Glossary of Neurodivergent Terms

A No‑Jargon Glossary (Words You Might Hear and What They Actually Mean)

This is a living list of terms that pop up in neurodivergent and mental health spaces. I’ll keep adding to it. Think of it as your cheat sheet.

  • ADHD (Attention‑Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder): A neurodevelopmental condition affecting attention, impulse control, and activity level. Not a behaviour problem.
  • Alexithymia: Difficulty identifying and describing your own emotions. You feel something, but you can’t name it.
  • Autism (or Autism Spectrum Condition): A lifelong neurodevelopmental difference in communication, sensory processing, and social interaction. A different operating system.
  • AuDHD: An informal term for someone who is both autistic and has ADHD.
  • Burnout (Autistic/ADHD): A state of intense physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by long‑term masking, sensory overload, and the demands of living in a neurotypical world.
  • Cognitive Load: The amount of mental effort being used. Neurodivergent people often have a higher cognitive load for everyday tasks because of sensory processing and executive function demands.
  • Dopamine: A neurotransmitter involved in motivation, reward, and pleasure. ADHD brains often have lower levels, which is why we chase stimulating things.
  • Dyscalculia: A specific learning difficulty with numbers and maths. Like dyslexia, but for calculations.
  • Dyslexia: A specific learning difficulty affecting reading, writing, and spelling. It has nothing to do with intelligence.
  • Dyspraxia (or Developmental Coordination Disorder): A condition affecting physical coordination. You might trip over air, bump into doorframes, or struggle with fine motor tasks.
  • Echolalia: Repeating words or phrases you’ve heard. It can be a way of processing language, self‑soothing, or communicating.
  • Executive Dysfunction: Difficulty with the brain’s management skills—planning, starting tasks, organising, managing time, and controlling impulses. It’s the reason you can research the Corn Laws for four hours but can’t reply to an email.
  • Hyperfocus: An intense state of concentration where you lose track of time and everything else. Often triggered by fascination or urgency.
  • Hypervigilance: A state of being constantly on high alert, scanning for threats. Common in anxiety, trauma, and sensory overload.
  • Infodumping: Sharing a large amount of information about a special interest, often with great enthusiasm. A love language.
  • Interoception: The sense of what’s happening inside your body—hunger, thirst, temperature, needing the toilet. Some people have very low interoception and don’t notice these signals.
  • Masking: The conscious or unconscious effort to hide neurodivergent traits in order to appear “normal.” It’s exhausting and can lead to burnout.
  • Meltdown: An intense response to overwhelming sensory, emotional, or information input. It’s not a tantrum; it’s a nervous system in crisis.
  • Neurodivergent (or ND): Having a brain that functions in ways that diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.”
  • Neurotypical (or NT): Having a brain that functions within those dominant standards. Not a derogatory term, just a descriptor.
  • PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Persistent Drive for Autonomy): A profile within the autism spectrum where everyday demands trigger an intense anxiety‑based resistance. It’s not “being difficult”; it’s a nervous system panic.
  • Proprioception: The sense of where your body is in space. Low proprioception might mean you’re clumsy or crave deep pressure.
  • Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): An extreme, often physical emotional pain triggered by perceived or actual rejection, criticism, or failure. Very common in ADHD and autism.
  • Shutdown: A more inward form of a meltdown. You may become unable to speak, move, or think clearly. It’s a protective freeze state.
  • Special Interest (or SpIn): An intense, passionate interest in a specific topic. It can be a source of great joy, comfort, and expertise.
  • Stimming (or Self‑Stimulatory Behaviour): Repetitive movements or sounds that help regulate the nervous system—rocking, flapping, tapping, humming.
  • Vestibular System: The sensory system responsible for balance and spatial orientation. Stimming that involves spinning or swinging stimulates this system.