Glossary

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Dale-Chall Readability Formula(also: Dale-Chall, New Dale-Chall)

A readability formula first published by Edgar Dale and Jeanne Chall in 1948 and revised in 1995. Unlike formulas that rely only on surface counts, Dale-Chall compares every word in a text against a manually curated list of "easy" words familiar to fourth-grade readers; the raw…

Dark Patterns(also: Deceptive Design Patterns, Deceptive Patterns, Manipulative Design)

User interface designs that trick or manipulate users into taking actions they did not intend, such as subscribing to services, sharing personal data, or accepting unfavorable terms. In the context of privacy, dark patterns in cookie notices might include pre-selected consent…

Decimal System(also: Base-10 System, Decimal Number System)

The standard numeral system using ten digits (0-9) where the value of each digit depends on its position, with each position representing a power of ten. Understanding the decimal system requires grasping place value — that the digit 4 represents different quantities in 400, 40,…

Decision Delay(also: Cognitive Delay, Selection Delay)

The time a user spends deciding whether to accept or reject a suggestion from a predictive system, such as a word prediction list on an assistive technology device or keyboard. Decision delay is a cognitive cost that can offset the motor efficiency gains of word prediction:…

Decision Fatigue(also: Choice Overload, Decision Exhaustion)

The deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision-making, or when confronted with too many choices simultaneously. Decision fatigue disproportionately affects people with executive dysfunction, ADHD, and other cognitive disabilities,…

Deficit Narrative(also: Deficit-Based Framing, Deficit Model)

A framing approach that characterizes disability or neurodivergence primarily in terms of what individuals lack, cannot do, or do poorly compared to a non-disabled norm. Deficit narratives are embedded in many clinical assessment tools through language that pathologizes natural…

Deictic Gesture(also: Pointing Gesture)

A deictic gesture is a pointing or indicating motion (typically with a finger, but also with gaze, head, or tool) that directs another person's attention to a specific referent in the shared environment. In face-to-face tutoring, deictic gestures are central to effective…

Demand Avoidance(also: Pathological Demand Avoidance, PDA, Persistent Drive for Autonomy)

An inner resistance to perceived demands — even self-imposed ones — that can lead to inability to start, change, or complete tasks. Demand avoidance is associated with an autism profile sometimes called Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in the UK, and more recently reframed by…

Dementia

A group of progressive neurological conditions that affect memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, language, and judgment. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form. Dementia significantly impacts how people interact with digital technology, often requiring simplified…

Dementia Advocacy(also: Dementia self-advocacy)

Dementia advocacy encompasses efforts by people living with dementia, caregivers, and allies to promote more inclusive, dignified, and rights-based understandings of dementia in public discourse, policy, and service design. Self-advocacy—where individuals with dementia share…

Depression(also: Major Depressive Disorder, Clinical Depression)

A mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities. Depression can significantly impact cognitive function, including concentration, memory, and decision-making, which affects how individuals interact with…

Developmental Learning Disorder(also: DLD, Specific Learning Disorder, Learning Disability)

A group of neurodevelopmental conditions that affect the acquisition and use of specific academic skills such as reading, writing, or mathematics. Developmental Learning Disorders include dyslexia (affecting reading), dysgraphia (affecting writing), and dyscalculia (affecting…

Developmental disability(also: Developmental disorder)

A group of conditions resulting from impairments in physical, learning, language, or behavioural areas that begin during the developmental period, are usually lifelong, and affect day-to-day functioning. Developmental disabilities include intellectual disability, autism spectrum…

Diagnostic Overshadowing

A clinical phenomenon in which the symptoms or behaviours of a person with a disability are incorrectly attributed to their existing disability rather than being recognised as signs of a separate condition. In the context of intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD),…

Digital Biomarker(also: Digital Health Marker, Passive Biomarker)

A quantifiable physiological or behavioral measure collected through digital devices (such as smartphones, wearables, or sensors) that can serve as an indicator of health status, disease progression, or treatment response. In accessibility contexts, digital biomarkers derived…

Digital Intervention(also: Digital Health Intervention, Technology-Based Intervention)

A health or behavioural support programme delivered through digital technology such as apps, games, or web platforms. Digital interventions for accessibility include cognitive training tools for people with ADHD, speech therapy apps, mental health chatbots, and gamified…

Digital Self-Efficacy(also: Technology Self-Efficacy, Computer Self-Efficacy)

An individual's belief in their ability to effectively use digital technologies to accomplish tasks. Digital self-efficacy influences how people approach technology challenges, persist through difficulties, and recover from errors. For people with progressive cognitive…

Digital Stimming(also: Digital self-stimulation)

The deliberate, controlled engagement with digital content — typically apps, videos, or sites commonly labeled as 'distracting' — as a self-regulatory or soothing behavior, analogous to physical stimming (repetitive self-soothing actions recognized in neurodivergent…

Digital Well-Being(also: Digital wellbeing, Digital wellness)

A field of research, design, and consumer technology focused on supporting healthy, intentional relationships between people and their devices. Digital well-being spans screen-time tracking, attention management, notification control, distraction blockers, intentional-use…

Disability Disclosure(also: Self-Disclosure, Disability Identity Disclosure)

