Territorio “Neuro”: Tensiones y claves para el bienestar y la cohesión social

Angélica Silva-Ríos; Natalia Zañartu-Canihuante

doi:10.32351/rca.v11.435

Authors

Angélica Silva-Ríos Universidad Santo Tomás, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2116-1087
Natalia Zañartu-Canihuante Universidad Santo Tomás, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3434-9721

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32351/rca.v11.435

Política de Crossmark DOI: https://doi.org/10.32351/politica-crossmark

Keywords:

neurodiversity, public policy, social cohesion, territory, well-being

Abstract

In contexts where territorial inequality and bodily and cognitive norms shape access to resources, opportunities, and legitimate forms of participation, it is necessary to examine how space contributes to the exclusion of autistic people. This theoretical article develops a critical reflection and proposes the notion of “neuro territory” as a tool for analyzing the relationship between the production of space, well-being, social cohesion, and neurodiversity. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of literature on territory, disability, neurodiversity, and public policy, with particular attention to the Chilean context, the article brings together socio-relational, decolonial, and critical perspectives. The analysis shows that planning, territorial design, and public policy reproduce neurotypical criteria of habitability that create material, sensory, symbolic, and participatory barriers. It argues that inclusion cannot be reduced to technical adjustments but requires questioning the norms that hierarchize ways of perceiving, communicating, and inhabiting space. The notion of “neuro territory” provides a framework for recognizing neurodiversity as a constitutive dimension of social life and for guiding the development of territories grounded in sensory accessibility, meaningful participation, universal design, and approaches that move beyond paternalistic assistance.
Palabras Claves: bienestar; cohesión social; neurodiversidad; políticas públicas; territorio.
Keywords: neurodiversity; public policy; social cohesion; territory; well-being.

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Author Biographies

Angélica Silva-Ríos, Universidad Santo Tomás, Chile

Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Chile, a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, a Master’s degree in Public Health, and is a doctoral candidate in Psychological and Social Studies of Well-Being at Universidad Santo Tomás. She has served as principal investigator on several research projects and has authored numerous scientific publications in the fields of public health and educational innovation. Her research has focused particularly on primary health care, quality of care, and patient safety. Her most recent work examines the holistic well-being of autistic adult women through a gender-sensitive perspective. She currently serves as Head of the Speech-Language Pathology Program at Universidad Santo Tomás, where she holds the academic rank of associate professor. She is also a core faculty member of the Master’s Program in Interdisciplinary Clinical Gerontology at the same university.
Natalia Zañartu-Canihuante, Universidad Santo Tomás, Chile

Degree in Psychology from Universidad de La Frontera and a PhD in Psychology from Universidad de Concepción, Chile. She currently serves as a faculty researcher at Universidad Santo Tomás, Chile, where she is a core faculty member of the Doctoral Program in Psychological and Social Studies of Well-Being and an associate researcher at the CIELO Center within the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Her research focuses on human rights, identity and discrimination, socially excluded minorities, Indigenous peoples, migrant populations, emotional coping, rurality, and territorial and social well-being.

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