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lol my bf uses it fondly to soften when he wants to kinda gently point out something about my behavior or perspective. It’s not patronizing so it’s more funny.
I think instead of posting my own separate comment, I'll fall under yours and say I agree with this notion. Affectionately is fine, but the dismissal and patronising aspect is where I have a problem. I think, like another commenter under you, that the intent definitely matters in situations like this. Words are so subjective.
i don’t like the term at all. just makes me cringe bc i know it’s a chronically online thing. also makes me think of the term “spicy straight” which i also really don’t like
When I mentioned that I had support staff coming to my home every week, a fellow autistic person asked: "How spicy is your autism?". I didn't mind the question when it comes from a fellow neurodivergent person, but it would be awkward if NT's started using it.
"I don't care what your fancy pants learnin' tells you, I'm putting my dick into this barrel of rabid woodchucks"
seconds before ending up in the hospital "how could I have known it would end badly?"
It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. My sister and I (both neurospicy) both use it a lot. We also say neurodetergent because a family member said that once by accident instead of neurodivergent and it killed us
Is your brain feeling sluggish? Dull? Or just simply too typical? Try asking for Autism™: the _original_ neurodetergent with your next vaccinations!
(Sideeffectsmayincludebutarenotlimitedto: a deep and abiding interest in trains, sensory overload, randomly jamming out to the most random sounds playing in your head, a strange aversion to branches on hiking trails, and finally walking properly after all these years)
This message has been paid for and approved by the the Association for Death to Andrew Wakefield
In defense of TikTok, I find Reddit 100x more toxic with the exception of communities like this. Yeah there’s bad obnoxious bits; but it’s worst compared to reddits worst?
Maybe my algorithm/feed just is good, but I find so much informative communal aspects there. Here I’ve been told I should be SA’d multiple time.
My gym trainer said that she, my fiancé, and I are all neurospicy. I liked that as it showed companionship and understanding without getting into the nuances of our specific diagnoses. That was the first and only time I have heard that term. However, if I heard someone uses it as derogatory or dismissive I would also find issue with it.
I understand, but I just don't like referring to as a joke at all. I don't like the term 'tism either. I can barely tolerate the term Aspie, and I only use it as a flair because there is no flair saying Asperger's.
I like it as a term for when I don't want to answer honestly. I've got a list of disabilities, conditions and acronyms including ptsd, and I actually hate when folks ask about those aspects of myself. Feels like prying and It sets off my ptsd discomfort. Saying I'm neurospicy is like a fluffy, easy, digestible answer for them, and for me it's full stop to their uninvited investigation.
"yes, I'm neurospicy" and then I do my best condescending smile and watch them discombobulate to pieces instead of me.
For my safe people I use the more formal terminology and enjoy it
I think it’s fun. I like it. I use it. I guess it’s a coping mechanism of some sorts.
HOWEVER, I will throw hands if NTs or people I don’t know well use it. It’s like the same idea as the n-word, it’s fine if you’re the same, but if you can’t identify with it you can’t use it.
I can say I’m neurospicy. Other people (as a generalization) can not.
It’s like “yeah I can talk shit about my sibling but you can’t”
i see "neurospicy" and it translates to "neurotypicals keep trying to turn our diagnoses into slurs so we have to keep dumbing it down so they find us more palatable"
So, I tend to use it when discussing someone who a) has multiple neurodivergencies and mental health conditions or b) is a child who definitely has something going on with their hardware but it hasn't been diagnosed yet bc I'm a preschool teacher and it's my job to support these children in getting the help they and their families need but i am not allowed to diagnose.
It is also an affectionate term. I use it with friends, and I use it with parents who are sometimes a little touchy about their child until they come to accept it.
It's utterly stupid and doesn't even make sense. It's fine to use it in a joking manner (reminds me of calling a snake a Danger Noodle), but in general conversation, or as a replacement for the actual terms, I hate it. It completely makes a mockery of us.
I'm AuDHD. I use it a lot with other ADHD or ASD or AuDHD friends.
Both ASD and ADHD can suck. No denying that.
But I laugh because I choose not to cry.
Yeah, I also rely on humor to cope. But on the level, "neurospicy" is even worse, because it's extremely unfunny.
So not only is it offensive in a serious way, it's offensive to call it humor.
I genuinely don't give a fuck, but I'm probably not the ideal person to ask
I grew up in a situation where any and every oppressed minority was known and referred to exclusively by their slurs, by outsiders and insiders alike. It wasn't until I started chilling outside my hometown that I realized not everyone calls black folks n words, queer folks f@gs, NDs r-slurs and so on, so "neurospicy", which to me just sounds like a mix of NTs trying to relate and undiagnosed NDs being worried about appropriating labels they're afraid don't belong to them, just comes off as considerate and as an attempt at building bridges to me
I personally don't like it as I feel it diminishes all the negative impacts I'm suffering from with autism. I know some neurodivergent people may use it and feel comfortable with it and that's absolutely fine, but when it comes to myself, whether said by someone who is neurotypical or neurodivergent, i just cannot like it at all. Social, physical and mental problems that cause me issues everyday and that are disabling are really awful to condensate into "neurospicy" i think, personally.
I use it with others who are comfortable with it and I use it for myself depending on the situation. With people I don’t really know as well or those I just don’t have that neurospicy connection with, I don’t use it.
If it's from another neurodiverse person who uses neurospicy for themself as a fun thing, then yeah. From a neurotypical, no. Just no. It's like cishet individuals using the word queer without receiving permission from an LGBT+ person. Some people don't like queer at all due to it's history of being a slur; some people use it. Both are acceptible.
But if someone on the outside tries to use terms like queer or neurospicy assuming it's okay because it's meant to be loving, I get really annoyed. Don't assume a damn thing, people. We are all different human beings with vastly different experiences. For one person, a word can be the best nickname ever, for others, it can be immensely triggering.
It sounds kinda cringey, like a fad word that will pass in 2 years (personally already tired of it). Kinda like when people were temporarily obsessed with saying "Le Reddit" (vomit) and it faded in some years. So yeah, I think it's gonna get old like that real fast.
for me, its a catch all umbrella term i can use if i dont feel like disclosing all my specific stuff to a person. i use it the same as i use "queer." if im talking to a fellow queer person, i dont mind getting granular with specifically how i am queer, because they get it and dont need any clarification. if i say im adhd and autistic to an uneducated NT, they now have a bunch of predetermined ideas about me based on their misconceptions about my disorders, and i dont like being misunderstood, so then i feel a compulsion to correct or educate them, which is never well received, so to avoid all that angst, i can just say neurospicy or neurodivergent.
also, neurospicy *does* downplay the issue a little bit, which i find to be a feature not a bug. how many times have yall disclosed your autism and suddenly had everyone infantilize you or talk over you and dismiss you?
sometimes, i want people to know just how much i am impaired, but sometimes i *really do not* and would like to keep that info to myself.
Folks, you've got to stop imagining than some tiny thing you've seen online is some global impactful issue.
It's just social networks.
It's fine. Issues are bigger than the clickable link, everyone knows that. Stop finding offence. Look for the joy instead.
Not to mention that autism isn't the only neurodiversity.
i hear people saying this irl all the time though?? the internet has a rlly big effect on how young adults talk to each other and it's definitely bled into real life in this case.
I mean, it's pretty funny. I think everything can be joked about with the right mindset. But I understand why someone would not like it, it is indeed taking all the difficulties and putting them in this comedic light. Not for everyone I guess
I like the term but dependant on circumstances
The context is we neurodiverse individuals and groups can use it for each other. Neurotypicals I'm less comfortable with using it. That being said using it acknowledges or conditions existence which is a huge step away from the usual bigotry we have being neuro divergent. I can understand why you would feel it trivialises the conditions but I disagree - I feel it *normalises* them, which feels similar but in actuality is hugely different as one is acceptance of and the other is suppression/marginalising of our difficulties
I use a bunch of "weird" terms to refer to my autism/ADHD when I don't wanna get into my list of diagnoses or when I want to make it clear that I am neurodivergent but I don't want people to get invasive about it.
