What autistic people really think about the word 'neurodiver

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Neurodiverse refers to anyone with a different brain structure than a 'normal' person.

Developmental disorders, learning disabilities, mental disorders, intellectual disability.

I had a nurse call me a neurodiverse the other day, which I found very insulting. But other than that she was quite helpful.

I thought neurodivergent meant diverging from the norm of neurological functioning, which would include neurodevelopmental disorders, psychotic disorders, learning disorders and, possible, some others.

I associate neurodiversity with the "Aspie supremacy", "autism is a difference, not a disabilty" crowd.

I never had a problem with the former. But the latter is kind of cringey and possibly harmful to people with lower support needs. Neurodiverse and neurospicy, I think, is part of the reason that NT's and autism moms are pushing back against the idea of low support needs. I think they see us all as a bunch of Gen-Z TikTok'ers competing for attention, while not being disabled at all. That's my two cents, anyway.

A thread about the meaning of the words "neurodiversity" and "neurodivergent" would not be complete without a reference to NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS by Nick Walker.

I actually told my best friend at work that I'm neurodiverse. I didn't specify (even though she probably knows I have ADHD because I often share stuff about ADHD on Facebook). But that's a huge step for me, as when I was younger I was adamant that I was normal. But ''normal'' is just wishful thinking. Even if my AS was a misdiagnosis, I still don't consider myself NT. I'm still neurodiverse.