Understanding Neurodivergence

What is neurodiversity?

The term neurodiversity refers to the collective of brain types - neurodivergent and neurotypical. Many types of brains fall under the neurodivergent umbrella.

To be neurodivergent encompasses being Autistic, ADHD, PDA,speech and/or language differences, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tics and/or Tourette's, using assisted communication, C/PTSD, trauma, FASD (Foetal Alcohol Syndrome), acquired brain injuries, rare disease, OCD, epilepsy, intellectual disability, schizophrenia and others. The neurodivergent umbrella is inclusive.

“Neurodivergent isn’t an identity that says our brains function differently.. Neurodivergent is an identity that reflects and names the structures, power dynamics and dominant societal and cultural norms that shape our experiences.”

The Lived Experience Educator - Sonny Jane Wise

The Neurodiversity Smorgasbord

“The Neurodiversity Smorgasbord is an attempt to offer an alternative to diagnostic categories as well as an opportunity to understand neurodiversity outside of the pathology paradigm. It’s about acknowledging these differences and experiences as a part of being human instead of being a mentally ill or disordered human.

Consider the Neurodiversity Smorgasbord as a way to understand our unique profile, or plate, of individual differences beyond the DSM.”

A neuroaffirmative perspective

Neurodiversity describes the natural variation in how human brains develop and experience the world. There is no single right way for a brain to work. Differences in attention, learning, movement, communication, sensory processing and regulation are part of human diversity.

A core component of the Neurodiversity Paradigm is that it is both natural and important to have variations in neurological development and ways of being with humans and we are not all meant to be the same. Differing neurologies include differing developmental trajectories. In most cultures, value has been placed on neuro-normativity and this has infiltrated how we conceptualise and understand neurodivergence and the experience of different neurotypes.

People who are neurodivergent differ from societal, conformist norms in how they experience the world, in their ways of thinking and how their brains work. The neurodivergent umbrella includes Autistic people, AuDHers and ADHDers, dyslexic thinkers, dyspraxic individuals, PDA’ers, people with different language development pathways and many more.

To be neuroaffirmative means you value every brain type equally and view differences not deficits to be fixed, but as valuable variations of human ways of being. By understanding how a child’s nervous system and brain works, we can provide support by changing environments, systems, cultures and practices to meet their needs.

A note on language - it is important to note that preferences in terminology frequently differ between members of the autism community, and that the preferences of the Autistic person with whom you are engaging should always be the first consideration. That said there are a number of widely preferred terms. Overwhelmingly, ‘identity first’ language is preferred by most Autistic people because they see being Autistic as integral to who they are, not as something they ‘have.’ We recommend consulting our Guide to Inclusive Language and Values, a living, evolving document that helps to ensure we are up to date and respectful of the community about whom we speak:

Autism

Sensory & social communication differences

Autistic children often experience differences in how they process sensory information and social communication. Sensory input such as sound, light, movement, or touch can feel more intense, unpredictable, or harder to filter. This can increase nervous system stress across the day, particularly in busy or noisy environments and can contribute to mental and physical fatigue and overwhelm. As with all humans, capacity fluctuates and the cumulative impact of internal and external stimuli will vary depending the degree of nervous system stress experienced.

Social communication differences may include a preference for direct language, difficulty interpreting unspoken rules, or differences in how connection is expressed. Autistic communication is meaningful and valid and to be valued. Some Autistic children may be non, minimally or variably speaking using mouth words. We should always presume competence and understand that there is a vast range of means by which to communicate. Stimming (self stimulating) actions and activities (and thoughts) are the body and mind’s embodied sensory language — rhythmic movement, sound, or touch that supports regulation and expression. It enables flow and interdependent connection between Autistic people, other beings, and the sensory worlds of which we are all part.

