Neurodiversity Affirming Resources

The ADHD Field Guide for Adults by Cate Osborn & Erik Gude

• • A brand-new (2025) USA Today bestseller co-written by Cate Osborn (@Catieosaurus), one of the most trusted ADHD voices online. Warm, no-nonsense, and intentionally designed to be accessible to ND readers — with bite-sized content, honest advice, and none of the shame. Covers diagnosis, comorbidities, hormones, RSD, intimacy, and building systems that actually hold.

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD

• • A compassionate, empowering exploration of autistic identity and what it means to unmask safely. Required reading for late-diagnosed and questioning folks — and for the people who love them.

ADHD 2.0 by Edward Hallowell & John Ratey

• • Updated science and empowering reframes for understanding ADHD as a trait, not a deficit. Practical and accessible without being clinical or cold.

Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg

• • An exploration of sensory processing and neurodivergence written with women and femmes specifically in mind — a welcome lens given how much diagnostic criteria have historically skewed toward male presentation.

Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price, PhD

• • A research-backed dismantling of the myth that struggling to function means you're not trying hard enough. Deeply affirming for folx with executive dysfunction, burnout, or chronic illness.

Neuroclastic — Autistic-Led Research & Perspectives

• • A community of autistic writers and researchers producing high-quality, evidence-informed content on autism from the inside out. One of the best sources for challenging deficit-based narratives with nuanced, lived-experience perspectives.

NeuroQueer — Neurodivergence & Queerness

• • Explores the rich and often overlapping intersections of neurodivergence and queer identity. Particularly relevant for our community — the overlap between autism/ADHD and LGBTQ+ identity is significant and underserved by mainstream resources.

Autism Navigator

• • Research-based tools and courses for understanding autism across the lifespan, developed by leading researchers and designed to be accessible to non-specialists as well as professionals.

Autastic — Autistic-Led Resources

• • Community and resources centering autistic voices and perspectives. A good starting place for newly identified autistic adults looking for affirming community content.

Oh Joy Sex Toy — Autism & Affection

• • Illustrated, accessible, comic-style education on how autism can affect affection and intimacy — part of a broader site with excellent content on consent, communication, diverse bodies, and more.

Dr. Rabia Subhani — Neuropsychological Assessment

• • Our colleague Dr. Rabia is a neuropsychologist offering evaluations for ADHD, autism, and learning differences. Based in Atlanta; online assessments available across many states. A trusted, affirming referral when formal evaluation is needed.

Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)

• • Run by and for autistic people — the gold standard for neurodiversity-affirming advocacy. Excellent resources for adults, families, and professionals. Slogan: 'Nothing About Us Without Us.'

CHADD — Children and Adults with ADHD

• • Long-running ADHD advocacy organization with robust adult resources and local and virtual support groups.

ADDitude Magazine Online

• • A treasure chest of free articles, expert interviews, webinars, and practical tools for ADHD adults and families.

Embrace Autism — Self-Assessment Tools

• • A collection of self-assessment screeners and educational resources for people exploring whether they might be autistic. A good starting point — not a replacement for evaluation, but a helpful first step.

ADHD Experts Podcast (ADDitude Magazine)

• • Free episodes from leading ADHD specialists covering everything from diagnosis to relationships to executive function. High-quality and clinically grounded but genuinely accessible to non-clinicians.

How to ADHD (YouTube)

• • Jessica McCabe's wildly popular YouTube channel making ADHD research and strategies relatable, accessible, and shame-free. Over 1 million subscribers, and worth every one of them.

Focusmate — Virtual Body Doubling

• • Work in parallel with a stranger over video. Many ND folks find body doubling dramatically improves focus. Free sessions available, and the science behind it is solid.

Dubbii — Body Doubling App

• • Another body doubling option, designed specifically as an app for ADHD and neurodivergent users who need an accountability presence to get things done.

Goblin.tools — AI Task Splitter

• • A delightful free tool that breaks overwhelming tasks into tiny, manageable steps. Built with neurodivergent folks in mind — the 'Magic To-Do' feature alone is worth the visit.

Tiimo — Visual Daily Planner for ADHD

• • A visual planner and reminder app created specifically for ADHD and autistic users. Uses color, icons, and timers rather than walls of text. Excellent for time blindness and managing transitions.

Bearable — Symptom & Mood Tracker

• • Track symptoms, mood, energy, medications, and wellbeing in one flexible app. Particularly useful for clients managing chronic illness, neurodivergence, or complex mental health conditions who want to spot patterns and communicate more effectively with providers.

Daylio — Self-Care Micro-Journal

• • A quick, visual mood and activity journal that works especially well for ND folks who find traditional journaling overwhelming. Takes seconds per entry and builds genuinely useful data over time.

HowWeFeel — Emotion Identification App

• • Designed to help people identify and name their emotions — a helpful tool for clients working on emotional awareness, especially those with alexithymia or emotional regulation challenges.

Forest — Focus by Growing Trees

• • A focus app that grows a virtual tree while you stay on task — and kills it if you leave. Simple, gamified, and oddly effective. Particularly popular with ADHD users.

Habitica — Gamified Habits & Tasks

• • Turns your to-do list and habits into an RPG — you build a character, earn rewards, and complete quests by completing real-world tasks. For the right brain, this is extraordinarily motivating.