Caveat from an evolutionary biologist** whoâs read the primary literature on this stuff (**humans arenât my study species, but Iâm neurodivergent and the same methods used in hominid evolution are used in the species I study):Â
ASD and ADHD can be disabling even OUTSIDE of the context of late stage capitalism, i.e. across most of human evolutionary history. Disability is part of human diversity.
Evolution doesnât act on individuals, it acts on populations. Â We all know these suites of traits associated with ASD and ADHD exist on spectrums. If a mild version of a trait is advantageous but an extreme version is not, there may still be greater positive selection on the trait if it provides greater fitness to individuals who carry its milder phenotype. There is evidence that this has been the case in human evolutionary history with respect to ASD and ADHD-- both show genomic signatures of selection across human populations, and some associated genetic variants are fixed in some populations (i.e. the alternative genes no longer exist in those populations).
Additionally, humans are social, cooperative species-- we care for kin and community, so not every individual has to have a âperfectâ combination of adaptive traits to still contribute to group fitness. Or NOT contribute to group fitness, for that matter-- we also have a long, documented history of provided care for disabled family and friends extending back to the origins of modern humans.Â
There are still ways to find better environmental matches for people with ASD and ADHD (e.g. agricultural vocational therapy for adults with autism can provide much better quality of life than being sequestered into generic institutional facilities), but the bigger problem with the contemporary environment is that capitalism doesnât value community. Itâs based on treating individuals like disembodied autonomous actors & extracting wealth.Â
Yeah, the past wasnât perfect, either-- environmental selection acting on traits doesnât make each individual have a perfectly harmonious, suffering-free fit through life-- but, historically, there have been meaningful ways to participate in & contribute to a community without requiring each individual to perform across the board in a uniform, consistent way. This is what the push for inclusivity should be about-- finding ways for communities to function that donât treat disabled people like aberrations, but rather like exceptional cases of ânormalâ (at a broader scale). Failing to do so means both individuals and communities lose out.Â
