Neuroscientific Orthodoxy

The established, institutionalized set of beliefs and practices that define mainstream neuroscience—the often-unexamined assumptions about how to study the brain, what questions are worth asking, what methods are legitimate, and how findings should be interpreted. Neuroscientific orthodoxy includes commitments: that localization of function is the goal, that brain imaging is the gold standard, that animal models reveal human brain function, that neural correlates are the path to understanding, that reductionism is progress, that more data is always better, that neuroscience will eventually explain consciousness. Like all orthodoxies, it provides a research program and community identity, but it functions as gatekeeping—determining who gets funded, what gets published, which careers advance, and what questions are worth asking. Neuroscientific orthodoxy shapes not just what we know about brains but what we think it's possible to know, making certain approaches seem scientific and others "philosophical" or "unscientific."

Example: "Her research on consciousness was dismissed as 'not real neuroscience' because it didn't use imaging—neuroscientific orthodoxy, where method defines the field rather than questions. The orthodoxy's power is making its tools feel like the only tools."

by Dumu The Void March 17, 2026

Neuroeugenics

A speculative and highly controversial concept referring to the application of eugenic principles to neuroscience—the idea of selecting, engineering, or enhancing neural traits to produce "desirable" cognitive, emotional, or behavioral characteristics. Neuroeugenics encompasses hypothetical technologies ranging from genetic selection for intelligence to neural engineering for emotional regulation to cognitive enhancement for social conformity. The term carries the historical weight of eugenics movements that justified forced sterilization, racial hierarchy, and genocide under the banner of "improving the human stock." Critics argue that neuroeugenics repeats the same dangerous logic: identifying certain neural traits as "superior," treating human variation as pathology, and justifying intervention on populations deemed "deficient." The concept serves as a warning about where cognitive enhancement technologies might lead when combined with ableism, racism, and the drive for social control.

Example: "The proposal to screen embryos for 'cognitive potential' was called neuroeugenics by critics—not because it was literally eugenics, but because it repeated the logic: some brains are better, and we should eliminate the others."

by Abzugal March 22, 2026

neurodifficult

Those who perceive themselves to be “neurotypical,” but whose way of communicating with others is purposely obtuse, or void of clarity or reason or consistency from the perspective of those perceived to be “neurodivergent.”

My brother is frustrated with me because he asked me to do the opposite of what he actually wanted; he’s being such a neurodifficult.

by robyn1818 March 7, 2025

Neuroarchy

A societal system where neurotypical individuals hold dominant power and enforce neuronormativity, shaping workplaces, schools, and social expectations in ways that prioritize neurotypical ways of thinking while making life more difficult for autistic people. The neuroarchy is often maintained without conscious intent, as neurotypicals assume their way of thinking and behaving is the default. This leads to environments where autistic people are pressured to mask, suppress their natural traits, and conform to neurotypical expectations—sometimes through Neuroconversion Therapy, a practice that attempts to "train" autistic people to behave more neurotypically.

The neuroarchy makes life harder for autistic people, and those who struggle to conform are often pushed toward neuroconversion therapy.

by RealHonestDefinition March 9, 2025

Neuroconversion Therapy

A harmful practice imposed by the neuroarchy (the societal system where neurotypicals hold social dominance and expect autistic people to conform to their norms). Whereas LGBTQ+ conversion therapy is an official program run by organizations or religious groups, neuroconversion therapy is enforced systemically through everyday social pressure, without being formally named. Parents, teachers, therapists, doctors, employers, and society at large pressure autistic people to suppress their natural behaviors and adopt neurotypical social norms. This includes forced masking, discouraging stimming (engaging in repetitive movements or sounds that help with self-regulation), and requiring eye contact and small talk, even when very uncomfortable. Despite these differences in structure, both forms of conversion therapy serve the same purpose: changing a person’s identity and forcing them to conform to societal expectations. While often framed as "helpful training" or "professionalism," this process benefits neurotypical people by making interactions easier for them, while causing autistic people stress, burnout, and loss of identity.

From childhood, autistic people are informally subjected to neuroconversion therapy - parents scold them for stimming, teachers push them into social skills training, and employers expect them to mask fully successfully or be fired.

by RealHonestDefinition March 9, 2025

neuroverse

noun - a concept that celebrates the diversity of how human brains function and process the world. It represents an inclusive community where neurodivergent individuals—those with conditions like ADHD, OCD, ASD, learning disabilities, etc.—can connect with one another - to realize it is a shared experience. The neuroverse highlights that differences in thinking, learning, and behaving are not deficits but part of the natural spectrum of human experience, fostering a sense of belonging and collaboration among its members

You belong to the neuroverse? Me too!

by CometZ March 14, 2025

Neurodisabled

Any brain-related disability at all. Epilepsy, autism, OCD, ADHD, FASD, cluster B disorders, PTSD, and much more. It places a heavy emphasis on the importance of one's identity as a medically disabled person, rather than the identity politics of the neurodiversity movement. Any person diagnosed with a brain-related disorder is considered disabled in this community.

Disabilities can be minor, moderate, or severe. It does not matter how little or how much your disability impacts you; you do not get a special title deeming you as a non-disabled person. If you meet enough requirements for a professional diagnosis of a disability, you are, therefore, impacted enough to be considered disabled.

Person 1: "Do you see that person over there? I think they're neurodivergent."

Person 2: "That person identifies as neurodisabled. They prefer their disorders to be purely seen as medical disabilities, rather than social or simply diverging from the norm."

by FlorietheNewfie March 29, 2025