Glossary

AAC

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. It is a word for different ways people use to communicate without speaking.

• Users of AAC often have a disability that makes it harder for them to speak.

• People who use AAC often use a tablet such as an iPad. They sometimes use text-to-speech software. Text-to-speech is when you type words and the device uses a computer voice to speak the text. 

• Some AAC users have a keyboard they bring with them that can use text-to-speech. This was more common before tablets existed.

• Not everyone who uses AAC types words with their hands. Some use their feet. Some use eye gaze technology where the letters they look at get tracked and typed into a device. 

• Many AAC users use different techniques for different situations. 

• Some AAC users use letterboards. These are boards with letters, numbers, and symbols. They often do this with help. These are called Communication Regulation Partners (CRPs). They will tap the letters, numbers, or symbols on the board. Then the CRP writes or remembers the order in which they were tapped. This spells out sentences. 

• Some AAC users have people help keep their body balanced while typing. These are called facilitators.

• A lot of AAC users have symbols they use to make requests. There are many applications that are symbol-based. These apps are available on tablets. They may also carry cards with symbols on them. The symbols represent statements like "I am tired" or "I need a break". 

• It's important to remember that many AAC users have different ways of communicating. They often have more than one mode. This can involve speaking, but sometimes doesn't. They will change what they used based on the situation.

Example:  John uses AAC. He has a hard time speaking. He uses an iPad. His iPad has an app called Proloquo2Go. He has it set up with different symbols represtenting requests he can make. This includes requests to get people away from him like "please stop touching me" or "I do not want to talk right now". He can also type his own sentences when he wants to. 

Layla uses AAC.  She uses text-to-speech software. She types sentences and her device voices them. Layla also has cards with her. The cards have statements like "I am sad", "I need to be alone", and a card with a stop sign. Layla also uses a letterboard. She uses a letterboard when she doesn't feel like typing. Layla can speak sometimes, but usually with few words. If Layla gets distressed and can't type, she has cards with her. Layla is a multimodal communicator. 

ABA

ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. It is a common method of therapy for autistic people.

•  It encourages desired behaviors and discourages undesired behaviors. 

• They do this through a system of reinforcement.

•  It is a form of radical behaviorism. 

• Behaviorism is a form of psychology. People who use its principles are behaviorists. 

• Behaviorists use  observable behaviors to determine what is happening in someone's mind. Their worldview revolves around this idea. 

• It is the gold standard therapy for autistic people. 

• ABA is  largely opposed by proponents of the Neurodiversity Movement. This is because of how ABA discourages behaviors that are actually harmless. 

• A therapist  decides which behaviors are appropriate and which ones are not. It is up to the therapist to decide this and not the client.  This limits a person's self-determination. 

ABA originated in the 20th century. It was based on B.F. Skinner's radical behaviorism. 

• Several behaviorists wrote about their observations. 

• They were observing people with developmental disabilities. This included autistic people. 

• A man named Donald Baer and his colleagues wrote about ABA. They defined it with seven dimensions. 

• It became popular as an autism treatment after several studies done by Ole Ivar Lovaas. 

• Lovaas thought it was best to make autistic people "indistinguishable from their peers". This means he wanted them to behave as non-autistic as possible. 

• He promised parents it could save their kids from institutions. This helped make it popular. 

• Organizations like Autism Speaks made it more popular too. They persuaded the government of each state in America to write new laws about it. These laws require insurance providers to cover ABA. It is now the most common autism therapy. 

Example: Mark was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old. The people who diagnosed him recommended ABA. His parents enrolled him in a program that is informed by ABA. He attended it 40 hours a week. He learned some important skills liked how to tie his shoes. He also was discouraged from acting autistic. They used skittles as a reward for good behavior. They wouldn't give him skittles if he didn't do what they wanted. He wasn't allowed to eat skittles outside of ABA sessions. Mark used to like skittles. Now he doesn't. Mark doesn't feel in control of his own decisions. He feels like he has to please everyone else before he can please himself. This is because he was in ABA. 

AC

AC stands for "Autistics and Cousins".  This includes autistic people. It also includes people with similar disabilities. The term originated from Autism Network International. Xenia Grant came up with it in 1993.  She did so after meeting someone with hydrocephalus. He was not autistic. however, he was able to relate to autistic people because of his hydrocephalus. He was still accepted in autistic spaces because of this. Online, it evolved to ACs.

Example: Steve has Cerebral Palsy. He is not autistic. His experience of Cerebral Palsy is similar to how many autistic people experience the world. Steve met a group of autistic people. They were able to relate on many things. Because of this, Steve was deemed a cousin. When referring to "ACs", this includes Steve. 

ADHD

ADHD is short for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. There is also Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). ADHD is a learning disability. It is based in the brain. It is caused by how someone's brain is wired. This makes it a neurotype. Someone with ADHD may have trouble focusing on a single task. Their mind may be occupied with several thoughts at once. ADHD is like autism in many ways. Many people with ADHD are also autistic. Some people with ADHD are not. 