Monotropism is increasingly considered to be the underlying principle behind autism and is becoming more widely recognised, especially within autistic and neurodivergent communities. Fergus Murray describes montropism by saying; ‘we are all interested in many things, and our interests help direct our attention. Different interests are salient at different times. In a monotropic mind, fewer interests tend to be aroused at any time, and they attract more of our processing resources, making it harder to deal with things outside of our current attention tunnel‘.

Autistic /ADHD / AuDHD people are more likely to be monotropic. If you are monotropic, your attention may be pulled very strongly towards a specific focus, interest or sensory experience. This may mean things outside that attention tunnel get missed whilst the majority of your attention is directed towards something specific. Monotropic interests are often very intense and can be completely consuming. It may feel like you are deep diving; being hyper-focused may use all (or the majority) of your energy and attention resources affecting your mind and body. Some interests may be fleeting but still very intense.

How Autistic Children are Identified

Identification usually involves gathering a developmental history and understanding how the child experiences sensory input, communication, relationships, and the demands of daily life. The criteria contained in the American Journal of Psychiatry’s reference manual, the DSM-5 are largely considered to focus upon behaviours that an autistic person would exhibit when distressed, whereas a neuroaffirmative assessment focuses upon understanding the child’s profile and support needs rather than measuring deficits or compliance.

At present, there is no publicly funded, standalone autism assessment pathway for children in Ireland and, instead, an application for an Assessment of Need (AON) may be made where a parent or carer, school or other professional, believes that identification may be needed. As part of the AON process, an autism assessment may be performed or recommended. See our Critical Review of the AON system here.

There are a range of providers of private autism assessments and we recommend consulting our Guide to Choosing a Psychologist, for information on how to determine which professional is suitable for your child. The Children’s Clinic, Sandycove, are the original neuroaffirmative autism assessors in Ireland.

Moss, by Dinah Murray

We recommend highly the Neurodiversity Affirmative Child Autism Assessment Handbook by Dr Kavanagh, Dr Day, Davida Hartman, Tara O’Donnell-Killen and Jessica K Doyle, for advice on what to expect from an autism identification process carried out by neuroaffirmative practitioners.

Download the Guide to Autistic Experiences - Information for Friends and Family from adultautism.ie, where you can also find helpful links.

Listen to the Two Sides of the Spectrum Podcast, by Meg Ferrell, Learn Play Thrive.

Our Critical Review of the Assessment of Need system and our Language & Values Guide are both on the advocacy page.

Autistic burnout

Autistic Burnout is a state of exhaustion, when the demands of life exceed the mental or physical energy you have to deal with them.

• As you try to cope with this, your energy depletes, and your body struggles to manage things that you may usually find easy.
• The demands may be too much and you may not have support to cope with the demands, resulting in higher levels of stress.
• Because you do not have the energy to manage the situation, you need time/ space/ tools to recover your energy. But if you are unable to get the opportunity to properly recover, your energy reaches 0, and you are in burnout.

Autistic burnout is an incredibly difficult experience where your brain is in overdrive and you always feel stressed.

Autistic educator Judy Endow describes Autistic Burnout as a “state of physical and mental fatigue, heightened stress, and diminished capacity to manage life skills, sensory input, and social interactions, which comes from years of being severely overtaxed by the strain of trying to live up to demands that are out of sync with our needs. Autistic young people use words such as “exhaustion, feeling stuck, frozen and being entirely overwhelmed” to describe how burnout felt for them.

Autistic Burnout is a debilitating syndrome preceded by an overload of life stressors and the daily challenge of existing in a neurotypical world. Autistic people experience a combination of exhaustion, withdrawal and problems with their concentration and thinking. Burnout seems to be linked to the stress experienced by autistic people in their daily lives.

