The Neurodiverging Podcast

Perseverative behavior is simply a repetitive behavior, an action that a person keeps repeating without meaning to. Some examples include saying the same words, moving in the same pattern, or even thinking the same unhelpful thought, long after whatever initially prompted the activity has passed. But what is driving this behavior, and why is it some common in autistic folks? That's what we're discussing today!See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/define-perseveration-in-autism/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millions of neurodiverse women struggle everyday to get support from their healthcare and mental health professionals that actually improves their lives. So many of us are not getting our health needs met, and are falling into more anxiety and depression because of it. What could society do better to help us?Today, I am honored to present interviews with Lauren Melissa @autienelle, Dominica @the_ADHD_dynosaur, and Meg @arfidawareness to discuss their experiences getting help from medical and mental health systems for themselves and their families, what worked and what was a disaster, and what could be done to help neurodiverse people.See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/take-better-care-neurodiverse-women/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Changing schedules can be really difficult for people with executive function troubles. I’m an autistic, and I definitely have trouble if someone changes the schedule on me with no notice. I have an expectation about my day, and have planned around exactly what I expect. When something changes, I don’t feel like I have time to think through the new potentialities.Schedule changes can create a lot of anxiety, even a sense of panic that can lead to a meltdown (which, of course, can throw the schedule off even more, creating a stress spiral of doooooooom).Wouldn’t it be nice if you could learn how to make a family schedule that worked for everyone in your household, with no stress and no panic?Yes, that would be lovely, I hear you say! So today, I’d like to go through the best way I’ve found for making a household schedule that is inclusive of everybody in your house and their needs, whether you’ve got kids, or you’re living with a partner, family, or roommates.See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/how-to-make-a-family-schedule/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an earlier episode, I told my own story of being diagnosed autistic as an adult in my 30s, after my young son was diagnosed. I received many questions about how I didn’t know I was an autistic girl when I was younger, and why no one at home or school realized.Being diagnosed as an adult is actually really common, and many people are diagnosed much later than I was. It can be hard to see autism sometimes, especially with autistic girls, and even more so in the 1990s when I was at school.Today, I'm talking about why I think my autism was overlooked for so long, and what families and schools can look for now to make sure no autistic girls are going without support.See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/being-an-autistic-girl-in-the-1990s/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stereotype of ADHD is a hyperactive, rambunctious little white boy, but the truth is that people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, races, all people, have ADHD at about the same rates. About 5-10% of everybody on this planet has ADHD, or is an ADHD brain. And those rates don’t differ between white, Black, or Hispanic populations.But it is true that ADHD is uncovered and diagnosed differently in white families than it is in Black or Hispanic families. There are a lot of reasons for this, and some of them are very complicated, while some boil down to simple racism. But it’s important to talk about these issues, because the more people are aware that they exist, the more we can work together to create more equity in diagnosis, treatment, and support of people with ADHD brains.See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/adhd-students-of-color-american-schools/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s talk about language! Autism and ADHD are both known as neurodevelopmental “disorders.” But is “disorder” really the best way to refer to autism and ADHD, given the scientific body of research indicating autism and ADHD are examples of natural genetic variation? So how can we talk about autism and ADHD as examples of neurodivergence, but not disorders? See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/neurodiversity-autism-adhd/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special interests are one of the most defining traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD): an intense focus on a specific subject. But ASD special interests are also a secret strength of autistics everywhere. Learn more about how autistics use our special interests to regulate our emotions and expand our worldviews today, on Neurodiverging.See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/episode-106-special-interest-definition-autism/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spoon theory and fork theory are two of the most popular models of disability and energy consumption in the chronic fatigue community. But how do they apply to autism? Find out how helpful these models really are, today, on Neurodiverging.See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/spoons-and-forks-autism-and-fatigue/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have an autistic friend or loved one who repeats everything you say all the time? Or do you know someone with autism spectrum disorder who’s in the habit of talking to themselves? It’s called echolalia! It’s common among young children, and autistics of all ages. Why do we repeat? Find out what’s going on from an autistic adult's point of view.See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/episode-104-what-is-echolalia/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having different communication styles and making it work anyway is part of being in a family. But what if it’s not working? Collaborative problem-solving can be a life-saver for learning how to communicate with autistic adults, how to communicate with an autistic child, or how us autistics can better work with neurotypical folks. Here are 4 real-world tips to help!See Show Notes for this episode here: https://neurodiverging.com/4-tips-for-collaborative-problem-solving/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices