Neurodiversity Affirming Glossary of Key Words - for families and professionals
Apr 13, 2023Register for the 2023 PDA Summit
Guest blog: Helen Edgar, Autistic Realms
It can often feel as you step into the Neurodivergent world and community that there’s a different language being spoken, often with misconceptions and inaccuracies. It's important that the language we use is Neurodiversity affirming.
This months blog is your guide to Neurodivergent wording and terms which will be beneficial during The PDA Space Summit. It is designed to support you with understanding some of the language used in the webinars to aid your journey.
We will be releasing the full version of the ebook to those who’ve registered for The PDA Summit which will be available just before the summit begins.
A full version of this neurodiversity affirming glossary of key words you may come across with in the neurodivergent community and a useful list explaining common abbreviations will be available as a FREE E-BOOK for all attendees of The PDA SPACE SUMMIT 2023.
It can be hard as a parent / carer when you discover that your children are different and struggling more than others around them. They may have been diagnosed as being Autistic, ADHD, PDA Profile, Dyslexic, Sensory Processing Difficulties, something different, or any combination of these. You may still be exploring and trying to identify your children’s needs (or possibly your own too!).
It can feel overwhelming and confusing, it is like entering a new world. You may be reaching out for support online but then discovering a whole new language and vocabulary that you have not come across before and aren't sure what key words may mean or be cautious about saying things 'wrong'.
Language and terminology is also tricky for professionals to keep up to date with. It is important to reflect neurodiversity affirming language in your practise and when writing reports to families, whilst taking into consideration and respecting individual preferences and how people personally identify.
I hope that this short glossary will provide a guide to some of the more common key terms and abbreviations you may come across in the exciting upcoming PDA Space Summit 2023. Remember to CLAIM YOUR FULL FREE VERSION OF THIS E-BOOK when you join the PDA Space Summit 2023.
Neurodiversity affirming language & Identity first language supports good mental health.
Differences are not deficits.
Embrace differences.
Glossary
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a difference in neurology affecting attention, thinking, processing and impulse. (Many don’t see this as a disorder, instead see it as having differences).
Alexithymia: difficulties identifying, understanding, and expressing your emotions or those of others.
Autism: - a difference in neurology which means you experience and respond to the world differently to non-autistic people. Differences include social interaction, communication and sensory processing. Autistic needs are fluid and will change depending on impact of the environment and other people.
Burnout - a period of intense sensory, social, emotional, and physical overwhelm which results in exhaustion. In burnout people also experience difficulties with executive functioning, memory, attention, and there may be a change of capacity in the ability to communicate and regulate sensory input. Burnout generally occurs after long periods of unmet needs, it can lead to anxiety, depression and mental health difficulties.
Dyscalculia: difficulties related to understanding numbers and difficulties with maths
Dysgraphia: difficulties with writing skills, letter formation, can affect spelling and word choice (other fine motor skills may be efficient)
Dyslexia: a specific learning disability that means you have significant difficulties with reading, writing and spelling.
Dyspraxia: difficulties with balance and coordination. It can also affect planning and processing of motor tasks.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS): a group of inherited conditions that affect the joints and connective tissues.
Executive functioning: a set of skills that include the ability to manage yourself, plan, organise and carry out tasks to meet a goal (e.g., washing, dressing, cooking, organising & carrying out work)
Hypersensitivity - a more intense / heightened response to sensory stimuli, to the point it could feel very uncomfortable or even painful (e.g., light / sound / taste / touch /smell / movement/pain).
Hyposensitivity - a lower response to sensory stimuli, may be unaware of pain or not as responsive as you may expect (e.g., light / sound / taste / touch /smell / movement/pain).
Info-dumping: a term often used to describe an autistic person sharing their deep knowledge and enthusiasm of their special interests, often involving communicating on this one topic for long periods of time in a single session.
Interoception -relates to a person's ability to understand and interpret internal body signals and sensations. If you have difficulties with interoceptive awareness then you may not know if you are hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, need the toilet or are in pain.
