Welcome to Mosaic of Minds: The Science Of Neurodiversity

So, you just discovered you’re neurodivergent. You have autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or other developmental and learning disabilities. Now what?

You’ve probably searched the Internet for information and connection. If so, you’ll find a confusing mess.

• There’s jargon, both from those who diagnose and support neurodivergent people and from neurodivergent people ourselves.

• There’s TikTok videos and social media posts that feel relatable, but contain information that may not be evidence-based or accurate.

• There are endless self-proclaimed experts, both neurodivergent and otherwise, holding webinars and often, selling diets or coaching services.

Many people are hungry for information on topics that have barely been researched yet, like menopause and aging. You might be one of them.

Meanwhile, if you’re like most neurodivergent people, you likely have co-occurring conditions. We have high rates of mental illnesses (such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD); immune conditions; chronic pain and fatigue conditions (fibromyalgia); Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; digestive conditions; and more. The world is full of advice on how to treat these conditions. (Most of that is directed toward neurotypical people).

I’m here to cut through the noise.

I can tell you:

What ideas about neurodivergence are supported by scientific evidence? (And which are also consistent with lived experience?).

How strong is the evidence?

What are the limits of current research? For example, what questions aren’t researchers asking?

How to understand and think critically about news stories that cover research on neurodivergent people.

Why me?

I understand how science works because I’ve done it. I was a published cognitive neuroscientist. Then, I consulted with non-profit organizations to ensure their music therapy and higher education programs were evidence-based.

I also know how health care for neurodivergent people works because I’ve provided it. I was trained as a speech/language therapist in a multidisciplinary speech, language, and hearing clinic. I’ve seen how people are diagnosed and treated in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Finally, as a neurodivergent person, I know what it’s like both to diagnose and to be diagnosed, to be health care provider and client.

Why subscribe?

You’ll get a newsletter that updates you each time a new post goes up. You’ll also get an update if I edit a post (sorry about that — blame Substack).

New posts are easy to miss, because we all have busy lives and this blog updates on an irregular schedule. By subscribing, you’ll never miss a new post. You’ll also get full access to the archive, which goes back to 2009.

What you get

You’ll get irregular blog posts containing a smorgasbord of ideas about:

• How does your neurodivergent brain work? How can you live and learn in ways that help it function better?

• Trauma and Mental Health (for example: Autism and trauma are closely related, and we’re still figuring out why).

• Medications

• Getting Support for Difficulties (for example: Why people can experience real-life memory difficulties that don’t show up on memory tests).

• Co-Occurring Conditions and Health Care

…and more.

Along the way, you’ll learn about how researchers find out what’s going on in people’s heads. Small changes in what questions we ask or how we measure something can completely change the meaning of the results we find. You’ll be better able to judge how literally to take that exciting news headline.

Join the conversation

Being part of neurodiverse communities transformed my life, and it could improve yours, too.

Comment on posts to share your thoughts and experiences.

Or, send me a message on Notes, and ask me questions about neurodivergent brains and bodies you’d like to see answered here.

To learn more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.