Executive function
The brain's management system — planning, starting, organizing, remembering, and self-control. ADHD is largely a difference in executive function.
ADHD Meaning / Glossary
the language, decodedADHD terms, in plain English.
RSD, executive function, masking, body doubling, AuDHD… ADHD comes with its own vocabulary. Here's what it all actually means — filter by type or search for a word.
Plain-language definitions — based on CDC · NIMH
Last updated June 2026
26 terms
Executive dysfunction
When those management skills don't fire reliably — the gap between knowing what to do and being able to actually do it.
Working memory
The mental sticky-note that holds information while you use it. In ADHD it's often smaller and leakier, so things slip away mid-task.
Dopamine
A brain chemical tied to motivation and reward. ADHD involves differences in how the brain uses it, which shapes interest and drive.
Neurodivergent
An umbrella term for brains that work differently from the typical pattern — including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and others.
Neurotypical
Describes people whose brains develop and work in the way society tends to treat as the default or standard.
Time blindness
Difficulty sensing the passage of time — why deadlines sneak up and "just five minutes" can quietly become an hour.
Hyperfocus
Intense, absorbed focus on something engaging, sometimes for hours — the surprising flip side of distractibility.
Hyperfixation
An all-consuming, often temporary obsession with a topic, hobby, show, or person.
Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
An intense, painful reaction to perceived rejection or criticism. Not an official diagnosis, but widely described in ADHD.
Emotional dysregulation
Big, fast-moving emotions that are hard to dial back down — a core part of the ADHD experience for many people.
Task paralysis
Feeling frozen and unable to start, even on something small or important. Closely tied to overwhelm and initiation difficulty.
Masking
Consciously hiding ADHD traits to appear "normal." It's exhausting — and a big reason so many people go undiagnosed for years.
Stimming
Self-stimulating movements or sounds — tapping, fidgeting, humming — that can help with focus or self-regulation.
Sensory overload
When sights, sounds, or sensations become too much to filter, leading to stress, irritability, or shutdown.
Object impermanence (ADHD sense)
A casual community use of the term: "out of sight, out of mind." Things you can't see can drop entirely off your radar.
Revenge bedtime procrastination
Staying up late to reclaim personal time, even knowing you'll pay for it tomorrow — a pattern many with ADHD recognize.
Body doubling
Doing a task alongside another person — in the room or on a call — to borrow focus and accountability.
Dopamine menu
A pre-made list of healthy, satisfying activities to reach for instead of mindless stimulation.
Scaffolding
External supports — lists, timers, routines — that prop up skills while they're still developing.
Externalizing
Getting tasks and reminders out of your head and into a trusted system, to spare overworked working memory.
DSM-5
The diagnostic manual clinicians use. It defines the official criteria a professional checks against for an ADHD diagnosis.
Co-occurring (comorbidity)
Another condition present alongside ADHD — such as anxiety or depression. Very common. See co-occurring conditions.
AuDHD
An informal term for being both autistic and having ADHD — a common and distinctive overlap. See the AuDHD page.
Stimulant & non-stimulant
The two broad categories of ADHD medication. We keep this general — specifics are a conversation for a qualified prescriber.
Self-medicating
Using substances or behaviors to manage symptoms without professional guidance — common in undiagnosed ADHD, and risky.
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