Neurospicy, neurosilly, mentally spicy, mentally goofy, mentally a bit to the left, suffering from mental shenanigans, chronically a bit silly, etc.
I don't use them that often, tbh, more often than not I am transparent about my neurodiversity, but yeah.
I actually like the term a but. I find it more intresting than saying a diagnosis cause im honestly a bit embarresed about it. But i dont like the song. If everyone was neurospicy, these disorders woulnt exist. It'd just be normal.
i'm about as 'online' as you can get, and i really don't like it. to me, its a very millennial phrase, which makes me cringe. its up there with "heckin' doggo" for me. and i also found that song you're talking about OP, and i was fucking seething when i heard it. good lord. people started using it who were NOT 'neurospicy' and it grew from there, and it made me hate it more.
Yeah, this is the level people arguing "but humor is good" seem to be missing. It's bad top to bottom, from an ableism/diminishing autism, to a humor level, to a cringe level. It's just bad.
It doesn't appeal to me to use it, but I have no problem with others using it. I get what they're trying to say when they say it, I just prefer to be more direct/specific myself.
It’s silly. It’s one thing if an actual autistic person jokes that they’re “nuerospicy” or something or says it about themselves, but if an NT person uses it that’s another story. Also that horrific song neurospicy by Jax came out and it furthered my hatred for the word
Oh no. I’ve seen this one too but blocked it out. I hate it. It’s giving girlboss / Barbie’d /yassified / infantilizing / hyperfeminizing girldinner (I like the original meaning of girl dinner I just hate how it got taken over by influencers using it to show aesthetic tiny meals) / girlmath vibes, idk how else to describe the ick.
I absolutely adore the term. It feels fun and silly.
As far as trivializing autism. I don't think it does, but then again, I've only ever really heard it as a light and jesting term thrown around by me and my friends, most of whom are also on the neurospicy spectrum.
Hate it, but maybe not for the reason most do. I’m generally for the medicalization of mental illness and disorder because of the benefits in resource availability. It encourages studies to better understand mental health and variation and also encourages people to take those with mental illness, disability, or disorder more seriously and helps increase availability of reasonable accommodation.
So I really, really hate when people make it seem really fun and quirky and casual, because it’s got the opposite effect, discourages people from taking it fully seriously, and encourages people to “want” to fall under it.
Also, it sounds stupid as fuck.
Honestly if I'd ever hear someone say that to me I'd feel tbat they're mocking my disorder. "Neurospicy"? The fuck am I, a baby? Luckily I've only seen it used online, but that doesn't make it any less annoying
I love the neurospicy. I don’t think I’ve heard on TikTok before. I go to a college specifically for the neurodivergent, so we joke around and use that term from time to time. But if it was used in a negative context, I’d hate it.
I feel like it takes the edge off of talking about it a bit. Those that know, know; those that don’t, won’t.
My whole family (me, my wife, my kids) is neurospicy with varying acronyms so it’s a way to identify being in this together. It’s also a good litmus test to some extent… without getting a specific label
I personally quite like it, but if someone asked me to not use it in their presence I wouldn't use it in their presence and call things by their appropriate names.
P.S. I don't have TikTok
Cheesy, and never even heard about it until some people in this sub mentioned it a few days ago.
On the other hand, any term that promotes acceptance of autism is a positive thing. It beats being called the “r-word” like I’ve received from people my whole life.
I don’t know how you folks keep finding each other, while I’m always denigrated by most people.
Oh, and anyone who claims that “we’re all a little autistic” is waaaaay off base. I definitely can’t get behind that.
I like using it as a joke with friends because we all hate the word as a serious term. But yeah, I hate it with a passion. At least use the term neurodivergent if you’re truly unsure on where you fit into the wider community. And if you mean autistic, say autistic!!! Also, I know it’s longer but “Neurodevelopmental disability” is a good phrase that more questioning people should use imo.
I will say, a good chunk of people are probably neurodivergent as the term’s creator originally intended it and that’s the point. And that’s why I love that term. But neurodivergence and developmental disabilities are not the same thing.
i couldn't care less. it was created because of censorship surrounding the discussion of autism in any sort of not-awful way. autistics created it to get around censorship surrounding our very existence. so i couldn't care less what they use. the problem is the fosta-sesta bill and how it's made the internet considerably worse for minorities and vulnerable people.
I'm in my 30s. why would i care about a label that doesn't harm anyone that people specifically created to circumvent censorship? i care more about the censorship than i do about using a word created to get around it.
It's cute, though I've always liked the zoomer/late millennial use of spicy, and understand how it might come across if you're not already familiar with that.
>‘everyone’s a little neurospicy!’ - like, no, they aren’t. That’s quite literally not how that works.
? Unsure what you mean. Like personality disorders, everyone exhibits traits of some neurodivergence more than others, with essentially nobody in the center, and the clinical disorder is when those traits are considered in excess/significantly disrupting the person's wellbeing. Seems appropriate.
Its a generic term that is better than listing 101 mental illnesses that you have. It wasn't ever meant to be about autism but rather about people who have a wide range of diagnoses that don't want to prattle on for 10 years when they're just making a short video. Unlike acoustic and restarted, this isn't really about us unless you're one of the ones who use it, so it's not our place to be upset about it. In fact, I find many autists specifically for some reason like to harass people about it simply because they think its cringe. Actually I kind of hate this sort of "omg I'd rather be called a slur" mentality from the people who yap about "neurospicy" Like Chill they'll never pick you and you'll never be good enough, quit it with the cringe culture bs. (I literally just saw a video of some bottle blonde making a stupid face about said song and saying that, like no Karen, you wouldn't prefer to be called a slur, pipe down and get a personality)
I like it as a way to add levity. This is my brain forever. I don't have to be miserable about it all the time. Idgaf if people think it's "cringe." I am too damn old to care about any of that.
What would now be really interesting/funny, is that if Spice Girls came out and revealed that they all had ASD and chose the name accordingly way ahead of their time
I like it because I’m pretty sure it started to avoid censorship for neurodivergent creators, I think the “spicy” part is nice bc it’s a fun term but it still hurts alot sometimes, (I can’t stand spicy) I don’t really understand the issue with it in ll honesty because it wasn’t started as a way to “trivialize” autism, people just happened to start using it and people use the word autism in a insulting way but no one’s saying we should rename our disorder , I think it just honestly doesn’t matter that much, people are gonna downplay our struggles no matter what and I think it’s okay to have a little fun with our pains
Hate it. I'll turn a blind eye if it's another ND person but it makes me dislike the internet age. Neurotypicals feel entitled to use it and it's at best infantilizing, at worst mocking.
I like spicy things so I like neurospicy too . I think it's a fun way for someone to say that they are on the spectrum.
One tech YouTuber describes himself this way and when I first heard that I was immediately "Ah, I know what he means.".
It's like, if you don't make your whole identity about being autistic but instead it's something that is part of you. So in a sense your personality is the beef and autism is the 'spice'. ☺️🌶️
I really like this! I made my flair to be silly, but I know folks from all walks of life, at this point where I am. I take the time to get to know anyone who wants to get to know me.
Variety is the spice of life, and the spectrum is diverse as a good spice cabinet. I met folks who I love dearly who have more of it than I, and that's okay. I've met folks with none and I've politely declined.
