I thought for my second post, it would be helpful to do a bit of explanation around the various acronyms and terms that come with this topic and that may come up as I talk about my experience. I will also put a link to this post in future posts so anyone can find this glossary of sorts, and I will try to update it if anything new pops up. This post will be a bit different to future posts due to it being intended as more of a resource but should be helpful to future content.
ADHD:
So, the first one is quite a major one for this blog. This stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which is classed as a neurodevelopmental condition, which means it is believed to develop in childhood. ADHD is currently understood to be a condition that mainly impacts children and manifests as issues with concentration and being hyperactive. However, ADHD is actually much more nuanced than this and I think some aspects of the diagnostic criteria could be improved, but I will save more details on it for a future post, as otherwise this one will be far too long.
ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder and has historically been used as a diagnosis instead of ADHD when there are no symptoms of hyperactivity. However, this is no longer used as it is no longer a recognised diagnosis in either the DSM or ICD which are publications used by medical professionals to diagnose different conditions.
A neurodevelopmental condition is one which is affected by the way a person’s brain develops. This can be a result of genetic or environmental factors and the conditions commonly appear in childhood but are lifelong conditions. They can have impact on a variety of things from language to motor skills or other neurological functions.
PhD:
The next one is the other title acronym for this blog currently, PhD, which stands for Philosophy Doctorate. This is an academic qualification that I am working towards at the time of writing. Unlike most qualifications, a PhD usually is not taught, it is a research-based qualification, and is one of the highest academic qualifications you can pursue at university. To achieve it in the UK you have to spend a minimum of 3 years at university if you’re doing it full time, researching a topic, and contributing new knowledge by the end of it. This comes from the Latin meaning of philosophy which is love of wisdom and doctorate which comes from Doctor as a word for teacher, also in Latin. Most university lecturers will have a PhD and the qualification is a recognition of contributing to your field and being qualified to share that knowledge with others. You mostly do a PhD very independently, but you do have supervisors who support you and tend to have knowledge in your area, for example I have supervisors who have specialties in education and technology, students with disabilities and also human interaction with technology.
ASD:
Next one will be ASD, which stands for Autism Spectrum Disorder. The history of this term varies, as there have been a fair number of different terms over the years used to describe autism. Terms like high functioning autism, or Aspergers syndrome, whereas in recent years most diagnosis in the UK would just use ASD as a general diagnosis, which is appropriate given the vast variation that can exist in people with autism. These terms are also like ADD, in the sense that they are no longer used in diagnosis or recognised by the DSM or ICD. Autism is another diagnosis classed as a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning it develops during childhood. Autism is difficult to give a brief description due to a wide variety of ways it can manifest. To give a brief list of examples autism can involve hypersensitivity to sensory input like sound or texture, it can also involve difficulty with social interaction, struggling to understand certain aspects of communication, higher levels of fatigue due to masking and various other less well-known aspects.
Masking is a term used to describe someone who is neurodivergent but is consciously or unconsciously hiding certain traits in order to fit in with people around them, this is usually quite tiring and part of the impact of the world often not being built with neurodivergent people in mind.
Neurodivergent:
Now, this is a term used to describe a variety of conditions which impact neurological function. This includes ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome and several other conditions. This term is used as an umbrella term to describe anyone who has a condition that means their brains work differently to someone who is “neurotypical” which is someone without any form of neurological condition.
Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the various types of neurodivergent though does also technically include people who are neurotypical.
There are also forms of acquired neurodivergence, such as Alzheimer’s. These are conditions that have an impact on how people’s brains function, but are acquired later in life usually after an event of some kind.
Executive Function:
This is a term used to describe several skills that most people develop as they grow up. These include things like planning, time management, self-regulation, memory and other essential abilities for day-to-day functions. People who are neurodivergent often have difficulties with executive function, which can be the main cause of some of the attributes of some conditions.
GCSE:
This stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. This is a standard qualification in the UK outside of Scotland usually sat by students between the ages of 15-16 in secondary school. These qualifications cover a range of subjects and are administered by various exam boards and regulated by Ofqual which is a government body to regulate exams and qualifications in the UK. They are also the area of assessment that I am focusing on in my research due to them being significant barriers in later life for students who don’t pass them.
TEL:
This stands for Technology Enhanced Learning and can be used to describe any kind of learning that makes use of technology. So, anything from online lectures to in-class kahoot quizzes could be considered as making use of TEL.
Assistive technology:
This is any kind of technology that is used to provide assistance in completion of a task. This can be anything from stair lifts to screen readers as they are all used to help someone complete a task that someone else might be able to do unaided.
Stimming:
Stimming is an action performed by anyone regardless of neurodiversity, usually to calm down, self-soothe or even just for enjoyment of the sensation. Stimming can take many forms, from a physical movement such as clicking your fingers or tapping, to making sounds like popping noises. While everyone does stim in one way or another, people who are neurodivergent are often more reliant on stimming.
This is just a brief list of some of the terms I will be using frequently, I will always try to make sure I explain any terms I use in blog posts, as I want to make this as accessible as possible to anyone interested in these topics, regardless of what knowledge you already have.
ADHD NHS page - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/
Autism NHS page - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism/