Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
45 results found in neurodiversity.
- Hyperfocus (Hyper-Focus, Flow State)
- A state of intense, sustained concentration on a task or activity, commonly experienced by people with ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions. During hyperfocus, individuals may become deeply absorb…
- Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability)
- A group of conditions characterised by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive behaviour (everyday social and practical skills), wi…
- Lost Generation
- In ADHD and autism discourse, the term refers to adults — particularly women, minority genders, and people of colour — who went undiagnosed as children due to gendered diagnostic criteria, systemic me…
- Neurodivergent (Neurodiverse Individual, ND)
- A term describing individuals whose neurological development and functioning differ from what is considered typical or "neurotypical." Neurodivergent conditions include ADHD, autism spectrum disorder,…
- Neurodivergent Questioning (ND Questioning)
- A term adapted from gender questioning that describes people who are in the process of figuring out how to describe and label their neurocognitive functioning and who have reason to think they might b…
- Neuronormative (Neuronormativity)
- The assumption that neurotypical cognitive patterns — such as sustained linear attention, consistent daily productivity, conventional social communication, and predictable emotional regulation — repre…
- Neuronormativity (Neurotypical bias, Neuronormative standards)
- The set of assumptions, norms, and practices that privilege neurotypical cognition as the default and superior way of thinking, communicating, and functioning, while treating neurodivergent ways of pr…
- Neurotype
- A classification of minds based on patterns of neurological functioning. The term encompasses both neurotypical (conforming to dominant neurological norms) and neurodivergent (diverging from those nor…
- Neurotypical Masking (Masking, Social Camouflaging)
- The practice of neurodivergent individuals consciously or unconsciously suppressing their natural behaviours and adapting their communication style to conform to neurotypical social expectations. In a…
- Normative Language (Normativity in Assessment)
- Language in assessment tools, questionnaires, or descriptions that implicitly establishes neurotypical or non-disabled experience as the standard against which all responses are measured. In emotional…
- Pebbling
- A neurodivergent-coined term for the practice of expressing and receiving affection by sharing small tokens — often memes, short videos, articles, or other links — with loved ones. The term references…
- Presumed Competence (Least Dangerous Assumption)
- The principle that all individuals should be assumed capable and intelligent regardless of whether their abilities are displayed in ways that conform to societal norms. Advocated particularly by nonsp…
- Process Model of Emotion Regulation (Gross Process Model)
- A theoretical framework developed by James Gross that conceptualizes emotion regulation as a dynamic, continuous process with four main stages: identification (recognizing an emotion that needs regula…
- Psychosocial Disability (Psychosocial Impairment)
- A disability that stems from diverse mental, cognitive, or emotional experiences that lead to impairment and experienced barriers in social participation. Psychosocial disabilities include conditions …
- Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD)
- An intense, disproportionate emotional response to perceived or actual rejection, criticism, or failure, commonly reported by people with ADHD and often linked to trauma from chronic social rejection …
- Revenge Bedtime Procrastination (Revenge Procrastination)
- The deliberate delay of sleep without external factors forcing the delay, in order to reclaim personal time lost during a busy or low-autonomy day. The "revenge" framing points to reclaiming agency ov…
- Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, Sensory Integration Disorder, Sensory Integration Dysfunction)
- A condition in which the brain has difficulty receiving, organizing, and responding to sensory information from the environment and the body. People with Sensory Processing Disorder may be oversensiti…
- Sensory Regulation (Sensory Modulation, Sensory Processing Management)
- The ability to manage and respond appropriately to sensory input from the environment. People with conditions such as autism, ADHD, migraines, or sensory processing disorders may experience heightened…
- Sensory Sensitivities (Sensory sensitivity, Sensory processing differences)
- Heightened or reduced responses to everyday sensory input — noise, light, glare, texture, smell, temperature, or movement — that significantly affect attention, regulation, comfort, and participation.…
- Special Interest (Hyperfocus Interest, Intense Interest)
- A special interest is a deep, focused, and often long-lasting passion for a specific topic, activity, or subject area, commonly experienced by autistic individuals. Special interests go beyond typical…