Glossary of terms
There are a whole bunch of terms related to ADHD, college, and disability you may not have heard of. There's nothing wrong with that and we all need a refresher sometimes. Here's a list in alphabetical order of terms and how they're used on this site.
ADHD- A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by problems with attention and executive functioning. In the United States, it may be characterized as primarily inattentive type, hyperactive type, or combined type.
ADD- Attention Deficient Disorder now referred to as ADHD.
American Disability Act (ADA)- Civil rights law in the United States designed to ensure disabled folks have equal access and opportunities as everyone else in all places open to the public.
Ableism- Discrimination (intentional or not) in favor of those without physical, mental, and/or learning disabilities.
Accessibility- This is a broad term with many meanings. If something is accessible, it means that a disabled person can accomplish the task with a similar amount of effort and time or have the same experience as those without disabilities. The effectiveness of the tool, resource, item or experience is not compromised. Accessibility may also specifically mean that the needs of disabled folks are considered in every stage of the development and planning of the website, building, lecture, laboratory, educational experience, etc.
Assistive technology-devices, tools, and technology designed to mediate effects of disability and promote greater inclusion and independence.
Body doubling- A technique that works for a lot of folks with ADHD where you do something (the dishes, create a Power Point slide, send an email, etc.) in the presence of another human being. That's it. Having another body in the area increases the likelihood of accomplishing the task.
Comorbidity- Having more than one disease/disorder. ADHD is commonly comorbid with anxiety, depression, and other diseases.
Disability-a mental or physical impairment that substantially impacts one or more major life activities (definition in the US).
Disability office- May also be called an Accessibility Office, but the office on campus responsible for all accommodations, including academic, assistive technology, and helping students with disabilities on campus. Every college and university will have a disability office.
Disability coordinator- May also be called a disability advisor, serves as an advisor and advocate for students registered with the disability office. When registering with the disability office, a student will typically be assigned a disability coordinator.
Executive function-term describes a range of skills necessary for success in everyday life related to self-control, managing attention, managing inhibition, working memory, and etc. Folks with ADHD struggle with executive function.
Hyperfocus- Intense form of focus or concentration on something to the point where the individual may not realize that they need to eat, drink water, or otherwise realize internal or external signals.
Intersectionality-a framework for understanding the interconnected nature of race, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, class and other factors related to identity that overlap and intersect with systems of power and oppression to impact marginalized groups.
Learning disability-Note, in the US and the UK, ADHD is not considered a learning disability.
Masking-Refers to conscious or unconscious ways in which ADHD folks hide or diminish their ADHD symptoms and differences in order to fit in. Masking helps folks with ADHD appear neurotypical.
Neurodiversity- First used by Judy Singer (she has a lot to say about it) to describe autism and other brain variations as natural occurrences. Variation in the brain. A person cannot be neurodiverse; a person can be neurodivergent. Not to be confused with the Neurodiversity Movement, which some argue has become divisive whereas others argue it is misunderstood.
Neurodivergent- It was Kassiane Asasumasu who coined this term which means neurologically different from typical and can be used to describe a person. Folks with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological differences (stroke) are often considered neurodivergent. Kassiane clearly states that folks with mental illnesses are also neurodivergent.
Neurotypical-Not characterized as having autism, ADHD, or other intellectual, mental, or developmental disorders. The opposite of neurodivergent.
Ombudsperson-A person who's job is to mitigate and advise from a neutral point of view. Not all colleges and universities will have an office of the ombudsperson, whereas larger universities might have multiple (one for undergrads, one for graduate students, one for faculty, etc).
Rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD)- Condition in which an individual experiences a very extreme and reaction to criticism, regardless whether the criticism is extreme or not. For folks with RSD, the emotional response to a seemingly simple critique is overwhelming. It is not currently included in the DSM as a symptom of ADHD or characteristic of it, but RSD is experienced by many folks with ADHD.
Self-diagnosis- Refers to a diagnosis done by the individual (based on life experiences, speaking with others who are diagnosed, and research using medical journals, online materials, blog posts, social media, and etc.) as opposed to a diagnosis by a medical professional. A person may be self-diagnosed by choice or due to inequities in healthcare, prohibitive costs of assessment, medical gaslighting, and a multitude of other reasons that make a diagnosis nearly impossible for some individuals.
