Psychology Today: Neurodiversity not 'inherently autistic trait'; everyone is neurodiverse

April 9, 2026, There Is No Universal Neurotype | Psychology Today Ireland

. . . This characterization came as an unhappy surprise to me because my background in autism and autism spectrum disorders and supporting autistic children and their families has provided a context for thinking about autism and the different ways that autistic children learn, communicate, and interact with people. Although the autism spectrum has expanded dramatically since I first learned about autism in the 1980s and 1990s, it was nonetheless surprising that this social, highly intelligent, engaging student would be viewed through the lens of being "on the spectrum.” Enjoying conversations about linguistics, eastern languages, organic chemistry, and crystal structure are probably not universal traits in the general population of young people, among college freshmen, or even most people in society, but in no way should that, unto itself, be viewed as a “clinical” condition.

Understanding Neurodiversity and Neurotypical Terminology

This leads to foundational questions regarding the term “neurodiversity” and, perhaps more importantly, the contrasting term “neurotypical.” An article by Nicole Baumer, M.D., MEd, and Julia Frueh, M.D., entitled “What is neurodiversity?[1]” provides important context: “The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities." [emphasis added] I wholeheartedly applaud the idea in this article which states, “Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one 'right' way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.” However, does this mean that neurodiversity is inherently an autistic trait or a symptom of ADHD or a learning disability?

In contrast, “neurotypical” was described in an article from the Cleveland Clinic as meaning "your brain developed and works like the brains of most people,” which added that neurotypical people "generally have brains that operate at about the same level across different types of skills. Some of the skill areas include things like memory, math, and written or spoken language." [2] This definition is—in some ways—quite shocking. For many years, neuroscientists have been reporting that there are profound individual differences in neural development and neural functioning. I challenge any neuroscientist (or radiologist for that matter) to look at a brain scan and accurately identify that scan as coming from a “neurotypical” or “neurodiverse” individual. . . .

This point was also made by Baumer and Frueh: “Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one 'right' way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits....The word neurodiversity refers to the [neuro] diversity of all people.” [emphasis added]. . .