Example: Dwayne has ADHD. This means he has several thoughts at once. This can be hard to keep track of. It can make it easy to forget something. He was talking to a friend about a new movie. Then he suddenly started talking about deep space. He realized he went off topic. He forgot he was originally talking about the movie. Dwayne is currently interested in deep space. He does a lot of research on it and knows a lot about it. The previous month, he was very interested in Dungeons and Dragons. He likes both, but is more interested in deep space this month. It is hard for him to focus on a single task because of his ADHD but he is still very smart. 

Allism

Allism is a term used to describe people who are not autistic. It comes from the prefix of "allo", which means other. It was first used online in 2003. Ettina Shee popularized it. Someone can still have a brain based disability and be allistic. Some like using allistic. Others are critical of its use. Mel Baggs had many criticisms. 

Example: Eva has ADHD but is not autistic. This makes them allistic. 

Tony is neurotypical. This also makes Tony allistic. 

Anti-Vaxxer

An anti-vaxxer is someone who is against the use of vaccines. 

• They may refuse vaccines for themselves or to vaccinate their children. 

• An anti-vaxxer may accept some vaccines and refuse others. 

• They may not call themself an anti-vaxxer. They have other words they may use instead.  

• Some refuse vaccines for religious reasons. Others do because they don't trust the scientists who say they are effective and safe.  

• Many think that vaccines cause autism. 

Anti-vaxxers have existed as long as vaccines have. People were unsure of how effective they were. 

• Vaccines became more common during the 1900s. 

• They led to prevention of diseases like smallpox, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella. 

• As more people started to research autism, some thought that the MMR vaccine was the cause of autism. 

• A man named Andrew Wakefield published a study on this. He concluded that childhood vaccines caused autism. He said that vaccines had harmful materials in them that led to a child becoming autistic. 

• There was also the work of Bernard Rimland, who thought autism was caused by a leaky gut. He created treatments that try to clean autism out of the gut.

•  These ideas mobilized the Anti-Vaxxer Movement. These ideas are false. 

• Wakefield created false data on purpose. He lost his doctor's license. 

• Autism is genetic. This means someone is born with it. It is based in the brain. Many still believe vaccines cause autism. Recent data disproves this. 

Example: Becky has an autistic daughter named Kayleigh. Kayleigh started showing signs of autism when she was 3. This was after Kayleigh had her vaccines. Becky read online that this is why her Kayleigh is autistic. Becky now refuses to give her daughter more vaccines. Kayleigh was autistic before she had her vaccines. Becky no longer trusts the scientists who call vaccines safe. Becky is an anti-vaxxer. 

Terry heard that vaccines cause autism in young children. She decided to wait until her twins, Tony and Trina, were five to give them vaccines. Tony and Trina are not autistic. She is worried about the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. Because of this, she is not taking the COVID vaccine and is not giving them to Tony or Trina. Terry takes some vaccines, but refuses others. She also does it on a different schedule than what is recommended. This is based on believing misinformation. Terry is an anti-vaxxer. 

Asperger's

Asperger's Syndrome was a diagnosis like autism. It was on the autism spectrum. It was a different diagnosis than autism. Professionals thought people  with Asperger's were too different to be autistic. The people diagnosing them used the Diagnostic Statistic Manual.  It is also known as the DSM. The newest edition of the DSM no longer includes Asperger's. Asperger's was not different enough from autism to deserve its own diagnosis. So now it is all Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

• Asperger's Syndrome was named after Hans Asperger. He was an Austrian scientist.

•  He saw  kids who were autistic. Some of them were good at things that other kids already considered autistic were not as good at. 

• He did his research in the 1940s. His research didn't get translated into English until the 1970s. 

• A woman named Lorna Wing found his work. She imagined autism as a spectrum. She wanted to honor Asperger's work by having a diagnosis named after him as part of the spectrum. 

• Several decades later, professionals decided Asperger's didn't make sense. It wasn't very different from autism. It led to autistic people getting the wrong services.

•   Some people still like to use Asperger's for themselves. 

• After the removal of Asperger's from the DSM, people discovered that Hans had ties to nazis. This is not why the diagnosis no longer exists. Though it is why some people don't like the term.

Example: Carlos has an Asperger's diagnosis. He is autistic. He likes Sonic the Hedgehog. He knows more about Sonic than most people. Carlos also has trouble relating to most people. Carlos is very talkative. He is a full time college student with decent grades. Many people are surprised when he tells them he's autistic.  Carlos struggles with certain subjects. He has a hard time following map directions. There is a lot of food he can't eat. If Carlos got his evaluation today, he would be diagnosed with autism. His diagnosis would be Autism Spectrum Disorder. He got diagnosed with Asperger's because his autistic traits were not obvious. It makes more sense just to call him autistic. This is what he prefers. 

Aspie Supremacy

Autistic people have a range of strengths and weaknesses. Autism is not exactly the same for any two autistic people. 

• Some autistic people can speak. Some cannot. Some autistic people can speak a little bit. Some can speak about half the time. 