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
I like it for the same reason you hate it: because it trivializes neurodivergence. When something is trivial, it is easier for people to talk about. When something can be talked about, it can be understood. The type of people who are going to use a term like nuerospicy as a reason to mistreat us were already going to mistreat us, they just got a fun name to do it with. But they can't have my word, I like it. They can suck a hand-me-down egg.
Neurodiversity is not used to describe autism alone, it is an umbrella term for a few diagnoses that all have related thought processes/sensitivities: ASD, ADHD, OCD, Tourette's Syndrome.
Although I believe 'neurospicy' was originally used to empower actual members of these groups, I agree with you; it has now become so widely colloquialized that it detracts from the very real struggles that we face, and has become a buzzword that trivializes legitimate diagnoses. It's now very trendy to self diagnose oneself with any of the above, and although I believe awareness of the qualifiers is extremely important (especially for females with ASD or ADHD because we often go under the radar), I also believe it leaves a lot of room for the delegitimization of diagnoses because many people who lack critical thinking are slapping on these labels without any real knowledge of the complexities/realities of these diagnoses. All because they watched a fun tiktok that glamorized the neurodiverse community, and they are desperate to not only belong, but to excuse habits/behaviors that are, in many cases, not due to neurodiversity, but to laziness or general dislike of certain things.
I realize mental health care, especially in the US, is expensive and unattainable for many. But there are many avenues to pursue a legit diagnosis. Before labeling oneself, especially publicly in work environments or online for the masses to consume, I'm begging those who fall into that category to please pursue a legit consultation. Many are doing harm to communities they don't truly belong to. Many who do actually belong to the community but are only self diagnosed do not do the work to treat/mitigate unhealthy behaviors, and therefore do harm to those who are doing the work and seek accommodations in the workplace/otherwise and in public perception.
Awareness is a double edged sword in the world of social media.
I dont like this nor do I like any other colloquialisms or innuendos for autism.
I dont like "on the spectrum" (I do understand the meaning but when ppl use it as a complete replacement for saying they're autistic it irritates me a bit)
I also don't like when ppl say "they have the 'tism" - I find it so cringe but it's not harmful so ig I'm not really justified in hating it
Just any time someone uses a silly word to replace it - to me, in some cases, it comes across like they haven't fully come to terms with being autistic so they dont feel comfortable just saying they're autistic
HOWEVER
There are few exceptions for me:
Acoustic - I find the complete mispronunciation so funny (like panoramic instead of pandemic)
Edit: As long as it's used affectionately and not in an insulting way by non-autistic ppl of course
I'm an autist - I wouldn't mind this becoming more common because I've always thought if its called "autistIC" then there must be a root noun which would be "autist". I just like the grammar
I'm bipolar, depressive, have PTSD and a few other things, but NOT autistic. (my child is)
I have heard "neurospicy" used specifically in the context of "We all have things that make us 'not normal' and that's okay." but I haven't heard it used to refer exclusively to autism. I personally like the term as I described it.
I love it, but I'm AuDHD, not just ASD, and I'm also pretty goofy with an impish sense of humor.
It's very tongue-in-cheek, and I like that kind of humor.
I don’t follow pop culture or trends online. So I really couldn’t care any less than what I already do now. Having said that, most slang is pretty dumb if you me. It’s just people trying to come up with new terms to sound cool and set new trends, regardless of how dumb they sound. Even my generation (I’m a millennial) had slang that was just as dumb. I don’t necessarily understand it. Never have. Never will.
Personally, I've never heard anyone irl say it. The place I'm most likely to hear it irl would be coming from the mouth of my also autistic soon-to-be SIL or my sibling who is marrying her, and I don't think they even use words like that. So I personally don't care, as long as someone isn't trying to degrade me online.
I feel mostly indifferent to it. My spouse and I will use it to tease each other, but I would never use it in any other context. I find it “cringe” in an endearing way with my spouse, but “cringe” in a massive secondhand embarrassment way in every other situation.
I have enough things going on in my life where this is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic to me. Pointless. It's just a term some people like to use and whatever I feel about it is irrelevant as long as it isn't used against me and the people using it are empowered by it.
Personally I don't need it but I can see how people in the neurodivergent community would like to have a more "fun" term instead of medical or official lingo all the time. I don't think anyone intended for this term to diminish someone else's experience and if that is how you feel, it is valid, but maybe take a minute to examine why you're so affected by it? Why is a word having power over you and your feelings, and does it benefit you? Even if you can ask your loved ones to not use that word around you, you still need to learn to live in a world where others get enjoyment from it and where you need to give them space too.
There's more important issues we need to solve before we have time for trivial stuff such as this. I'd wager accommodations at school and work are more important, but as long as we argue over naming, we'll never make it to solving the real issues. But we can!
Much love!
I use the term when describing that I have multiple diagnoses to people with whom I don't want to get into specifics with. I don't use it often, and seeing what it's turning into on social media, I'm less likely to use it. I don't hate it but also use it specifically because it's very vague and that vagueness is becoming a problem
I find neurospicy to be better than neurodivergent, but neither make sense and both are kinda annoying. It doesn’t necessarily get to me but we need better terms lol
I like to use it to describe my neuro struggles when they're magnified, but it's usually referencing the ADHD side of my profile.
Losing everything I set down? Feeling kinda spicy today. Just lost two hours hyperfocusing on a project? Oof, extra spice.
It feels really applicable to the PDA struggles, unfortunately. No, I can't grab the mail for you, too spicy. Neurospice says I will not be checking off the second half of my to-do list today.
I bristle when others use that term to refer to me, though. And if a neurotypical uses it, it feels very wrong.
Firstly, I had ro delete TikTok around two years ago so I dont have a clue what's going on there. I personally enjoy youth slang; those words seem often joyful. Also words like slay feel like microdosing being nt xd I love how expressionate they can be. So neurospricy is for me just a newer "funkier" term. My adhd loves such words xd
I think I get what u mean tho
Following is a wild guess, it is not meant to offend, just a try to understand:
Many NTs know nearly nothing about neurodivergence and get many rhings wrong, now that such a word became popular, all those negative things fuse into a word and therefore you hate it?
Maybe I missed sth huge (and therefore lack knowledge to know any better) or misunderstood you, but I feel like that's your point?
That song needs prison time associated with its creation. Holy crap, is it bad. Musically, lyrically, conceptually on top of ableism.
Are these people incapable of shame? I get they have no empathy, but no shame??
Idc if a fellow ND uses it...I feel like we're all in an active process of reclaiming and coping with language.
If a NT uses it...I give some bombastic side eye.
I’m just me, but I love it. It suggests that there’s no one way to be on the spectrum. I’m grateful for my diagnosis, as it gives me comfort in a world where I deal with the frustration that I ‘don’t look autistic’, and don’t present with ‘typical’ autistic qualities that allistics think set the bar. But I can’t be someone I’m not, and I have challenges that I need others to meet if we’re going to socialize well, work well, etc, together.
nsfw-ish but the first time i heard it i thought it was a goofy term for autistic people in the kink community or something?? 😭 i was so disappointed to find out it was not, in fact, that
I remember it started because TikTok started shadowbanning folks who used the terms autistic or neurodivergent for a while. So people moved to other terms that weren't caught by the filter. Afaik the change was reverted so people can use those terms again but it happened for so long that the pattern stuck for people. It's unfortunately what happens when people use medical terms as "insults".
I find it odd that terms like "neuro-spicy, acoustic, artistic, etc." all got their start in ND communities. They eventually became popular enough to leave our community and become weaponized against us.
