Neurodivergence Glossary – my why
For me, words are really important. I’ve always loved studying languages, linguistics, and reading everything I can get my hands on. But recently, a whole new set of words has had a huge impact on my life.
For decades of my life, I didn’t have the words to describe what was going on inside my head. For years, I was stuck with the terms ‘depression’ and ‘anxiety’ when I now know that what I was experiencing were autistic burnout and sensory overwhelm. For years I labelled myself as ‘broken’ when really, I was just ‘different’. The difference in those terms is massive for me.
Having a diagnosis of Autism now, and a whole new set of vocabulary I’m starting to learn, is helping me to reframe everything about my life. It is helping me to reframe the struggles I have faced in the past, and start to accept that I wasn’t ‘broken’ or ‘wrong’, I was just different, and not understanding that difference made it difficult for me to navigate a world that was built for neurotypicals. It is helping me put support mechanisms and accommodations in place going forwards to help me live a happier life. They might just seem like words but to me they have been life changing.
A note on labels
There is a view that says we shouldn’t ‘label’ people, especially when it comes to neurodivergence. That it is reductive and unhelpful. I can only speak from my experience, but I have had all sorts of labels pinned on me throughout my life by people who didn’t understand me or my behaviour. None of them were positive. I like having a ‘label’ of autism now, because it gives me an explanation for so many things about myself. I am autistic. I am, of course, significantly more than my autism, but it is such a huge part of me. It is how my brain works, it touches every part of my life. So I’m happy with the label because it has given me so much more understanding and a way to reframe the way I see myself, in a much more positive light.
The Power of Words
It is so important to remember the power and significance of language, especially when we are talking about any minority groups. We need to ensure we are using language that the people it affects and describes are happy and comfortable with. There are a lot of ongoing, evolving conversations in this space, so if you want to learn more, please listen to people in the neurodivergent community to understand how they want to describe themselves, their lives and experiences.
Neurodiversity – A (definitely not definitive but hopefully helpful) Glossary
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
a range of strategies and tools to help people who struggle with speech. These may be simple letter or picture boards or sophisticated computer-based systems. AAC helps someone to communicate as effectively as possible, in as many situations as possible.
Ableism
discrimination and social prejudice against people with physical or mental disabilities.
Accommodations
changes that remove a barrier to learning or getting work done, providing equal access to work or learning environments although accommodations can be applied in any context.
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 can describe someone as ‘having ADHD’ or some people with ADHD refer to themselves as ‘ADHDers’.
Alexithymia
difficulties identifying, understanding, and expressing your emotions or those of others.
Allistic
Someone who is not autistic.
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 being 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.
Body doubling
When people work in a shared space together to create a productive environment which encourages and motivates each other to accomplish tasks.
Burnout: (more specifically ‘autistic burnout’) a period of intense sensory, social, emotional, and physical overwhelm which results in exhaustion. In burnout people also experience difficulties with executive functioning, memory, attention, and there may be a change of capacity in the ability to communicate and regulate sensory input. Burnout generally occurs after long periods of unmet needs, it can lead to anxiety, depression and mental health difficulties (note that autistic burnout is a different state to the commonly referred to neurotypical ‘burnout’ more often related to overwork and stress within employment)
Co-occurring conditions
Refers to neurotypes or conditions which occur concurrently. Co-occurrence 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.
DSM-5
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common language and standard criteria. It is the main book for the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders in the United States and Australia while in other countries it may be used in conjunction with other documents.
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.
Dyspraxia
A condition characterised by an individual’s difficulty with coordination, and occasionally, speech.
Echolalia
A trait or symptom whereby the person repeats sounds and phrases from others.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
a group of inherited conditions that affect the joints and connective tissues. There is evidence to suggest a strong link between EDS and autism and EDS is an often co-occurring condition for autistics.
Executive function
A series of brain functions managed by the frontal lobe including memory, learning, decision making, organisation and time management.
Functioning labels
considered an outdated and unhelpful way of viewing autistic people, labels such as ‘high-functioning’ or ’low functioning’ have previously been used to refer to how visibly autism affects the person and their ability to ‘fit in’ the neurotypical world. The general view is that these labels can be harmful and focus too much on how a person’s autism affects others, rather than their own internal experiences or needs.