Signs of burnout:

Key features of Autistic Burnout include changes in:

• Cognition, executive function, memory, speech/communication, ability to cope, ability to do things once could do
• Increased sensitivity to sensory stimulus, to sensory overload, to change to social stimulus
• Increased autistic behaviour (e.g., stimming)
• More frequent meltdowns/shutdowns
• Chronic exhaustion You may find it harder or more overwhelming to do everyday things that you used to find easy (e.g., washing, dressing, sorting and tidying, preparing snacks).
• You may be more forgetful and have difficulty remembering things people have told you, this can be really frustrating!
• It may be harder to make choices, such as choosing what to eat, watch on TV or play with.
• You may find sensory things such as different sounds / sights / smells / tastes / textures around you and the need for different movements either increased or decreased
• You may experience more headaches, tummy aches or other physical symptoms.
• You may feel constantly exhausted, or you may feel a bit like you have too much energy and feel restless and agitated.
• Your sleep and diet may be affected, you may find that you are eating / sleeping more or less than usual.
• You may be more emotional, more anxious, more tearful or angry but not really able to understand why.
• You may struggle to see your friends as much. You may want to stay at home much more and feel unable to go out, including struggling to leave your room.
• You may find that you need to work harder to focus on one thing at a time, you may feel like you want to spend all your time with your deep interests to help you manage, or you may lose interest in everything you once enjoyed as you feel too depressed and tired.

It is important to note that burnout may look similar to depression, but is different (and can occur at the same time).

The following are also signs of Autistic Burnout for children:

• Changes to diet and eating
• Changes to sleep patterns
• Changes to sensory perception
• Emotional changes: may be more tearful /connection-seeking/ angry /frustrated
• Need for more autonomy and control
• Executive functioning difficulties escalated

Recovery from burnout will look different for each individual, however, it is worthwhile to focus on what is regulating for your child’s nervous system and to centre their autonomy and equality.

Watch Viv Dawes and Helen Edgar’s webinar on Autistic Burnout and school trauma here.

Watch Sorcha Rice, OT’s webinar on school burnout here.

The burnout webinars mentioned above are in our webinar library.

Lived experience of Autistic people

“As an Autistic person, I experienced school and social environments as requiring constant effort. Much of my energy went into understanding expectations that were never explicitly explained. I learned to mask early, copying peers and suppressing my natural ways of communicating and regulating in order to fit in. Over time, this led to exhaustion and school burnout rather than increased confidence.

What helped was not being pushed to appear less autistic, but having adults who reduced pressure, made expectations predictable, and accepted my communication and regulation needs without judgement.”

AuDHD PDA’er and Clinical Manager at Neurodiversity Ireland

Going through the process of my daughter’s identification made me realise that the way in which I thought about things or experienced things, was due to my own neurodivergence. My nervous system has lived in a state of constant stress for as long as I can recall, showing up in tummy problems, headaches, teeth grinding, sore muscles and skin picking. Autistic girls are much more likely to be missed, due to comparisons with stereotypes that do not fit and models of assessment based on male-only research. My preference for sameness (perfectionism), repetition (in my head), justice (appearing as rigidity), rejection sensitivity and sensory preferences (attention seeking!) were overlooked. As we strove to understand and support our daughters’ needs, it became obvious that I had never understood my Autistic self. I am PDA and ADHD (as are my daughters) and believe passionately that early identification and support will prevent very many neurodivergent girls from entering the almost inevitable cycles of restricted eating, negative self image and low self esteem, masking to the point of collapse, self injurious and risk-taking behaviours and suicidal ideation.

Further information on supporting Autistic girls:

Ellie Middleton’s book about being Autistic and ADHD, “Unmasked”

The Autistic Girl’s Network website

Slightly older books that may still assist; Helen Clarke, Supporting Spectacular Girls and Carpenter, Happé & Egerton, “Girls and Autism.”

Gina Rippon’s book (please note, language is medicalised), “The Lost Girls of Autism” challenges the male-bias in autism research, listen to her interview over episodes 96 & 97 of the Hidden 20 Podcast.

https://autism.org/gender-differences-in-diagnoses/

CEO, Neurodiversity Ireland

ADHD

Sensory & executive functioning differences

Kavanagh et al, in their Neurodiversity Affirming Assessment Handbook, argue that we should view ADHD as a cognitive difference, rather than the cognitive deficit as currently framed by the DSM-5. We view ADHD as divergent thinking ability and divergent attention, or variable attention. Attention in ADHD is interest based rather than effort based. When something is meaningful or engaging, focus can be deep and sustained. When tasks are externally imposed or lack relevance, initiation and follow through can feel genuinely impossible. Hyperactivity can show up both mentally and physically.

