No Cover Image

Journal article 183 views 13 downloads

‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology

Aimee Grant Orcid Logo, Jennifer Leigh, Monique Botha, Stephen J. Macdonald, Kathryn Williams Orcid Logo, Gemma Williams Orcid Logo, Kieran Rose, Ann Memmott, Amy Pearson Orcid Logo

Neurodiversity, Volume: 3

Swansea University Authors: Aimee Grant Orcid Logo, Gemma Williams Orcid Logo

  • 70619.VOR.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

    Download (582.82KB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1177/27546330251390590

Abstract

Background: Neurodivergence refers to people with ways of behaving and thinking that diverge from the norm. Examples include Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia, dyslexia and Tourette syndrome. Neurodivergent people report being stigmatised, including by language. The...

Full description

Published in: Neurodiversity
ISSN: 2754-6330 2754-6330
Published: SAGE Publications 2025
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70619
first_indexed 2025-10-09T09:44:06Z
last_indexed 2025-11-19T14:05:50Z
id cronfa70619
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-11-18T15:53:00.6503163</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>70619</id><entry>2025-10-09</entry><title>&#x2018;A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With&#x2019; or &#x2018;Meaningless&#x2019;: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults&#x2019; Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>6a1ce3bc54c692c804e858b70d2e4bd2</sid><ORCID>0000-0001-7205-5869</ORCID><firstname>Aimee</firstname><surname>Grant</surname><name>Aimee Grant</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>c457f01f621c5274656e591f782f52a8</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-5162-0440</ORCID><firstname>Gemma</firstname><surname>Williams</surname><name>Gemma Williams</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-10-09</date><deptcode>HSOC</deptcode><abstract>Background: Neurodivergence refers to people with ways of behaving and thinking that diverge from the norm. Examples include Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia, dyslexia and Tourette syndrome. Neurodivergent people report being stigmatised, including by language. The language preferences of neurodivergent adults have been largely restricted to studies focused on single forms of neurodivergence, primarily Autism. Methods: We undertook an online survey with 901 neurodivergent adults from the UK, focused on their use of and thoughts about terminology related to neurodivergence, including terms such as &#x2018;neurodiversity&#x2019; and &#x2018;neurodivergence&#x2019;. Analysis utilised descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: Almost all participants (98.8%) had heard of neurodiversity, and 74.8% used neurodiversity terminology. We developed three themes. First, &#x2018;an umbrella term&#x2019;, focused on the positive and negative aspects of how &#x2018;neurodivergence&#x2019; incorporated multiple forms of neurodivergence. Second, &#x2018;understanding of neurodivergence (vs. neurodiverse)&#x2019;, centred around a lack of understanding of neurodiversity terminology. Third, &#x2018;stigma and identity&#x2019; focused on neurodiversity terminology's potential to reduce stigma, and simultaneously increase stigma towards individual types of neurodivergence, including Autism and ADHD. Conclusion: Those providing services to neurodivergent people should generally use neurodiversity terminology correctly, but could also mirror the individual's language choices when communicating one-to-one.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Neurodiversity</journal><volume>3</volume><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher>SAGE Publications</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>2754-6330</issnPrint><issnElectronic>2754-6330</issnElectronic><keywords>neurodiversity, neurodivergence, stigma, disability, identity, label preference, language preference, terminology, neurodiverse, neurodivergent</keywords><publishedDay>9</publishedDay><publishedMonth>11</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-11-09</publishedDate><doi>10.1177/27546330251390590</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Health and Social Care School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>HSOC</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal)</apcterm><funders>Swansea University</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-11-18T15:53:00.6503163</lastEdited><Created>2025-10-09T10:42:36.0554687</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Health and Social Care - Public Health</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Aimee</firstname><surname>Grant</surname><orcid>0000-0001-7205-5869</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Jennifer</firstname><surname>Leigh</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Monique</firstname><surname>Botha</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Stephen J.</firstname><surname>Macdonald</surname><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Kathryn</firstname><surname>Williams</surname><orcid>0000-0001-7274-3493</orcid><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Gemma</firstname><surname>Williams</surname><orcid>0000-0002-5162-0440</orcid><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Kieran</firstname><surname>Rose</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Ann</firstname><surname>Memmott</surname><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Amy</firstname><surname>Pearson</surname><orcid>0000-0001-7089-6103</orcid><order>9</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>70619__35656__c4b11f629296414db8f18f5c6d474e07.pdf</filename><originalFilename>70619.VOR.