autism

Identity-First Language — ASAN's foundational piece on why the autistic community prefers identity-first language.

Is This Autism? — Donna Henderson, Sarah Wayland, and Jamell White. A neurodiversity-affirmative deep dive into how autism actually presents, especially in people who've been missed or misdiagnosed. This one heavily informs my clinical work. There is a client facing version as well!

Unmasking Autism — Devon Price. Written for late-identified autistic people who have spent years masking. Directly addresses the gap between external presentation and internal experience.

But You Don't Look Autistic at All — Bianca Toeps. Accessible, affirming, and particularly relevant for autistic people whose presentations have been consistently overlooked.

What I Mean When I Say I'm Autistic — Annie Kotowicz. If you're autistic and want to be validated, or if you love someone who is autistic and want to learn more, this is a great choice.

Sincerely, Your Autistic Child — Emily Paige Ballou et al. Written by autistic people for parents and families — centers the autistic experience.

We're All Neurodiverse — Sonny Jane Wise. Important to be reading people with lived experience. Sonny also has a cool DBT resource below.

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy — Steph Jones. Practical guidance for making therapy actually work for autistic adults.

The Journal of Best Practices — David Finch. Memoir on navigating relationships as a late-identified autistic adult.

Neuroqueer Heresies — Nick Walker. An OG in the field of neurodiversity, exploring the intersection of neurodivergence and queerness. Not everyone’s cup of tea but very informative and accessible (short essays).

NeuroClastic — a nonprofit run by autistic people, creating free resources and content about the autistic experience. One of the best places to hear directly from the community.

Autastic — resources and community specifically centering adult-identified autistic BIPOC. Founded by Diane J. Wright, Autastic is one of the only spaces dedicated to autistic people of color. Black-owned, woman-owned, neuroqueer-owned. If you're autistic and BIPOC, this community was built for you.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network (autisticadvocacy.org) — resources by and for autistic people. Neurodiversity-affirming throughout.

Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network — community and resources for autistic women and nonbinary folks.

Neurodivergent Insights — created by clinical psychologist Dr. Neff who has lived experience (AuDHD) — a treasure chest of resources for clients and clinicians alike.

Reframing Autism — great resources on the double empathy problem and understanding social communication differences as bidirectional rather than as a deficit.

Reframing DSM Autism Criteria — this model heavily informs my work.

Avoiding Autistic Burnout — Tasha Oswald / Autism Level Up. Practical framework for understanding and addressing burnout.

Unstoppable Studio — awesome resource with tons of rabbit holes to go down. Caution: it can be a bit overwhelming.

ADHD

ADHD Evidence — a research-based resource for understanding ADHD through current evidence. Useful for cutting through misinformation and getting grounded in what the science actually says. Note: as with most research databases, the language used will be clinical and medical-model-based — read through a neuroaffirming lens.

ADHD 2.0 — Edward Hallowell and John Ratey. Really good information, though some of the content is not fully neurodiversity-affirming.

Dirty Laundry — Richard Pink and Roxanne Emery. This couple is also on social media and their content is great for mixed neurotype relationship.

A Radical Guide for Women With ADHD — Sari Solden and Michelle Frank. Strength-based and feminist approach to how ADHD presents in women — plus, you know I like anything with the word "radical" in it!

Laziness Does Not Exist — Devon Price. Challenges productivity culture and reframes "laziness" as a signal, not a character flaw. Deeply relevant for ADHDers who has spent their life being told to try harder.

Smart but Scattered — Peg Dawson and Richard Guare. Good executive functioning strategies written for parents of kids and teens but useful for adults too.

How to ADHD — Jessica McCabe's YouTube channel. Accessible, affirming, and practical.

Interest-Based Nervous System — framework for understanding how the ADHD attention system actually works. For autistic folks too

OCD

International OCD Foundation — comprehensive OCD education and provider directory.

The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD — recommended among clinicians for being neurodivergent-affirming.

I-CBT — Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a newer approach to OCD treatment that focuses on how OCD generates doubt and mistrust of the senses, rather than targeting the content of intrusive thoughts directly. It can be an especially good fit for neurodivergent folks whose brains don't always respond well to traditional ERP.

neurodivergence — general

Divergent Mind — Jenara Nerenberg. Popular read on neurodivergence broadly.

Neurotribes — Steve Silberman. A long book, and a bit older than anything else on this list, but still helpful in understanding neurodivergence.

The Autism Relationship Handbook — Joe Biel and Faith G. Harper A practical, affirming guide for autistic people and their partners navigating the relational landscape together — covering communication, connection, and everything in between.

The Autism Partner Handbook — Joe Biel, Faith G. Harper, and Elly Blue Written specifically for the partners of autistic people, this book offers honest, compassionate insight into building relationships that work for everyone involved.

Divergent Conversations: A Neurodivergent Podcast — accessible discussions on navigating life as a neurodivergent adult.

Nerding Out On Neurodiversity (podcast)

Neurodivergent Burnout Resources — research-informed overview of ND burnout, recognition, and recovery. Be sure to scroll down and read the linked blogs too!

The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills — Sonny Jane Wise. DBT skills adapted specifically for neurodivergent brains. Great companion if you're working on skills in or outside of therapy.

Monotropism — framework for understanding autistic attention and focus patterns. while it was originally a theory about the autistic brain, there is research about it relevance for ADHDers too.

Synaptic Brain Pruning and Neurodevelopment — a research article exploring how patterns of synaptic pruning may underlie psychosis, autism, and ADHD. Dense and academic, but fascinating if you want to understand the neurobiology. Remember: this uses clinical/pathology-based language because it's a medical journal. Here is a more accessible blogpost about synaptic pruning from Embrace Autism- another great resource!