A Glossary of Common Neurodiversity Terms

A glossary to help newcomers understand and participate in neurodiversity discussions

Without being aware of a few common terms, discussions surrounding neurodiversity can be confusing. I created this glossary for you to refer to, making neurodiversity discussions more accessible and comprehensible for newcomers.

Some of these terms have fairly concrete definitions, while others aren’t as clear and consistent as would be ideal, so there may be some discrepancies among authors and advocates. Currently, neurodiversity language isn’t being used in a correct and standardised manner, whether in more casual conversations, advocacy work or even research. As neurodiversity discourse continues, we will likely develop and use more fixed definitions which will help clarify our messages. We’re all learning together so I will keep this post updated to reflect such developments.

Let’s define these terms so we’re all on the same page…

Neurocognitive Style - an overview of an individual’s neurocognitive functioning (how their mind works). No two individuals will be identical in their neurocognitive functioning, and neurocognitive functioning fluctuates to some extent within individuals over their lifespan. While there are always unique differences between individuals, some people have notably similar neurocognitive styles; for example, autistics will share many similarities in their neurocognitive functioning, while being substantially different from that of neurotypicals.

Neurodiversity – refers to the diversity in neurocognitive styles (types of minds) within the human species, and therefore the diversity of how individuals think, feel and overall experience the world. Neurodiversity is a biological fact. A group of just neurotypicals would not be a neurodiverse group. A group of just autistics also wouldn’t be neurodiverse. A group consisting of some neurotypicals, some autistics, some dyslexics, some dyspraxics, some epileptic people, etc, would be a neurodiverse group since it includes people with a range of significantly different neurocognitive styles. (Collaboratively coined by the online neurodivergent community in the 1990s)

Neuronormative - the socially accepted and expected neurocognitive functioning patterns. Neuronormativity often forms the basis of societal norms and expectations. It asserts that there is a correct way to think, feel, communicate, act and overall exist. Anything outside of these strict standards is uncritically classified as disordered, with differences always being deficits.

Neurotypical (NT) - an individual whose neurocognitive style conforms to the dominant type, allowing them to comfortably adhere to the neuronormative standards of the predominant culture. Most people are neurotypical, and in a vacuum, being neurotypical isn’t good or bad - just neutral.

Neurodivergent (ND) - a broad term to describe an individual who is not neurotypical; their neurocognitive style differs significantly from the dominant type. Some neurodivergencies are neutral innate permanent differences in cognition (such as autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, KCS, etc) that are fundamental to the individual’s personhood. In a vacuum, such neurocognitive styles are no better or worse than being neurotypical - they’re different but not defective. We should embrace such neurocognitive styles and in no way try to ‘cure’ or eradicate them. Other neurodivergencies are acquired; for example, mental illnesses and differences in neurocognitive functioning induced by head injuries. Many of these neurodivergencies could be removed from the individual without erasing fundamental aspects of their personhood. Often the individual would prefer not to have them and would benefit from their absence. For example, I can’t be separated from my autism, and wouldn’t want to be, because it is who I am and influences literally everything about me. Autism and other neutral innate permanent neurodivergences should NOT be pathologised. On the other hand, mental health conditions including OCD have actively corrupted my personhood, and after much work, I have significantly reduced the severity of these illnesses which has improved my life dramatically. So many acquired neurodivergencies can be treated as disorders, though the aim of support and treatment should be to reduce the person’s suffering and increase their quality of life as opposed to encouraging neuronormativity. Of course, mental illnesses being bad doesn’t mean we should mistreat or outcast those afflicted. Under this definition, neurodivergence isn’t intrinsically positive, negative or even neutral – it depends on the specific type of neurodivergence in question. (Coined by Kassiane Asasumasu)

Acquired Neurodivergence - a neurodivergence that is acquired. In other words, a neurodivergence that the individual wasn’t born with. Examples include mental illnesses and cognition differences resulting from head injuries.

