Click to open The Neurodivergent Umbrella
Neurodevelopmental Conditions
Autism / Autistic Spectrum
A lifelong neurodevelopmental difference affecting communication, sensory processing, social understanding, and patterns of thinking. A spectrum, not a scale.
ADHD (Attention‑Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
A condition affecting attention, focus, impulse control, motivation, and regulation. Includes inattentive, hyperactive, and combined types.
AuDHD
When someone is both autistic and ADHD. The two interact and amplify each other in daily life.
Dyslexia
A language‑processing difference affecting reading, spelling, and how written information is understood.
Dyscalculia
A number‑processing difference affecting maths, time, measurement, and numerical reasoning.
Dyspraxia / DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder)
A motor‑coordination difference affecting movement, planning, organisation, and sometimes speech.
Dysgraphia
A writing‑related difference affecting handwriting, letter formation, and written expression.
Tourette’s / Tic Disorders
Neurological conditions involving involuntary movements or vocalisations (tics).
Sensory Processing Differences
Differences in how the brain receives and interprets sensory input. Can include hypersensitivity, hyposensitivity, or sensory‑seeking behaviour.
Learning Disability
A lifelong cognitive impairment affecting intellectual functioning and adaptive skills. Not the same as a learning difficulty.
Learning Difficulty
Specific challenges with reading, writing, maths, or processing — without global cognitive impairment. Dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia fall here.
Trauma‑Linked Neurodivergence
C‑PTSD (Complex Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Long‑term trauma that changes emotional regulation, memory, sensory processing, and executive functioning. Creates ND‑like patterns.
PTSD
Trauma‑related neurological changes affecting memory, alertness, sleep, and stress responses.
Dissociative Disorders (DID, OSDD)
Conditions involving dissociation, memory gaps, identity shifts, and altered states of awareness.
Trauma‑related Executive Dysfunction
Difficulty planning, organising, initiating tasks, or maintaining focus due to chronic stress or trauma.
Hypervigilance / Shutdown / Freeze Responses
Survival‑based neurological patterns that affect behaviour, attention, and sensory processing.
Attachment‑related Trauma Patterns
Long‑term relational trauma affecting trust, emotional regulation, and social processing.
Other Neurodivergent Profiles
OCD (Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder)
A condition involving intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours used to reduce anxiety.
Bipolar Spectrum
Mood‑regulation differences involving cycles of depression and elevated states (hypomania or mania).
Schizo‑spectrum Conditions
Conditions affecting perception, thinking, and sensory interpretation.
Anxiety Disorders
When anxiety significantly affects cognition, sensory processing, and daily functioning.
Depression‑related Cognitive Differences
Changes in memory, focus, motivation, and processing caused by long‑term depression.
Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
Not a diagnosis — a trait describing strong sensory, emotional, and environmental sensitivity.
Giftedness / Twice‑Exceptional (2e)
People who are gifted and neurodivergent, often with uneven skill profiles.
Outdated Terms (included for older generations)
Asperger’s Syndrome
No longer used. Now part of Autism Level 1.
High‑Functioning / Low‑Functioning Autism
Not medical terms. Informal labels based on outward appearance, not actual support needs.
PDD‑NOS
An older diagnostic category now absorbed into the autism spectrum.
Atypical Autism
Outdated wording for presentations that didn’t fit older diagnostic boxes.
ADD (Attention‑Deficit Disorder)
Replaced by ADHD terminology.
Mild / Moderate / Severe Autism
Outdated. Modern language focuses on support needs, not severity labels.
Sensory Integration Disorder
Now understood as sensory processing differences.
About “High‑Functioning”
“High‑functioning” is not a medical diagnosis. It’s an informal term people used for autistic individuals with fluent speech, typical intellectual ability, and independent living skills. Clinically, this roughly aligns with Autism Level 1, previously called Asperger’s Syndrome.
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