the.com/neurodiversity
The idea that brains come in editions, not defects — autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, all shipping standard.
means The view that neurological differences like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia are natural variations of the human brain rather than disorders to be cured.
from Coined in the late 1990s, usually credited to Australian sociologist Judy Singer, who was herself on the autism spectrum — built from 'neuro' (nerve, brain) plus 'diversity,' deliberately echoing 'biodiversity' to frame brain variation as a natural, even valuable, feature of the human population rather than a medical defect. The term spread through online autistic self-advocacy communities before entering wider clinical and social use.
- coined by
- sociologist Judy Singer, late 1990s
- core claim
- neurological variation is natural human diversity, not disorder
- reframes
- deficits as context mismatches, not personal failures
- covers
- autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more