Children who are ADHD will experience much greater instances of negativity from adults, which can result in poor self esteem. Children with ADHD often experience differences in both sensory processing and executive functioning, meaning regulation can fluctuate across the day. Executive functioning differences may affect attention, nervous system regulation, working memory, task initiation and time awareness.

It is important for educators to understand that task focus differences may explain a child’s engagement in a topic, rather than framing them as being bored or not paying attention.

Living with ADHD

Living with ADHD can feel like having a fast, curious brain in a world that expects consistency and linear productivity. There can be shame attached to forgetting, procrastinating, or struggling with organisation, even though these are neurological differences rather than personal failures.

Support that focuses upon regulation, reducing cognitive load, increasing autonomy and working with interest rather than against it makes a significant difference to wellbeing. It is important to recognise and support interest-based motivation and hyper-focus/monotropism and reflect on neuro-normative assumptions about how tasks should be done, when etc and how the environment can interact with neurology to create challenges.

Listen to the ADHD Chatter Podcast for different accounts of ADHD from a lived-experience perspective.

How ADHD is identified

Identification typically involves gathering information from home and school alongside clinical interviews. The questionnaires used for ADHD diagnosis may be considered to be slightly outmoded and male-centric and may risk missing female presentation. Diagnosis can support self understanding and access to accommodations. A neuroaffirmative approach recognises ADHD as a difference in regulation and executive functioning, not a behaviour or motivation problem.

There are currently limited options for ADHD identification in Ireland. CAMHS supports moderate to severe mental health challenges (as opposed to “just ADHD”) and will often refer autistic children onwards to a waiting list for a CDNT. There is no current, standalone public pathway for ADHD identification and very limited availability of private Child Psychiatrists.

How ADHD is supported

Children may be assisted by various forms or combinations of ADHD medication, which may only be prescribed by a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. If you consider that medication may be required, it is important that your child’s identification is carried out by a Child Psychiatrist, in order to avoid the requirement to obtain a second assessment. Psychologists cannot prescribe medicine.

Information about ADHD medication for children (and their families) can be found in short videos by YouthMed which may be useful for explaining to children why it is needed and what it does.

For supporting ADHD in girls, see adhdgirls.co.uk and Dr Sam Hiew’s instagram, ADHD Girls Collective.

You may find this short video explaining ADHD helpful for children.

Lived Experience of ADHD

Accessing ADHD medication for our 3 year old daughter was almost impossible, but life-changing. It gave her the opportunity to slow down, to access her senses and to participate more fully in life. Medicating a child for ADHD is incredibly stressful and involves many trials, errors, changes and stressful situations. The benefits vastly outweigh the preconceived negatives. Melatonin can be invaluable for children who are ADHD, every night or at times when it becomes a necessary support. The issue of ADHD medication is still shrouded in stigma and shame, whereas in our case, we believe it has saved our daughter’s life.

ADHD presents differently in girls and assessments, forms and questionnaires are still based upon male-only research. Girls tend to be given a range of diagnoses before being recognised as ADHD or AuDHD, including General Anxiety Disorder.

Read more about the rise of late identification of ADHD in females here.

CEO Neurodiversity Ireland

Dyslexia

The Delphi definition of dyslexia (2025) describes it as a set of processing difficulties that primarily affect reading and spelling, with challenges varying in severity across individuals. Dyslexia is a difference to be supported and accommodated, not a deficit to be fixed.

It is linked to differences in how the brain processes written language, particularly phonological (sound–symbol) information, and is not related to intelligence, motivation, or vision.

