Neurotypical
About
Neurotypical (often abbreviated NT) is short for "neurologically typical" and refers to the more normal or common varieties of brain wiring.
While this covers fairly broad range of configurations, those possessing a neurotypical brain-wiring configuration nonetheless have enough characteristics in common that they generally "fit in" well with other people and society at large, as both of those things have evolved around (and hence work best with) neurotypical patterns of thought.
Characteristics
NTs in general tend to exhibit the following traits:
- excessive emphasis on personal appearance, social status, conformity
- difficulty with speculation and abstract thought
- ease of social communication, especially with other NTs
- authoritarian followership
Usage
The term is most often used to refer to:
- people clearly exhibiting symptoms of neurotypicality
- people unaware (or intolerant) of other ways of thinking
These terms may be used in singular form as a descriptive attribute, e.g. "corporate America is a very NT kind of place", or in the plural to refer collectively to nonspecific individuals in a particular setting, e.g. "the NT parents at that kid's birthday party were driving me nuts".
See Also
- Neurodiverse, Neurodiversity: variation in neurological wiring, and individuals whose wiring displays marked differences from the neurotypical
Links
- Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical: a parody of sorts, but most of it seems accurate