Loser depicts a child whose physical and mental functioning is different from those around him, which causes him to stand out from the crowd. Although the author does not make it explicit, Donald Zinkoff's difficulties with learning and conforming to his social environment suggest he is neurodivergent.
The term neurodivergent comes from the concept of neurodiversity, which argues that normal variations in the human genome result in diverse neurocognitive conditions and so ought to be respected, not regarded as abnormal or unhealthy. Examples of neurodivergent conditions include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome, and OCD.
A portmanteau of the words neurological and diversity, the term neurodiversity was coined in the 1990s by Judy Singer, a sociologist who is on the autism spectrum. The term was intended to help shift conversations about those with learning differences away from labels of disorder, impairment, and disability. While pathological understandings of atypical brain functioning see such conditions as something inherently debilitating and in need of fixing, the neurodiversity movement argues that there is no such thing as a normal brain. Different people think differently because of the way individual brains are "wired."
The neurodiversity movement promotes the idea that neurodivergent people should have access to support systems that include tailored services, accommodations, and independent living support. Such services allow individuals to live as they are rather than being forced to conform to normality as defined by the neurotypical mainstream. Although unemployment rates are high among neurodivergent people, some advocates promote the idea that diverse cognitive functioning can and ought to be utilized as advantageous in suitable workplaces. However, the concept of neurodiversity is not without controversy. Some critics argue that the concept risks trivializing what they see as debilitating mental disorders.
