Author: Helen Neale
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Interest-Based Nervous Systems: Why your neurodivergent brain won’t “just do it”
A compassionate guide to the interest-based nervous system, ADHD, autism, special interests, task initiation, and why struggling to start is not laziness.
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5 Gentle Tips to Support Unmasking
Learn what masking is, why neurodivergent people do it, and 5 gentle tips to support unmasking safely at your own pace.
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Moving Beyond Neurodiversity Lite
Why moving beyond neurodiversity lite matters for therapists, counsellors and psychologists working with neurodivergent clients.
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Hope in Advocacy: Embracing Diverse Paths to Change
Advocacy is a deeply personal journey, especially for those of us in the neurodivergent community. It’s a path often paved with anger, frustration, and the weight of systemic injustice. But it’s also a path that can be illuminated by hope. Different kind of hope: the hope for change, the hope that we will finally be…
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Navigating Sensory Overload: Real Tools for Real Neurodivergent Lives
Welcome to the latest discussion from the Neurodivergent Nook podcast. Today we are exploring sensory needs, sensory differences, and the overwhelm that often follows. We process the world around us constantly. However, for neurodivergent individuals, this bottom-up processing means every single input arrives all at once. We cannot simply filter out what we do not…
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Navigating Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria: Tips for Understanding Your RSD
Welcome to the very first deep dive on our podcast from the Neurodivergent Nook. If you are neurodivergent, you might be intimately familiar with a sudden, overwhelming wave of emotional and physical pain following a minor criticism or perceived slight. That intense reaction has a name: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). We are discussing it here,…
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Beyond the Stereotypes: Practical Steps for Clinicians Supporting ADHDers Without Bias
We all want to provide the best possible support for our neurodivergent clients. Yet, systemic biases and outdated stereotypes still quietly influence how we recognise, diagnose, and treat ADHD. As therapists and clinicians, we have a duty to challenge these assumptions and meet each person exactly where they are. Here is how we might be…
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Mindfulness for Neurodivergent People: A Practical Guide
Struggle with mindfulness as a neurodivergent person? Discover sensory-friendly tips and practical ways to find calm on your own terms.
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Processing Uta Frith’s Commentary: Why We Need to Move Forward Together
I’ve been processing Uta Frith’s recent commentary over the last few days, and I’ve finally felt ready to write about it here. It’s been a lot to take in, and I’ll be expanding on this on my website soon too. Personally, I’m one of the late-diagnosed women she talks about. Professionally, I work with children…
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“Aren’t We All a Little Autistic?” Exploring Nuance and Connection
It’s a comment that pops up in conversation more often than you might think. Perhaps you’ve heard it, or maybe you’ve even wondered it yourself: “Aren’t we all on the autism spectrum?” or “Aren’t we all a little bit autistic?” For many in our community, hearing this can feel incredibly invalidating. It’s something that often…