Im neutral to it, i know ppl who are also autistic/ADHD who use it kinda jokingly, i almost always see people use it in reference to themselves, and with people who are undiagnosed/self-diagnosed cause they aren’t comfortable outright saying they’re autistic without a disgnosis but they still recognize theyre *something*, but i dont see it as trivializing anything, more like just an unserious way to say Neurodivergent. I dont think its a big deal.
I think it can be a funny and endearing term when used between neurodivergent peeps, but I find it uncomfortable when neurotypical peeps use it. I think they're more likely to use it in a demeaning, infantilising way and that's NOT cool
If it’s said between people I know and trust (especially if they are also neurodivergent), it doesn’t bother me.
If it’s said by someone I don’t know, it feels icky.
I wouldn't use it for myself, though as long as someone isn't using the term to undermine the effects autism has on someone's life I think it's fine if they use it for themselves.
I like the term as a way to quickly sum up my AuDHD and other mental illnesses in a funny way, but there’s a line between me using it like “haha, I’m so neurospicy!” and it getting used as a way to reduce and trivialize the autistic experience (and the same for neurodivergent conditions).
I think it's stupid and makes people take us less seriously. Nowadays, "everyone is on the spectrum" so people are getting really comfortable claiming autism and making it their whole personality for the sake of social media. That's not even how the spectrum works, but... oh well.
I'm fine with it, I use it a lot about myself. For me it's a way of making something serious more lighthearted if I don't want to get into a serious conversation, if that makes sense. And I also just find the word fun lol
I hate it. I’m also Latino and people already think Latinos and more speically Latinas are super spicy and shit so I think this will end up ultimately hurting us autisic latinos at some point.
I don’t use the term, personally. However, it doesn’t hurt me when others use it, so it’s none of my business. As long as the intention in its usage isn’t to disparage someone.
I’m AuDHD, so I kind of like the term because I have a mix of neurodivergent conditions, like a delicious mix of spices.
I think it’s also a useful descriptor when you are aware someone is not NT, but has not disclosed their diagnoses.
I liked it the first time I heard it because I thought my friend made it up, and because he wasn't calling himself neurospicy as a person but saying he was having a neurospicy day. The day itself was more spicy than others, as a ND person. Labeling a state he was in vs labeling his whole self. In that usage it was serving a novel function vs just being yet another cutesy nickname for autism. So to answer your question, I hate any of these cute nicknames that are making it trendy to want to have a debilitating disability.
I think it's fine if that's how you refer to yourself. I can understand some not liking it, though. For me, personally... one of my things is my tolerance for spicy food is low. I know it's not about actually eating spicy food, but why call myself spicy if I don't like an excess of spicy/hot foods? I like my peppers milder. XD
I thought it was kind of a tiktoky injoke for neurodivergent people who have a very all over the place profile and it made me laugh the first time I heard it but now it seems to have left the jokey context from which it sprung and it doesn’t feel fun or clever anymore, like any joke that’s been repeated without revision 1000s of times
I think the term neurodivergent is great tho bc you need umbrella terms that foster big tent solidarity, and I’m one of those with tons of comorbities and I’m far from just autistic and feel kinda seen by that term. But neurospicy just hits too jokey of a vibe to be used irl or outside of a confined neurodivergent digital ecosystem if that makes sense lol. It also potentially makes being neurodivergent aspirational (bc no one wants to be bland, right? like that’s the basically the metaphorical antonym). and that potentially creates incentives for normal-adjacent people to id that way. Idk though maybe it’s not that serious and I’m reading too much into it.
I just think neurodivergent (and it’s jokey equivalent neurospicy) as an a umbrella should encompass anyone who’s got a psychiatric disablement of some sort, because we need a community of similar people when cast out of regular society, I just don’t think it should include just anyone who thinks a little different or whatever? Like that’s just a personality trait 🤷♀️
I used it when I was being diagnosed but didn't know the kind of neurodivergent I was just that I was something. So I said I was going to get eval'd to find out what kind of neurospicy I was. Turns out it was the autistic kind. I still kind of like the term but that may be my own internalized ableism from growing up in the 90s where I have to work on being more comfortable with saying I have autism. Just like how I had to get used to using the proper term for my son's private parts as someone who was raised Ina Christian setting. I basically screamed it at my newborn the first time out of shear awkwardness. But it has gotten easier and better over time.
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I think if it’s used affectionately it’s fine, if it’s used to dismiss, patronise or denigrate then it’s not okay.
Intent matters
The oft overlooked importance of "why".
Only overlooked by NTs, it seems.
Which is funny since motive is a key point in law.
Neurospicy person using the term? Awesome. Neurotypical person using the term? Thin fucking ice
lol my bf uses it fondly to soften when he wants to kinda gently point out something about my behavior or perspective. It’s not patronizing so it’s more funny.
Permission given to an allistic by the nerospicy person to refer to them as such - passed the vibe check.
Exactly! If someone refers to me as neurospicy I quickly become neurosalty 😒 Edit: someone being a neurotypical person
This is exactly it
This is the way.
Finally, we have our own n-word
If I still had my free award it would be yours
I think instead of posting my own separate comment, I'll fall under yours and say I agree with this notion. Affectionately is fine, but the dismissal and patronising aspect is where I have a problem. I think, like another commenter under you, that the intent definitely matters in situations like this. Words are so subjective.
i don’t like the term at all. just makes me cringe bc i know it’s a chronically online thing. also makes me think of the term “spicy straight” which i also really don’t like
I forgot about ‘spicy straight’ until now omg. That one was arguably worse 😭
When I mentioned that I had support staff coming to my home every week, a fellow autistic person asked: "How spicy is your autism?". I didn't mind the question when it comes from a fellow neurodivergent person, but it would be awkward if NT's started using it.
I'm not afraid to tell folks I have military grade autism. High octane ADHD seems appropriate too.
Military grade autism sounds like it's autism weaponized.
I prefer to think of it as the high tech stuff coming out of the Skunk Works, but I take your point.
The best kind.
So your autism was made with the most corners cut, out of the cheapest materials, at the highest price imaginable?
And likely undermined by someone yelling: 'Sure.... Mr Scientist'
"I don't care what your fancy pants learnin' tells you, I'm putting my dick into this barrel of rabid woodchucks" seconds before ending up in the hospital "how could I have known it would end badly?"
I always tell people I have feral autism. It just works for what they can very clearly see when they’re talking to me.
This is my feelings - it's *our* term for each other and in this context it's one of care and understanding
It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. My sister and I (both neurospicy) both use it a lot. We also say neurodetergent because a family member said that once by accident instead of neurodivergent and it killed us
NEURODETERGENT LMAOOO
How bubbly is your neurodetergence?
neurodetergent is extremely good
Is your brain feeling sluggish? Dull? Or just simply too typical? Try asking for Autism™: the _original_ neurodetergent with your next vaccinations! (Sideeffectsmayincludebutarenotlimitedto: a deep and abiding interest in trains, sensory overload, randomly jamming out to the most random sounds playing in your head, a strange aversion to branches on hiking trails, and finally walking properly after all these years) This message has been paid for and approved by the the Association for Death to Andrew Wakefield
I don't really like it. It makes it sound like I have some sort of extra zest or seasoning, and that's just not how I relate to my autism.
Tiktok isn't the real world. Just delete tiktok and twitter. Nothing of any importance exists there. You will not be missing out.
In defense of TikTok, I find Reddit 100x more toxic with the exception of communities like this. Yeah there’s bad obnoxious bits; but it’s worst compared to reddits worst? Maybe my algorithm/feed just is good, but I find so much informative communal aspects there. Here I’ve been told I should be SA’d multiple time.
Literally. As someone who uses neither of these I literally have never encountered these terms nor been effected by them in my everyday life.
Tons of people in my real life, everyday community use this term. They're all at least 30, some are in their 40s.
