Obviously SPD and autism are two separate conditions, and NOT all SPDers are autistic, nor are all autistic people SPDers. The term "NT" is often used to describe people without autism, but is it appropriate to refer to SPDers without autism as "NTs"? If not, how should I refer to SPDers without autism?

NT is an abbreviation for Neurotypical. If you read any of the 'official' texts on SPD (the ones for parents, such as "The Out-of-Sync Child" or "Sensational Kids") you'll notice that they refer to all the kids who don't have SPD as being NT. So, according to the leaders in SPD research (as Dr. Miller herself wrote "Sensational Kids"), people who have just SPD without ASD are not NTs.

NT really just means anyone without a disabled neurological development, so pretty much anyone without some sort of neurologically based development issue are the ones who would have that label.

So, as an SPDer who does not have ASD, I do not refer to myself as neurotypical, nor would I ever. It's simply not accurate; my nervous system is far from typical . I hope this explanation helped. And yes, SPD and ASD are certainly two seperate disorder, though for those who have both, the debate continues as to which causes which symptoms, lol.

I agree with Dan, NT refers to there being no diagnosed difference, thus "typical" (wthin the range that is considered typical or "normal"). We all fall somewhere on a spectrum of development and function. You just need to say SPD and emphasise NO ASD and just keep on emphasising that.

That all makes sense. Thank-you.

(02-14-2011, 10:43 AM)Dan Wrote: NT is an abbreviation for Neurotypical. If you read any of the 'official' texts on SPD (the ones for parents, such as "The Out-of-Sync Child" or "Sensational Kids") you'll notice that they refer to all the kids who don't have SPD as being NT. So, according to the leaders in SPD research (as Dr. Miller herself wrote "Sensational Kids"), people who have just SPD without ASD are not NTs.

NT really just means anyone without a disabled neurological development, so pretty much anyone without some sort of neurologically based development issue are the ones who would have that label.

So, as an SPDer who does not have ASD, I do not refer to myself as neurotypical, nor would I ever. It's simply not accurate; my nervous system is far from typical . I hope this explanation helped. And yes, SPD and ASD are certainly two seperate disorder, though for those who have both, the debate continues as to which causes which symptoms, lol.