Globally, around 1 in 10 people are estimated to have dyslexia as a learning difference. With the right support, dyslexic children can thrive academically and often excel in areas such as design, science, entrepreneurship, art, and leadership.

Common Signs of Dyslexia in Children

Signs of dyslexia can vary, but parents may notice:

• Difficulty learning letters, sounds, and spelling patterns
• Slow or effortful reading
• Trouble remembering sequences (e.g., numbers, days of the week)
• Avoiding reading or writing tasks
• Confusion with similar letters or words
• Strong verbal skills or creative thinking

Note: Not all children show every sign—early observation and support are key.

Strengths Often Seen in Dyslexic Children

Many dyslexic children have unique strengths, including:

• Creativity and imagination
• Big-picture or systems thinking
• Problem-solving and innovation
• Visual-spatial reasoning
• Oral storytelling and communication
• Resilience and persistence

Recognising these strengths helps children build confidence while receiving the support they need.

Impact in school and learning environments

Dyslexia primarily impacts how written language is processed. Reading, spelling, and written expression may require more effort and time, particularly in environments that prioritise speed and accuracy. These difficulties can mask underlying strengths in comprehension, reasoning, creativity, and verbal expression.

School settings that rely heavily on written output can increase stress and negatively impact confidence if supports are not in place.

Lived experience

Many dyslexic children describe feeling intelligent but misunderstood. They often know what they want to say but struggle to get it onto the page. Repeated experiences of failure or comparison can lead to anxiety around learning, even when curiosity and intelligence are high.

How dyslexia is identified

Identification is usually carried out by an educational psychologist or specialist teacher through formal assessment of literacy and cognitive processing. Diagnosis can support access to accommodations such as assistive technology, reduced written demands, and alternative ways to show learning.

Children can be assessed for dyslexia once they are at least 6 years old and have had around 18 months of formal schooling (late in Senior Infants). Contrary to a common myth, children do not need to be 8 or older to be assessed.

Steps for Parents

• Talk with the school Share your concerns with your child’s teacher or learning support team. They can observe learning patterns and may already have informal screening data.
• Ask about a public assessment (NEPS) The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) can provide assessments through schools. These are free but limited and usually require significant evidence of need.
• Arrange a formal dyslexia assessment A psycho-educational assessment by a qualified educational psychologist or specialist provides a definitive evaluation. Important: Ensure assessors meet recognised qualifications and follow guidance from Dyslexia Ireland and Neurodiversity Ireland.
• Get and use the report The report should include recommendations for the school (teaching strategies, supports, and accommodations). Parents usually:

○ Arrange a meeting with the school principal or learning support team

○ Discuss implementing the recommended strategies

• Note: School supports can be provided on a needs basis, so a formal report is not always required for interventions.
• Support outside school Workshops, tutoring, and reading support services can help children build literacy confidence. All literacy strategies should be Structured Literacy programmes based on the Science of Reading. Learn more: The Literacy School – Structured Literacy Guide

Available Accommodations for Dyslexia

Irish Exemption

In Ireland, Irish (Gaeilge) is compulsory. Children with significant literacy difficulties, including dyslexia, may qualify for an exemption from studying Irish.

● The child has received appropriate learning support

● Literacy difficulties are severe and ongoing

● Standardised test scores remain very low despite support

Important: A formal diagnosis is helpful but not always required. Parents apply through the school principal using the Department of Education form. If granted, the exemption certificate remains valid through primary and secondary school. Parents can appeal if an application is refused.

Learn more: Department of Education – Irish Exemption

Assistive Technology

Children with dyslexia may also benefit from:

• Text-to-speech software
• Audiobooks and digital reading tools
• Word processors and spellcheck software
• Mind-mapping or visual planning tools

Useful Resources

• Dyslexia Ireland
• Dyslexia Hub Ireland
• Made By Dyslexia
• British Dyslexia Association
• Sascha Roos’ book; “At School with Dyslexia,” (2024) - a study guide for dyslexic learners.

