Neurodivergence glossary: every term explained simply

A

Alexithymia

Difficulty identifying, naming and expressing one's own emotions, sometimes paired with difficulty recognizing others' emotions. Common among autistic people, it doesn't mean an absence of emotion: feelings are present, but internally harder to decode.

Asperger's syndrome

A former diagnostic category describing an autistic profile without an associated intellectual disability or language delay. Since the DSM-5 (2013), it has been folded into the single autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, though the term remains widely used in everyday language and by many people who identify with it. → Learn more: Autism in depth

Autistic burnout

A state of deep physical and mental exhaustion that autistic people can experience after a prolonged period of masking or sensory/social overload. It shows up as skill loss (language, independence), withdrawal, and a heightened need for recovery, sometimes lasting months.

C

CBIT (Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics)

A structured therapy program, recommended as a first-line treatment for Tourette syndrome. It combines awareness of the sensation preceding a tic (the premonitory urge) with learning a voluntary competing response, to reduce tic frequency and intensity without medication.

Coprolalia

A vocal tic involving the involuntary utterance of offensive or socially inappropriate words. Contrary to a widespread misconception, it affects only a minority of people with Tourette syndrome (roughly 10-15%), which rarely comes down to this symptom alone.

D

Late diagnosis

Identifying a neurodivergence (ASD, ADHD, giftedness...) in adulthood, often after years of compensating, misfitting, or being misdiagnosed (anxiety, depression). It particularly affects women, whose profiles have historically been under-recognized by standard diagnostic tools.

Twice-exceptionality

When a person combines giftedness with another neurodivergence or learning difference (ADHD, autism, dyslexia...). The two profiles can mask each other, making identification harder and often delaying diagnosis.

DSM-5

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association. It's the most widely used reference for diagnosing ASD, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions, based on precise clinical criteria.

Dyslexia

A specific learning difficulty affecting reading — recognizing and decoding written words. It's the most well-known and common learning difference, often paired with dysgraphia/dysorthographia. Early diagnosis allows for effective speech-language support.

Dyspraxia

A specific motor coordination difficulty that makes complex, automated movements hard: handwriting, getting dressed, using utensils, sports. Often accompanied by visuospatial difficulties, it benefits from occupational therapy.

H

Habit Reversal Training (HRT)

A behavioral technique that teaches someone to notice the sensation preceding a tic and replace it with a voluntary, incompatible movement. It forms the foundation of the CBIT method used for Tourette syndrome.

Hyperfocus

A state of intense, prolonged concentration on an activity that fully captures attention, to the point of losing track of time and tuning out the surrounding environment. Paradoxical in ADHD — a condition otherwise marked by attention difficulties — it illustrates that ADHD attention is fluctuating rather than simply deficient.

Hypersensitivity (sensory)

Heightened reactivity to one or more sensory stimuli (light, noise, textures, smells), which can become a source of discomfort or even distress. Common among autistic, gifted, or highly sensitive people, with profiles varying widely from person to person.

I

ICD-11

The International Classification of Diseases, 11th revision, published by the World Health Organization. It serves as the international reference for coding medical diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, alongside the DSM-5 used mainly in North America.

M

Masking

A conscious or unconscious strategy of hiding one's neurodivergent traits to conform to dominant social norms: suppressing stims, forcing eye contact, scripting conversations. Costly in energy, prolonged masking is one of the major contributors to autistic burnout.

Meltdown

An intense reaction to sensory or emotional overload in an autistic person, showing up as crying, shouting or motor agitation that is hard to control. Unlike a "tantrum," a meltdown is neither voluntary nor targeted — it's a nervous-system overflow in response to too much input.

N

Neurodivergent

Describes a person whose neurological functioning differs from the socially dominant norm, referred to as neurotypical — whether due to giftedness, autism, ADHD, a learning difference, or high sensitivity. The term describes the individual, as distinct from "neurodiversity," which refers to the whole.

Neurodiversity

An umbrella concept, modeled on biodiversity, describing the full natural variation in human neurological functioning. Coined in 1998 by autistic sociologist Judy Singer, it frames these variations not as illnesses to cure but as legitimate human diversity.

