neurotypical

American  

[noor-oh-tip-i-kuhl, nyoor] / ˌnʊər oʊˈtɪp ɪ kəl, ˌnyʊər- /

adjective

1. relating to or showing typical neurological behavior and development: NT

   She has one dyslexic and one neurotypical child.

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noun

1. a neurotypical person.

Etymology

Origin of neurotypical

First recorded in 1990–95; neuro- + typical

Explanation

Neurotypical describes someone who isn't autistic and doesn't have any developmental disorders that affect their nervous system. The term neurotypical is a relatively new way to describe people who don't have conditions like ADHD, anxiety disorders, learning disabilities, or autism. It's much more accurate than simply using a word like "normal," since it acknowledges the enormous variation in the way human brains work. If you're neurotypical, you think, reason, and understand very differently from the way your autistic friend does. Neuro- means "pertaining to the nervous system," and typical means "common, average, or regular."

Example Sentences

The study included 12 participants with autism, 10 with fetal alcohol syndrome, and 27 neurotypical individuals matched by age and biological sex.

From Science Daily • Oct. 29, 2025

"I just kept thinking about what my life would look like if I was neurotypical."

From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025

In other words, we shouldn’t take RFK Jr.’s fearmongering at face value and adopt his seeming position that the average autistic person is highly disabled or somehow living a worse life than a neurotypical person.

From Slate • Sep. 25, 2025

The fourth edition, published in 1994, named additional behaviors: impaired relationships, struggles with nonverbal communication and speech patterns different from those of non-autistic, or neurotypical, peers.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

The National Autistic Society defines masking as a strategy used to "consciously or unconsciously appear non-autistic", in an attempt to 'fit in' in a neurotypical society.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025