The Term Neurodiversity Is Good, But Not Good Enough

A Personal Perspective: Words influence how we see and treat one another.
October 03, 2023

Twenty-five years ago this month, the word neurodiversity appeared in print in a September 1998 article in The Atlantic. Judy Singer, an Australian social scientist, introduced the word in reference to autism. In 2000, Kassiane Asasumasu, an activist for the neurodiversity movement, coined the term neurodivergent to refer to any person whose development was nontypical. Movements are more than words. Read More

About Catalight

Catalight breaks down barriers and biases to create a more equitable world so people with developmental disabilities can choose their path. Catalight provides access to innovative, individualized care services, clinical research and advocacy — all powered by intelligent Xolv Technology Solutions. Through the work of affiliate partners, Easterseals Hawaii and Easterseals Northern California, Catalight and its family of companies support people with developmental disabilities and their families to support them across their care journey.

The Catalight family of companies is one of the largest behavioral health networks in the nation with more than 8,000 practitioners serving 14,000 clients and families every day. Backed by more than a decade of experience and a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, we are reimagining the way people with developmental disabilities and their families experience healthcare. Catalight’s goal is to ensure that individuals and families receive timely access to evidence-based treatment, including naturalistic developmental and language-based services, applied behavior analysis, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

Next Up:

Introducing the Catalight Language Guideline

Dec 8, 2023

Words are important. In telling a person’s story, we want to make sure that person’s preference on how they’re portrayed is upheld. It’s necessary, however, to have a baseline direction for language use for articles, copywriting, news, presentations, social media and...

read more