Neurodiversity Glossary

Neurodiversity glossary of terms

The neurodiversity glossary below may not be exhaustive but is a helpful tool that can get you started with normalising using neurodiversity terminology and having open conversations in a more informed way. The most important is to be mindful and to not limit people by your perception of their neurodivergence and ultimately always be led by the communities and the individual on how they self identify and the terminology they use to describe themselves.

• • Accountability buddy: Someone who acts as support for another person to keep them moving towards a desired goal.

• • ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Attention Deficit Disorder). The name of a neurotype characterised by hyperactivity, distractibility, processing issues and many other traits. You would describe someone as ‘having ADHD’ or some people with ADHD refer to themselves as ‘ADHDers’. (Check out our ADHD resource for a better understanding).

• • Allistic: Someone who is not autistic.

• • Aphantasia: A condition characterised by difficulty generating mental images or visualisations.

• • Autism/Autistic spectrum conditions (ASC)/Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD): Autism is a neurotype characterised by communication challenges, sensory issues and repetitive behaviours, among many other traits. Many in the community may prefer identity-first language and to be referred to as ‘autistic’ rather than person first and described as ‘someone with autism’ as their autistic neurotype is inherent to their being, not something separate – however, this is down to individual preference and identity. (Check out our Autism resource for a better understanding).

• • Body doubling: When people work in a shared space together to create a productive environment which encourages and motivates each other to accomplish tasks.

• • Co-occurring conditions: Refers to neurotypes or conditions which occur concurrently. Co-occurence is high in the neurodivergent community, as if you are one neurotype/have one condition, you are more likely than the average population to be/have more.

• • Dyscalculia: A condition characterised by an individual’s difficulty in understanding numbers and arithmetic.

• • Dyschronometria: A condition characterised by an individual’s difficulty in estimating time or having an awareness of time passed.

• • Dysgraphia: A condition characterised by an individual’s difficulty in writing by hand and translating what they want to say into written words. It may also be characterised by reduced spatial awareness. It does not affect reading comprehension.

• • Dyslexia: A condition characterized by an individual’s difficulty with processing information, which can impact reading, writing, spelling and organizational skills. (Check out our Dyslexia resource for a better understanding).

• • Dyspraxia: A condition characterised by an individual’s difficulty with coordination, and occasionally, speech. (Check out our Dyspraxia resource for a better understanding).

• • Echolalia: A trait or symptom whereby the person repeats sounds and phrases from others.

• • Executive function: A series of brain functions managed by the frontal lobe including memory, learning, decision making, organisation and time management.

• • Hyperacusis: A condition characterised by a sensitivity to noise which can cause discomfort and pain.

• • Hyperlexia: Usually discovered in childhood, the ability to read much faster and at much more complex levels than the average child at the same age.

• • Hypersensitivity: Heightened awareness and discomfort caused by sensory, physical or emotional inputs that others might not notice.

• • Hyposensitivity: A decreased awareness of sensory, physical or emotional inputs.

• • Identity-first language vs person first language: Naming someone by their neurotype or condition first vs naming someone as having that neurotype or condition, e.g. Saying someone is autistic vs someone has autism. Many people use identity first language to describe themselves. It is a personal choice.

• • Masking: When a neurodivergent person ‘masks’ their true feelings, personality, mood or opinions in order to be accepted socially and to ‘fly under the radar’ to not be outed/seen as neurodivergent. It is a coping mechanism, generally as a result of Neurodivergent trauma from non-acceptance in society.

• • Meltdown/Shutdown: When a neurodivergent person becomes overwhelmed or overstimulated and has an emotional outburst or becomes mute to regulate their emotions.

• • Misophonia: A condition characterised by an intolerance to everyday sounds. This intolerance can cause individuals to have a strong emotional response.

• • Neurodivergent: A neurotype which is not neurotypical and diverges from the average neurotype.

• • Neurodiverse/Neurodiversity: The wide range of neurotypes that exist in the world.

• • Neurologically typical/neurotypical/NT: Neurotypical people are those who have the average neurotype. Someone who is not neurodivergent.

• • Neurotype: The type of brain a person has.

• • Non-verbal communication: Neurodivergent people often use non verbal methods of communication such as gestures, facial expressions, writing, etc.

• • OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a condition characterised by obsessive thoughts and repetitive or compulsive behaviours. (Check out our OCD resource for a better understanding).

• • Rejection-sensitive dysphoria (RSD): When a person experiences severe emotional pain or distress as a result of perceived rejection.

• • Savant: Where a person with a neurodivergence demonstrates expert skill or knowledge in a specific area.

• • Self-stimulation/stimming: Activities carried out by neurodivergent people to soothe or calm themselves to regulate and stabilise their emotions and nervous system. These activities can involve flapping, dancing, making noises, humming, movement and sound of any kind.

• • Sensory Overload/Burnout: Many people who are neurodivergent have sensory issues or sensory processing disorders, which can make life overwhelming. This can be anything visually, physically, auditorily and so on.

• • Sensory processing disorder: A condition characterised by a sensitivity to sensory stimuli and a difference in processing sensory stimuli.

• • Spectrum: The Spectrum refers to the wide ranging traits and characteristics of autism and highlights how no one autistic person has the same experiences.

• • Synesthesia: A condition characterised by an individual’s experience of one sensory or cognitive pathway being stimulated and another, unrelated sense, being activated at the same time. E.g. people who can taste colours or see sounds.

• • Tourette Syndrome/Tourette’s Syndrome: A neurological condition characterised by tics and involuntary sounds and movements. (Check out our Tourette Syndrome resource for a better understanding).

• • Triad of impairments: An outdated framework that suggests that ‘classic Autism’ is characterised by three ‘impairments’ – social communication, social interaction and social imagination. This is a poor representation of the Autistic experience and ableist as it suggests that there is something wrong with the Autistic person, rather than with society.