Neurodivergent

Neurodivergent is a term describing people whose neurological development and brain function differ significantly from what's considered typical or expected for the general population. The concept was coined within the autistic community in the 1990s and later expanded to include ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, Tourette syndrome, and other conditions.

The term reflects a neurodiversity framework: just as biodiversity benefits ecosystems, human neurological diversity has value. Conditions like ADHD aren't simply 'disorders' to be eliminated, but different ways the brain can work, each with its own strengths and challenges.

Using the term neurodivergent doesn't deny the real difficulties associated with ADHD — it recognizes that those difficulties often arise from friction between a brain that works differently and a world designed for typical brains, not from some inherent flaw in the person.