• Autistic people may need some help with daily living. Some need a lot. A single autistic person can have any range of things they can do and things they cannot do. Autistic people who appear to be able to do more things without help have more privilege. 

• They may be able to go to the same school as non autistic peers. They may need some help with school and daily living. They are still allowed to take part in things non autistic people are. 

• Autistic people who need more help are not allowed to do these things as often. This is especially true if they communicate without speech. 

• They are more likely to live in institutions. They may not have control over their life. This is because other people decide what they can and can't do. 

• An autistic person may feel that they are better than other autistic people. They may feel they are more valuable because they need less help. 

• They want to distance themselves from autistic people who need more help. They like saying they are not like them. They often call themselves aspies. 

• This is Aspie Supremacy. Someone can be Aspie Supremacist without calling themself an aspie. If they place less value on autistic people who need more help to live than they do, they are an aspie supremacist. 

• Aspie supremacy is a problem that exists in autistic spaces. Some are aware they are doing it. Some are not. All autistic people deserve fair treatment. 

Mel Baggs coined Aspie Supremacy. Mel also coined autistic supremacy. That is when autistic people consider themselves better than non-autistic people. You can read more from Mel about Aspie Supremacy here and here. 

Example: Dean is autistic. He considers himself an aspie. He got an Asperger's diagnosis. Dean runs a forum for autistic people. He only allows in people he thinks are high functioning. This is Aspie Supremacy. 

Siobhan is autistic. They do not like using aspie. They tell people to listen to nonspeaking autistic people. Someone who is nonspeaking tells Siobhan they did something wrong. Siobhan said something wrong about functioning labels. Siobhan gets mad at this person and blocks them. Siobhan is an aspie supremacist. 

Autism

Autism is a developmental disability. This means it is a disability someone has as soon as they are born. 

• It is based in the brain. Autism is caused by how a person's brain is wired. This makes it a neurotype. 

• It is one of many different possible types of brains someone can have.  Someone who has autism  may call themself autistic.  

• The first recorded use of the word autism dates back to 1908. It was used by a psychologist named Eugene Bleuler.  

• He thought it was a form of schizophrenia that only existed in children. 

• More people continued to define autism in their own ways as time passed. These definitions did not include the perspectives of autistic people. This led to the development of many false beliefs. 

•  Autistic people started talking more about their own experiences of autism. This led to a better understanding of autism. No two autistic people are exactly alike. 

Example: 

• Troy is autistic. He typically speaks to communicate his thoughts. However, it is sometimes better for him to write them down.

•  Troy is more sensitive to noise and smells than non-autistic people. 

• He really likes trains. He rides them often and collects train magazines. Troy knows more about trains than most people his age. 

• Troy prefers places that are quiet and have a neutral smell. 

• When at the train station, he wears noise cancelling headphones. He does this so he can enjoy trains without worrying about the noise of the stations. 

• Troy likes the smell of coffee. He is still sensitive to other smells but likes going to cofee shops because they smell good to him.

• Sally is also autistic. She mostly uses text-to-speech software to communicate her thoughts. S

• ally can sometimes speak. Her writing expresses her thoughts better, though.

•  Sally likes death metal and punk rock. She likes attending loud concerts. The loud noise and screaming are attractive to her. 

• This is because she is autistic.  

• If she is somewhere and suddenly hears loud music, it can lead to a meltdown. Sally still likes loud concerts. She does not like unexpected loud noises. 

Both Troy and Sally are autistic. They both have things they really like. Their autism makes them more passionate about their interests. They have different ways of communicating. They have different sensory experiences. Both of them are this way because they are autistic. 

BCBA

BCBA is short for Board Certified Behavior Analyst. 

• Someone with a BCBA studied in school to become one.

• People get their certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).

• BCBAs study behaviorism and take an exam.

• Most BCBAs work in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis.

• They create plans for someone enrolled in ABA.

• They may directly supervise the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) who carries the plan out.

• The BACB started in 1998. This is when BCBAs started to get certified.

• A BCBA will likely believe in principles of ABA and radical behaviorism.

• Someone can also be a BCBA-D. This means they are a BCBA at the doctorate level. There is also BCaBA. This is at the undergraduate level.

Example: Claire is a BCBA. She works at an autism center. Claire writes the plans for kids enrolled at the center.  Her practice is ABA-informed. She believes that behavior is shaped by someone's environment. This means she thinks someone has to encourage or discourage behavior. This is how she thinks people should learn. Claire doesn't think someone's thoughts and feelings are separate from behavior.

Curebie

Curebie is a word for someone who supports curing autism. It applies to non-autistic people and autistic people who want a cure. Curebie was first used in autistic spaces in the early 2000s. People used curebie as early as 2002. 

Example: James thinks autism is a disease. He supports the mission of organizations that want to cure autism. This makes him a curebie.

Double Empathy Problem

The Double Empathy Problem is a term Damian Milton coined in 2011. 

• It is common for people to believe that autistic people lack empathy.

