neurodiversityn.
/ˌnjʊərə(ʊ)dʌɪˈvəːsᵻti/, /ˌnjʊərə(ʊ)dᵻˈvəːsᵻti/, U.S. /ˌn(j)ʊroʊdəˈvərsədi/, /ˌn(j)ʊroʊˌdaɪˈvərsədi/ A range of variation in mental or neurological functioning in a group, esp. one that includes some persons on the autism spectrum; the state or quality of being neurodiverse.
ΚΠ
1998 Neurodiversity Pride in alt.support.learning-disab (Usenet newsgroup) 29 Dec. Any thoughts on the idea of neurodiversity pride: that is, that those who are wired differently from what is considered the norm, are not bad, or disabled and don't need ‘fixing’, but merely..different?
1999 J. Singer in M. Corker & S. French Disability Disc. 64 For me, the key significance of the ‘autistic spectrum’ lies in its call for and anticipation of a politics of neurological diversity, or neurodiversity.
2007 New Yorker 20 Aug. 41/3 A group called Aspies for Freedom runs a Web site that celebrates what it calls ‘neurodiversity’, arguing that there are advantages as well as disadvantages in an autistic condition.
2018 Guardian (Nexis) 26 June The university system works against neurodiversity (dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, among others).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1998