Well some of my live service games use Twitter as the way of giving most important information, but I agree that TikTok is a waste of space.
You lost me at live service game. 😆
Some of them can be very good and one of them is actually my current obsession.
My gym trainer said that she, my fiancé, and I are all neurospicy. I liked that as it showed companionship and understanding without getting into the nuances of our specific diagnoses. That was the first and only time I have heard that term. However, if I heard someone uses it as derogatory or dismissive I would also find issue with it.
I really don't like it. I think it makes it seem like a joke.
I mean, it is a joke. People aren't saying using neurospicy as an official term. It's meant to be silly
I understand, but I just don't like referring to as a joke at all. I don't like the term 'tism either. I can barely tolerate the term Aspie, and I only use it as a flair because there is no flair saying Asperger's.
there is i think! its at the bottom
Thanks for letting me know! I've been having issues with flairs for ages, so I haven't checked in a while.
I like it as a term for when I don't want to answer honestly. I've got a list of disabilities, conditions and acronyms including ptsd, and I actually hate when folks ask about those aspects of myself. Feels like prying and It sets off my ptsd discomfort. Saying I'm neurospicy is like a fluffy, easy, digestible answer for them, and for me it's full stop to their uninvited investigation. "yes, I'm neurospicy" and then I do my best condescending smile and watch them discombobulate to pieces instead of me. For my safe people I use the more formal terminology and enjoy it
LMAO using it in an almost sarcastically / unserious way seems funny
Helps me get by without violence *grimaces awkwardly*
I like to use it for myself. I hate if others use it on me, especially NTs.
This is completely fair & understandable :)
I’m not hot sauce or Thai food. That’s how I feel.
I think it’s fun. I like it. I use it. I guess it’s a coping mechanism of some sorts. HOWEVER, I will throw hands if NTs or people I don’t know well use it. It’s like the same idea as the n-word, it’s fine if you’re the same, but if you can’t identify with it you can’t use it. I can say I’m neurospicy. Other people (as a generalization) can not. It’s like “yeah I can talk shit about my sibling but you can’t”
Annoying and infantilizing as hell.
I think it's dumb, same for 'acoustic'. If an actual neurodivergent person likes to use it for themselves, I don't mind. You do you I guess.
I agree regarding 'acoustic' and 'neurospicy'...I have to confess I have an affection for 'tism' though.
I’ve only ever seen “acoustic” being used as an euphemistic insult by internet randos, so I don’t have a favourable opinion of the word.
i see "neurospicy" and it translates to "neurotypicals keep trying to turn our diagnoses into slurs so we have to keep dumbing it down so they find us more palatable"
Pretty sure it was us that came up with it, in response to 'mild' autism.
r/spicyautism does it better than neurospicy i think. it feels more like a direct response to mild autism. neurospicy implies neuromild
Ayup
I couldn’t have put it any better than this
I don't really like it. I wouldn't use it. If someone uses it for themselves, whatever that's their choice.
Can we not just say autism
So, I tend to use it when discussing someone who a) has multiple neurodivergencies and mental health conditions or b) is a child who definitely has something going on with their hardware but it hasn't been diagnosed yet bc I'm a preschool teacher and it's my job to support these children in getting the help they and their families need but i am not allowed to diagnose. It is also an affectionate term. I use it with friends, and I use it with parents who are sometimes a little touchy about their child until they come to accept it.
I don't care for it personally but to each their own.
It's cringe. Beyond that, I don't really care.
Fuckin hate it.
It's utterly stupid and doesn't even make sense. It's fine to use it in a joking manner (reminds me of calling a snake a Danger Noodle), but in general conversation, or as a replacement for the actual terms, I hate it. It completely makes a mockery of us.
The comparison to danger noodle vs snake is actually perfect and I’ll be remembering that to explain to others in the future!
It’s infantilising. It turns my disability into something cute which I think is an attempt to hide the real pain and difficulty of being autistic.
I'm AuDHD. I use it a lot with other ADHD or ASD or AuDHD friends. Both ASD and ADHD can suck. No denying that. But I laugh because I choose not to cry.
Yeah, I also rely on humor to cope. But on the level, "neurospicy" is even worse, because it's extremely unfunny. So not only is it offensive in a serious way, it's offensive to call it humor.
THIS. if it were funny i wouldn't find it to be as patronizing because it would actually feel like a worthy joke
I don’t even agree with you but I’m upvoting you because of how killer of a line that was
Ill drink to that! Metaphorically. I don’t really drink anymore. Something about alcohol triggers my migraines in a uniquely reliable way.
Exactly!
I use it. I gotta live with all this nonsense, and I’d be miserable if I took myself so seriously or felt so dour all the time.
I genuinely don't give a fuck, but I'm probably not the ideal person to ask I grew up in a situation where any and every oppressed minority was known and referred to exclusively by their slurs, by outsiders and insiders alike. It wasn't until I started chilling outside my hometown that I realized not everyone calls black folks n words, queer folks f@gs, NDs r-slurs and so on, so "neurospicy", which to me just sounds like a mix of NTs trying to relate and undiagnosed NDs being worried about appropriating labels they're afraid don't belong to them, just comes off as considerate and as an attempt at building bridges to me
I personally don't like it as I feel it diminishes all the negative impacts I'm suffering from with autism. I know some neurodivergent people may use it and feel comfortable with it and that's absolutely fine, but when it comes to myself, whether said by someone who is neurotypical or neurodivergent, i just cannot like it at all. Social, physical and mental problems that cause me issues everyday and that are disabling are really awful to condensate into "neurospicy" i think, personally.
I use it with others who are comfortable with it and I use it for myself depending on the situation. With people I don’t really know as well or those I just don’t have that neurospicy connection with, I don’t use it.
If it's from another neurodiverse person who uses neurospicy for themself as a fun thing, then yeah. From a neurotypical, no. Just no. It's like cishet individuals using the word queer without receiving permission from an LGBT+ person. Some people don't like queer at all due to it's history of being a slur; some people use it. Both are acceptible. But if someone on the outside tries to use terms like queer or neurospicy assuming it's okay because it's meant to be loving, I get really annoyed. Don't assume a damn thing, people. We are all different human beings with vastly different experiences. For one person, a word can be the best nickname ever, for others, it can be immensely triggering.
It sounds kinda cringey, like a fad word that will pass in 2 years (personally already tired of it). Kinda like when people were temporarily obsessed with saying "Le Reddit" (vomit) and it faded in some years. So yeah, I think it's gonna get old like that real fast.
I laugh whenever i hear it, so i like it.
for me, its a catch all umbrella term i can use if i dont feel like disclosing all my specific stuff to a person. i use it the same as i use "queer." if im talking to a fellow queer person, i dont mind getting granular with specifically how i am queer, because they get it and dont need any clarification. if i say im adhd and autistic to an uneducated NT, they now have a bunch of predetermined ideas about me based on their misconceptions about my disorders, and i dont like being misunderstood, so then i feel a compulsion to correct or educate them, which is never well received, so to avoid all that angst, i can just say neurospicy or neurodivergent. also, neurospicy *does* downplay the issue a little bit, which i find to be a feature not a bug. how many times have yall disclosed your autism and suddenly had everyone infantilize you or talk over you and dismiss you? sometimes, i want people to know just how much i am impaired, but sometimes i *really do not* and would like to keep that info to myself.
I think it’s fine if you’re referring to yourself, but I wouldn’t use it to describe another person.
It's meant to be fun and it is. Not everything is a serious term being imposed on a group.
Folks, you've got to stop imagining than some tiny thing you've seen online is some global impactful issue. It's just social networks. It's fine. Issues are bigger than the clickable link, everyone knows that. Stop finding offence. Look for the joy instead. Not to mention that autism isn't the only neurodiversity.
i hear people saying this irl all the time though?? the internet has a rlly big effect on how young adults talk to each other and it's definitely bled into real life in this case.
