Language & terminology

Autist, autistic, or person with autism? The language we use about neurodivergence is important because it affects our shared reality.

Why do we use these words?

Sprog er en meget vigtig kulturel markør for hvordan forskellige fænomener forstås i samfundet, og er med til at forme vores fælles opfattelser af f.eks. minoritetsgrupper. Hvis man for eksempel omtaler en bestemt gruppe mennesker som 'normale' antyder det at alle andre, holdt op imod denne standard, er 'unormale', og derfor underforstået forkerte eller mindreværdige.

Language is a very important cultural marker of how different phenomena are understood in society. They help shape our shared perceptions of minority groups, e.g. referring to a certain group of people as 'normal' implies that everyone else, held to that standard, is 'abnormal' (and therefore implicitly wrong or inferior).

One of the challenges of being neurodivergent is that most of the language that exists to describe people who are different originates in medicine and psychiatry, and therefore tends to describe neurodivergent people in terms of deficits, disorders, diagnoses, and illness.  This is of course not conducive if we desire a societal understanding of neurodivergent individuals as a natural, equal part of human diversity. It can also deter some individuals from exploring a potential neurodivergent identity.

Therefore, at Neurokind, we intentionally use words and language that have emerged among neurodivergent individuals and do not pathologize or alienate them. At the same time, we naturally respect that each individual should have the space to understand their identity in a way that makes the most sense in relation to their own experiences and perspectives..

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Identity-first language

At Neurokind, we use what's called identity-first languag; that is, we say autist and autistic instead of person with autism. We do this because we consider autism as a fundamental part of a person's identity, not as a disease or disorder. Of course, if you prefer something else, it's always up to you to choose how you'd like to be addressed and referred to.

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What do neurodiversity and neurodivergence mean?

Neurodiversity is the natural variation in how the human brain functions; it is an umbrella term that covers all the infinitely many ways human neurocognitive function can manifest. Like biodiversity, neurodiversity is a fundamental biological condition for humans as a species. Fortunately, we do not all function in the same way.

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Neurodivergence describes individuals with neurological functioning (i.e., ways in which the human brain operates) that diverge from the neurotypical group, meaning those whose neurocognitive function falls within society's standards of what is 'normal.' For example, if you're autistic or have ADHD, you're neurodivergent.

Neurodivergence encompasses all imaginable forms of neurocognitive function that significantly deviate from the dominant societal norm; this includes both innate neurotypes like autism or ADHD and acquired neurological differences such as those resulting from traumatic brain injury.

Some forms of neurodivergence, such as autism, are innate and naturally impact virtually all areas of life and psychological aspects of the individual, constituting a significant part of their identity. When working from the neurodiversity paradigm, as we do at Neurokind, these forms of neurodivergence are regarded as natural ways of being in the world and should not be pathologized or corrected.

Conversely, acquired neurodivergence, such as brain injury, is often something one seeks to alleviate, typically without fundamentally altering the person's core experience of themselves and the world. It's important to differentiate between these when discussing neurodivergence and to remember that neurodivergence itself is a neutral term.

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