Why Language Makes it Hard to Write About Neurodivergent Experiences

Words come with irrelevant meanings, and change with time and use

Writing about neurodivergent experiences is hard, because the nature of language works against me.

These past few years, I often think about language when I read neurodivergent people’s writing. They use terms I saw being coined, and helped popularize. Countless people are experiencing the revelation that there were words to name, and explain, their differences. For me, it felt transcendent.

Yet, I worry that these very same words will eventually obscure the experiences they’re meant to convey. Here’s a specific example: