Sociogenomics is a rapidly growing field that brings together geneticists and sociologists to understand the genetic underpinnings of complex sociological traits and disorders. The promise of the field is to better understand the genetics and environments that are shared among people with certain traits and, to some extent, understand the underlying biological mechanisms that may lead to the development and/or persistence of that trait. One area of sociogenomic research is on Autism, ADHD, and other neurodiverse conditions that sit at the nexus of what is considered social and medical. This research is ongoing at the same time that debates about neurodiversity and neurodivergent conditions have also begun to arise that challenge the biomedical model of considering traits such as Autism and ADHD as medical disorders to be treated and potentially cured. The neurodiversity movement, along with disability studies, challenges medical models that pathologize traits, while simultaneously acknowledging the roles of biological, societal, and environmental enmeshings. Sociogenomics likewise moves beyond medical models, by focusing on social traits, but it is unclear how research will move forward other than assisting with sociological analyses. This presentation will introduce these potentially conflicting goals and perspectives of sociogenomic research in contrast to the neurodiversity movement. It will further consider the possible implications stemming from sociogenomic’s potential to create new geographies of identity, disability, and health through the use of polygenic indicies, situating neurodivergent people according to their shared traits.
