The Neurodiversity Glossary

70+ terms defined with clarity, care, and lived experience

If you’re new to Autistic or ADHD spaces, it can feel like everyone else got a dictionary you somehow missed. The language is rich, evolving, and sometimes disorienting, especially when you’re already carrying a lifetime of “I must have missed a social rule again.”

This glossary is designed as a gentle on-ramp. We translate terms you’ll encounter in neurodivergent communities into clear, practical language, grounding each one in both clinical insight and lived experience. The goal is to offer words that help you name what’s happening in your mind, body, and relationships, without pathologizing your way of being.

What’s Inside
A beautifully illustrated, 113-page digital PDF covering 65+ terms organized A to Z, including:

Core concepts: neurodivergence, neurotypical, neurodiversity, identity-first language
Autism and ADHD foundations: AuDHD, masking, camouflaging, special interests, monotropism, executive functioning, hyperfocus
Nervous system and regulation: burnout, window of tolerance, sensory meltdown, sensory shutdown, dissociation, dorsal vagal, hypoarousal, hyperarousal
Emotional experience: alexithymia, rejection sensitive dysphoria, emotional dysregulation, emotional processing
Social and relational: double empathy problem, cross-neurotype communication, demand avoidance, PDA
Identity and advocacy: ableism, internalized ableism, intersectionality, unmasking, self-advocacy, neuroqueer, lost generation
Practical tools and frameworks: pacing systems, body doubling, weighted blankets, proprioception, interoception.

Each entry includes a clear definition, and context that connects the term to real, recognizable experience.

Who This Resource Is For
This glossary was created for anyone building their understanding of neurodivergent experience:

Newly identified or diagnosed adults looking for language to name what they’re experiencing
Parents and partners supporting a neurodivergent person and wanting to understand the terminology
Clinicians, educators, and coaches working to make their practice more neuro-affirming
Anyone who keeps encountering terms in neurodivergent spaces and wants a single reference

How It Relates to Our Online Glossary
We maintain a free online glossary, where you can look up individual terms. This downloadable PDF brings those definitions together in one illustrated, portable document you can keep on your device, reference offline, or use as a study companion alongside our courses, workbooks, and books.

🗂️ Logistical Details

✷ Purchasing the coaching/clinical version gives you full rights to share this resource with your individual clients. If you are a group practice or school or are running an online course, please contact us for group pricing (Email Support@neurodivergentinsights.org). If you’re using it for your own personal learning only, you can choose the personal-use version instead. Both contain the same content — the difference is simply in the licensing.

⚠️ Mental Health Disclaimer: These resources are educational in nature. They aren’t a substitute for medical, therapeutic, or mental health care. If you’re navigating something that feels bigger than what a worksheet can hold, reaching out to a qualified healthcare or mental health professional is important.

📥 Digital Download 📥

Please note this is a digital download only and no products will be shipped or mailed to you. We recommend creating an account when you checkout to ensure you can easily access this workbook at any time and any future updates to this workbook.