word to replace nurotypical

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I like neurotypical just fine, and I like it all the more because they get irrationally angry at it. Don't like being labeled? Feel like it implies you're inferior in some way? Hahaha, welcome to my world!

The only thing I don't like about AS is the connotations of "syndrome." I say level the playing field: Neuro-Typical Disorder. Think of the behaviors of all the creatures on Earth, and then compare that to the bizarre social rituals and zealous need for homogeneity of the NT's. In this light, clearly they are the aberration.

Thank you Hamster of Chaos...the term Neurotypical Disorder has been winding through my consciousness for some days now. It's nice to see someone else already using it! It's too late for the DSM V, but the VI will come sooner or later and I'd love to see it included. I'm thinking that the myriad behaviors that characterize it include a need to categorize, label and render those who are not neurologically typical as somehow less than fully human. The acceptance of bullying, disrespect, cruelty and failure to simply be kind to those unlike oneself - all are traits of a disordered personality - and they're pretty common in the average life of young people. As to how one should refer to a person who is in the neurological majority or typical and not disordered?...It used to be we called them average or normal.

Kens and Barbies

Valley Girls and Valley Boys

The problem with the word neurotypical, at least when used to mean "non-autistic", is that it assumes that all non-autistic people have the same neurology. This is patently untrue.

To wit:
If "neurotypical" means "non-autistic", then my sister is an NT's NT. She is extremely social and very stylish. She works in high-end retail and excels at customer service. She was so popular in high school that she was invited to the proms at two neighboring schools, as well as her own.
However, she has epilepsy. Her brain is clearly not "typical", because typical people do not have seizures several times per week. Her neurology affects nearly every aspect of her life. She sees a neurologist and takes medication. She is unable to drive a car, and after having had a few blackouts on buses and trains, cannot take public transportation, so she is dependent upon family and friends for transportation. She will never be able to live by herself. Several times per month, she has to leave work early because she has either had a seizure or feels one coming on.

So, despite the fact that my sister is about as far away from autistic as you can get, I don't think NT is a term that fits her. Certainly her neurologist wouldn't describe her as "neurotypical."

I like the term "allistic" (other-oriented), which seems particularly popular on tumblr blogs related to autism. While it may not be completely accurate - some of us allistics are introverts - at least it doesn't imply that we all have "typical" neurology. I also like its symmetry with the term "autistic," kind of like the term "cisgender" used by transgender people to refer to those of us comfortable living as the gender that's traditionally assigned to our body type or biological sex. (I won't say the gender we were "born as" because many transgender people feel that they were psychologically born the gender they identify with.)

On the other hand, NT is more standard and is easier to abbreviate.

Nuerotypical is somewhat ambiguous. The word should convey "typical neurological type" to be representative of the mainstream nuerological anatomy/processing so 'nuerotype' is better.

As a "neurotypical", I don't quite feel the term is accurate when people in the autistic spectrum use it to describe "the others". I think all humans come with "atypicalities", maybe you guys are a lot quirkier than others in many ways but that's it, in my opinion

Several "NTs" spend their lifetimes with the psychologist (figuratively speaking), and yet they don't have a psychiatric diagnosis; while some pople with a DSM tag live fullfilling lives. It just depends on the beholder.

In psychology you have prototypes and exemplars..

In the context of nuerotypicals you can either have
a) prototype - where the example that best respresents a nuerotypical (i.e. somebody with no known DSM disorder).
b) exemplar - draws on specific charecteristics that make up a nuerotpyical to create a profile (i.e. familial resemblance based on criteria relating to social functionality).

Take your pick....

How about the term "normocentric"? I like that much better.

A renown psychiatrist called Mottron uses that term instead of "neurotypical" in his papers.

Normocentric can be construed as being 'biased' toward normality...in contrast nuerotypical pertains to having a 'typical' nueral network represemtative of mainstream society.

Well, every parent -and I am one of them- who submits their kid to an ABA program (or other kind of intensive therapies) is in fact agreeing toward the biased construction of "normality", and "conforming to the norm", imposed by mainstream society.

Thus, "normocentric" sounds pretty accurate to me: the ones who naturally conform to the norms.

Earthlings
Mere Earthlings
Pathetic Earthlings
Herd People
Abnerds
Logic Atrophy Disorder Sufferers (if male)
Logic Atrophy Syndrome Sufferers (if female)

I like Normies, Kens and Barbies too.

Based on the context you provided 'normocentric' applies to people who view 'normal' brain wiring as conforming to societal norms. This is more of a heuristic rather than a label for describing normality.

No neurologist/psychiatrist/psychologist need to check how anyone's brain is wired to give a DSM diagnosis. Moreover there is no biological marker for autism (except for secondary autism such as Rett or Xfragile). The diagnosis is given based exclusively on clinical symptoms and signs. And clinical normality is defined statiscally as a bell curve of physical and psychological functioning across individuals in a society.

If "conforming to societal norm" sounds too heuristic (biased) for you, then let's say the ones in the middle of a normal distribution, which of course is just another way to say the same.

Ok I understand this...



My only point is 'nuerotypical' is a label often applied to people who appear adjusted to normal social function. Nuerocentric is a subset of nuerotypicals who gravitate or have a preference for nuerotypicals.

I agree with you that conforming to societal norms is a prerequisite for social funtionality so there is overlap..