Blog 1: Where Ecosystems and Minds Meet

Hi everyone!

Welcome to Week 1 of Senior Project. This week has felt a little surreal. A few days ago I was in the Galápagos Islands for my senior trip, watching sea lions rest on volcanic rocks. Now I am back home, beginning my senior project and stepping into a completely different kind of environment at INFUSE. The transition has been strange, but I am genuinely excited to begin.

Coming back from the Galápagos has made me think a lot about diversity in nature. Every species survives because of its unique adaptations. Variation allows ecosystems to function and remain resilient. That idea stayed with me as I started reading The Power of Neurodiversity by Thomas Armstrong this week.

Armstrong explains neurodiversity as a natural and valuable form of human variation. He discusses conditions such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia as differences in brain wiring that include both strengths and challenges. One idea that stood out to me was his comparison between biodiversity and neurodiversity. Just as ecological systems depend on a range of species, human communities benefit from a range of cognitive styles. He emphasizes the importance of creating environments where different kinds of minds can succeed and compares the human mind to a rainforest, not a machine. Reading Armstrong has encouraged me to think more deeply about how environment shapes outcome. A child’s success is often tied to whether their surroundings align with how their brain works.

Armstrong pushes this idea even further by questioning the language we use. The word “disability” often carries a quiet assumption that something is broken or lacking. It suggests a deviation from an imagined standard of “normal.” Yet when it comes to the brain, what does normal even mean? We do not have a single preserved brain in a jar that serves as the gold standard against which all others are measured. Every brain develops through a complex interaction of genetics, environment, culture, and experience. So who decides where normal ends and abnormal begins?

Over the past few decades, neuroscience has made massive leaps in understanding brain structure and function. Brain imaging technologies have allowed researchers to observe patterns of activation and connectivity with remarkable detail. At the same time, our culture has become increasingly quick to label differences as disorders. Traits that may once have been described as eccentric, unconventional, intense, or unusual are now often categorized as symptoms. Armstrong describes this as part of a broader pathologizing culture, where variation is too easily medicalized. The key distinction he emphasizes is that difference does not automatically mean deficit.

This week I am focusing on getting to know INFUSE better. I want to observe carefully and understand how the space operates. I am paying attention to how the children interact, what activities engage them, and how instructors respond when a child feels overwhelmed. Armstrong writes about the idea of helping individuals find their “niche,” a setting that allows their abilities to shine. As I spend time at INFUSE, I am thinking about how supportive environments are intentionally created and how they can continue to improve.

Returning from the Galápagos and beginning this project at the same time feels symbolic. Nature thrives on variation, and human communities do as well. That realization has made me even more motivated to continue this work.

For next week, I want to finish annotating The Power of Neurodiversity and begin outlining key concepts that relate to my project. I hope to engage more directly with the children at INFUSE and start building stronger relationships with them.

This first week has felt unusual, but it has also reminded me why I am passionate about this project. I am excited to keep learning and growing in the weeks ahead.

Thank you for reading, and see you next week!