Neurodivergence Glossary

Welcome to our Neurodivergence Glossary — a simple guide to terms and concepts related to neurodivergence, celebrating the diversity of human minds. This glossary includes terms that are directly or indirectly related to the paradigm of neurodiversity. Happy browsing!

Neurodivergence

When someone’s brain works in ways that are different from what society expects or considers "typical." This can include ways of thinking, learning, processing and communicating emotions, or sensing the world around them. Neurodivergence can refer to any trait—that is classified under the medical model of psychiatry—that doesn’t conform to the typical standards of brain cognition and function.

Neurodivergent

A person whose brain functions differently from the majority or “typical” ways that underlined as acceptable by the medical model of psychiatry. Neurodivergent people experience and interact with the world in their own unique ways. For example, someone with autism or ADHD would be neurodivergent.

Neurotypical

A person whose brain works in ways that match the societal expectations that are classified as ‘normal’ by the related fields of psychiatry and neuroscience. The word neurotypical arises out of the medical practice of labelling traits that are deemed healthy and acceptable as ‘typical’.

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a paradigm that arose out of the self-advocacy movement of autistic communities in the 1990s. Neurodiversity refers to the sociopolitical idea that neurological differences—such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others—are natural variations of the human brain rather than disorders that need to be cured.

Neurodiversity is rooted in the concept of biodiversity. Biodiversity acknowledges the evolutionary advantage that arises out of diversity, which should therefore be encouraged and preserved.

Similarly, neurodiversity values all kinds of thinking, learning, and experiencing as part of the human experience. It sees neurological variations as natural and not as illness, and neurodivergent traits as neutral characteristics instead of challenges.

Neuronormativity

Neuronormativity refers to the societal bias that normalizes neurotypical expressions of thought, behaviour and communication as the only acceptable standard. It highlights the assumption that there is only one "right" or "normal" way for brains to work, process information or communicate, and any other variations are ‘disorders’ that need to be corrected or cured. Neuronormativity becomes a helpful lens in seeing how societal systems are built in a way that often lead to exclusion or discrimination of neurodivergent people.

Neurological Variance

A big part of the neurodiversity movement is shifting the narrative around neurodivergence. To replace the language of ‘disorder’ or ‘deficiency’ that has been so prevalent in the medical classification of psychiatry, to a more affirming language. Instead of calling autism or ADHD neurological ‘disorders’, the neurodiversity movement rephrased it as ‘neurological variance’—which is simply another way of saying neurodivergence.

Autistic

The term ‘autistic’ has a long-chequered history. It was originally a medical diagnosis—“Autism Spectrum Disorder”—that warranted ‘treatment’ and cure. However, with the rise of the neurodiversity movement autism was seen as a neurological variance and not a ‘disorder’.

Autistic refers to people who have a spectrum of differences, than the neurotypical standard, that includes differences in information procession, social interaction, cognition, communication and sensory processing. The autistic community is diverse and includes persons with high support and low support needs.

Allistic

Allistic is a term that originated in the autistic community. The word is used to refer to persons who are "not autistic”. Allistic persons can have other neurological variances like Tourette’s or dyslexia.

ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity)

Similar to autism, ADHD began as a clinical diagnosis that denoted “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”. Neurodiversity has helped reframe ADHD as a neurodivergence that includes attention and emotion regulation differences. It refers to a way of thinking, perception and processing that often includes high energy, creativity, unique focus patterns and deep emotionality among other things.

Au-DHD

Another term that has originated from within the neurodivergent community. Au-DHD simply refers to the overlap of autistic and ADHD traits. Au-DHD is not a recognized clinical diagnosis but arises out of the lived experience of neurodivergent persons. Persons who identify themselves to have both the neurological variances call themselves Au-DHD-ers.

Stimming

A lot of neurodivergent persons experience sensory and emotional overwhelm. Stimming, which is short for self-stimulatory behavior, acts as a natural stress-relieving response.

Some common ways of stimming involve repetitive movements, sounds, or actions (like rocking, hand-flapping, biting lips, playing with hair, or humming). Another helpful way to stim is to play with an object, like a stress ball or a fidget toy. Stimming helps neurodivergent people regulate emotions, sensory input, and stress.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia, originated as a clinical diagnosis and was classified as ‘neurodevelopmental disorder’. With the affirming neurodiversity lens, it is now understood as a difference in learning and processing written language that can make reading and spelling challenging. However, dyslexic persons often come with strong creative thinking, problem-solving, and big-picture skills.

Dyspraxia

Similar, to dyslexia, dyspraxia refers to differences in coordinating body and space, movement and planning actions. People with dyspraxia may have unique ways of moving or doing tasks that involve physical coordination.

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia refers to a difference in processing and understanding numbers and math concepts. Persons with dyscalculia may struggle with calculations and mathematical tasks while often bringing creative approaches to problem-solving.

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia refers to a difference in information processing, that makes writing or jotting down thoughts on paper harder. It also involves differences that make handwriting or spelling difficult.

OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Traits)

OCD (clinically known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), was a medical diagnosis located within the spectrum of anxiety disorders. It refers to differences in information processing and behaviour, which often manifests as a strong desire for order, control, routines, or specific thoughts, which can help with focus but sometimes feel overwhelming.

Bipolar (Mood Variation)

Bipolar, is another clinical diagnosis that was located as a mood disorder. It refers to neurological differences in emotional regulation. Persons with bipolar can experience natural shifts in mood that include times of high energy and creativity, as well as times of rest or low energy, reflecting a unique emotional rhythm.

BPD (Borderline Personality Traits)

BPD (clinically known as Borderline Personality Disorder) was located as a ‘personality disorder’ in the medical model of psychiatry. Persons with BPD experience differences in emotions, relational dynamics, and self-perception. It can include traits like intense emotions, strong empathy, and deep sensitivity in relationships and self-awareness.

Tourette’s Syndrome

Tourette’s is a neurodivergence that includes locomotor, behavioural and communication differences. Persons with Tourette’s express energy through involuntary movements or sounds called ‘tics’.

Time Agnosia

Time Agnosia refers to a divergence in perception or processing of time. It implies a difference in sensing or feeling the passage of time, which can make planning or estimating time, according to neurotypical standards, challenging. Without the understanding of neurodiversity, time agnosia can be misinterpreted as “poor time management skills” and add to the deficit narrative that often haunts neurodivergent persons.

Demand Avoidance

Demand Avoidance is a trait that emerges within autistic or ADHD persons. It refers to an internal resistance of completing a task that is required or expected of a person. It can arise out of cognition and executive differences, where a neurodivergent person avoids demands or expectations, often as a way to protect their well-being and autonomy. Demand Avoidance in a person is often misinterpreted as ‘laziness’ or ‘stubborness’.

Executive Dysfunction

Executive functioning skills are located in the prefrontal cortex of the brain; they cover a range of executive skills like thinking, planning, emotional regulation, impulse control, working memory etc. Executive dysfunction refers to a difference in executive function skills where there might be a difficulty surrounding a spectrum of actions like managing tasks like starting, organizing, completing or switching activities. Executive dysfunction can overlap between different neurodivergences, like autism and ADHD.

SPD (Sensory Processing Differences)

SPD (clinically known as Sensory Processing Disorder) refers to sensory processing differences. Persons with SPD often process sensory stimuli—light, sound, smell, texture, flavour—to a greater depth. This difference in processing is also referred to as “sensory sensitivity”. In sensorily loud or chaotic environments, such persons can easily feel sensory overload. Persons with SPD also have traits of creativity, curiosity and empathy.

Synesthesia

Synesthesia refers to a difference in sensory perception. Synesthesia can lead to a person sensing one sensory stimulus through another, where two or more senses blend together. For instance, persons who can see colors when hearing music or taste shapes, would be synesthetes.

Misophonia

Misophonia is a sensory sensitivity related to sound. Persons with misophonia process sound stimuli differently, which can lead to certain sounds—like chewing or tapping—to cause sensory overload and even emotional distress.

RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria)

RSD (also known as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria) relates to a difference of emotional processing. It refers to deep emotional sensitivity to perceived criticism or rejection, often leading to intense feelings that impact self-esteem and relationships.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia emerged as a clinical diagnosis and refers to a difference in cognition, sensory processing and perception of reality. A person with schizophrenia may often experience reality differently, including the perception of sights, sounds and smells. Persons with schizophrenia have a history of being stigmatized and isolated from society.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

This refers to a difference in processing sounds. It refers to differences in information processing where sounds are processed and interpreted differently. It can look like a person struggle to make sense of spoken words and struggling to focus. Auditory processing disorder should not be confused with hearing impairment, where the ability to hear is impaired.

Spoon Theory

The concept of spoon theory originated from the lived experience of chronic illness. Christine Miserandino, who lives with Lupus, used spoons to explain her limited stores of energy to her friend. She explained how she has to strategize her days depending on the number of spoons she has in a day, or risk burnout. Each spoon signifies a subjective unit of energy, and the spoon theory is used within the disabled community as a useful pacing system.

The neurodivergent understanding of the spoons systems comes with an added nuance. Neurodivergent advocate, Cynthia Kim, explained how the nature of neurodivergent spoons keep changing on a daily basis. For instance, on a given day a person may have more social spoons than executive spoons, however, the very next day, the balance can reverse.

Crip Time

Crip Time is a concept that is rooted the experience of time for disabled bodies. It literally means ‘time of disabled bodies’, where ‘crip’ was an ableist slur that was reclaimed by the disability justice activists.

A lot of chronically ill, disabled or neurodivergent persons experience time in a slower manner on days of illness or on days of burnout. However, on days of greater wellbeing, time is known to accelerate.

Crip Time advocates for time being a flexible resource. It highlights how the rigid notions of time and the constant expectations of productivity around the clock can be detrimental to disabled and neurodivergent persons.

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