84 terms · plain English
A–Z Autism Glossary
The words you meet during assessment, school meetings and support can be a lot. Here are the clinical, communication, sensory and neurodiversity terms explained in plain English — jump to a letter or read straight through.
These are general, plain-English explanations to help you follow conversations and paperwork — not diagnostic criteria or medical advice. Terms are used differently by different professionals; always ask what someone means in your child's case.
A
- AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
- Ways of communicating other than (or alongside) speech — including communication devices and apps, symbol boards, sign language, typing, and picture cards. Read the guide
- Alexithymia
- Difficulty noticing, naming or describing your own emotions. It is more common in autistic people and can make questions like "how do you feel?" genuinely hard to answer.
- Annual Review (EHCP)
- The statutory review of an Education, Health and Care Plan in England, held at least every 12 months, to check progress and decide whether the plan still describes the child's needs and support. Reviews for under-5s are recommended more often. Read the guide
- Apraxia / Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
- A motor speech difficulty affecting the planning and coordination of speech movements. The person knows what they want to say but may struggle to produce it consistently.
- ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)
- An eating difficulty where a child eats a very limited range or amount of food because of sensory sensitivity, fear (for example of choking or being sick) or low interest in eating — not because of body-image worries. Read the guide
- Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- A neurodevelopmental condition involving differences in communication, social interaction, sensory processing, and patterns of behaviour or interests.
B
- Burnout (Autistic Burnout)
- A state of intense exhaustion, loss of skills, and reduced tolerance for demands, resulting from prolonged stress and the effort of adapting to a non-autistic world. Read the guide
C
- Calm Corner / Sensory Corner
- A small, low-demand space at home or school that a child can choose to use to settle — with things that suit their senses. It is an invitation, never a time-out or punishment. Read the guide
- Capacity
- The ability to understand, retain, and weigh up information and to communicate a decision.
- Co-occurring Condition
- A condition that occurs alongside autism — such as ADHD, anxiety, epilepsy, dyspraxia, intellectual disability, or apraxia.
- Co-regulation
- Support from another person that helps someone manage their emotions, sensory experiences, or behaviour.
D
- Deep Pressure
- Firm, even pressure on the body — a tight hug, a heavy cushion on the lap, rolling in a blanket — which many people find calming. It works through the body-position (proprioceptive) sense. Read the guide
- Demand Avoidance
- Avoiding requests, expectations, or demands — often linked to anxiety, stress, or a need for autonomy. Read the guide
- Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
- A language disorder affecting the understanding and/or use of language.
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- A UK benefit for children under 16 who need much more care, supervision or help getting around than other children their age because of a disability or condition. A diagnosis is not required to claim. Read the guide
- Double Empathy Problem
- The idea that misunderstandings between autistic and non-autistic people run both ways, rather than being a difficulty on the autistic side alone.
- Dyspraxia / Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
- Difficulties with motor planning, coordination, and movement.
E
- Echolalia
- Repeating words, phrases, or sounds heard from other people or media. It can be immediate or delayed, and is often meaningful communication. Read the guide
- EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan)
- In England, a legal document for a child or young person aged 0–25 that describes their special educational needs, the support that must be provided to meet them, and the outcomes it aims for. Read the guide
- Elopement / Wandering
- Leaving a safe place or a trusted adult without telling anyone — often to escape overwhelm or to reach something interesting, such as water. It is a safety issue, not naughtiness. Read the guide
- Executive Functioning
- Mental processes involved in planning, organising, starting tasks, shifting attention, and self-monitoring.
F
- First–Then Board
- A simple visual with two pictures: what happens first, then what comes next (often something motivating). It makes a short sequence predictable. Read the guide
- Fluctuating Capacity
- Changes in a person's ability to make decisions or communicate, depending on stress, fatigue, sensory load, health, environment, anxiety, or the support available.
- Functional Communication
- Communication that effectively expresses needs, wants, feelings, thoughts, or information — by any means, not only speech.
G
- Gestalt Language Processing (GLP)
- A language style in which larger units (whole phrases, scripts or chunks) are learned first and gradually broken down into smaller parts. An emerging framework that is still debated in research.
- Gestalt Language Processor
- A person who develops language primarily through gestalt language processing.
H
- Hyperfocus
- Intense, sustained concentration on a preferred activity or interest.
- Hyperlexia
- Reading ability that develops earlier, or is more advanced, than expected for the age.
- Hypersensitivity
- Increased sensitivity to sensory input.
- Hyposensitivity
- Reduced sensitivity to sensory input.
I
- IEP (Individualized Education Program)
- In the United States, a legal plan for a child who qualifies for special education in public school, setting out goals, services and supports. The UK equivalents differ by nation. Read the guide
- Intellectual Disability (ID)
- Significant differences in intellectual functioning and everyday adaptive skills.
- Interoception
- Awareness of internal body sensations such as hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, or needing the toilet.
J
- Joint Attention
- Sharing attention with another person towards an object, event, or activity.
L
- Literal Thinking
- Interpreting language by its exact meaning rather than its implied or figurative meaning.