Lived Experience of Dyslexia

For me, having severe dyslexia means that reading and writing often take much more effort than people expect. When I look at a page of text or even a menu, depending on the font or spacing, it can start to look like alphabet soup—letters appear muddled or blurred together. Filling in forms, reading emails, or spelling words can take much longer because I feel the need to double-check everything. Even then, spell checkers can miss mistakes, especially when a word is spelled correctly but isn’t the word I meant to use.

Dyslexia also affects everyday situations that people don’t always think about. For example, I often mix up left and right, get times confused, and find it difficult to read signs quickly. Following written instructions or writing something on the spot can take extra time. If I’m asked to read something out loud, it can be stressful because the words don’t always come out the way they appear on the page—it can feel like there’s a disconnect, like weak Wi-Fi between my brain and my mouth! That doesn’t mean I don’t understand the information; it just means my brain processes written language differently.

Because of this, I often rely on assistive technology, such as text-to-speech, focus mode, on-screen rulers, voice typing, or having information explained verbally.

Dyslexia also comes with strengths. I have strong visual-spatial reasoning and can see the bigger picture in many situations. This helps me with problem-solving and understanding how different pieces fit together.

Dr Keith Murphy shared his personal experience of dyslexia on RTE’s Lost for Words documentary. Lack of support for his dyslexia resulted in negative impact upon his self-esteem, mental health and relationships. Dsylexia affects every single part of life - showing up in sleep patterns, movement, moods, hyper-focus; but without identification or support, children are labelled as bold, stupid and disruptive. Keith left school believing that he was stupid and functioned by avoiding the world, never putting himself out there. A serious accident resulted in a change of career for Keith, who went back to education and ultimately became a lecturer in Social Policy for TU Dublin, Tallaght. Keith used typing and voice recording to aid his learning and is a passionate advocate for better recognition and support for dyslexic learners.

Dyspraxia

Motor coordination and learning new tasks

Dyspraxia impacts motor coordination and motor planning. Children may take longer to learn new physical tasks and may need more repetition and explicit teaching. Everyday activities such as handwriting, dressing, using tools, or participating in sports can feel effortful and tiring.

Handwriting difficulties are common and may include poor letter formation, slow writing speed, or discomfort when writing for extended periods. These challenges are neurological and not a reflection of effort or motivation.

Dyspraxia is contained in the DSM-5-TR (2022) as “developmental coordination disorder” and in 2011, the UK group Movement Matters formed and produced a consensus statement describing DCD as affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults, distinct from other motor disorders such as cerebral palsy, across a range of intellectual ability.

Differences associated with dyspraxia may vary and change over time, depending upon environmental demands and life experiences. Differences can arise with regulation, time management, planning and organisation, which may impact education and employment. Strengths of dyspraxia include being tenacious, creative, empathetic, kind, sensitive and often good at drama, singing and creative activities.

How dyspraxia is identified

Identification is typically carried out by an occupational therapist through a full functional assessment. This includes observing motor planning, coordination, daily living skills, and handwriting. Handwriting assessment forms an important part of understanding how dyspraxia impacts school participation.

Occupational therapy focuses on supporting participation, confidence, and adaptive strategies rather than forcing skills to look typical.

Lachambre et al (2021) explain that ADHD frequently co-occurs with dyspraxia (in about 50% of children), as does autism (about 30-50%) and over 79% of Autistic children have movement difficulties consistent with dyspraxia. The Neurodiversity Affirming Child Autism Assessment Handbook (page 153) recommends that although motor challenges are common in Autistic young people, clinicians need to be mindful not to simply attribute them to autism, in the absence of proper clinical assessment by appropriate professionals.

Neurodiversity Ireland considers that the individual’s fluctuating capacity and the impact of hypermobility will very regularly overlap with the features of dyspraxia, therefore a focus upon regulation, through child-led sensory supports such as climbing and swinging will also benefit core strength, hand strength and overall nervous system safety.