Universal design for learning (UDL)- educational framework that calls for multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression.
The ADA's glossary of terms may also be useful.
ADD- Attention Deficient Disorder now referred to as ADHD.
American Disability Act (ADA)- Civil rights law in the United States designed to ensure disabled folks have equal access and opportunities as everyone else in all places open to the public.
Ableism- Discrimination (intentional or not) in favor of those without physical, mental, and/or learning disabilities.
Accessibility- This is a broad term with many meanings. If something is accessible, it means that a disabled person can accomplish the task with a similar amount of effort and time or have the same experience as those without disabilities. The effectiveness of the tool, resource, item or experience is not compromised. Accessibility may also specifically mean that the needs of disabled folks are considered in every stage of the development and planning of the website, building, lecture, laboratory, educational experience, etc.
Assistive technology-devices, tools, and technology designed to mediate effects of disability and promote greater inclusion and independence.
Body doubling- A technique that works for a lot of folks with ADHD where you do something (the dishes, create a Power Point slide, send an email, etc.) in the presence of another human being. That's it. Having another body in the area increases the likelihood of accomplishing the task.
Comorbidity- Having more than one disease/disorder. ADHD is commonly comorbid with anxiety, depression, and other diseases.
Disability-a mental or physical impairment that substantially impacts one or more major life activities (definition in the US).
Disability office- May also be called an Accessibility Office, but the office on campus responsible for all accommodations, including academic, assistive technology, and helping students with disabilities on campus. Every college and university will have a disability office.
Disability coordinator- May also be called a disability advisor, serves as an advisor and advocate for students registered with the disability office. When registering with the disability office, a student will typically be assigned a disability coordinator.
Executive function-term describes a range of skills necessary for success in everyday life related to self-control, managing attention, managing inhibition, working memory, and etc. Folks with ADHD struggle with executive function.
Hyperfocus- Intense form of focus or concentration on something to the point where the individual may not realize that they need to eat, drink water, or otherwise realize internal or external signals.
Intersectionality-a framework for understanding the interconnected nature of race, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, class and other factors related to identity that overlap and intersect with systems of power and oppression to impact marginalized groups.
Learning disability-Note, in the US and the UK, ADHD is not considered a learning disability.
Masking-Refers to conscious or unconscious ways in which ADHD folks hide or diminish their ADHD symptoms and differences in order to fit in. Masking helps folks with ADHD appear neurotypical.
Neurodiversity- First used by Judy Singer (she has a lot to say about it) to describe autism and other brain variations as natural occurrences. Variation in the brain. A person cannot be neurodiverse; a person can be neurodivergent. Not to be confused with the Neurodiversity Movement, which some argue has become divisive whereas others argue it is misunderstood.
Neurodivergent- It was Kassiane Asasumasu who coined this term which means neurologically different from typical and can be used to describe a person. Folks with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological differences (stroke) are often considered neurodivergent. Kassiane clearly states that folks with mental illnesses are also neurodivergent.
Neurotypical-Not characterized as having autism, ADHD, or other intellectual, mental, or developmental disorders. The opposite of neurodivergent.
Ombudsperson-A person who's job is to mitigate and advise from a neutral point of view. Not all colleges and universities will have an office of the ombudsperson, whereas larger universities might have multiple (one for undergrads, one for graduate students, one for faculty, etc).
Rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD)- Condition in which an individual experiences a very extreme and reaction to criticism, regardless whether the criticism is extreme or not. For folks with RSD, the emotional response to a seemingly simple critique is overwhelming. It is not currently included in the DSM as a symptom of ADHD or characteristic of it, but RSD is experienced by many folks with ADHD.
Self-diagnosis- Refers to a diagnosis done by the individual (based on life experiences, speaking with others who are diagnosed, and research using medical journals, online materials, blog posts, social media, and etc.) as opposed to a diagnosis by a medical professional. A person may be self-diagnosed by choice or due to inequities in healthcare, prohibitive costs of assessment, medical gaslighting, and a multitude of other reasons that make a diagnosis nearly impossible for some individuals.
Universal design for learning (UDL)- educational framework that calls for multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression.
The ADA's glossary of terms may also be useful.
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