• Autistic people can actually be very empathetic.

• Milton researched how autisic and non-autistic people interact. He found that autistic people are more likely to understand other autistic people than non-autistic people are. He also found that it was easier for autistic people to understand each other than it is for them to understand non-autistic people.

• He concluded that autistic people have more empathy for other autistic people than non-autistic people do for them.

Example: Fred and Latisha are autistic. Latisha notices Fred pacing. Fred does this while thinking. Gary is non-autistic. He thinks Fred is pacing because he is upset. Latisha tells Gary that Fred is fine. Latisha knows this because she also does this. Both Fred and Latisha pace because they are autistic. 

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability. It is related to difficulty with reading and writing. 

• Someone with Dyslexia may have trouble reading.

• Words may appear scattered when first looking at them. 

• A dyslexic person may have a hard time writing words. They will know how to spell a word but when they write it out, it appears different. This is how their brain processes words.

• There are different forms of language. Some people's brains are better at processing spoken language than written. For some it's the other way around.

• Dyslexic people created a font called Dyslexie. This makes it easier for Dyslexic people to read. Christian Boer designed this font.

Example: Asa is Dyslexic. They have a hard time reading. When they read, words appear out of order at first. They are better at listening than reading. Asa prefers audiobooks because of this. 

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a learning disability. It is related to difficulty with reading and writing. It is mainly related to math. Someone with dyscalculia can be good at reading letters but not numbers. They may need more time to complete a math problem than someone without it. 

Example: Matilda has dyscalculia. Numbers appear tilted to her on paper. Matilda can do math problems. She needs more time to finish them. She gets extended time on math tests.

ECT

ECT is short for electroconvulsive therapy. It is a form of therapy that uses electric shock.

• It can be used for a number of things. 

• The electricity can be used at low or high voltage.

• There are medical procedures that use this. Doctors should do it with the patient's permission.

• Many people who use ECT use it to hurt people. They use it as a way to control behavior. These people abuse their ability to use the shocks.

• It should not be used to control someone's behavior.  

• There was a study done in 1961 called the Milgram Shock Experiment. This involved two groups of people. People who had access to a shock device, and people attached to fake electrodes in another room.

• The people who could use shocks thought it was real. They started using the highest voltage to control behavior.

Today, there is a center called the Judge Rotenberg Center. They use shock devices to control behavior. Their devices are called Graduated Electronic Decelerators (GEDs).

• This is wrong. It is torture. The students they use it on do not want it. Their parents or guardians agreed to have them on the GED. The center only needs parent's permission.

• The devices they use are at high voltage. They use them several times a day. The shocks are used for disobeying small demands like taking off a coat. The people who run the center say that it prevents self-injury. There is little proof this is actually true. It causes more harm than self-injury. 

Executive Functioning

Someone's executive functioning is how well they can complete daily tasks.

• This includes tasks like planning, time management, attention, and self control.

• Someone can be very attentive but have bad time management. Another person can be good at managing time but may have trouble regulating emotions. It is different for everyone.

• When someone's executive functioning fails, this is called executive dysfunction.

• Like executive functioning, executive dysfunction looks different for everyone. 

• Executive functioning works differently for people who are neurodivergent. It is a commonly discussed topic among people who are neurodivergent. 

Example: Adam is autistic. Adam decides to spend his day on his favorite Discord server. If he is too focused on using Discord, he may forget to eat dinner. He may also forget to shower. This is because of how his executive functioning works. To make sure this doesn't happen, Adam sets alarms on his phone. Because of this, he knows what time he needs to eat and shower. 

HFA

HFA is short for High Functioning Autistic. Some autistic people call themselves this. Some get called this by other people. People considered high-functioning can speak to communicate. They can pass as non-autistic. It is actually more complicated than this. If someone is considered high-functioning, people may ignore their support needs. Someone may assume they aren't actually needed. 

Example: Imani is autistic. She has a job and pays her own bills. Imani has a Bachelor's Degree. Many people are surprised when they learn she is autistic. They think she is high-functioning. They don't think Imani needs more help than others. Imani can't drive. She uses public transit to get to work. She gets tired quicker than most people. She immediately goes to sleep when she gets home from work. Imani needs a three-day weekend. Her manager won't let her do this. Her manager doesn't think she needs a three-day weekend. This would help Imani. It would make her a better employee. 

Hyperfixation

A hyperfixation is something a person spends a lot of time engaging with. This could be a movie, a game, a book, or even a single person. It is unique for people with cognitive disabilities. If someone has a hyperfixation, they may not talk about much else. Someone can have one or many hyperfixations at once. It can be brief or lifelong. 

The idea of a hyperfixation goes back to the DSM. ADHD and autism have "narrow interests" as a criteria. Autistics and Cousins started to meet each other. They discovered they had a lot of common hyperfixations. They came up with several words to describe them. They all mean the same thing. Many people involved with Autism Network International liked llamas. It was a hyperfixation for them. 