Lived Experience of Dyspraxia

Tics and Tourette's

Tics and Tourette’s

Tics are sudden, rapid and repeated body movements or sounds that serve no purpose. They are involuntary meaning your child is not doing them by choice.

The movements (called motor tics) can affect any part of the body although most often affect the head and neck. Common examples of motor tics include rapid blinking, twitches in the neck and nose wrinkling.

The sounds (called vocal tics) commonly involve sniffing, tutting or throat clearing noises.

Tics can be simple. This means they involve just one muscle or making a noise.

Tics can also be complex. Complex tics involve lots of muscles moving together or spoken words, for example jumping on the spot or repeating words.

Some tics can be hard to spot whereas others can be very noticeable to other people.

Although tics vary from person to person, they often share certain traits.g is identified

Tourette’s syndrome is just one of several names doctors use to describe a child's pattern of tics. Although doctors use different labels, they think that tic disorders represent points on a spectrum. They all share the same underlying cause.

Find out more about tics from Dr Seonaid Anderson and NHS.

Lived Experience of Tics and Tourettes

Keelan Tiernan’s Mum, Lorna first realised that her son was showing symptoms when he was just two and a half years old. It started with “head-jerking” after a coughing fit on holidays and progressed after that. Lorna explained how hard it can be to deal with because there isn’t much awareness of the condition in Ireland, and there are no support groups in Ireland either.

She said: “There is not enough awareness about it in Ireland. When he has tics it can be not only emotionally draining but physically exhausting. He used to punch himself in the head when he got overwhelmed.”

Speaking proudly about her son, Keelan’s mum, Lorna, reflected on the challenges that her son has faced and the progress he has made over the past year. “A year ago he was leaving school early, because it was too overwhelming for him.”

Keelan (10) said how he copes when he gets overwhelmed by “slowing down” his breathing, using fidget toys and “singing a song in [his] head”. He says that it also helps when people around him are calm, too.

Contact Tourette’s Support NI & ROI or email tourettesni@gmail.com

Watch the incredibly moving film about the story of Scottish Tourette's campaigner John Davidson over 36 years, from the time his symptoms first appeared as a child, “I Swear” (available on Netflix). The biopic beautifully highlights the impact of unconditional positive regard, safety, and regulation and is a powerful example of how a person may be understood through a behaviourist lens - or a nervous system safety lens.

AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD)

AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD)

AuDHD is a community-created term used by people who are both Autistic and ADHD to describe how these experiences intersect. Despite the high rate of co-occurrence, it wasn’t until relatively recently that an Autistic person could also be identified as ADHD. Prior to the release of the DSM-5 in 2013, the diagnostic criteria did not allow for co-diagnosis of autism and ADHD. They were considered mutually exclusive conditions. AuDHD is a term that helps us to understand the tension between structure, novelty, regulation, impulsivity, hyperfocus and overwhelm that we experience and that can help us have a bit more self-compassion and gentleness with ourselves.

AuDHD is a complex neurotype that cannot be reduced to its individual components of autism and ADHD. It is a unique way of perceiving, thinking, and engaging with the world that comes with both struggles and strengths.

Understanding AuDHD requires a holistic view of a person and how they interact. It means moving beyond the pathology paradigm to appreciate neurodiversity.

Lynsey Mackereth describes AuDHD as a different reality rather than a double diagnosis, with 7 phenomena unique to this neurotype:-

• Fluctuating Attention Patterns: Hyperfocus + Distractibility
• Tension between order and impulse
• Social interaction that oscillates between withdrawal and impulsivity
• Complex sensory and emotional overload
• Varying responses to motivators and stimuli
• Amplified executive dysfunction - when planning meets chaos
• Sleep disruption.

Read more about AuDHD by Embrace Autism here and follow NeurodivergentAlly, Adelle Sushames, on instagram here.

Taking off the Mask - Dr Hannah Belcher

Strong Female Character - Fern Brady

Christine Doyle - What is AuDHD

The Amazing Discovery E-book for children by Adelle Sushames, Neurodivergent Ally.