Masking -the act of consciously or unconsciously suppressing authentic autistic identity and needs in an attempt to fit into the social norms of the people around you. Masking is detrimental to mental health over a long period of time.
Neurodiversity: refers to the collective diversity of human minds across the whole population. It is a scientific fact, society is neurodiverse.
Neurodivergent: describes a single person who processes thinks and responds to the world in a way that is different (diverges) from the majority. Some people may describe themselves as multiply neurodiverse, e.g., Autistic, ADHD and OCD.
Neurodiversity Paradigm: is a perspective that understands, accepts, and embraces the differences of everyone. Within this theory it is believed there is no single 'right' or 'normal' neurotype, just as there is no single 'right' or ‘normal’ gender or race. The neurodiversity paradigm rejects the medical model and sees what some may describe as deficits as differences. It recognises the same dynamics and inequalities that occur in society with social, cultural, racial and gender inequalities are also seen in those that are neurodivergent, (see Nick Walker's work, 2021 for further info).
Neurodiversity Movement: social justice movement driving forward the ethos of the neurodiversity paradigm working for equality and inclusion for everyone.
Neuromajority (sometimes referred to as neurotypical -although the idea of there being a ‘typical’ mind is sometimes debated): often used to describe people that are not neurodivergent.
Neurodiversity affirming: promoting and valuing the ideas behind the neurodiversity paradigm and embracing inclusivity.
Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (PDA) / sometimes referred to as Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), although this has negative connotations in the language used: PDA is widely understood to be a profile of autism, where people also “have a need for control which is often anxiety related. This means they may be driven to avoid everyday demands and expectations, including things that they want to do or enjoy to an extreme extent. People tend to use approaches that are ‘social in nature’ in order to avoid demands.” (This is an adapted definition from www.pdasociety.org.uk)
Proprioception: also called kinaesthesia, is the body’s ability to sense and understand its location, movements, and actions.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): refers to an intense emotional response related to actual or perceived rejection and heightened sensitivity to criticism/ any negative reaction.
Sensory / social overload (some may refer to this as a meltdown, although the word meltdown may have negative connotations) -a response to experiencing more social / sensory input that a person can manage. It may look like the person is 'loosing control'. If an autistic person is experiencing a sensory / social overload they will need time to rest, regulate and recover in a way that is right for them, it is not helpful to place more demands on a person experiencing sensory / social overload, it may heighten their response.
Sensory seeking: intentionally searching out sensory experiences that make a person feel good.
Situational mutism: a person's inability to produce speech in certain contexts.
Shutdown: a response to stress /sensory / social/ communication overload which may result in a person being unable to communicate, engage in activities or complete executive function tasks, senses may be lowered.
Special interest: an all-consuming hyper-focus for an autistic person that can bring great joy within their monotropic flow state (single channel of thought, which is a natural state for an autistic mind). Engaging in special interests provides opportunities for autistic people to regulate, gain deep knowledge or skills in a certain activity / topic and can be a good opportunity to socialise and communicate with others that may share the same interest.
Stimming: refers to sensory seeking behaviours that help to regulate the mind and body.
Tics: repetitive muscle movements that result in sudden body jolts or vocalisations
Tourette's Syndrome: 'a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics' (NHS).
Full version of this glossary will be available as a FREE E-BOOK for all attendees of the PDA SPACE SUMMIT 2023
References and Signposting
www.adhdfoundation.org.uk
www.autism.org.uk
www.ehlers-danlos.org/what-is-eds
Epic Autism Resources - www.padlet.com/spectrumgaming/epic-autism-resources
A full version of this neurodiversity affirming glossary of key words you may come across with in the neurodivergent community and a useful list explaining common abbreviations will be available as a FREE E-BOOK for all attendees of the PDA SPACE SUMMIT 2023.
Helen Edgar
www.autisticrealms.com
Helen is a qualified early years /primary teacher and is also autistic. She has 20 years teaching experience working in specialised settings and has two neurodivergent children. She developed Autistic Realms to advocate for a better understanding of neurodivergence and mental health in education for children and families.