Similar terms: Special interest, hobby, perservation 

Example: Mackenize has ADHD. They have a hyperfixation on Baldur's Gate 3. This is recent. They bought the game last month. They spend a lot of their freetime playing the game. They also like looking at fanart and reading fanfiction for Baldur's Gate 3. They had a hyperfixation on Spider-Man a few months ago. Mackenzie still likes Spider-Man. They are focused on Baldur's Gate right now.

Javonté is autistic. He really likes Mario Kart. He started playing when he was five. This is a long time hyperfixation. He also likes Demon Slayer. This is also a hyperfixation. He started watching Demon Slayer last month. He now owns a Demon Slayer shirt. Javonté wants to buy more Demon Slayer merchandise. He still likes Mario Kart. He plays it once a week. Both of these are hyperfixations.

Hyperlexia

Hyperlexia is when someone can read something very quickly. They may be able to find spelling and grammar mistakes better than most people. Someone who is hyperlexic may start reading at a very young age. If someone is hyperlexic, they may be very interested in letters and numbers.

Example: June is hyperlexic. Xe could read an entire novel at age 4. June reads a lot of books. June can read a whole book in a few hours. Xe may forget to brush xyr teeth because of this. June is happy to be hyperlexic. It can make other parts of life challenging, but it makes other parts easier. 

Identity-First Language

Identity-First Language is a way of identifying yourself. It is IFL for short. People who prefer IFL call themselves "disabled" instead of "a person with a disability".  

IFL originated in Deaf and Blind communities. They saw their disability as a central part of themselves. In the 1990s, IFL became popular in autistic spaces. Many autistic people see autism as part of who they are. They don't think it is separate. Some may not agree with this. They should respect a person's language preference.

Example: Vincent is autistic. He wants to be called autistic. Vincent does not want to be called a person with autism. 

Hannah is Deaf. She wants people to say she is Deaf. Hannah does not like it when she is called hearing impaired.

Independent Living

Independent Living is the name of a disability sub-movement. It also is an idea. Independent living is different from living in an institution. 

Independent living can mean a lot of things. Those same things may not really be independent. It applies to adults. Kids cannot live independently.

• Molly lives alone with a cat. She can choose when to go out and when to eat. Molly lives independently.

• If Molly was under guardianship, she may not get to choose when she can go out. She would not live independently. 

• George lives in a group home. He can make some choices in his daily life. He can't choose when he leaves. He can choose what he eats. He can't choose when it is time to eat. The staff may not buy him what he wants to eat. Everyone in the group home eats at the same time. George does not live independently. 

• DeAndre lives with his wife and kids. He does not live alone.  He provides for his family. He helps pay the bills and cooks meals. DeAndre chose to live like this. He can choose when to leave. He can choose what he eats. DeAndre lives independently. He lives independently because he gets choice in what he does.

The Independent Living Movement advocates for everyone to live with the ability to make their own choices. 

• One of its pioneers was Ed Roberts. Ed Roberts had polio. He used an iron lung to breathe.  

• He was accepted into University of California Berkeley. They didn't know he used an iron lung. 

• Once they learned this, they refused to admit him. His iron lung wouldn't fit into a dorm room. Ed challenged this. They changed their minds and accepted him.

• While Ed was at UC Berkeley, he started a student organization for disabled students. It was called the Physically Disabled Students Program. It was by and for students with disabilities. They provided resources for other disabled students. 

• After Ed graduated, he and his friends founded the first Center for Independent Living (CIL). They advocated for changes that would give disabled people access to the community. Curb cuts were added in Berkeley because of them. There are now CILs in every state. 

In the 90s and 2000s, Martijn Dekker had an email list called InLv. This was short for Independent Living on the Autism Spectrum. It was a place autistics and cousins could discuss their lives and get help. The name comes from the Independent Living Movement. 

Inertia

Inertia comes from physics. It's the idea that an object that is in motion will stay in motion. It is also true for the opposite. If someone is sitting, they will probably keep sitting. It takes more energy to stand up than to keep sitting. Autistic people experience inertia differently from non-autistic people. Inertia is a common topic in autistic spaces. Anna Sullivan did a workshop on it at Autreat 2002. She called it "Inertia: From Theory to Praxis".  

Example: Mikayla found a new series on Netflix. She started watching it. She is now focused on the Netflix show. She has a hard time telling herself to do other things. Mikayla stayed up until 2 am last night. She didn't eat dinner or take a shower.  This is an example of autistic inertia. She was too focused on Netflix to do anything else. If she had someone to remind her eat and shower, it would be helpful. 

Institutions

An institution is a place where lots of people with disabilities live.  

• They did not decide to live there. They cannot choose when to leave. When living there, they don't get to choose their daily schedule. 

• Institutions are separate from the community. People who live in institutions may get to visit places in the community. They don't get to decide when this happens. The staff do. 

• Institutions exist in many sizes. They can be large and run by the state. They can be a home with a single person. If someone does not get to decide everything in their daily life, they live in an institution.

