Neuronormative describes social environments, expectations, or practices that assume everyone’s brain works in the same way — usually aligned with neurotypical standards. It points to how education, workplaces, and everyday interactions often prioritise certain ways of thinking, communicating, or behaving, while overlooking or excluding neurodivergent people. By treating one way of processing the world as the default, neuronormativity can make it harder for difference to be recognised or valued.
A brief history
The term emerged from the neurodiversity movement in the 2000s–2010s, as autistic, ADHD, and other neurodivergent advocates began describing the pressures of living in societies built around neurotypical norms. It’s often used in activism, research, and accessibility work to highlight hidden biases and to promote environments where multiple ways of thinking and being are understood as equally valid.