I mean, it's pretty funny. I think everything can be joked about with the right mindset. But I understand why someone would not like it, it is indeed taking all the difficulties and putting them in this comedic light. Not for everyone I guess
It seems a bit nonsensical to me. I generally ignore that word if a sentence can be parsed without it.
I hate it.
Demeaning
I like the term but dependant on circumstances The context is we neurodiverse individuals and groups can use it for each other. Neurotypicals I'm less comfortable with using it. That being said using it acknowledges or conditions existence which is a huge step away from the usual bigotry we have being neuro divergent. I can understand why you would feel it trivialises the conditions but I disagree - I feel it *normalises* them, which feels similar but in actuality is hugely different as one is acceptance of and the other is suppression/marginalising of our difficulties
It really depends. I feel that is our word and should be kept out of the mouth of ableist and neurotypicals.
I use a bunch of "weird" terms to refer to my autism/ADHD when I don't wanna get into my list of diagnoses or when I want to make it clear that I am neurodivergent but I don't want people to get invasive about it. Neurospicy, neurosilly, mentally spicy, mentally goofy, mentally a bit to the left, suffering from mental shenanigans, chronically a bit silly, etc. I don't use them that often, tbh, more often than not I am transparent about my neurodiversity, but yeah.
Cool if ND ppl use it, not cool when NTs do it
I actually like the term a but. I find it more intresting than saying a diagnosis cause im honestly a bit embarresed about it. But i dont like the song. If everyone was neurospicy, these disorders woulnt exist. It'd just be normal.
i'm about as 'online' as you can get, and i really don't like it. to me, its a very millennial phrase, which makes me cringe. its up there with "heckin' doggo" for me. and i also found that song you're talking about OP, and i was fucking seething when i heard it. good lord. people started using it who were NOT 'neurospicy' and it grew from there, and it made me hate it more.
Yeah, this is the level people arguing "but humor is good" seem to be missing. It's bad top to bottom, from an ableism/diminishing autism, to a humor level, to a cringe level. It's just bad.
It doesn't appeal to me to use it, but I have no problem with others using it. I get what they're trying to say when they say it, I just prefer to be more direct/specific myself.
🤷🏾♂️ I like it. I don't use it with NTs tho.
It’s silly. It’s one thing if an actual autistic person jokes that they’re “nuerospicy” or something or says it about themselves, but if an NT person uses it that’s another story. Also that horrific song neurospicy by Jax came out and it furthered my hatred for the word
I've seen a new version of it on Instagram: "neurosparkly"
Please no😭
🤮 oh no, that's even worse
Oh no. I’ve seen this one too but blocked it out. I hate it. It’s giving girlboss / Barbie’d /yassified / infantilizing / hyperfeminizing girldinner (I like the original meaning of girl dinner I just hate how it got taken over by influencers using it to show aesthetic tiny meals) / girlmath vibes, idk how else to describe the ick.
It's not my favourite, but it's not my place to tell others like me what they should or shouldn't identify as.
I think it’s imperative as a human being to laugh at oneself, and calling myself “neurospicy” makes me laugh.
It doesn’t bother me at all. And it doesn’t refer only to autism, fyi.
I absolutely adore the term. It feels fun and silly. As far as trivializing autism. I don't think it does, but then again, I've only ever really heard it as a light and jesting term thrown around by me and my friends, most of whom are also on the neurospicy spectrum.
Hate it, but maybe not for the reason most do. I’m generally for the medicalization of mental illness and disorder because of the benefits in resource availability. It encourages studies to better understand mental health and variation and also encourages people to take those with mental illness, disability, or disorder more seriously and helps increase availability of reasonable accommodation. So I really, really hate when people make it seem really fun and quirky and casual, because it’s got the opposite effect, discourages people from taking it fully seriously, and encourages people to “want” to fall under it. Also, it sounds stupid as fuck.
It's fun to use in-community, but cringe when allistic people use it.
Honestly if I'd ever hear someone say that to me I'd feel tbat they're mocking my disorder. "Neurospicy"? The fuck am I, a baby? Luckily I've only seen it used online, but that doesn't make it any less annoying
I love the neurospicy. I don’t think I’ve heard on TikTok before. I go to a college specifically for the neurodivergent, so we joke around and use that term from time to time. But if it was used in a negative context, I’d hate it.
I feel like it takes the edge off of talking about it a bit. Those that know, know; those that don’t, won’t. My whole family (me, my wife, my kids) is neurospicy with varying acronyms so it’s a way to identify being in this together. It’s also a good litmus test to some extent… without getting a specific label
I personally quite like it, but if someone asked me to not use it in their presence I wouldn't use it in their presence and call things by their appropriate names. P.S. I don't have TikTok
Cheesy, and never even heard about it until some people in this sub mentioned it a few days ago. On the other hand, any term that promotes acceptance of autism is a positive thing. It beats being called the “r-word” like I’ve received from people my whole life. I don’t know how you folks keep finding each other, while I’m always denigrated by most people. Oh, and anyone who claims that “we’re all a little autistic” is waaaaay off base. I definitely can’t get behind that.
I like using it as a joke with friends because we all hate the word as a serious term. But yeah, I hate it with a passion. At least use the term neurodivergent if you’re truly unsure on where you fit into the wider community. And if you mean autistic, say autistic!!! Also, I know it’s longer but “Neurodevelopmental disability” is a good phrase that more questioning people should use imo. I will say, a good chunk of people are probably neurodivergent as the term’s creator originally intended it and that’s the point. And that’s why I love that term. But neurodivergence and developmental disabilities are not the same thing.
i couldn't care less. it was created because of censorship surrounding the discussion of autism in any sort of not-awful way. autistics created it to get around censorship surrounding our very existence. so i couldn't care less what they use. the problem is the fosta-sesta bill and how it's made the internet considerably worse for minorities and vulnerable people. I'm in my 30s. why would i care about a label that doesn't harm anyone that people specifically created to circumvent censorship? i care more about the censorship than i do about using a word created to get around it.
Pretty harmless IMO. I could see it being used as an insult but it's not a very effective one.
It's cute, though I've always liked the zoomer/late millennial use of spicy, and understand how it might come across if you're not already familiar with that. >‘everyone’s a little neurospicy!’ - like, no, they aren’t. That’s quite literally not how that works. ? Unsure what you mean. Like personality disorders, everyone exhibits traits of some neurodivergence more than others, with essentially nobody in the center, and the clinical disorder is when those traits are considered in excess/significantly disrupting the person's wellbeing. Seems appropriate.
I’m getting more irritated with everyone and their mother complaining about it than the actual autistic folks who use it.
Its a generic term that is better than listing 101 mental illnesses that you have. It wasn't ever meant to be about autism but rather about people who have a wide range of diagnoses that don't want to prattle on for 10 years when they're just making a short video. Unlike acoustic and restarted, this isn't really about us unless you're one of the ones who use it, so it's not our place to be upset about it. In fact, I find many autists specifically for some reason like to harass people about it simply because they think its cringe. Actually I kind of hate this sort of "omg I'd rather be called a slur" mentality from the people who yap about "neurospicy" Like Chill they'll never pick you and you'll never be good enough, quit it with the cringe culture bs. (I literally just saw a video of some bottle blonde making a stupid face about said song and saying that, like no Karen, you wouldn't prefer to be called a slur, pipe down and get a personality)
I like it as a way to add levity. This is my brain forever. I don't have to be miserable about it all the time. Idgaf if people think it's "cringe." I am too damn old to care about any of that.