• Common types of institutions include group homes, intense care facilities, nursing homes, and farmstead communities. 

• There is a test for how to tell if a place someone lives is an institution called the Burrito Test. If someone has the choice to microwave a burrito at 3 in the morning, then they live independently. If they cannot do all those things, they live in an institution. There are several versions of this test. They all mean the same thing.

• There is also a test for being able to leave. One of those tests is called the IHOP test. If you can leave your home at 3 in the morning to visit IHOP, you are not living in an institution. 

Institutions became a common place to put people with disabilities in the 1800s. 

• This happened in the United States. A woman named Dorothea Dix advocated to open hospitals for mentally ill people. She thought they were better for them than prisons. They were common for many years. 

• People who lived in institutions started speaking out about their experiences. They advocated to close them and give people with disabilities options to live in the community.  One of these movements was the Self-Advocacy Movement.

• Institutions still exist today. Many old institutions closed. This is thanks to the efforts of self-advocates. The work is not done yet. It will be when everyone can choose where to live and how to live their daily life. 

Intellectual Disability

An intellectual disability is a type of disability someone can have. 

• People can diagnose intellectual disability based on how they score on an IQ test. IQ is short for Intellectual Quotient. It is a number used to predict your intellectual functioning. Intellectual functioning is another word for intelligence. People measure intelligence by reasoning and problem solving. IQ does not actually predict the rest of someone's life. It is a score on a single test.

• Someone can diagnose intellectual disability without an IQ test. Intellectual disability affects several skills. It affects someone's daily living, social, and their ability to self-direct. No two people with intellectual disability are the same. 

• Intellectual disability is a kind of developmental disability. This means someone is born with it and lives their whole life with it. 

• Some intellectual disabilities include Down's Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome. 

• Autism is not an intellectual disability. Many autistic people have intellectual disability.

• Intellectual disability used to be called Mental Retardation. This is a very offensive term. People with intellectual disability advocated for people to stop using this word. They got the government to pass a law that prevents use of it in medical settings. 

Example: Sasha has an intellectual disability. She needs help getting ready in the morning and for bed at night. She needs help cooking food. She also needs help counting money. Sasha has support people who help her do these things. She decides who her support people are. If Sasha wants to try doing anything on her own, she should be able to. If there is something Sasha does not want to do on her own, she should be able to continue getting help for it. Sasha needs a lot of help with daily living. She still deserves to make decisions about her own life. Everyone should.

LFA

LFA is short for low-functioning autism. It is something people call certain autistic people. Some autistic people identify as this. Most do not. Many people use LFA as a label for something they aren't. People labeled LFA have their talents underestimated. Many people labeled LFA are non-speaking. They may speak a little bit. They use alternative communication most often. They may not be able to pass as non-autistic. People labeled LFA may have intellectual disability. LFA is not a real diagnosis. Functioning labels ignore how complex people are. 

Example: Greg is autistic. They use AAC to communicate. They can sometimes speak. They need some help with daily living skills. They are an excellent writer. They also make great films. They get called LFA because they use AAC. Some autistic people use Greg as an example of someone that they're not like. This ignores the things Greg can do well. Some people online call Greg high-functioning for being able to use the internet. They don't know what Greg needs help with. They don't know what they're good at. They just know what they can see of Greg. 

Monotropism

Monotropism is a theory about how autistic people function. It comes from Dinah Murray and Wenn Lawson. It says that it is easier for autistic people to focus on a single interest at one time rather than several things. 

Example: Tracy's favorite movies are Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Xe likes other movies. It's hard for xem to give other movies as much focus as LOTR and Star Wars. Tracy participates in online forums for LOTR and Star Wars. Xe cosplays characters from them. Xyr bedroom has stuff from those series. Tracy watched the new Dungeons and Dragons movie. Xe liked it. Xe doesn't get into the same in-depth conversations about it as xe does with Star Wars and LOTR. This is an example of monotropism.

Neurodivergent

Neurodivergent is a way to describe how someone is different from other people. Any kind of brain wiring that is different from normal counts as neurodivergent. It includes cognitive disabilities but not only them. It also includes giftedness. Kassiane Asasumasu coined the term in the late 1990s. She meant for it to be all-inclusive. A few other people like Mel Baggs also came up with the word around the same time. Kassiane did the most to define what neurodivergent means. 

Example: Akari is neurodivergent. They are autistic, epileptic, and twice exceptional. Some of those are disabilities, some of them are not. 

Trey has a traumatic brain injury.  He was not born neurodivergent. He acquired it after his brain injury. 

Neurodiverse

Neurodiverse refers to a group of people who all have different types of brains. It is often used instead of neurodivergent. It does not mean the same thing. Neurodiverse was first used in the late 90s in autistic spaces. Neurodivergent came after. People like Mel and Kassiane thought it made more sense.

Example: Bob is neurotypical. Akari is autistic. Trey has a traumatic brain injury. They are a neurodiverse group of people. 

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is the diversity of human brains in society. It is short for neurological diversity. 