Neurotypical

Describes a person whose neurological functioning matches the socially dominant norm, without a diagnosed giftedness, ASD, ADHD, learning difference or other neurodivergence. The term serves as a neutral point of comparison within neurodiversity vocabulary, without value judgment.

O

Occupational therapist

A healthcare professional who helps develop or restore independence in everyday movements (writing, dressing, eating) and suggests practical adjustments. Frequently involved with dyspraxic people, but also in supporting ASD and ADHD.

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)

An anxiety disorder characterized by repeated intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualized behaviors aimed at reducing the distress they cause (compulsions). It can coexist with Tourette syndrome or ASD, sharing some neurological mechanisms with them without being the same condition.

P

Tree-branching thinking

An associative reasoning style, often described in gifted people, where one idea triggers several others in parallel rather than in a linear sequence. Rich in connections and creativity, it can also make it harder to prioritize or present a structured line of reasoning. → Learn more: Giftedness in depth

Perfectionism

High self-expectations, common among gifted or twice-exceptional people, which can become a barrier when it blocks action out of fear of failure. It often coexists, somewhat paradoxically, with procrastination.

Procrastination

The tendency to systematically delay starting or finishing a task, often linked in ADHD to time blindness and difficulty regulating motivation, more than to a lack of willpower or discipline.

Q

IQ (intelligence quotient)

A numeric score from standardized psychometric tests (WISC-V, WAIS-IV) that compares a person's cognitive performance to that of their age group. An IQ of 130 or above (roughly two standard deviations above the average of 100) is the conventional threshold for giftedness. → Learn more: Giftedness in depth

S

Shutdown

An overload reaction in an autistic person, the opposite of a meltdown: rather than an outward explosion, it's a withdrawal, temporary mutism, or inability to respond in the face of sensory or emotional overload. The nervous system essentially goes "offline" to protect itself.

Spectrum (autism)

A model that describes autism as a continuum of profiles varying widely in intensity and expression, rather than a single, uniform category. Two autistic people can have very different needs, strengths and challenges while sharing the same ASD diagnosis. → Learn more: Autism in depth

Stimming (self-stimulatory behavior)

Repetitive movements or sounds (rocking, hand-flapping, echolalia) that help regulate emotions or sensory input. Long pathologized, stimming is now recognized as a legitimate self-regulation strategy, only worth discouraging if it's unsafe.

Speech-language therapist

A healthcare professional specialized in supporting spoken and written language, communication, and cognitive-linguistic functions. Plays a central role in diagnosing and supporting learning differences (dyslexia, language delays) as well as some ASD assessments.

T

ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a neurodevelopmental condition affecting the regulation of attention, impulsivity and sometimes motor activity. It affects roughly 5% of children and persists into adulthood for most, often in a subtler form. → Learn more: ADHD in depth

Profoundly gifted

Sometimes defined by an IQ of 145 or above. This rarer profile often comes with more pronounced support needs than typical giftedness, and a higher risk of isolation or being misunderstood by those around them.

Tourette syndrome

A neurodevelopmental condition characterized by multiple, involuntary, fluctuating motor and vocal tics present for over a year. Often wrongly reduced to coprolalia in popular imagination, it affects roughly 0.3-1% of the population and usually begins in childhood. → Learn more: Tourette syndrome (French page)

ASD (autism spectrum disorder)

A neurodevelopmental condition affecting social communication, alongside specific interests, repetitive behaviors and distinctive sensory processing. The term "spectrum" underlines the huge diversity of profiles, from more independent to needing more support. → Learn more: Autism in depth

U

Underachievement

The gap between a gifted student's high intellectual potential and their actual academic results, often falling short of what their IQ would suggest. It frequently results from chronic boredom, a perceived lack of meaning in schoolwork, or unrecognized twice-exceptionality. → Learn more: Giftedness in depth

W

WAIS-IV

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 4th edition: the reference psychometric test used by psychologists to assess IQ in people aged 16-79, across several index scores (verbal reasoning, visuospatial reasoning, working memory, processing speed). → Learn more: Giftedness in depth

WISC-V

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 5th edition: the reference psychometric test for assessing IQ in children aged 6-16, notably used to confirm giftedness or identify twice-exceptionality during a neuropsychological assessment. → Learn more: Giftedness in depth