Neurominority - short for ‘neurological minority’, neurominority refers to a population of people who all share a similar form of neutral innate permanent neurodivergence (as opposed to an acquired neurodivergence) that the neurotypical majority tends to respond with some degree of prejudice, misunderstanding, discrimination, and/or oppression. Despite not being inherently better or worse than neurotypicality, these forms of neurodivergence are still largely misclassified as disorders, which almost always facilitates the oppression of neurominority groups. Just as there are minority groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc, neurominority describes minority groups based on neurocognition. Examples of neurominority groups include autistics, dyslexics and people with Down Syndrome. (Coined by Dr. Nick Walker in 2004)

Multiply Neurodivergent - Some people can have more than one concurring neurodivergence. Such people can be referred to as being multiply neurodivergent. For example, I’m autistic, kinetic and dyspraxic, as well as having CPTSD and OCD.

Neurodiversity Movement - a social justice movement that seeks civil rights, equality, respect, autonomy and full societal inclusion for neurodivergent people. The core aim of the Neurodiversity Movement is to shift the world’s general perspective from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigm.

Neurodiversity Paradigm - a perspective that highlights neurodiversity as a natural and valuable form of human diversity and rejects the notion that there is just one ‘correct’ type of mind. (Coined by Dr. Nick Walker)

Pathology Paradigm - the harmful and inaccurate perspective that presumes all neurodivergencies to be medical pathologies or psychiatric disorders, and as being inherently inferior to neurotypicality. It assumes that anyone who fails to conform to neuronormative standards is disordered, essentially asserting that different is always wrong. Rather than being based on objective science, this pathologisation is a social construct rooted in cultural norms and social power inequalities - it is merely a cultural value judgement masquerading as science. The pathology paradigm has routinely resulted in members of neurominorities being dehumanised, stigmatised, misunderstood, abused and traumatised by their family, professionals, and others in their lives. (Coined by Dr. Nick Walker)

Neurocosmopolitanism - A neurocosmopolitan perspective is one in which there is no default or superior type of mind; it embraces neurodiversity as a natural and valuable part of human diversity. A neurocosmopolitan society is the overarching goal of the Neurodiversity Movement. (Coined independently by Ralph Savarese and Dr. Nick Walker)

Neuroprovincialism - essentially the opposite of neurocosmopolitanism. A neuroprovincial perspective is a neuronormative one in which there is one neurocognitive style that is superior and serves as the default. Anything outside of these strict standards of ‘normal’ is uncritically classified as disordered - differences are always deficits. We currently are a neuroprovincial society. (Coined by Dr. Nick Walker)

Neuroinclusion - creating environments where neurodivergence is recognised and accommodated, reducing stress and anxiety for neurodivergent people.

Intersectionality - framework for understanding how systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, disability, neurocognition, etc, intersect to create unique dynamics and effects. In turn, multiple levels of social injustice, discrimination and/or disadvantage are created. Therefore, people can be multiply marginalised. For example, a black disabled person will almost certainly experience some degree of racism and ableism/disablism. But instead of always being experienced as two distinct forms of discrimination, they will face discrimination unique to black disabled people that neither black non-disabled people nor non-black disabled people will experience. Because of this intersectionality, it is paramount that we listen to and learn from many different people with different combinations of intersecting identities. (Coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw in 1989)

Stimming - Most associated with autism and KCS, ‘stimming’ refers to self-stimulatory activities that tend to involve repetitive, predictable patterns (for example, hand flapping, rocking, chewing gum, humming, playing with fidget toys, spinning, skin-rubbing/scratching, repeatedly feeling a particular texture, watching a moving object like a lava lamp, among an infinite list of others). Stimming serves many functions: it can help in stressful or unfamiliar situations by providing a soothing reliable stimulus to help the individual calm down; through providing a familiar, reliable and self-generated stimulus to focus on, stimming can help reduce sensory overwhelm by blocking out some stimuli; some people stim to gain sensory input; stimming can be a positive sign of excitement, and helps regulate such strong emotions; lots of people simply enjoy stimming.

(Autistic) Burnout - a prolonged state of *intense* physical and psychological exhaustion induced by an extended period of an autistic person being overburdened by the demands of our neuroprovincial world.

Hyperfocus - the ability to enter a state of intense single-minded concentration fixated on one thought pattern at a time, to the exclusion of everything else. Hyperfocus is most associated KCS, but is also experienced by many autistics.

