{"id":1732,"date":"2026-09-17T14:27:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/09\/17\/using-neurodivergent-as-a-catch-all-term-is-problematic-heres-why\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T14:27:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:27:49","slug":"using-neurodivergent-as-a-catch-all-term-is-problematic-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/09\/17\/using-neurodivergent-as-a-catch-all-term-is-problematic-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Using \u2018neurodivergent\u2019 as a catch-all term is problematic \u2013\u00a0here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> Lightspring\/ Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The term \u201cneurodivergent\u201d is being used more and more often<\/a> in everyday conversation, on social media and even in scientific research.<\/p>\n

Neurodivergent<\/a> is usually used to described a brain that works differently<\/a> from what is seen as typical. For instance, it is often used to describe someone with a diagnosis of autism or ADHD.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s an inherent problem with the term: it\u2019s hard to say exactly what counts as \u201ctypical\u201d brain function. Our new review<\/a> shows that even academics can\u2019t agree on what neurodivergent actually means, or which clinical diagnoses it covers. <\/p>\n

We looked at 134 scientific studies that included over 151,000 participants. The majority of this research was conducted in the UK and US. These studies mainly looked at people who were labelled \u201cneurodivergent\u201d or \u201cneurodiverse\u201d, exploring their education and work experiences, mental health, identity and social connection, diagnosis and traits, support, and the views of families and caregivers.<\/p>\n

Our aim was to find out what specific diagnoses, if any, were reported in relation to the terms \u201cneurodivergent\u201d and \u201cneurodiverse\u201d. <\/p>\n

We found almost 20 different diagnoses linked to neurodivergence and neurodiversity. Autism and ADHD came up most often, followed by dyslexia and dyspraxia. However, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and neurological disorders such as stroke or traumatic brain injury also appeared. <\/p>\n

One in five studies used the words without naming any diagnosis at all. A third simply asked people to self-identify as \u201cneurodivergent\u201d, rather than using a formal clinical assessment. <\/p>\n

Some studies mixed up \u201cneurodivergent\u201d and \u201cneurodiverse\u201d \u2013 even though the two mean different things.<\/p>\n

Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in how people\u2019s brains work, think and learn. Because of this, it\u2019s incorrect to call one person \u201cneurodiverse\u201d or \u201cwith a neurodiversity\u201d. Neurodiversity describes a group, not any one person, so it\u2019s correct to say our society is neurodiverse<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Neurodivergent, on the other hand, describes one person whose brain works differently from what is considered typical. But the problem is that currently, nobody agrees on how to define or measure this difference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although doctors can use established criteria to test for specific conditions such as ADHD or autism, there\u2019s no test that can separate what is \u201cneurodivergent\u201d from what is \u201cneurotypical\u201d.<\/p>\n

Why these findings are important<\/h2>\n

For decades, people with neurodevelopmental conditions \u2013 especially autistic people \u2013 have campaigned for better rights and inclusion. As part of the neurodiversity movement<\/a>, they called for terminology that they deemed would be kinder to describe conditions such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia.<\/p>\n

\n \"A
\n The terms grew out of the neurodiversity movement\u2019s campaigns.<\/span>
\n Veja\/ Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Words such as neurodiverse and neurodivergent grew out of this campaign, and are now used in schools, workplaces and the media. People often use them instead of naming specific diagnoses.<\/p>\n

Conditions such as autism and ADHD are grouped together in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a> (DSM) \u2013 the manual psychiatrists use to reach a diagnosis for a specific person \u2013 as they often overlap. Many people with ADHD are also autistic<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n

But each condition has its own specific clinical features and diagnostic criteria. This is why using \u201cneurodivergent\u201d as a catch-all term, even in research, can cause problems.<\/p>\n

The support that helps an autistic person is not the same as the support that helps someone with anxiety. These are different conditions with different needs. Broad labels can hide this important detail. <\/p>\n

In clinical research, the vagueness of using such a broad label as \u201cneurodivergent\u201d causes important problems, too. If a study only says its participants are \u201cneurodivergent\u201d, it\u2019s hard to interpret the results. This particularly matters when that research later shapes clinical care. <\/p>\n

Vague terms may cause problems for the public, as well. For example, a workplace policy built around \u201cneurodivergence\u201d might sound inclusive \u2013 but it can end up too broad and unhelpful if it doesn\u2019t target specific needs.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a stigma risk as well. It\u2019s true that \u201ceveryone is neurodiverse\u201d, since all our brains work differently. But this can inadvertently slide into \u201ceveryone is a bit neurodivergent\u201d \u2013 and then it\u2019s a short step into \u201cwe\u2019re all a bit ADHD\u201d<\/a> or \u201ca bit autistic\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This kind of thinking is unfair for people with an established diagnosis. Their day-to-day experience is often very different from that of people without a diagnosis. <\/p>\n

\u201cNeurodiversity\u201d and \u201cneurodivergence\u201d are useful for describing an identity and experiences that people may share. There is nothing wrong with someone saying \u201cI think I am neurodivergent\u201d. But in clinical research, healthcare and education, clear and recognised clinical diagnoses serve people better than catch-all labels.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Dr. Bellato declares: (a) funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR208319) and the Academy of Medical Sciences (NGR21430), (b) honoraria from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) for educational activities, (c) honoraria as Joint Editor of JCPP Advances, (d) consultancy honoraria from the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation, and Wallenberg Foundation, and (e) travel reimbursements from the ACAMH and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO); none of this related to the present project. He is also former member of the NHS England ADHD taskforce. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Samuele Cortese, NIHR Research Professor (NIHR303122) is funded by the NIHR for this research project. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. Samuele Cortese is also supported by NIHR grants NIHR203684, NIHR203035, NIHR130077, NIHR128472, RP-PG-0618-20003 and by grant 101095568-HORIZONHLTH- 2022-DISEASE-07-03 from the European Research Executive Agency.
\nProf. Cortese has declared reimbursement for travel and accommodation expenses from the Association for Child and Adolescent Central Health (ACAMH) in relation to lectures delivered for ACAMH, the Canadian AADHD Alliance Resource, the British Association of Psychopharmacology, Healthcare Convention and CCM Group team for educational activity on ADHD, and has received honoraria from Medice.
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lightspring\/ Shutterstock The term \u201cneurodivergent\u201d is being used more and more often in everyday conversation, on social media and even in scientific research. Neurodivergent is usually used to described a brain that works differently from what is seen as typical. For instance, it is often used to describe someone with a diagnosis of autism or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}