LANGUAGE & TERMS
This page sets out how we use language when talking about ADHD and neurodiversity.
The definitions are written in plain language rather than as formal clinical definitions. Some terms come from healthcare and research, while others are more commonly used in neurodiversity or ADHD communities.
Language shapes how things are understood, so the aim is to describe terms clearly without relying on overly simplified or purely deficit-based explanations.
While the focus is ADHD, some broader neurodiversity terms are included for context.
This is not a fixed set of definitions. Language and understanding change over time, and more detailed clinical or research information can be found through the other resources on the site.
ADHD Core Terms
ADHD
A neurodevelopmental condition characterised by persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that can affect everyday functioning. How ADHD presents and affects people varies considerably between individuals and situations.
ADHD Coach
A person who offers coaching intended to help people with ADHD explore goals, strategies, organisation, motivation or everyday functioning. Training, qualifications, scope and approach can vary considerably between practitioners.
Dopamine
A neurotransmitter involved in processes including motivation, reward, movement, attention and learning. Dopamine systems are relevant to ADHD research and to how some ADHD medications work, but ADHD is not understood as a simple dopamine-deficiency condition.
Neurotransmitter
A chemical messenger used by nerve cells to communicate with each other. Neurotransmitters are involved in many processes including attention, mood, movement, motivation and learning.
Executive Function
A broad term for mental processes involved in organising and regulating goal-directed behaviour, such as planning, holding information in mind, shifting attention and inhibiting responses. Executive-function difficulties can occur in ADHD but are not unique to it.
Hyperactivity
Restlessness, increased movement or difficulty remaining still when expected. Hyperactivity can appear differently between people and may be more physical in some situations and experienced as internal restlessness in others.
Hyperfocus
A commonly used term for periods of very intense concentration on something engaging, sometimes making it difficult to shift attention elsewhere. Hyperfocus is not itself a formal ADHD diagnostic criterion.
Impulsivity
A tendency to act, speak or respond quickly, sometimes before fully considering the consequences. It can affect decision-making, communication and behaviour in different ways.
Inattention
Difficulties such as sustaining attention, keeping track of details, following through, organising or being easily distracted. What this looks like can vary with the person, task, environment and situation.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)
A popular term used to describe intense emotional responses to perceived rejection, criticism or failure. Many people with ADHD recognise this kind of experience, but RSD is not a formal diagnosis or an established ADHD-specific clinical construct.
Time Blindness
A popular term used to describe difficulties estimating duration, noticing the passage of time or planning around time. People with ADHD may experience these difficulties, but “time blindness” is not a formal diagnostic term and is not unique to ADHD.
Working Memory
The ability to hold and use information in mind for a short period of time. For example, remembering a name just after being introduced, keeping track of details in a conversation, or holding several steps of a task in mind while completing it.
Co-occurring Conditions or Differences
When ADHD occurs alongside one or more other neurodevelopmental conditions or differences, mental-health conditions, physical-health conditions or disabilities.
Stimulant and Non-Stimulant Medication
Different types of medication that may be prescribed to reduce ADHD symptoms and improve functioning. Effects, benefits and side effects vary between people, and medication decisions should be made with an appropriate healthcare professional.
Titration
The process of gradually adjusting a medication dose under clinical supervision to understand how it affects an individual and to find an appropriate balance between benefits and side effects.
other Neurodiversity-related Terms
Neurotype
A term often used in neurodiversity discussions to describe broad patterns of thinking, learning or experiencing the world. ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia are sometimes described as neurotypes. It is not a formal clinical or biological classification.
Neurodevelopmental Difference
A broad term used to describe developmental differences that can affect areas such as attention, communication, learning, movement or behaviour. ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia are commonly included within this wider grouping, although clinical terminology varies.
Neurodivergent
An umbrella term commonly used for people whose neurological, cognitive or developmental characteristics differ from what is treated as typical. It can include people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and many other conditions or differences. It is not itself a clinical diagnosis.
Neurodivergence
A broad term referring to neurological, cognitive or developmental characteristics that differ from what is treated as typical. Its meaning can vary depending on the person or community using it.
Neurodiverse
Describes a group containing people with different neurological, cognitive or developmental characteristics. A group can be neurodiverse; an individual is more commonly described as neurodivergent or neurotypical.
Neurotypical (NT)
A commonly used term for someone who is not considered neurodivergent. It is a broad social description rather than a distinct biological category.
Neuroinclusive
Describes environments, systems or practices designed to reduce barriers and support participation for people with different ways of thinking, learning, communicating and processing information.
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