Neurospicy

[Bearinthesmallmessyflat]

I’ll preface this by saying I’m neurodivergent myself (adhd)
I’ve notice more and more people using the phrase neurospicy instead of neurodivergent. It started off online but now I know people who use it in person and I absolutely bloody hate it.
I don’t know if I’m being unreasonable because I can’t really articulate why I dislike it so much? It’s a bit like the ‘oh I’m just so weird and crazy people’ I feel

See I view this differently.

I have a profoundly autistic DS who is incapable of caring for himself and whose neurodivergence make him a constant threat to his own safety and that of those around him. He is neurodivergent and disabled due to that. His support needs are very high.

I am neurospicy and by that I mean I’ve had it suggested by several MH professionals along my DS’s path that I should consider diagnosis. I’ve struggled with certain things (food/sensory) since childhood and yes these impact me on a daily basis BUT I do not have care needs, I’m fully independently functional in daily life and if you met me you would have no idea. People often don’t believe it when I tell them as I’m so outgoing and put together.

I look at my DS and I look at myself and we are not the same. He is neurodivergent and I am neurospicy and I am personally a fan of there being a difference.

Exactly this.

‘I’m neurospicy. You can tell because I’ve got purple hair and what I think is an unusual dress sense’.

I'm ASD and ADD and I hate it too! I also have no superpowers.

YANBU. I'm ND myself and have never actually heard the term before, but I loathe it already.

It’s because neurodivergence has become so ill defined and diluted (at least to the general public) that no one really knows what any of it means so a flippant slant has been put on it all.

I have OCD, the boring kind that makes you wonder if you've murdered your family and forgot about it, not the quirky cute type that really likes things tidy. I genuinely don't get offended by the "I'm so OCD because I actually wipe my window ledges down lol" tinkly laugh comments from people who don't have a fucking clue.

But Neuro "spicy". Fuck off, just fuck off, you sad try hard fuck. You want to jump on my kids bandwagon? You want to be so autistic that you can't go to school, or talk to anyone, or have a three day meltdown because your room looks different? That your family wonder which way is up half the time and wonder if you or they will still be about in ten years time?

No, didn't think so

I’m ADHD with one ADHD son and one AuDHD son.

Neurospicy makes my teeth itch. I had to grit my teeth when their (otherwise amazing SENCO) used it in a meeting the other day. 😬

I hate it. ND is bloody hard, it’s not “cute”.

It's from a meme years ago, which was a reaction to people whose immediate response to any autistic person who had verbal speech, no matter how significant their other challenges, was "autism? It must be mild." The meme was a Nando's style chilli pepper with levels from "mild" to "spicy" to "hot" to "extra hot."

Fast forward ten years and fewer people think that autism is exclusively "mild" or "non verbal." However, more people have adopted "neurospicy" as a cutesy descriptor. I'm not a huge fan of the phrase but that's because I'm too old for tiktok.

I always thought it was a way to describe people who had some autistic traits but not enough to be diagnosed. Until i heard someone with a diagnosis describe themselves as neurospicy.

I have to admit my ds2 is self diagnosed. But only since he was 12 and camhs said it was obvious he had autism but they weren't allowed to diagnose him and nobody else would assess him either. We are hoping the diagnosis will be made official in the next couple of months, 16 years after i first said i think he has autism.

The kind of people who use this are the ones who think being into anime is counter-cultural and a sign of being an extra special eccentric person who gets things normies don't.

So pretty cringe.

I hate it and find it really offensive for reasons others
have already said.

To be fair, a lot of people say they have things with very little evidence that they do - particularly mental health issues and neurodivergency. I think a lot of people feel they need something that explains the way they are thinking and feeling - even if that mental state is temporary.

There's also the issue of other people (not medical professionals!) ID'ing you. So many people tell me I'm ND. It's infuritating. Not because there's anything wrong with being ND but simply because I'm not.

But yeah, 'neurospicy' is a bit cringe. I know a few families that do it - mostly affluent families with 2-3 ND children who are high achievers.

I’m Autistic, in my 30’s, and professionally diagnosed (not self ID), and I use Neurospicy all the time. My ND bestie also uses it. Don’t have an issue with it at all. We’re very self deprecating when it comes to our conditions. I’m Autistic, and she is AuDHD. Everyone’s different.

