Autism/Neurodiversity Glossary.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) A condition that affects behaviour. People with ADHD may seem restless, may have trouble concentrating, and may act on impulse. In an educational context, it often relates to a need for higher levels of stimulation to maintain focus.
Aphantasic / Anauralic Aphantasia is the inability to visualise mental images, meaning the "mind's eye" is blind. Anauralia is the inability to hear an internal monologue or sounds in the mind, resulting in a quiet inner world.
AuDHD A term used within the neurodivergent community to describe individuals who are both Autistic and have ADHD. This combination often creates a unique set of needs where the person craves routine and logic while also seeking high levels of novelty and stimulation.
Autism A lifelong developmental condition that affects how a person perceives the world and interacts with others. It is characterised by differences in social communication, sensory processing, and a tendency toward highly focused interests or routines.
Bottom-Up Processing A cognitive style where the brain processes every individual sensory and factual detail before forming a "big picture" conclusion. Every specific data point is treated as essential; if a single detail is dismissed, the entire conclusion feels incomplete or "wrong" to the neurodivergent person.
Dopamine: A type of neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) and hormone produced in the brain. Its primary function is to transmit signals between nerve cells. Dopamine plays a central role in the brain's reward system, heavily influencing human motivation, pleasure, memory, learning, and voluntary motor control. When a person anticipates or experiences a rewarding event, the brain releases dopamine, which reinforces the behaviour and encourages its repetition.
Double Empathy Problem The theory that communication breakdowns between different groups are a two-way issue. It suggests that difficulties arise from a mismatch in communication styles and life experiences, rather than a "deficit" in any one person.
Dysregulation The inability to manage or regulate emotional and physiological responses, leading to an intense overreaction or underreaction to sensory inputs, demands, or stress. It occurs when a person's nervous system becomes completely overwhelmed, taking them out of their optimal state of calm and control.
Executive Functioning: A set of cognitive processes and mental skills that enable a person to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, prioritise tasks, and manage their time. Essentially acting as the brain's management system, these skills allow individuals to filter distractions, control impulsive responses, and successfully transition between different activities.
Info-dump The act of sharing a large amount of detailed information about a specific topic or special interest all at once. For many, this is a way of showing passion or building a connection with others.
Internal Monologue The inner voice that many people experience as a steady stream of thoughts. It is a form of self-talk that can vary in intensity and frequency from person to person.
Masking A social strategy where an individual hides their natural traits or mimics the behaviour of those around them to fit in, stay safe, or avoid being misunderstood in social situations.
Monotropism A way of processing information where the brain focuses intensely on a single interest or stimulus at a time. This makes it easier to go "deep" into a topic but harder to switch between multiple tasks.
Neurodivergent An umbrella term used to describe people whose brains function, learn, and process information differently from what is considered "standard." This includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other conditions.
Neurotypical A term used to describe people whose brain functions, social processing, and communication styles fall within the range that society generally considers "average" or "standard."
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA): A profile on the autism spectrum characterised by an intense, overwhelming need to avoid everyday demands and expectations. Unlike ordinary non-compliance, this avoidance is not a conscious choice or "bad behaviour"—it is an anxiety-driven, neuro-protective threat response triggered by a perceived loss of autonomy
Proprioceptive Seeking This refers to the need for deep pressure or physical resistance to help the brain understand where the body ends and the external world begins. Proprioception comes from receptors in the muscles and joints. A person seeking this sensory input might sit in odd positions, stretch their legs out, or lean heavily against solid surfaces (like a plane window) to provide a physical anchor that calms the nervous system.
Stimming Short for self-stimulatory behaviour. These are repetitive physical movements, sounds, or actions (like hand-flapping or tapping) that help a person regulate their senses, manage emotions, or express joy.
Top-Down Processing A cognitive style where the brain uses prior knowledge, "the gist," or a pre-set rule to filter out details. This prioritises the expected outcome over individual data points, which can lead to a misunderstanding of the specific context behind a neurodivergent person's actions
Verbal Thinkers Individuals who primarily process their thoughts using words, sentences, and an internal narrative. They "hear" their ideas as a voice in their head.
Vestibular Seeking This refers to the brain's need for movement to help regulate balance and spatial awareness. The vestibular system is located in the inner ear and tells the body where it is in relation to gravity. If this system is under-responsive, a person might actively seek out movement, like rocking, pacing, or swinging on a lab stool, to help their brain feel engaged and focused.
Visual / Spatial Thinkers Individuals who primarily process thoughts using images, 3D patterns, or mental maps. They "see" their ideas rather than hearing them as a voice.
Scientific Glossary - A collection of science terms which have snuck their way into blog posts.
Acidic A way to describe a liquid that has a high concentration of hydrogen ions. On the pH scale, anything with a score lower than 7 is acidic (like lemon juice or vinegar). Acids are chemically "active" and can sometimes wear away or react strongly with other materials.
Activation Energy The minimum amount of energy needed to start a chemical reaction. Think of it like a "hurdle" that chemicals have to jump over before they can react. If the hurdle is too high, the reaction won't happen. A catalyst can make this hurdle smaller, so the reaction happens much more easily.
Auxin A plant hormone that manages growth. It collects on the shaded side of a stem, causing those cells to grow longer and making the plant bend toward a stimulus like light.
Catalyse To speed up a chemical reaction by providing an easier pathway for it to happen. In a broader sense, it means to cause or accelerate a change or action.
Cell Wall A rigid, protective outer layer that surrounds the cells of plants. It provides structural support and acts as a boundary between the cell and the outside environment.
Current The rate of flow of electrical charge around a circuit. In our analogy, this represents the speed and volume of thought processing.
Electrons Negatively charged particles that flow through a conductor to create an electric current. They are the "charge carriers" that move energy from the power source to the components.
Ethylene A plant hormone that exists as a gas. It is used by plants to signal stress and is also the primary chemical responsible for the ripening of fruit.
Monotropic In biology, this refers to an organism that reacts to only one kind of stimulus or has a highly specialised focus on a single partner or resource.
Neutral A state of balance where a liquid is neither an acid nor an alkali. Pure water is the best example of a neutral substance. It has a pH of exactly 7, meaning it is stable and doesn't have the "sting" or reactivity of an acid.
Parallel Circuit An electrical circuit that has more than one path for the current to flow. If one path is blocked or a component breaks, the current can still flow through the other branches.
Potential Difference (Voltage) The measure of the energy given to the charge carriers in a circuit. It is essentially the "push" or pressure that makes the current move between two points.
Resistance A measure of how difficult it is for an electric current to pass through a component. Higher resistance means that less current will flow for a given potential difference.
Series Circuit An electrical circuit where all components are connected in a single loop. There is only one path for the current to flow, so if any part of the loop is broken, the entire circuit stops working.
Symbiotic A relationship where two different species live closely together and rely on one another for survival, often resulting in benefits for both parties.
Tropism The growth or movement of a plant in a specific direction in response to an external stimulus, such as light (phototropism), gravity (gravitropism), or touch (thigmotropism).
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Chemicals that easily turn into vapours or gases at room temperature. Plants release these into the air to communicate information or warnings to other organisms.