Consent is more than saying yes.
Consent is having the information to make informed decisions in regards to your autonomy and respect.
Consent in relationships may include understanding your partners’ cognitive differences or ability differences. It may require “extra” communication for various needs.
When dealing with neurodivergent people and other cognitive differences, it is essential to understand the basics of cognition and ignition ability to understand where communication gaps may occur.
Differences can occur in:
❤Verbal comprehension or our ability to understand words, sentences, paragraphs.
❤Sensitivity to problems or our ability to problem-solve.
❤Syllogistic reasoning or drawing conclusions from premises.
❤Number facility or maths-related stuff.
❤Induction or process of making things happen.
❤General reasoning or finding solutions with more math-related stuff.
❤Associative memory or recollection based on information for unrelated things.
❤Span memory or recollection post initial introduction.
❤Associational fluency aka knowing synonyms
❤ Expressional fluency or your ability to convey your thoughts with accuracy.
❤Spontaneous flexibility, aka appropriate situational response.
❤Perceptual speed—Find instances of a pattern under speeded conditions.
❤Visualization or the ability to visualize concepts.
❤Spatial orientation or identifying objects placement in space.
❤Length estimation or the ability to estimate the distance between points.
I have tried to explain this in ways that will make sense to people that don’t study psychology. Please look at the links below and feel free to ask questions.
For more on cognition and cognitive ability:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/cognitive-ability
https://cognitiontoday.com/what-is-cognition-executive-functions-and-cognitive-processes/
https://www.cambridgecognition.com/blog/entry/what-is-cognition
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/cognitive-skills-how-to-improve-them
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2017.0293
Revolution Kitty 