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The term neurospicy is a playful addition to the already existing lexicon of neurodiversity, which also includes words like neuroqueer, neurodivergent, and neurodistinct.
The word neurodiversity emerged in the mid-1990s to describe individuals who diverged from the neurotypical society and was mostly used to refer to autistic people. Australian sociologist Judy Singer was the first to use this word in academia in 1998. The same year it made its way to the mainstream and continues to evolve and expand.
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Neurospicy people have different thinking patterns compared to neurotypical people—those who don’t have differences in thinking or processing information. Neurodiversity is a catch-all term that includes all individuals who experience the world unlike others and covers a wide range of conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and others.
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The newly coined term neurospicy reimagines the brain as a culinary concoction with sensations, thoughts, and emotions blending together to create a symphony of flavors, explains Dani Rodwell, LCSW from Neuro Spark. “Neurospicy represents the spicy, tangy, and savory aspects of the brain. Being neurospicy is about depth and complexity. In essence, neurospicy captures the extraordinary, intense, (and sometimes fierce!) aspects of neurodivergent personalities.”
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She further explains that the term emerged as a rebellion against the “mild” autism stereotype, which perpetuates the wrong idea that people can be less or more autistic. “Thinking in terms of food, spicy is the antonym of mild. Sometimes, people reclaim language that was originally meant as an insult to actually begin using it as a celebration of their identity,” she said.
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However, some people have doubts about such linguistic creativity that addresses medical conditions that, in some cases, require treatment or a lot of daily support. They think that such vocabulary downplays the severity of conditions that fall under the neurodiversity umbrella. Others also believe that it’s a cute and quirky way to avoid saying that a person is disabled.
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Meanwhile, the happiness coach and founder of self-care stationery based on real therapy techniques, Sugar and Sloth, Anita, who is neurodivergent herself, encourages those in the community to embrace the term neurospicy if they like the sound of it. "When I hear the word neurospicy, I think of a cute little chilli pepper and it makes me smile. Also, extra bonus, neurospicy is way easier to spell than then neurodivergent, which is great for those of us with dyslexia.”
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According to Rodwell, whether or not to use the term neurospicy to describe neurodivergent individuals depends on personal preference. “The best way to find out a person’s individual language preferences is to ask them and respect their wishes,” she said.
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However, she still believes that it’s more than just a word. The term celebrates neurodivergent individuals and advocates for acceptance and inclusion. “Whether you resonate with the term neurospicy or not, or can identify with the neurospicy meaning, we can agree that the many different ways of expressing our identities are just as diverse as we are.”
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