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.
Info-dumping
a term often used to describe an autistic person sharing their deep knowledge and enthusiasm of their special interests, often involving communicating on this one topic for long periods of time in a single session.
Internalised Ableism
when disabled people believe negative attitudes, stereotypes, and societal prejudices about disabilities and an individual absorbs and applies the beliefs and moral judgments of the dominant ableist culture, at a subconscious level.
Interoception
relates to a person’s ability to understand and interpret internal body signals and sensations. If you have difficulties with interoceptive awareness then you may not know if you are hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, need the toilet or are in pain.
Masking
the act of consciously or unconsciously suppressing authentic autistic identity and needs in an attempt to fit into the social norms of the people around you. Masking is detrimental to mental health over a long period of time.
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 (N.B a person cannot be neurodiverse as this refers to the full range of possible neurotypes)
Neurodiversity Paradigm
is a perspective that understands, accepts, and embraces the differences of everyone. Within this theory it is believed there is no single ‘right’ or ’normal’ neurotype, just as there is no single ‘right’ or ‘normal’ gender or race. The neurodiversity paradigm rejects the medical model and sees what some may describe as deficits as differences. It recognises the same dynamics and inequalities that occur in society with social, cultural, racial and gender inequalities are also seen in those that are neurodivergent, (see Nick Walker’s work, 2021 for further info).
Neurodiversity Movement
social justice movement driving forward the ethos of the neurodiversity paradigm working for equality and inclusion for everyone.
Neurodiversity Affirming
promoting and valuing the ideas behind the neurodiversity paradigm and embracing inclusivity.
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.
Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (PDA)
sometimes referred to as Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), although this has negative connotations in the language used: PDA is widely understood to be a profile of autism, where people also “have a need for control which is often anxiety related. This means they may be driven to avoid everyday demands and expectations, including things that they want to do or enjoy to an extreme extent. People tend to use approaches that are ‘social in nature’ in order to avoid demands.” (This is an adapted definition from www.pdasociety.org.uk)
Proprioception
also called kinaesthesia, is the body’s ability to sense and understand its location, movements, and actions.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)
refers to an intense emotional response related to actual or perceived rejection and heightened sensitivity to criticism/ any negative reaction.
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. It’s important to note that stimming behaviours in autism are not inherently harmful or problematic. They serve as a coping mechanism and a way for individuals with autism to regulate their sensory experiences. While stimming is often associated with autism, it is also observed in individuals with ADHD.
Sensory / Social overload
(some may refer to this as a meltdown, although the word meltdown may have negative connotations) 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 overload refers to a response to experiencing more social / sensory input that a person can manage. It may look like the person is ’losing control’. If an autistic person is experiencing a sensory / social overload they will need time to rest, regulate and recover in a way that is right for them, it is not helpful to place more demands on a person experiencing sensory / social overload, it may heighten their response.
Sensory Processing Disorder
A condition characterised by a sensitivity to sensory stimuli and a difference in processing sensory stimuli.
Shutdown
a response to stress /sensory / social/ communication overload which may result in a person being unable to communicate, engage in activities or complete executive function tasks, senses may be lowered.
Situational Mutism
a person’s inability to produce speech in certain contexts.
Special Interest
an all-consuming hyper-focus for an autistic person that can bring great joy within their monotropic flow state (single channel of thought, which is a natural state for an autistic mind). Engaging in special interests provides opportunities for autistic people to regulate, gain deep knowledge or skills in a certain activity / topic and can be a good opportunity to socialise and communicate with others that may share the same interest.
Spectrum
The Spectrum refers to the wide-ranging traits and characteristics of autism and highlights how no one autistic person has the same experiences.
Support Needs
referring to a neurodivergent person having high / medium / low support needs gives an indication of the level of support or accommodations they may require in certain situations and is generally more favourably used than the out-dated functioning labels. N.B. it is important to remember that an individual’s support needs are likely to be fluid depending on many factors. Support needs themselves are not a formal part of diagnostic criteria for ADHD/ ASD etc.
Synaesthesia
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.
Tics: repetitive muscle movements that result in sudden body jolts or vocalisations
Tourette’s Syndrome
‘a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics’ (NHS)