Glossary

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Partial disclosure(also: Curated disclosure, Selective information sharing)

A disclosure strategy in which individuals share some information about their disability or neurodivergence while withholding specific details, often framing their needs in more socially accepted terms. For example, a neurodivergent worker might describe needing a quiet…

Passing(also: Passing as non-disabled, Neurotypical passing)

The act of concealing one's disability or neurodivergence to be perceived as non-disabled or neurotypical by others. Passing can be a deliberate strategy to avoid stigma, discrimination, or unwanted attention, or it may occur by default when a disability is not visible. While…

Pebbling

A neurodivergent-coined term for the practice of expressing and receiving affection by sharing small tokens — often memes, short videos, articles, or other links — with loved ones. The term references the courtship behavior of penguins, who offer pebbles to their partners.…

People Who Stutter(also: PWS, Person Who Stutters, Adults Who Stutter)

An identity-first and community-preferred term for people who experience stuttering, a neurodevelopmental condition involving involuntary speech disfluencies such as blocks, prolongations, and repetitions. PWS affects roughly 1% of the global population. Community usage (PWS,…

Personal Data Externalization(also: Data Externalization)

The process of representing internal experiences — thoughts, emotions, behaviours, bodily states — in some external medium such as a drawing, written word list, spreadsheet, physical artefact, or tracking log. Drawing on Larkin and Simon's distinction between internal and…

Perspective-taking(also: Cognitive empathy, Theory of mind)

The cognitive ability to understand and consider another person's thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and point of view. In accessibility and neurodiversity contexts, perspective-taking is central to the double empathy problem — research shows that neurotypical individuals struggle…

Pervasive Developmental Disorder(also: PDD, PDD-NOS, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified)

A historical diagnostic category encompassing a group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by delays in socialisation, communication, and restricted patterns of behaviour. Under the DSM-IV, Pervasive Developmental Disorders included autism, Asperger syndrome, childhood…

Phonophobia(also: Sound Phobia, Ligyrophobia)

Phonophobia is an intense fear or aversion to specific sounds or loud noises that goes beyond simple discomfort, often leading to avoidance behaviors such as fleeing from environments where triggering sounds may occur. Unlike hyperacusis (heightened sensitivity to sound volume)…

Pragmatic language(also: Social language, Language pragmatics)

The aspect of language concerned with how context, tone, social norms, and shared knowledge shape meaning beyond the literal words spoken or written. Pragmatic language skills include understanding sarcasm, irony, and implied meaning; interpreting tone and intent; making…

Presumed Competence(also: Least Dangerous Assumption)

The principle that all individuals should be assumed capable and intelligent regardless of whether their abilities are displayed in ways that conform to societal norms. Advocated particularly by nonspeaking neurodivergent individuals and those with intellectual disabilities,…

Process Model of Emotion Regulation(also: Gross Process Model)

A theoretical framework developed by James Gross that conceptualizes emotion regulation as a dynamic, continuous process with four main stages: identification (recognizing an emotion that needs regulation), selection (choosing a regulation strategy such as situation selection,…

Psychosocial Disability(also: Psychosocial Impairment)

A disability that stems from diverse mental, cognitive, or emotional experiences that lead to impairment and experienced barriers in social participation. Psychosocial disabilities include conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health…

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