Labels like autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia are not new. But the way we understand them is changing.

In recent years, researchers have increasingly worked with neurodivergent people rather than simply studying them from the outside. That change has brought better access to diagnosis, more inclusive approaches in schools and workplaces and a growing challenge to the idea that neurological difference is something to be fixed.

Language sits at the heart of that change. But getting it right can feel daunting. Should we say “a person with autism” or “an autistic person”? Are medical terms respectful, or do they quietly reinforce stigma? And who gets to decide these things anyway?

For years, professionals were encouraged to use person-first language – phrases such as “person with autism” – to emphasise humanity over diagnosis. But research published in 2016 upended that assumption. Autistic people themselves, it turned out, largely preferred identity-first language: “autistic person”.

That finding has been repeated many times since. Until our recent study, however, very little was known about whether the same preferences applied across the wider neurodivergent community. So, our research team – all neurodivergent – set out to discover just that.

Read more: What autistic people – and those with ADHD and dyslexia – really think........

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