Neurodivergent, Neurotypical, What Does it all Mean?
Sometimes it can feel hard keeping up with terminology, especially in areas we are continually learning about. You may worry about saying the wrong thing or using the wrong words or even feel uncomfortable asking what certain terms mean. While this certainly isn’t an all-inclusive dictionary, and some of this information may (and likely will) change over time, I wanted to give you a good starting place for talking about neurodivergence.
What is neurodivergence anyway?
Generally speaking, neurodivergence (or ND, for short) is any brain that functions in a different way from what society deems “typical.” If someone is neurodivergent, their brain processes things differently and they often view social cues in a way that differs from what society expects.
Usually, when folks think of neurodivergence, they think of autism and ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), however, there’s more under the umbrella than these, as we will see below.
On the flip side of this, we have neurotypical (often abbreviated NT), which is what society considers “normal.” Essentially, our society is built around NT standards and expectations.
BUT! There is NOTHING wrong with being neurodivergent! Think of it as just another difference, along with eye color, or race, or gender. It is an inherent and important part of someone, yet it doesn’t make anyone any lesser of a human. And, many ND folks still consider their neurotype a disability, as it can be extremely difficult living in a world designed for neurotypicals when your brain just doesn’t function that way.
Neurotype? What’s that?
Your neurotype is a description of how your brain is wired. This generally refers to being neurotypical, or some form of neurodivergent. Our neurotype impacts how we process social cues and other information from the environment. Neurotypes often have their own cultures that work best for their wiring. For example, people who are neurotypical (so, their neurotype is NT) place a great value on eye contact and indirect speaking, or “beating around the bush.” While autistic folks (their neurotype is autistic) feel eye contact is overwhelming and not important, and place great value on speaking literally and factually. Neither of these is wrong, just different cultures.
Wait, don’t you mean to say neurodiversity?
Kind of. While neurodivergence defines a specific person or neurotype, neurodiversity describes a group of people with multiple different neurotypes. A group consisting of all autistic people would not be neurodiverse, as there is only one neurotype present, even though all the members are neurodivergent. Neurodiversity represents the group as a whole, showing the differences between people. That being said, many people use the terms neurodivergent and neurodiversity interchangeably.
So then, what are the types of neurodivergence?
If you’re on the internet at all, you’ve probably seen neurodivergence described as either ADHD or autism, or both. While these neurotypes certainly fall under the neurodivergent umbrella, there are so many more types!
Processing and learning differences fall under the ND umbrella. Things like dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyspraxia all are considered forms of neurodivergence. And while many people don’t think of it this way, giftedness is a form of neurodivergence. Because again, their brains process and integrate things differently from neurotypicals.
Some conditions that are often thought of in the more physical sense are also considered forms of neurodivergence since they include differences in the brain. Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis, among others, are all forms of neurodivergence.
There are also times that neurodivergence is due to outside factors, such as Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
There are mental health conditions that are also forms of neurodivergence. Anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar, are a few of the many diagnoses that differ from the NT neurotype.*
*note- there is some disagreement over whether some of these diagnoses are considered neurodivergent, but that conversation is outside the scope of this post.
This is only a brief listing, but as you can see, there is far more to neurodiversity than only ADHD and autism!
A few other terms to note
You may sometimes see the term AuDHD. This refers to someone who is both autistic and ADHD. There’s a lot of crossover between the two, and at times they are often at odds with each other.
Allistic is someone who is not autistic. This does not necessarily mean they are neurotypical though! As you see above, there are so many different forms of neurodivergence that are not encompassed by autism, so someone can absolutely be neurodivergent and allistic. Strict ADHD would be an example of this; definitely neurodivergent, but not autistic.
But, shouldn’t you be saying “someone with autism” rather than “autistic person?”
You may have noticed that many times I described a person as autistic or ADHD rather than saying they have autism or ADHD. This is because specifically in these two communities, there is a general preference for “identity-first language.” This refers to describing someone as something, rather than having the thing, when it is part of their identity. You can’t separate an autistic person from autism- it is a part of who they are. Same as race or gender or sexual orientation. Someone isn’t “a person with whiteness” or “a person with pansexuality,” they are white or pansexual.
That being said, if a specific person tells you they prefer person-first language, or, being described as a person with something, then please, please use their preference.
So there you have it! We will dive into these more in the future, specifically autism and ADHD, but hopefully, this gave you a good understanding of the terminology used in the ND community.
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