Clinical & Educational Glossary

A quick guide to the terminology you'll hear in neuropsychological evaluations and school administration meetings.

Asynchronous Development

A mismatch between cognitive, emotional, and physical development. Common in gifted children. A child might have the intellect of a 14-year-old but the emotional regulation of a 6-year-old.

Twice-Exceptional (2e)

When a child is both cognitively gifted (high IQ or aptitude) and has a learning disability like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or severe executive dysfunction. The high intelligence often hides the disability until things start falling apart academically.

Masking

The exhausting cognitive effort neurodivergent children put into suppressing their natural responses and mimicking neurotypical behavior to get through a school day. Often leads to severe "after-school restraint collapse" (meltdowns at home).

Executive Dysfunction

A weakness in the brain's self-management system. It affects working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. A child with executive dysfunction might understand complex calculus but be completely unable to start organizing their backpack or beginning homework.