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-11-18T15:49:26.0264620</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>596807</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>&#xA9; The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2025-11-18T15:53:00.6503163 v2 70619 2025-10-09 ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology 6a1ce3bc54c692c804e858b70d2e4bd2 0000-0001-7205-5869 Aimee Grant Aimee Grant true false c457f01f621c5274656e591f782f52a8 0000-0002-5162-0440 Gemma Williams Gemma Williams true false 2025-10-09 HSOC Background: Neurodivergence refers to people with ways of behaving and thinking that diverge from the norm. Examples include Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia, dyslexia and Tourette syndrome. Neurodivergent people report being stigmatised, including by language. The language preferences of neurodivergent adults have been largely restricted to studies focused on single forms of neurodivergence, primarily Autism. Methods: We undertook an online survey with 901 neurodivergent adults from the UK, focused on their use of and thoughts about terminology related to neurodivergence, including terms such as ‘neurodiversity’ and ‘neurodivergence’. Analysis utilised descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: Almost all participants (98.8%) had heard of neurodiversity, and 74.8% used neurodiversity terminology. We developed three themes. First, ‘an umbrella term’, focused on the positive and negative aspects of how ‘neurodivergence’ incorporated multiple forms of neurodivergence. Second, ‘understanding of neurodivergence (vs. neurodiverse)’, centred around a lack of understanding of neurodiversity terminology. Third, ‘stigma and identity’ focused on neurodiversity terminology's potential to reduce stigma, and simultaneously increase stigma towards individual types of neurodivergence, including Autism and ADHD. Conclusion: Those providing services to neurodivergent people should generally use neurodiversity terminology correctly, but could also mirror the individual's language choices when communicating one-to-one. Journal Article Neurodiversity 3 SAGE Publications 2754-6330 2754-6330 neurodiversity, neurodivergence, stigma, disability, identity, label preference, language preference, terminology, neurodiverse, neurodivergent 9 11 2025 2025-11-09 10.1177/27546330251390590 COLLEGE NANME Health and Social Care School COLLEGE CODE HSOC Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2025-11-18T15:53:00.6503163 2025-10-09T10:42:36.0554687 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Health and Social Care - Public Health Aimee Grant 0000-0001-7205-5869 1 Jennifer Leigh 2 Monique Botha 3 Stephen J. Macdonald 4 Kathryn Williams 0000-0001-7274-3493 5 Gemma Williams 0000-0002-5162-0440 6 Kieran Rose 7 Ann Memmott 8 Amy Pearson 0000-0001-7089-6103 9 70619__35656__c4b11f629296414db8f18f5c6d474e07.pdf 70619.VOR.pdf 2025-11-18T15:49:26.0264620 Output 596807 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology
spellingShingle ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology
Aimee Grant
Gemma Williams
title_short ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology
title_full ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology
title_fullStr ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology
title_full_unstemmed ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology
title_sort ‘A Lovely Safe Umbrella to Describe Yourself With’ or ‘Meaningless’: An Online Survey of UK-Based Neurodivergent Adults’ Views of Neurodiversity-Related Terminology
author_id_str_mv 6a1ce3bc54c692c804e858b70d2e4bd2
c457f01f621c5274656e591f782f52a8
author_id_fullname_str_mv 6a1ce3bc54c692c804e858b70d2e4bd2_***_Aimee Grant
c457f01f621c5274656e591f782f52a8_***_Gemma Williams
author Aimee Grant
Gemma Williams
author2 Aimee Grant
Jennifer Leigh
Monique Botha
Stephen J. Macdonald
Kathryn Williams
Gemma Williams
Kieran Rose
Ann Memmott
Amy Pearson
format Journal article
container_title Neurodiversity
container_volume 3
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 2754-6330
2754-6330
doi_str_mv 10.1177/27546330251390590
publisher SAGE Publications
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Health and Social Care - Public Health{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Health and Social Care - Public Health
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Background: Neurodivergence refers to people with ways of behaving and thinking that diverge from the norm. Examples include Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia, dyslexia and Tourette syndrome. Neurodivergent people report being stigmatised, including by language. The language preferences of neurodivergent adults have been largely restricted to studies focused on single forms of neurodivergence, primarily Autism. Methods: We undertook an online survey with 901 neurodivergent adults from the UK, focused on their use of and thoughts about terminology related to neurodivergence, including terms such as ‘neurodiversity’ and ‘neurodivergence’. Analysis utilised descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: Almost all participants (98.8%) had heard of neurodiversity, and 74.8% used neurodiversity terminology. We developed three themes. First, ‘an umbrella term’, focused on the positive and negative aspects of how ‘neurodivergence’ incorporated multiple forms of neurodivergence. Second, ‘understanding of neurodivergence (vs. neurodiverse)’, centred around a lack of understanding of neurodiversity terminology. Third, ‘stigma and identity’ focused on neurodiversity terminology's potential to reduce stigma, and simultaneously increase stigma towards individual types of neurodivergence, including Autism and ADHD. Conclusion: Those providing services to neurodivergent people should generally use neurodiversity terminology correctly, but could also mirror the individual's language choices when communicating one-to-one.
published_date 2025-11-09T18:08:58Z
_version_ 1850692745335668736
score 11.08899

Similar Items