Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
49 results found in Neurodiversity.
- Fidgeting (Stimming, Self-stimulatory behaviour)
- Repetitive body movements or object manipulation — such as tapping, spinning, clicking, or squeezing — that serve self-regulatory functions including maintaining focus, managing stress, regulating ene…
- GAIA (Guidelines for Accessible Interfaces for people with Autism, Guidelines for Accessible Interfaces for Autism)
- A set of design guidelines specifically developed to make digital interfaces more accessible for autistic users. GAIA addresses common barriers that autistic people face when using technology, includi…
- Gricean maxims (Conversational maxims, Cooperative principle)
- A set of principles proposed by philosopher Paul Grice that describe the implicit rules governing cooperative conversation: quantity (be informative but not over-informative), quality (be truthful), r…
- Imposter syndrome (Impostor phenomenon)
- A psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence of competence. Imposter syndrome is particularly prevalent among neurodiver…
- Indirect speech act (Indirect request)
- A linguistic utterance whose intended meaning differs from its literal meaning, commonly used in neurotypical communication for politeness or social convention. For example, "Can you pass the salt?" i…
- Internalized stigma (Self-stigma, Internalized ableism)
- The process by which individuals with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions absorb and internalize negative societal attitudes about their condition, leading to shame, reduced self-worth, and relu…
- Literal language processing (Literal interpretation)
- The tendency to interpret language at face value, understanding words and phrases according to their explicit, dictionary meaning rather than inferring implied, figurative, or contextual meanings. Lit…
- Masking (Camouflaging, Social camouflage, Neurotypical passing)
- The conscious or unconscious process by which neurodivergent individuals — particularly autistic people — suppress their natural behaviours, communication styles, and reactions to conform to neurotypi…
- Meltdown (Sensory meltdown)
- An intense, involuntary response to overwhelming sensory, emotional, or cognitive overload, commonly experienced by autistic and other neurodivergent individuals. Unlike a tantrum, a meltdown is not a…
- Monotropism
- A cognitive theory of autism, developed by Dinah Murray, Mike Lesser, and Wenn Lawson, that describes autistic attention as tending to be pulled strongly into a narrow focus (one "attention tunnel") r…
- Neuroqueer Technoscience
- A theoretical framework, developed by Nick Walker and extended in HCI by Barros Pena, Williams and others, that builds on crip technoscience and the neuroqueer paradigm to position neurodivergent peop…
- Noise sensitivity (Sound sensitivity, Auditory hypersensitivity)
- A condition in which sounds that most people find tolerable are experienced as disproportionately distressing, overwhelming, or physically painful. Noise sensitivity exists on a spectrum from mild ann…
- Non-visible disability (Hidden disability, Non-apparent disability)
- A disability that is not immediately apparent to others through visual observation. Non-visible disabilities include neurodivergent conditions (autism, ADHD, dyslexia), mental health conditions (anxie…
- Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD, Nonverbal Learning Disability, NLD)
- A neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties with visual-spatial processing, motor coordination, and social skills, while verbal abilities are typically a relative strength. People wit…
- Partial disclosure (Curated disclosure, Selective information sharing)
- A disclosure strategy in which individuals share some information about their disability or neurodivergence while withholding specific details, often framing their needs in more socially accepted term…
- Passing (Passing as non-disabled, Neurotypical passing)
- The act of concealing one's disability or neurodivergence to be perceived as non-disabled or neurotypical by others. Passing can be a deliberate strategy to avoid stigma, discrimination, or unwanted a…
- People Who Stutter (PWS, Person Who Stutters, Adults Who Stutter, AWS, Children Who Stutter, CWS)
- An identity-first and community-preferred term for people who experience stuttering, a neurodevelopmental condition involving involuntary speech disfluencies such as blocks, prolongations, and repetit…
- Personal Data Externalization (Data Externalization)
- The process of representing internal experiences — thoughts, emotions, behaviours, bodily states — in some external medium such as a drawing, written word list, spreadsheet, physical artefact, or trac…
- Perspective-taking (Cognitive empathy, Theory of mind)
- The cognitive ability to understand and consider another person's thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and point of view. In accessibility and neurodiversity contexts, perspective-taking is central to the dou…
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD, PDD-NOS, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified)
- A historical diagnostic category encompassing a group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by delays in socialisation, communication, and restricted patterns of behaviour. Under the DSM-IV, …