Meltdown - a temporary involuntary loss of control over one’s feelings and behaviour due to extreme emotional and/or sensory overload. Meltdowns should be responded to with empathy and calmness - not punishment. Meltdowns and shutdowns tend to be associated with autism, but may also be experienced by kinetics.

Shutdown - similar to a meltdown, but instead of an ‘explosion’ due to emotional and/or sensory overwhelm, it’s more of an ‘implosion’. For many, this will involve a period of extreme fatigue/physical weakness, involuntary non-speaking or reduced speech, and/or unresponsiveness.

‘Kinetic Cognitive Style’ (KCS) - an alternative name for ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’ (ADHD) that is more accurate and less pathologising and offensive. It might seem like a trivial change, but I believe that the language we use goes hand-in-hand with our perceptions, and such a change reframes this state of being as a neutral difference rather than a deficit. (Coined by Dr. Nick Walker)

Allistic - not autistic. (Coined by Andrew Main (Zefram) in 2003¹)

Ableism - discrimination in favour of non-disabled people, whether intentional or unintentional. It is rooted in the harmful notion that disabled people are inherently less valuable than non-disabled people. Ableism is often not ill-intentioned, instead stemming from ignorance or simply not considering the needs of disabled people. Whatever the intention, it perpetuates misconceptions and harmful stereotypes about us which causes harm to the individual disabled person involved as well as the wider disability community. It could be argued that many disabled people are disabled because of ableism - our society upholds ‘non-disabled’ people as superior and the default, so society is created for these people, thereby devaluing and excluding people who fall outside of this strict standard of ‘normal’ (i.e, ‘disabled’ people) which limits their potential, thus leaving them unnecessarily disadvantaged. For example, in areas where glasses are accessible, needing glasses isn’t really considered a disability since it is willingly accommodated. Ableism may occur on the institutional level (in organisations/institutional structures, such as the medical system, the educational system, or the workforce), interpersonal level (in everyday social interactions and relationships) and internal level (internalised ableism that may negatively impact how a disabled person feels about and treat themselves and other disabled people). Examples include buildings being inaccessible to wheelchair users, assuming disabled people to be incompetent, referring to autistic people as ‘suffering from autism’, etc.

Disablism - While ableism describes discrimination in favour of non-disabled people, disablism is discrimination against disabled people. Much of what would be considered ableist could also be considered disablist; for example, a building being inaccessible to wheelchair users is ableist since that building was designed for the favoured non-disabled, and is also disablist in that it leads to the exclusion and discrimination of wheelchair users. Disablism additionally includes the intentional abuse and oppression of disabled people including harassment, hate crimes and legislation/practices that aim to harm or eradicate us.

Spectrum - variation in how very similar neurocognitive styles affect or manifest in different individuals due to unique differences in their distinctive neurocognitive functioning. For example, autism is a spectrum (NOT a scale of severity!!), so each individual will display autistic traits in different ways, and overall have individual differences in how their mind works.

Masking - performance of neurotypicality. When a neurodivergent person ‘masks’, they try to adhere to neuronormative standards, often to ‘pass’ as neurotypical. A neurodivergent person may mask for a combination of reasons including to be socially accepted, to avoid unwanted attention, as a trauma response, due to conditioning, due to internalised ableism, to secure/maintain employment, and as a necessity for safety. While extremely uncomfortable and exhausting, masking can be helpful in the short term - even being a necessity in some circumstances - but it tends to have a significant detrimental impact if sustained long-term. Masking can lead to extreme stress, anxiety, meltdowns/shutdowns, burnout and/or development of mental health issues.

Non-Visible Disability - A ‘non-visible’, ‘invisible', ‘hidden’, ‘non-apparent’, or ‘unseen’ disability is a broad term to describe a disability that goes largely unnoticed by onlookers, being less outwardly obvious than, say, a person who uses a wheelchair. Some examples include chronic illnesses such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, chronic pain and fibromyalgia; deafness; blindness or low vision; intellectual disabilities; and various neurodivergencies including autism, dyslexia, and mental health issues such as anxiety disorders, depression and PTSD.

1. The definition originated from this parody piece intended to highlight the absurdity of pathologising autism. Nobody (hopefully!!) is seriously trying to frame allism as a disorder.