• It is the idea that there are many different kinds of ways the human brain works. 

• Being pro-neurodiversity means you don't think there is a right or wrong kind of brain to have. It means you think everyone deserves respect regardless of what their brain is like. 

• It is also the name of a movement led by people with cognitive disabilities. This is the Neurodiversity Movement.

• The Neurodiversity Movement started in the 1990s. Several autistic people came together in-person and online. They discussed what it was like to be autistic. There were things people believed about autism they didn't think were true. It is a branch of the Disability Rights Movement.

• Jim Sinclair, Xenia Grant, and Donna Williams started an organization called Autism Network International. This was after they met through a penpal list and autism conferences. They also welcomed "cousins" who had similar disabilities. ANI established an autistic-led conference called Autreat. Here, they talked about issues that were important to autistic people. It was different from other autism conferences. 

• ANI and Autreat got more autistics and cousins to take part in advocacy. A lot of it was online. There was a lot they talked about on email lists. Terms like "neurological diversity" and "neurological pluralism" came from this. Neurodiversity became the popular term to use for the movement.

Example: Pat is pro-neurodiversity. This means she thinks people with cognitive disabilities should have their rights respected. She doesn't think someone is better for not having cognitive disabilities. She thinks everyone deserves equal rights and access to society. Pat doesn't think someone can be too disabled for this. 

Neuroexpansive

Neuroexpansive is a newer term. It is like neurdivergent. 

• The term is by and for Black disabled people. Neuroexpansive describes the experience of Black disabled people.

•  Disabled people are different from non-disabled people. Black disabled people are different from both white and nondisabled people. This is a unique experience.

•  It is different than it is for white people. 

• Some Black disabled people may still accept neurodivergent. It is important to allow people to choose how to define themselves. Ngwagwa originated this word. They wrote about it on Medium.

Example: Brianna is autistic. She calls herself neuroexpansive. It feels more fitting than neurodivergent. 

Neurospicy

Neurospicy is another word for neurodivergent. Its origins are unknown. It likely comes from Tik Tok. 

Example: Ben has ADHD and OCD. He calls himself neurospicy.

OCD

OCD is short for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 

• It is a mental disorder

• Someone with OCD may feel the need to do the same thing several times. Their mind tells them they have to do this. A common example is washing hands more than once. 

• A person with OCD may have intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are thoughts someone doesn't want to have. 

• OCD can make someone need a thing to be perfect. If something is not exactly to their liking, they may feel distressed. 

• If someone has OCD, they may worry if they don't do something specific, then a bad thing will happen. This can relate to an anxiety disorder.

• OCD is a thing professionals diagnose. It is in the DSM. 

• There is medication that can help with OCD. It makes OCD more manageable. There are other ways to cope with it too. Someone may use several forms of support for OCD.

Example: Rebecca has OCD. When she sees the number 4, she has to write to the number 22 in the air. She uses a shortcut by changing 12 to 22 when she gets to 12. If she doesn't do this, she worries she will start acting like she is in the 4th grade again. Rebecca takes medication for OCD. This helps with the compulsions, but it doesn't completely get rid of them.

Ty has OCD. He has to rub his hand against his chin five times. He does this when he has a bad thought. If he doesn't do this, he worries he will have a bad day.

PDD-NOS

PDD-NOS is short for Pervasive Developmental Delay (Not Otherwise Specified). It used to be in the DSM. 

• If a doctor was unsure if someone was autistic or not, they could give them this diagnosis. 

• If someone had some autism traits but not others, they could get this diagnosis. It was not very helpful. 

• Most people with this diagnosis are autistic. 

• PDD-NOS represents outdated ways of thinking about autism. It only required certain traits of autism. Most people with those traits are autistic. It doesn't make sense to have PDD-NOS separate from autism

Example: Carl has intense interests. He has a hard time making friends. He flaps his hands. Carl went to see a specialist. The specialist only saw these traits in Carl. The specialist decided he didn't show enough signs of autism to be autistic. She diagnosed Carl with PDD-NOS. Carl is autistic. He didn't get an autism diagnosis for several years. 

Person-First Language

Person-First Language is a way of identifying yourself. It is PFL for short. People who prefer PFL call themselves "a person with a disability" instead of "disabled". 

PFL comes from the Self-Advocacy Movement. The Self-Advocacy Movement started in the 1970s. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities lead the Self-Advocacy movement. Many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities lived in institutions. They didn't like this. Some people with I/DD who left institutions organized to close them. They didn't like people reminding them of their disability. They wanted people to see them as more than their disability. They would often say they were "people first".  People First was the name of their first organization. 

Some people may think their disability is an important part of who they are. They may prefer to call themself disabled. This is fine. Some may not agree with this. They should respect a person's language preference. One person could prefer PFL for one disability and IFL for another. That is also fine.

Example: Maria has an intellectual disability. She wants people to know her as Maria first. She wants people to call her a person with an intellectual disability. She does not want others to call her intellectually disabled. 

Rett Syndrome

Rett Syndrome is a developmental disability. 

