Grossberg’s lawyer says he has a ‘neurodivergent diagnosis.’ What does that mean?
Over the past month, the Herald-Leader has published multiple stories detailing allegations of sexual harassment by a Louisville Democratic lawmaker based on interviews with six women in and around Kentucky politics about their experiences with him.
State Rep. Daniel Grossberg, a first-term legislator who is running unopposed in November, and his attorney Anna Whites have steadfastly denied any impropriety or misuse of his power.
The Herald-Leader is not publicly identifying any of the women who have made claims against Grossberg because of their fear of retaliation in the tight-knit political world of Frankfort and the sensitive nature of the allegations.
The most recent allegations include inappropriate, harassing or sexually-tinged text or direct social media messages. One of the women described feeling sexually harassed by Grossberg in the summer of 2023, in his statehouse office after a legislative meeting.
On the heels of the Herald-Leader’s reporting, numerous Democrats have called for Grossberg’s resignation.
House Democratic leaders also have asked for an ethics investigation, suspended him from the caucus and stripped him of all interim committee assignments and his office space.
Whites has repeatedly denied any inappropriate actions or behavior by Grossberg. So, too, has the lawmaker.
Whites has said Grossberg has a “neurodivergent diagnosis,” placing him on the autism spectrum, which means his brain processes information differently. She has not elaborated on his diagnosis and how it’s affected either his legislative performance and his interactions with others, especially young women in Frankfort.
To better understand what could be encompassed by a “neurodivergent diagnosis,” the Herald-Leader talked to Rachel Womack, the disability training director at the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky.
The Human Development Institute, a non-degree granting department at UK, works across the commonwealth to improve opportunity and access for people with disabilities across the commonwealth.
Here are excerpts of that interview.
What is neurodiversity?
Most brains process information and allow them to interact with the world in a similar way, Womack said. That’s called being neurotypical. People who are neurodivergent have brains that work differently.
“There are a variety of diagnoses that are within that neurodivergent umbrella. I think the most common, probably the most commonly discussed, diagnosis, is autism … but it doesn’t just equate to autism,” she said.
However, “neurodivergent” is not a medical diagnosis. Womack called it “an umbrella term” for a range of disorders. People with learning disorders, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, bipolar disorder and host of other diagnosis can use “neurodivergent” to describe themselves.
“You’re not going to go to the doctor and they say, ‘You’re neurodivergent’ … a lot of this does come down to how the individual person identifies,” she said. “We do have people who identify as neurodivergent who have never had a formal diagnosis in any of these areas.”
How common is a neurodivergent diagnosis?
The definition of neurodivergent is up for debate in medical circles. The term is notably missing from most diagnostic medical manuals. Without a set definition, it’s hard to know how many people could be considered neurodivergent.
“Based on the diagnostic tools and criteria that we have right now, it’s actually quite hard to estimate the prevalence of neurodivergence, but I can say with confidence that it’s quite a bit higher than what we’ve had in the past,” Womack said.
The numbers are trending up, particularly in terms of the number of autism diagnoses.
“We are seeing drastic increases in autism diagnosis rates. Now, there are various theories as to why that is. Some people think that there’s not more autistic people in the world, we’re just catching it more often,” she said.
“Some people think that there are more autistic children than there used to be. So regardless of the reason, it is increasing in prevalence.”
What are common behaviors associated with neurodivergent conditions?
A neurodivergent diagnosis typically comes in childhood.
Children with learning disorders may have trouble paying attention, poor memory or hyperactivity. Children with autism may not make eye contact, repeat phrases in conversation or socialize with peers differently than other children.
“Someone is identifying that that child is not hitting what we call their developmental milestones in the way that we would expect them to. So for example, maybe when this child is 18-months-old, they have fewer words in their vocabulary than we would expect them to,” Womack said.
While most diagnosis are made in childhood, adults are more frequently identifying neurodivergent tendencies in their own lives, due to barriers like access and awareness. Womack said people can identify as neurodivergent, without having an official diagnosis.
Autism has often been associated with a spectrum. In the past, that term has been used to signal “high-functioning” or “low-functioning” people with the disorder, though Womack said that language is rarely used anymore.
Experts and advocates now use “the autism spectrum” to refer to differences in the way autism can impact a person’s life. Womack said most disabilities or disorders can be thought of on a spectrum.
“For example, no two people with (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) OCD are going to look exactly the same, right? That’s going to impact their life in a different way. They’re going to present in a different way, but they’re going to have enough commonalities that they share that OCD diagnosis,” she said.
How is being neurodivergent treated?
Interventions for neurodivergent people are focused on improving quality of life, typically by learning to cope better in their environment – an environment that has usually been created for neurotypical people.
“We generally only want to try to change something or to address something if it is causing that person distress or trouble in some area of their life,” Womack said.
“So we’re not treating or attempting to cure the neurodivergence, because that’s always going to be there. That’s part of their brain. But we’re equipping them with the skills and the tools to better navigate in our world and to improve their well being.”
Though experts and advocates are working hard to change the narrative, there is still a stigma around neurodivergent disorders.
“If you want confirmation of that, all you have to do is talk to parents of children who have recently received one of the diagnoses that would fall under this umbrella. That often comes with fear and concern and worry about what that child’s future will look like,” Womack said.
“I think the reason that they have those fears and those concerns and those worries is because of what we’ve seen for so long as the public opinion, which is that people with disabilities in general, whether they’re a neurodivergent type disability or not, are not going to be successful.”
My child is neurodivergent. What do I do?
If you notice your child is displaying neurodivergent behaviors, the first step is talking to your pediatrician, who may refer you to someone who can help with a special diagnosis.
“The most important thing to do is not to panic. These are not diseases. They do not mean that your child is is not going to be successful. They don’t mean that your child is not going to go to college or have a career or have a marriage or anything like that, but they do mean that your child is going to require support in some area,” Womack said.
“It is really important for parents to know that people who are neurodivergent are all around us. They’re successful all around us. They’re happy all around us.”