Neurodiverse Love with Mona Kay How the "Predictive Processing Framework" is Impacting Your Relationship-Sarah Bergenfield
Mar 4, 2025
Sarah Bergenfield, an Autistic therapist and PhD student, shares insights on the predictive processing framework and its profound impact on neurodiverse relationships. She explains how understanding this brain model can enhance social interactions and intimacy. Sarah discusses the challenges of sensory overload and how it affects communication and emotional needs. She emphasizes the importance of routines in managing unpredictability and shares strategies for embracing the strengths of autism in partnerships.
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Brain As A Predictive Machine
- The predictive processing framework (PPF) describes the brain as constantly making predictions and updating models from sensory data.
- Autistic traits arise from differences in how those predictive models form or update, explaining core autism characteristics.
Smaller Window For Uncertainty
- Autistic brains either form overly rigid or overly loose predictive models, making updating difficult.
- This creates a much smaller window of tolerance for uncertainty compared with non-autistic brains.
Why Socializing Feels Overwhelming
- Social spaces generate many prediction errors from multi-sensory stimuli and unpredictable people.
- Autistic brains have more difficulty filtering and prioritizing sensory signals, making socializing exhausting.