• It used to be a category of autism. It was different enough that it no longer is part of the spectrum. 

• Most people with Rett are female. Its cause is genetic. People with Rett were born with it. People with Rett have a harder time walking, breathing, and eating. 

• Rett Syndrome comes from a doctor named Adreas Rett. He did research on people in 1966. This led to a new diagnosis.

Example: Gabrielle has Rett Syndrome. She uses a wheelchair to move. Gabrielle can't speak. She has a hard time moving her hands how she would like to. She uses a tablet to communicate her thoughts. She uses eye gazing technology to select letters. She deserves the same fair treatment everyone else does.

Self-Advocacy

Self-Advocacy is when someone communicates what they want and what they don't want for themself. 

• There are many ways someone can practice self-advocacy. They may talk to other people. They might use AAC to do this. Communicating without words is also self-advocacy. 

• Someone may advocate for basic needs like food and water. They might ask permission to go somewhere or leave a place. They could tell someoen they want this. They may communicate this by pointing at objects. They might move towards a door. This is self-advocacy. 

• A person's actions don't always line up with their thoughts. Many times they do. Behavior is communication. This means even if someone is doing something with no words, they are saying something. They want you to know something.

• If someone doesn't like a thing that someone else says about them and gets upset, this is self-advocacy. Someone may hurt themself or others for this reason. This is self-advocacy. 

• Many think self-advocacy only matters on big issues. Issues such as laws and how society views people. Many think only some people can self-advocate. This is wrong. Everyone is capable of self-advocacy. Everyone participates in self-advocacy. 

Self-Narrating Zoo Exhibit

• Self-Narrating Zoo Exhibit is a metaphor. It refers to how non-disabled people often treat disabled people. 

• Non-disabled people tend to ask disabled people many questions about their lives. They may ask very personal questions. 

• It can get to the point where the disabled person acts like a zoo animals telling guests about how it lives.

•  People who visit zoos like to ask about how animals eat and sleep. They ask about the habitat they're in, how long they live, questions about height and weight. 

• Non disabled people like to ask disabled people about how they eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. Some disabled people describe this as a Self-Narrating Zoo Exhibit. 

• Jim Sinclair coined this term in 1994. Xe first used it in writing in the St. John's Autism email list.  Autistic people on the email list were in the minority. Most people on the list were not autistic. They didn't like it when autistic people started conversations amongst themselves. Jim also noticed this at autism conferences. 

• Example: Tyler attends an autism conference. He participates in the self-advocacy panel. People ask him many questions about what it's like to be autistic. He doesn't get to talk about the discrimination he faces.  He feels like he is a zebra telling people at a zoo how it lives. He feels like a self-narrating zoo exhibit. 

Special Interest

A special interest is something a person is very passionate about. It is similar to a hyperfixation. Special interests can be lifelong. A special interest can be as wide as an entire series or as narrow as a specific character. Someone can have on interest. They can also have many. 

Example: Tyree's special interest is Batman. He's seen all the movies and played all the video games. He collects Batman comics and action figures. He started liking Batman as a kid. He still loves it as an adult. He wants to like Batman for the rest of his life. It is a lifelong special interest. 

Tyree also likes Giraffes. This is more recent. He went to the zoo and saw giraffes. Now he's interested in everything related to giraffes. He may not have a lifelong interest in giraffes like with Batman. He still loves giraffes.

Spoon Theory

Spoon theory is a common term used in disability communities. It refers to how much energy someone has to give. It measures a person's energy level with spoons. One activity may cost three spoons. Another may cost five. Once someone is out of spoons, that means they drained all their energy. 

Christine Miserando used it in 2003 in an essay called "The Spoon Theory".  It recounts a dinner she had with a friend in college. She asked what it was like to have lupus. Christine got some spoons and used it to describe her experience.  It became popular after she wrote about it in her blog "But You Don't Look Sick". 

Example: Lindsay is autistic and has EDS. It takes more energy for her to do daily tasks than it does for most people. It takes a lot of spoons for her to go to work for a whole day. It takes less spoons for her to work from home. It also takes less spoons for her to watch TV. One day, Lindsay went to work and then to a friend's house after work. Once she came home, she was out of spoons for the day. She watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad and then went straight to sleep.

Tourettes

Tourettes is a brain-based disability. 

• Someone can be born with it. Someone can get Tourettes later in life. 

• Tourettes involves uncontrollable actions called tics. Tics can be sounds. They can be specific words. They can be physical movements. 

• There are treatments that make tics less frequent. Many people with Tourettes have less obvious tics. 

• Many people with Tourettes have other disabilities too. 

Example: Vivienne has Tourettes. Their body sometimes twitches. This is hard to control. Many don't notice when it happens. 

Quentin has Tourettes. He sometimes yells "gravy!". This is hard to control. Many notice when it happens. He takes medication for it. He still sometimes yells "gravy!".   

Both Vivienne and Quentin have Tourettes. It is not the same for them. There is a lot they can relate to about it.