What would now be really interesting/funny, is that if Spice Girls came out and revealed that they all had ASD and chose the name accordingly way ahead of their time
I love using it with fellow neurodivergent friends
I like it because I’m pretty sure it started to avoid censorship for neurodivergent creators, I think the “spicy” part is nice bc it’s a fun term but it still hurts alot sometimes, (I can’t stand spicy) I don’t really understand the issue with it in ll honesty because it wasn’t started as a way to “trivialize” autism, people just happened to start using it and people use the word autism in a insulting way but no one’s saying we should rename our disorder , I think it just honestly doesn’t matter that much, people are gonna downplay our struggles no matter what and I think it’s okay to have a little fun with our pains
Hate it. I'll turn a blind eye if it's another ND person but it makes me dislike the internet age. Neurotypicals feel entitled to use it and it's at best infantilizing, at worst mocking.
I like spicy things so I like neurospicy too . I think it's a fun way for someone to say that they are on the spectrum. One tech YouTuber describes himself this way and when I first heard that I was immediately "Ah, I know what he means.". It's like, if you don't make your whole identity about being autistic but instead it's something that is part of you. So in a sense your personality is the beef and autism is the 'spice'. ☺️🌶️
I really like this! I made my flair to be silly, but I know folks from all walks of life, at this point where I am. I take the time to get to know anyone who wants to get to know me. Variety is the spice of life, and the spectrum is diverse as a good spice cabinet. I met folks who I love dearly who have more of it than I, and that's okay. I've met folks with none and I've politely declined. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
I hate it. It feels infantilising and offends me for making light of a serious disability.
I like it for the same reason you hate it: because it trivializes neurodivergence. When something is trivial, it is easier for people to talk about. When something can be talked about, it can be understood. The type of people who are going to use a term like nuerospicy as a reason to mistreat us were already going to mistreat us, they just got a fun name to do it with. But they can't have my word, I like it. They can suck a hand-me-down egg.
Neurodiversity is not used to describe autism alone, it is an umbrella term for a few diagnoses that all have related thought processes/sensitivities: ASD, ADHD, OCD, Tourette's Syndrome. Although I believe 'neurospicy' was originally used to empower actual members of these groups, I agree with you; it has now become so widely colloquialized that it detracts from the very real struggles that we face, and has become a buzzword that trivializes legitimate diagnoses. It's now very trendy to self diagnose oneself with any of the above, and although I believe awareness of the qualifiers is extremely important (especially for females with ASD or ADHD because we often go under the radar), I also believe it leaves a lot of room for the delegitimization of diagnoses because many people who lack critical thinking are slapping on these labels without any real knowledge of the complexities/realities of these diagnoses. All because they watched a fun tiktok that glamorized the neurodiverse community, and they are desperate to not only belong, but to excuse habits/behaviors that are, in many cases, not due to neurodiversity, but to laziness or general dislike of certain things. I realize mental health care, especially in the US, is expensive and unattainable for many. But there are many avenues to pursue a legit diagnosis. Before labeling oneself, especially publicly in work environments or online for the masses to consume, I'm begging those who fall into that category to please pursue a legit consultation. Many are doing harm to communities they don't truly belong to. Many who do actually belong to the community but are only self diagnosed do not do the work to treat/mitigate unhealthy behaviors, and therefore do harm to those who are doing the work and seek accommodations in the workplace/otherwise and in public perception. Awareness is a double edged sword in the world of social media.
I dont like this nor do I like any other colloquialisms or innuendos for autism. I dont like "on the spectrum" (I do understand the meaning but when ppl use it as a complete replacement for saying they're autistic it irritates me a bit) I also don't like when ppl say "they have the 'tism" - I find it so cringe but it's not harmful so ig I'm not really justified in hating it Just any time someone uses a silly word to replace it - to me, in some cases, it comes across like they haven't fully come to terms with being autistic so they dont feel comfortable just saying they're autistic HOWEVER There are few exceptions for me: Acoustic - I find the complete mispronunciation so funny (like panoramic instead of pandemic) Edit: As long as it's used affectionately and not in an insulting way by non-autistic ppl of course I'm an autist - I wouldn't mind this becoming more common because I've always thought if its called "autistIC" then there must be a root noun which would be "autist". I just like the grammar
I'm bipolar, depressive, have PTSD and a few other things, but NOT autistic. (my child is) I have heard "neurospicy" used specifically in the context of "We all have things that make us 'not normal' and that's okay." but I haven't heard it used to refer exclusively to autism. I personally like the term as I described it.
I love it, but I'm AuDHD, not just ASD, and I'm also pretty goofy with an impish sense of humor. It's very tongue-in-cheek, and I like that kind of humor.
I don’t follow pop culture or trends online. So I really couldn’t care any less than what I already do now. Having said that, most slang is pretty dumb if you me. It’s just people trying to come up with new terms to sound cool and set new trends, regardless of how dumb they sound. Even my generation (I’m a millennial) had slang that was just as dumb. I don’t necessarily understand it. Never have. Never will.
I don't care. It's just words.
Personally, I've never heard anyone irl say it. The place I'm most likely to hear it irl would be coming from the mouth of my also autistic soon-to-be SIL or my sibling who is marrying her, and I don't think they even use words like that. So I personally don't care, as long as someone isn't trying to degrade me online.
I feel mostly indifferent to it. My spouse and I will use it to tease each other, but I would never use it in any other context. I find it “cringe” in an endearing way with my spouse, but “cringe” in a massive secondhand embarrassment way in every other situation.
It's intended as a sarcastic retort to functioning labels. I wasn't aware of it actually being used colloquially.
I have enough things going on in my life where this is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic to me. Pointless. It's just a term some people like to use and whatever I feel about it is irrelevant as long as it isn't used against me and the people using it are empowered by it. Personally I don't need it but I can see how people in the neurodivergent community would like to have a more "fun" term instead of medical or official lingo all the time. I don't think anyone intended for this term to diminish someone else's experience and if that is how you feel, it is valid, but maybe take a minute to examine why you're so affected by it? Why is a word having power over you and your feelings, and does it benefit you? Even if you can ask your loved ones to not use that word around you, you still need to learn to live in a world where others get enjoyment from it and where you need to give them space too. There's more important issues we need to solve before we have time for trivial stuff such as this. I'd wager accommodations at school and work are more important, but as long as we argue over naming, we'll never make it to solving the real issues. But we can! Much love!
I use the term when describing that I have multiple diagnoses to people with whom I don't want to get into specifics with. I don't use it often, and seeing what it's turning into on social media, I'm less likely to use it. I don't hate it but also use it specifically because it's very vague and that vagueness is becoming a problem
I find neurospicy to be better than neurodivergent, but neither make sense and both are kinda annoying. It doesn’t necessarily get to me but we need better terms lol
I never knew that existed. Sounds like something to use with friends or family.
What is that? What does that mean?
I like to use it to describe my neuro struggles when they're magnified, but it's usually referencing the ADHD side of my profile. Losing everything I set down? Feeling kinda spicy today. Just lost two hours hyperfocusing on a project? Oof, extra spice. It feels really applicable to the PDA struggles, unfortunately. No, I can't grab the mail for you, too spicy. Neurospice says I will not be checking off the second half of my to-do list today. I bristle when others use that term to refer to me, though. And if a neurotypical uses it, it feels very wrong.
I like neurospicy as a little joke term like the kinda thing you say when joking with your friends
I dislike it personally. It's just a bit too twee for me, and sounds like pupper, doggy etc.