I'm quite happy to use it as a descriptor for myself, diagnosed Audhd late in life. I'm not an "out there" person and my neurodivergence isn't my whole personality.

It's much nicer than the previous names I've been given, such as freak, weirdo, idiot etc and will use any terminology I want to describe myself. If you don't like the term, don't use it.

I'm part of a large neurodivergent community, and the term is used freely amongst it.

ive used this phrase in our family to explain after an ASD and ADHD diagnosis, that likely we all have something too. It felt easier to use this phrase to my other children who will also be tested.
it also I think, is better than ‘divergent’ for the reason this sounds as though it’s a break away from the ‘norm’
Whereas ‘spicy’ indicates a spectrum of spiciness and alludes more positively towards ‘being different’ to ‘normal’ people

I h a t e it with a passion.

It's touch and go as to whether my autistic child will ever manage to live independently, and despite DC being gorgeous and funny and kind, autism is not a 'spicy' superpower for many of our DC, but the thing which will prevent them from accessing the kind of life they know their peers are headed for.

That phrase makes me want to kick the shins of the person using it. Just don't.

Totally agree with you, OP, I dislike the term "neurospicy" too - it sounds like something one would say about a cat or a dog. The word "spicy" implies that there is something hot-tempered or badly tempered/firey about being neurodiverse - and that simply is not true. It implies also that there is something unpleasant about people who are neurodiverse: after all, spicy food is usually viewed as being potentially unpleasant/painful to eat - it's the reason why the "Hot Wings" show gets so much attention: watching famous people suffering through increasingly spicy food.

It also minimises or cartoonifies people who have neurodiverse diagnoses: they aren't "spicy" - they are human beings with a wide range of feelings and attitudes, ranging from being very mellow to being incredibly rage filled. Just like neurotypical people. It also runs the risk of excusing "bad" behaviour: a child who happens to be neurodiverse and who acts in an aggressive or violent way may be "excused" as being "neurospicy" - but the truth is that aggressive and violent behaviour is not acceptable. It's not "neurospicy" it's wrong.

I totally agree with you. I don't view it as a "superpower" at all! People who say that seem to have watched "Rain Man" one too many times, and totally ignored the majority of the movie. Besides which, that movie wasn't even based on someone who had autism! Turns out it was likely that he had a completely different neurological diagnosis.

I find that sort of attitude belittling - it's like the people who chortle at those who have to use a wheelchair: "well at least you always have a place to sit!!". No. Just, no.

The point is, though, that it's your choice whether to use that term, right? I'm sure there are other terms used to describe ND people that you don't like at all. And you wouldn't presume that your way of describing your diagnosis is how others should describe theirs?

What do you mean by "neurospicy" anyway? Presumably you understand that spicy is typically a term used to describe hot - potentially unpleasant - food, and as a warning? It certainly isn't used to describe mellow or calm things?

Reading this thread kept making me think of the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" stereotype. Decided to look at some MPDG pictures - and found this straight away! It's not the only one relating autism/ADHD to "Manic Pixie", either.

I bet she's neurospicy.

I’m so glad it’s not just me that feels like this.

I’m AuDHD and have two DC with a variety of neurodivergent diagnoses between them. I guess we’re the very definition of neurospicy but hell would quite honestly freeze over before I used that word as a descriptor.

I see it all the time, primarily in communities of your ND folk who seem simultaneously determined to be a victim while also emphasising how cool and unconventional they are.

It’s awful, it’s cringeworthy, but even worse, it’s offensive, for all the reasons PP have said.

Its because its designed to imply interest. The opposite of spicy is bland.

Its the idea that NT people are lumbering around in their boring grey worlds while the neurospicy are living in technicolour.

See also ND people selfdescribing as "i have like 100 ideas fizzing around my brain at once". Well yes, its called being a thinking human

Ah no! My autism means I just cannot use an incorrect term even if I do hate the correct one! I'd probably make up a new one instead. Neurospicy is meaningless so I hate that too!

I think a lot of people who have autism/ ADHD etc experience a lot of challenges being in a world geared towards neurotypical people.

I guess identifying with words like this is a way for some people to take some identity/ positivity with their diagnosis and to feel connected in a world where they might often feel quite isolated.

I can see why people find it annoying, but if it makes people who are otherwise struggling feel empowered, part of something or just better about themselves then I can't see that it does much harm.

Live and let live.