Welcome to our mini-glossary guide of working definitions for all things neurodiversity and disabled-related!
In our mini-glossary, you’ll find working definitions and an overview of key terms. We’ve included the main neurodifferences that have, over time, become part of the neurodiversity and disability-inclusion conversation. The resource is a ‘quick start’ guide for those new to the subject. It includes short summaries that can be supplemented by further detailed definitions and stats found in our Full Glossary Resource.
As part of the process of putting this guide together, we recognise that labels can be potentially reductive and limiting. We acknowledge that we are all individuals, and our experiences will differ from person to person. Many factors, including facets of our identity, culture, biology and the environment, shape our experience, and it’s vital to see the person, not the label.
We know that terminology and definitions are complex, a source of ongoing discussion, and continually evolving, so we welcome ongoing input from our community to refine the guide further.
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a neurodifference, that shapes the way someone processes information.
A dyslexic person may have skills and abilities in problem solving, creative thinking and general knowledge.
Common difficulties include breaking down sounds in words, remembering verbal instructions, accurate spelling and fluent reading.
What is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia is a neurodifference that influences someone’s movement, their spatial awareness, their balance and their co-ordination.
Associated strengths include strategic thinking, empathy, and creative thinking.
It can also affect how someone learns new skills, how they process emotions as well as their time management and organisational skills.
What is Dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia is a neurodifference that means someone may have difficulty with writing skills.
It can affect spelling as well as handwriting and expression.
Characteristic strengths include strong verbal communication and storytelling skills, adaptability and problem-solving.
What is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a neurodifference, relating to processing and understanding numbers.
This can make maths challenging and can lead to some people experiencing ‘maths anxiety’ when confronted with number problems.
Common strengths include strategic thinking, troubleshooting and creativity.
What is Visual Stress?
Visual Stress, also known as Irlen Syndrome, is when someone’s brain has difficulty processing visual information, particularly repetitive patterns such as lines of text.
It can cause distortion, eye sensitivity and discomfort which makes reading difficult and tiring.
Strengths include resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving.
What is ADHD?
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodifference characterised by differences in attention, activity levels and impulsivity.
There are three sub-types of ADHD:
There is often a difference in how ADHD presents in men and women.
Strengths include: an ability to hyper-focus, expressive and trouble-shooting.
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurodifference that shapes how people communicate and experience the world.
Autistic traits present differently in each person.
Typically, autism may influence how someone communicates and interacts socially, how they experience the world through their senses as well as their behaviours and interests.
Characteristic strengths include subject matter expertise, attention to detail and empathy.
What is Tourette Syndrome?
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological difference that influences the parts of the brain that control movement.
It may cause people to make involuntary movements or noises, known as tics.
Strengths may include empathy, verbal skills and the ability to hyper-focus.
What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where a person experiences unwanted thoughts, images or urges that repeatedly enter their mind.
As a result, they may feel the need to engage in repetitive behaviours as a way to temporarily relieve unpleasant feelings brought on by the repeated thoughts.
OCD can have a big impact on someone’s daily life and wellbeing.
Common strengths include resilience, empathetic and imaginative.
What is Developmental Language Disorder?
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is when a person experiences persistent long-term challenges in understanding and/or using spoken language, despite having typical hearing and intelligence.
For example, someone may have trouble choosing words or may muddle up words in sentences.
Strengths include: Practical skills, visual thinking and perceptive observation skills.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is our state of mental wellbeing.
When we have good mental health, we are able to think, feel and react in a way that allows us to live our lives in the way we wish.
When we have poor mental health, we may find thinking and feeling hard to cope with, preventing us from living in the way we want to.
When someone has poor mental health, it can affect their memory, how they process information and how they concentrate.
What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is a term that is used to describe the vast range of differences in brain function, ways of thinking and behavioural traits found in the human population.
What is the Neurodiversity Movement?
The ‘neurodiversity movement’ was spearheaded by Judy Singer and Harvey Blume in the 1990s to promote the rights of autistic people.
What does Neurodivergent mean?
Neurodivergent is a term used to describe a person whose brain – including their way of thinking and processing information – works in a different way to the majority of the population.
However, there is some debate about the acceptability of this term, as some people find the association with being ‘divergent’ a negative one.
Other phrases to refer to this concept include ‘neurominority’ and ‘neurodifferent’.
What does neurotypical mean?
Neurotypical is a term used to describe a person whose brain – including their way of thinking and processing information – works in a way that is in line with a majority of the population.
Other less common phrases to refer to this concept include ‘neuromajority’.
What does acquired neurodiversity mean?
Acquired neurodiversity is a term that refers to changes in someone’s brain function after an injury, an illness or a health condition resulting in memory and processing difficulties.
What is cooccurance?
Cooccurrence is a term that describes when someone may experience more than one neurodifference.
For example, someone may be autistic and dyslexic.
Lots of neurodifferences can commonly cooccur.
What is Intersectionality?
Intersectionality is the idea that different aspects of a person’s identity, like their race, social class, and gender, can combine to create unique experiences of discrimination or disadvantage. It highlights how these factors work together and affect people’s lives in interconnected ways’.
In terms of neurodiversity, we know that gender, ethnicity and age can impact whether the individual has had an assessment, support and confidence to discuss their neurodifferences.
One size doesn’t fit all – we must look at the whole person and their lived experience.
What is the Medical Model of Disability?
The Medical Model of Disability is a way of thinking about disability.
The model focuses on someone’s impairment as being the main cause for why they may experience barriers to fully participating in society.
The model argues that it is most important to diagnose, treat and rehabilitate these impairments to change or ‘fix’ them.
It tends to be viewed as opposite to the Social Model of Disability.
What is the Social Model of Disability?
The Social Model of Disability is a way of thinking about disability.
The model says that people are disabled by barriers in society, rather than by any specific impairment.
The model argues that these barriers – such as inaccessible buildings or people’s attitude to disability – should be removed to create greater equality.
It tends to be viewed as opposite to the Medical Model of Disability.
What is a disability?
In the UK, the definition of disability is given in a law called the Equality Act 2010.
Under the Equality Act, a person is disabled if they have a “physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities”.
The definition of a disability has lots of elements but, in short, whether a person is disabled under UK law tends to be determined by the size of the impact – as well as how long the impact will last – on a person’s ability to do everyday activities.
What is a reasonable adjustment?
A reasonable adjustment is a change – often made by an employer or a healthcare professional – that reduces or removes barriers that someone may face due to a disability.
For example, a person may need changes to an environment or building to make it accessible to them.
What is a long term health condition?
The NHS defines a long term health condition as “a condition that cannot, at present, be cured but is controlled by medication and/or other treatment/therapies”.
What is a progressive condition?
A progressive condition deteriorates gradually over time.
Individuals with progressive conditions may be categorised as disabled.
Deborah is a neuroinclusion practitioner and academic, with 14 years of experience researching and working in the field. Her work has been published in several Routledge peer-reviewed journals, the British Dyslexia handbook, and People Management magazine.
She has a PhD in dyslexia and inclusion from the University of Kent. She brings her varied background to her role as a disability advisor, strategy coach, study skills tutor, university lecturer and theatre practitioner.
Deborah is also a member of the research team on the Remote4All project at the Centre for Healthcare Research at Coventry University. The project aims to investigate the impact of remote e-working on neurodivergent and disabled people.
In 2024 Deborah became an Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Healthcare and Communities at Coventry University.