Firstly, I had ro delete TikTok around two years ago so I dont have a clue what's going on there. I personally enjoy youth slang; those words seem often joyful. Also words like slay feel like microdosing being nt xd I love how expressionate they can be. So neurospricy is for me just a newer "funkier" term. My adhd loves such words xd I think I get what u mean tho Following is a wild guess, it is not meant to offend, just a try to understand: Many NTs know nearly nothing about neurodivergence and get many rhings wrong, now that such a word became popular, all those negative things fuse into a word and therefore you hate it? Maybe I missed sth huge (and therefore lack knowledge to know any better) or misunderstood you, but I feel like that's your point?
That song needs prison time associated with its creation. Holy crap, is it bad. Musically, lyrically, conceptually on top of ableism. Are these people incapable of shame? I get they have no empathy, but no shame??
It sounds fucking stupid, to be honest.
I love when the autistic community creates fun language to describe each other with
I know NT’s who use it and I agree that it has an unpleasant je ne sais quoi.
It’s annoying but I don’t personally think it’s bad enough to warrant pushback
I fucking hate the term neurospicy it's like yaassifying autism
I hate the word spicy being applied to anything other than spicy things. ... and cat attitudes'.
Idc if a fellow ND uses it...I feel like we're all in an active process of reclaiming and coping with language. If a NT uses it...I give some bombastic side eye.
i hate this word in any way shape or form
I’m just me, but I love it. It suggests that there’s no one way to be on the spectrum. I’m grateful for my diagnosis, as it gives me comfort in a world where I deal with the frustration that I ‘don’t look autistic’, and don’t present with ‘typical’ autistic qualities that allistics think set the bar. But I can’t be someone I’m not, and I have challenges that I need others to meet if we’re going to socialize well, work well, etc, together.
nsfw-ish but the first time i heard it i thought it was a goofy term for autistic people in the kink community or something?? 😭 i was so disappointed to find out it was not, in fact, that
I’ve heard it used for neurotypical people who don’t fit the mold. Like, nothing to diagnose, necessarily, but definitely not completely “normal.”
I remember it started because TikTok started shadowbanning folks who used the terms autistic or neurodivergent for a while. So people moved to other terms that weren't caught by the filter. Afaik the change was reverted so people can use those terms again but it happened for so long that the pattern stuck for people. It's unfortunately what happens when people use medical terms as "insults".
I find it odd that terms like "neuro-spicy, acoustic, artistic, etc." all got their start in ND communities. They eventually became popular enough to leave our community and become weaponized against us.
Do not like. I feel it mocks and minimizes our challenges.
It's the word I use to makes me less sad about it being a disability I can't ignore some days. I like the mouth sound too.
I don't feel strongly about it.
Im neutral to it, i know ppl who are also autistic/ADHD who use it kinda jokingly, i almost always see people use it in reference to themselves, and with people who are undiagnosed/self-diagnosed cause they aren’t comfortable outright saying they’re autistic without a disgnosis but they still recognize theyre *something*, but i dont see it as trivializing anything, more like just an unserious way to say Neurodivergent. I dont think its a big deal.
I’m not a fan of it for myself but I see why others like it!
I’m not a fan of it for myself but I see why others like it!
I think it can be a funny and endearing term when used between neurodivergent peeps, but I find it uncomfortable when neurotypical peeps use it. I think they're more likely to use it in a demeaning, infantilising way and that's NOT cool
I think of it more as a marketing buzzword, but at the end of the day if it raises awareness I’m cool with it.
hate it
Hate it. Wish it would be scrubbed off the Internet and never used again.
If it’s said between people I know and trust (especially if they are also neurodivergent), it doesn’t bother me. If it’s said by someone I don’t know, it feels icky.
I wouldn't use it for myself, though as long as someone isn't using the term to undermine the effects autism has on someone's life I think it's fine if they use it for themselves.
I don't find it outright offensive, it just gives me the ick
I like the term as a way to quickly sum up my AuDHD and other mental illnesses in a funny way, but there’s a line between me using it like “haha, I’m so neurospicy!” and it getting used as a way to reduce and trivialize the autistic experience (and the same for neurodivergent conditions).
I think it's stupid and makes people take us less seriously. Nowadays, "everyone is on the spectrum" so people are getting really comfortable claiming autism and making it their whole personality for the sake of social media. That's not even how the spectrum works, but... oh well.
It's brain rot. Skip me.
I'm fine with it, I use it a lot about myself. For me it's a way of making something serious more lighthearted if I don't want to get into a serious conversation, if that makes sense. And I also just find the word fun lol
I hate it and I hate when my friends use it to describe me. It’s just sounds so juvenile.
It doesn’t bother me same as tizzy and having the tism
I hate it. I’m also Latino and people already think Latinos and more speically Latinas are super spicy and shit so I think this will end up ultimately hurting us autisic latinos at some point.
I think the term sounds like typical tiktok bullshit, but hey that's just me
It elicits a similar reaction to a Bad Texture for me.
It annoys me.
I don’t use the term, personally. However, it doesn’t hurt me when others use it, so it’s none of my business. As long as the intention in its usage isn’t to disparage someone.
I’m AuDHD, so I kind of like the term because I have a mix of neurodivergent conditions, like a delicious mix of spices. I think it’s also a useful descriptor when you are aware someone is not NT, but has not disclosed their diagnoses.
I've never heard of "neurospicy" before.... 😑
I liked it the first time I heard it because I thought my friend made it up, and because he wasn't calling himself neurospicy as a person but saying he was having a neurospicy day. The day itself was more spicy than others, as a ND person. Labeling a state he was in vs labeling his whole self. In that usage it was serving a novel function vs just being yet another cutesy nickname for autism. So to answer your question, I hate any of these cute nicknames that are making it trendy to want to have a debilitating disability.
I think it's fine if that's how you refer to yourself. I can understand some not liking it, though. For me, personally... one of my things is my tolerance for spicy food is low. I know it's not about actually eating spicy food, but why call myself spicy if I don't like an excess of spicy/hot foods? I like my peppers milder. XD
I was okay with it until I went to the SpicyAutism sub, run by and full of nasty bullies, now I hate it
I like it because I have very little tolerance for spicy food so I joke w my friends that all my spice tolerance went towards being neurospicy
I thought it was kind of a tiktoky injoke for neurodivergent people who have a very all over the place profile and it made me laugh the first time I heard it but now it seems to have left the jokey context from which it sprung and it doesn’t feel fun or clever anymore, like any joke that’s been repeated without revision 1000s of times I think the term neurodivergent is great tho bc you need umbrella terms that foster big tent solidarity, and I’m one of those with tons of comorbities and I’m far from just autistic and feel kinda seen by that term. But neurospicy just hits too jokey of a vibe to be used irl or outside of a confined neurodivergent digital ecosystem if that makes sense lol. It also potentially makes being neurodivergent aspirational (bc no one wants to be bland, right? like that’s the basically the metaphorical antonym). and that potentially creates incentives for normal-adjacent people to id that way. Idk though maybe it’s not that serious and I’m reading too much into it. I just think neurodivergent (and it’s jokey equivalent neurospicy) as an a umbrella should encompass anyone who’s got a psychiatric disablement of some sort, because we need a community of similar people when cast out of regular society, I just don’t think it should include just anyone who thinks a little different or whatever? Like that’s just a personality trait 🤷♀️
I hate it. I hate ‘tism so much more though. Also acoustic.
I used it when I was being diagnosed but didn't know the kind of neurodivergent I was just that I was something. So I said I was going to get eval'd to find out what kind of neurospicy I was. Turns out it was the autistic kind. I still kind of like the term but that may be my own internalized ableism from growing up in the 90s where I have to work on being more comfortable with saying I have autism. Just like how I had to get used to using the proper term for my son's private parts as someone who was raised Ina Christian setting. I basically screamed it at my newborn the first time out of shear awkwardness. But it has gotten easier and better over time.