The act of revealing one's disability status to others, including employers, educators, peers, or service providers. Disability disclosure is a complex, strategic decision influenced by stigma, fear of negative perception, institutional culture, and the nature of the disability…

Disabling by Design(also: Designed Disability, Systemic Disablement)

A critical framework describing how systems, policies, and processes create disability through their design rather than through malicious intent. When a system requires cognitive, physical, or sensory capabilities that it simultaneously undermines or fails to accommodate, it is…

Discrete Trial Training(also: DTT, Discrete Trial Teaching, Discrete Trial Instruction)

A structured teaching method used primarily with autistic children in which skills are broken down into small, distinct components and taught through repeated, controlled trials. Each trial follows a sequence: a clear instruction or stimulus is presented, the learner responds,…

Distractibility(also: Attentional Distractibility, Susceptibility to Distraction)

A cognitive characteristic in which a person has difficulty maintaining focus on a task due to sensitivity to irrelevant stimuli in their environment. Distractibility is a feature of many conditions including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and traumatic brain injury, and can also be…

Distraction Blocker(also: Focus app, Website blocker, Digital self-control tool)

A category of digital well-being software designed to restrict access to distracting applications, websites, or notifications so that users can sustain focus on work or study. Distraction blockers range from operating-system features such as Apple Screen Time and Android Focus…

Distraction Control(also: Distraction Filtering, Focus Mode)

Features or tools that help users suppress distracting content on web pages to maintain focus on their primary task. Distraction control ranges from manual tools (like Apple's Distraction Control in Safari, which lets users select elements to hide) to automated systems that use…

Distraction Management(also: Distraction Reduction, Attention Support)

Strategies, tools, and design approaches that help users minimize unwanted interruptions and maintain focus on their intended tasks, particularly in digital environments. For people with ADHD, distraction management is a core accessibility need because the condition affects the…

Distraction Reduction(also: Distraction Removal, Distraction Minimization)

Design strategies and technologies that minimize or eliminate elements that divert attention from primary content or tasks. In video accessibility for ADHD, distraction reduction involves identifying and removing or de-emphasizing visual elements (overlays, busy backgrounds,…

Distributed Accountability

A collaborative support strategy where responsibility for remembering tasks, meeting deadlines, and maintaining organizational systems is shared across a network of people rather than resting solely on the individual. For ADHD students, distributed accountability manifests…

Distributed Cognition(also: DCog)

A theoretical framework developed by Edwin Hutchins that views cognitive processes as distributed across individuals, artifacts, and the environment rather than confined to a single mind. In accessibility contexts, distributed cognition helps explain how people — particularly…

Doom Scrolling(also: Doomscrolling)

The tendency to continuously scroll through social media or news feeds despite the content being distressing or unproductive, often losing significant amounts of time in the process. Doom scrolling is particularly problematic for people with ADHD due to the dopamine-seeking…

Dopamine Hunger(also: Dopamine Seeking, Dopamine Starvation)

A colloquial ADHD-community term describing the drive to seek stimulating activities to compensate for differences in dopamine regulation characteristic of ADHD brains. It manifests as impulsivity, novelty seeking, and patterns such as repeated social-media checking, doom…

Down Syndrome(also: Trisomy 21)

A genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21, resulting in intellectual disability and characteristic physical features. People with Down syndrome typically experience challenges with reading, language development, and working memory, though…

Down Syndrome(also: Trisomy 21)

A genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21, resulting in varying degrees of intellectual and developmental differences. People with Down Syndrome may experience challenges with memory, attention, language processing, and fine motor skills that…

Dyscalculia(also: Math Learning Disability, Number Blindness, Mathematics Disorder)

A specific learning disorder that affects the ability to acquire, understand, and manipulate numerical and mathematical concepts. People with dyscalculia may have difficulty with number sense, memorizing arithmetic facts, performing calculations, and understanding mathematical…

Dysgraphia(also: Disorder of written expression, Specific learning disorder in written expression)

A neurological learning disability that affects written expression, including handwriting legibility, spelling accuracy, and the ability to organize thoughts in writing. Dysgraphia can make text entry and written composition cognitively exhausting, creating significant barriers…

Dyslexia

A specific learning disability that primarily affects reading, writing, and spelling skills. Dyslexia is neurological in origin and is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and decoding abilities. It is not related to…

Dyslexia(also: Reading Disability, Developmental Dyslexia)

A neurologically-based learning disability that primarily affects the acquisition and processing of written language, manifesting as difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, and phonological processing. Dyslexia varies in severity and is estimated to affect 10-17% of the…

Dyslexia Screening(also: Dyslexia Assessment, Reading Disability Screening)

The process of identifying individuals who may be at risk for dyslexia, typically through standardized tests that assess reading fluency, phonological awareness, rapid naming, and other cognitive indicators associated with the condition. Traditional screening requires trained…

Dysregulation(also: Emotional Dysregulation, Sensory Dysregulation)

Dysregulation is a state in which a person's emotional, sensory, or physiological response exceeds what they can manage given the current context - typically manifesting as distress, overwhelm, shutdown, or outburst. It is common in autism, ADHD, noise sensitivity, PTSD, and a…

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