if trying to dislodge an object. Eventually, an object flew out of the baby's mouth. The baby was choking.
In that moment, the anger and frustration dissipated from the second driver, replaced by compassion. The driver understood why the Subaru didn’t move. There was a change in perspective, a shift. The driver was able to see the whole story clearly.
This is an example of the paradigm shift. There are always pieces of someone’s story you don’t or can’t know. The second driver was only thinking of being late to work, agitated about the delay. He only saw the situation from his perspective. By remembering that another individual has their own story, you can begin to support and relate in a more accommodating way.
The neurodevelopmental disorder community today often focuses on changing neurodiverse people to fit into mainstream environments instead of changing our understanding of the person. But using the Supports Paradigm, and focusing on a strength-based approach, could create positive outcomes for everyone, not just the neurodiverse community.
It’s easy to forget that your life and abilities aren't the only perspective, that there are different brains and bodies. It’s sometimes difficult to keep your heart open to accepting these differences. When I forget to lead with the paradigm shift in parenting, work, or when the world and my household gets extra chaotic, I say to myself, “Baby in the backseat,” and it helps me remember that the Support Paradigm works. These simple words help me make the perspective change and remember that everyone has a story to tell.
Angelle Gremillion
Senior Program Associate for FASD Collaborative, Author
To read more of Angelle’s creative writing endeavors, visit:
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