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As a neurodivergent activist and organizer, seeing terms be misused is one of the most frustrating issues I face. These mixups contribute to the cultural confusion around our language and identities, and they often damage the credibility of the people misusing terms.
Still, this misuse often comes from genuine ignorance and misunderstanding, not malice. We need to address them with kind education, not linguistic grandstanding. So today I’m going to walk through what is by far the most common mistake I see: mixing up “neurodiverse,” “neurodiversity,” and “neurodivergent.”
Table of Contents:
- Neurodivergent meaning and usage
- Neurodiversity meaning and usage
- Adjectives, nouns, and collective usage
Neurodivergent meaning and usage
Neurodivergent is the word most people intend to use when they’re using any one of these terms incorrectly. It is the opposite of “neurotypical,” and to understand neurodivergence, we must understand what typicality means here.
In our society, there is a general concept of what neurocognitive traits and functions are considered typical. Scientists may describe these using percentages and standard deviations, but the term is as much social as it is scientific. If a person’s brain structure and functioning falls within what is accepted as typical, they are considered neurotypical.
Many people will equate neurotypical and normal in their head, but normality is a paradigm which carries heavy connotations of discrimination, oppression, and a smidge of eugenics. It’s important to remember that neurotypical describes a person who falls within a constructed definition of normal—not a natural category that humans are all meant to fit within.
On the flip side, then, a neurodivergent person is someone whose brain structure and functioning falls outside what is generally considered typical. What counts as neurodivergent may vary depending on who you ask, and can include dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, ADHD, OCD, learning disabilities, and more.
Neurodiversity meaning and usage
Neurodiversity is a term that describes the natural variation in neurocognitive structure and functioning of humans. As a global population, we are made up of many neurotypes, brain patterns, and idiosyncracies.
Much as racial diversity describes the fact that humans have a variety of racial backgrounds (regardless of how constructed these categories are), neurodiversity describes the fact of brain variety. It is not used to describe a specific person or category of person.
Neurodiverse
As an adjective, “neurodiverse” can describe a group of people or a population; it does not describe a specific person. Many times, people use neurodiverse when they mean to use neurodivergent. If you’re describing a single person—or, for example, people with autism—neurodivergent is the word you’re looking for.
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Adjectives, nouns, and collective usage
“Neurodivergent” and “neurodiverse” are both adjectives, but they apply differently. Neurodivergent can be used to describe a single person, a group of people, or larger populations, so long as everyone within it can be described with that label.
Neurodiverse, on the other hand, is only able to modify collective nouns. As an example, consider these two sentences:
1: We have a very gender-diverse group of students at our middle school.
2: She’s so gender-diverse, using she and they pronouns!
One of these sounds a bit icky, right? That’s because diversity refers to variation among a sample of people—by definition, it cannot refer to one individual. “Diverse” is not a synonym for “different.” In the context of neurotypes, both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals are included in a neurodiverse group.
Neurodiversity is a noun, not an adjective. It is the name for the concept of natural brain variation. I could rant about these terms for another 2,000 words, but for now I’ll point you to Nick Walker, who has fantastic explanations of these and other terms.
To wrap us up, let’s look at examples of how to use these terms properly:
- “I’m neurodivergent because of my OCD and dyslexia.”
- “Our flexible degree programs are designed with the neurodiversity of our student body in mind.”
- “A truly neurodiverse group will include many different perspectives on accessible design.”
- “Being neurodivergent can be disabling, but it also comes with strengths and experiences to be celebrated.”
Want to add more ways to use these terms properly? You can leave a comment down below or use red marker over improper usage in an essay, text, or Youtube video. And if you liked this post, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.
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Ashton Rose 