- Local Offer
- In England, the information each local council must publish about the education, health and care services available to children and young people with SEND in its area. Read the guide
M
- Masking (Camouflaging)
- Consciously or unconsciously hiding autistic traits and copying expected social behaviours — often at a high cost to wellbeing. Read the guide
- Meltdown
- An involuntary response to overwhelming stress, sensory overload, or emotional demands. It is not a tantrum and not deliberate. Read the guide
- Monotropism
- A theory that autistic attention tends to focus deeply on a small number of interests or activities at a time, rather than spread broadly across many.
- Motor Planning
- The brain's process of organising and carrying out movement.
N
- Neurodivergent
- Having a brain that works differently from what society treats as typical.
- Neurodiversity
- The idea that neurological differences are a natural and valuable part of human variation.
- Neurotypical
- A person whose neurological development matches common societal expectations.
O
- Occupational Therapy (OT)
- Therapy focused on taking part in everyday activities, sensory processing, motor skills, and independence. Read the guide
P
- Parallel Play
- Playing alongside others without direct interaction.
- Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
- A profile — also called Pervasive Drive for Autonomy — marked by extreme, anxiety-driven avoidance of everyday demands and a strong need for control. It is a descriptive profile, not a formal standalone diagnosis. Read the guide
- PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)
- A structured way of teaching communication in which a child hands a picture to a communication partner to request something, building up to sentences over several phases. Read the guide
- Perseveration
- Difficulty shifting away from a thought, topic, activity, or behaviour.
- Presuming Competence
- Assuming a person can understand, learn, and communicate, and giving them the right support — without needing them to prove it first.
- Processing Time
- The time someone needs to take in information and form a response.
- Proprioception
- The sense that tells you where your body is and how hard your muscles are working, from receptors in muscles and joints. Heavy work (pushing, carrying, climbing) feeds this sense. Read the guide
- Prosody
- The rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns of speech.
R
- Regulation / Self-Regulation
- Managing emotional, sensory, and physical states.
- Repetitive Behaviours
- Repeated actions, routines, movements, or interests that can support regulation and predictability.
- Restraint Collapse (After-School Collapse)
- A burst of distress, tears or anger at home after a child has held themselves together all day at school or nursery. It usually signals effort and overload, not a problem with home. Read the guide
- Restricted Interests
- Strongly focused interests that may be pursued with great intensity.
S
- Scripted Speech
- Using memorised phrases or sentences to communicate. Read the guide
- Self-Advocacy
- Communicating one's own needs, preferences, rights, and support.
- SEN Support
- In England, extra help in a mainstream school or nursery for a child with special educational needs who does not have an EHCP, planned through a cycle of assess, plan, do and review. Read the guide
- SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator)
- The teacher in a school or nursery responsible for co-ordinating support for pupils with special educational needs and working with parents and professionals. Read the guide
- SEND Tribunal
- The First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) in England: an independent tribunal that hears parents' appeals against council decisions about EHC needs assessments and plans. Read the guide
- SENDIASS
- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service — free, impartial and confidential SEND advice for families, available in every local council area in England. Read the guide
- Sensory Avoidance
- Avoiding sensory experiences that feel overwhelming or uncomfortable.
- Sensory Diet
- A planned set of sensory activities designed to support regulation (an occupational-therapy approach). Read the guide
- Sensory Overload
- When sensory input exceeds what a person can comfortably process. Read the guide
- Sensory Processing Differences
- Differences in how sensory information is perceived and responded to.
- Sensory Seeking
- Actively seeking out sensory experiences.
- Shutdown
- A withdrawal response to overwhelm, which may involve reduced speech, movement, interaction, or responsiveness. Read the guide
- Speaking
- Producing spoken language. A person may be verbal (uses language) but not reliably speaking.
- Special Interest
- A highly focused, meaningful, and often joyful area of interest. Read the guide
- Stimming (Self-Stimulatory Behaviour)
- Repetitive movements, sounds, or actions used for regulation, expression, focus, or sensory needs. Read the guide
T
- Tantrum
- An outburst of frustration, usually when a child wants something or wants to avoid something. A child keeps some control and it often eases when the goal is met — unlike a meltdown, which is an involuntary response to overwhelm. Read the guide
- Theory of Mind
- Understanding that other people have thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and perspectives different from one's own. Framing this as a one-way “deficit” in autistic people is increasingly questioned (see the double empathy problem).
- Transition Difficulty
- Difficulty moving from one activity, place, expectation, or state of mind to another. Read the guide
U
- Uneven (Spiky) Profile
- A pattern where strengths and challenges vary a lot across different skills or areas.
- Unreliable Speech
- Speech that may be available in some situations but not in others.
V
- Verbal
- Using words or language to communicate.
- Vestibular Sense
- The sense of balance and movement, based in the inner ear. Children may seek it (spinning, swinging) or avoid it (dislike of lifts, slides or being tipped back). Read the guide
- Visual Schedule
- A sequence of pictures, symbols or words showing what is happening and in what order, so a child can see what comes next instead of relying on spoken instructions. Read the guide
W
- Wait Time
- Deliberate pauses that give someone extra time to process and respond.
- Weighted Blanket
- A blanket filled with heavier material to give deep pressure. Evidence for sleep and calm is limited, and it is not suitable for babies or very young children; ask an occupational therapist before using one. Read the guide
Sources & further reading
Definitions were written in plain English and checked against reputable sources including the National Autistic Society, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the NHS, and peer-reviewed research on autism. They aim to reflect respectful, neurodiversity-affirming language.