Background
Neurodiversity
Initiataive
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The neurodiverse community offers an array of unique strengths, talents and skills that are essential to our national security.
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However.
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Due to stagnant DoD policy, neurodivergent conditions are disqualifying for appointment, enlistment or induction into military service.
Despite exclusionary DoD policy, the US military has benefited from the service of neurodivergent individuals for its entire history.
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But times have changed,
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Thanks to improved access to healtcare, advanced childhood screening, and broadened definitions, child diagnosis rates have increased four-fold, from 1:150 in 2002, to 1:36 in 2022.
Due to this intersection of stagnant policy and enhanced medicine, large demographics of young adults are ineligible for service, not because thier conditions are incompatible, but simply because they recieved a higher quality of healthcare than previous generations.
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Moreover, due to the enhanced developmental care that today's young austic adults often recieve early in life, many are better adapted and more pepared for honorable military service than ever before.
Finally, there is a significant population of autistic military members, and veterans, who have served, and continue to serve, largely unacknowledged and unsupported.
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The fact that the military struggles with suicide, and the neurodivergent population experiences suicide rates up to 9x the general population, means inaction is costing lives.