The word neurodiversity first appeared in publication in 1998, in an article by American journalist Harvey Blume (5) as a portmanteau of these words, neurological diversity.

Judy Singer is widely credited with being the first person to advocate for neurodiversity and use the term "neurodiversity" in her 1998 honours thesis. She is a self-advocate and sociologist who coined the term in her thesis, titled "Odd People In: The Birth of Community Amongst People on the Autism Spectrum. A Personal Exploration of a New Social Movement Based on Neurological Diversity,". 

Judy Singer's work focused on shifting the understanding of autism from a medicalised disability to a new social movement, emphasising the need for inclusion and acceptance of neurological differences. She explored the rise of autistic advocacy and its similarities and differences with other social movements. 

While the concept of neurological diversity existed prior to Singer's work, she is credited with formally introducing and defining it as a distinct social movement. Interestingly, Singer has distanced herself from the expansion of the term neurodiversity outside of her original focus on "high functioning" autism awareness when coining the term, stating: “I was very clear in my thesis that I was only talking about Asperger’s”.

Nevertheless, today the term “neurodiversity” is a widely accepted concept that celebrates the natural diversity of human brains and minds. It emphasises natural variation of the way a brain works rather than defects that need to be treated. Recently, there has been emphasis for neurodiversity-affirming practices to recognise and support neurodivergent people and their parents and guardians.