“Neuroqueering” Early Childhood Education through Teacher Training = “Neuroqueerizzare” l’educazione della prima infanzia attraverso la formazione insegnanti

This theoretical-conceptual essay reflects on the need for teacher education to contribute to the deconstruction of normalizing practices in early childhood education and care. So-called “difficult children” and their “challenging behaviors” are reframed here as possible signs of unmet needs linked to neuroatypical sensory, communicative and relational functioning. Drawing on the neurodiversity paradigm and the neuroqueer perspective, through an intersectional lens that also considers gender issues, the article argues that inclusion should not aim to correct or normalize children, but rather to transform educational contexts so that different ways of functioning, expressing oneself, learning and relating can coexist and be recognized. The article thus calls for teacher education oriented toward neurodiversity-affirming and gender-affirming pedagogical postures.