Neurodiversity is a term that comes from the disability rights movement in the 1990s to describe a range of differences in brain function, learning and mental health as authentic and valued forms of human diversity.

Neurodiversity (ND), sometimes also called neurodivergence or neuroatypicality, is an umbrella term which includes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger’s, Tourettes Syndrome, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyscalculia and may include Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Schizophrenia, and more. 

Neurotypicals (NT), sometimes called “allistic” or “nypical”, are defined by the neurodiverse community as individuals who do not have a neurological difference or disability.

Neurodiversity activists reject searches for a cure for autism (ASD) and seek acceptance and inclusion without being forced to comply with neurotypical norms of communication and behaviour. 

The terms neurodiverse and neurotypical, which came primarily from the autism rights movement, have been widely adopted by the medical and scientific community.