Neurodiversity
11 terms
Allistic
A person who is not autistic. Created by the autistic community to name the specific neurology of non-autistic people, rather than treating it as a default "normal."
Divergent Thinking
A cognitive process that generates creative, non-linear solutions by exploring multiple possibilities and making unexpected connections between ideas.
Flow State
A state of deep immersion and effortless concentration where time seems to disappear, skills match challenges perfectly, and peak performance occurs naturally and joyfully.
Lived Experience
First-hand knowledge, insights, and wisdom gained through personally navigating life as a neurodivergent person, providing invaluable perspectives that cannot be learned from textbooks or observed from the outside.
Neurominority
A distinct population sharing a particular form of neurodivergence, often facing systemic prejudice, discrimination, or pathologization from the neurotypical majority.
Pattern Recognition
The cognitive ability to identify patterns, connections, and regularities across various domains, often leading to insights, predictions, and innovative solutions.
Resilience
The capacity to adapt, persist, and thrive despite facing challenges, adversity, or systemic barriers, often developed through navigating neurodivergent experiences in a neurotypical world.
Sensory Intelligence
The sophisticated ability to process, interpret, and utilize sensory information in nuanced and advantageous ways, often leading to enhanced perception and environmental awareness.
Systems Thinking
The ability to understand how parts interconnect within complex wholes, seeing relationships, patterns, and feedback loops that create the bigger picture rather than focusing on isolated components.
Twice-Exceptional (2e)
A person who is both gifted (intellectually, creatively, or in specific domains) and has one or more learning differences, disabilities, or neurodivergent conditions.
Universal Design
Design principles that create products, environments, and systems usable by the widest possible range of people without requiring specialized adaptations. Not "special accommodations"—building accessibility into the foundation so everyone benefits from design that works better for all.