Neurodiversity
What is it?
Brains with ADHD and ASD (as well as other learning and developmental differences) tend to run into some problems. Sometimes brains that function differently can end up facing challenges around emotions, relationships, and daily tasks. A lot of folks with brains that function differently also experience mental health impacts such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
How does it Impact Relationships?
Some people with ADHD, ASD, and other forms of neurodiversity struggle with communication, sex, and feeling emotionally connected to their partner(s). Partners of neurodiverse folks can feel frustrated, abandoned, or confused by patterns of behavior they don’t understand.
Many neurodiverse folks and their partner(s) report feeling like they have tried everything but just don’t seem to be speaking the same language or really understanding one another. This can lead to hurt feelings, fights that feel like they go nowhere, and patterns of avoidance.
How can Therapy Help?
Exploring some of the science behind neurodiversity and developing new patterns of interactions and communication can help all partners to feel heard, understood, and cherished.
With new strategies can come new, exciting possibilities and meaningful change. Therapy with neurodiverse folks makes use of cutting edge research, creative therapeutic approaches, and a kind, nonpathologizing approach that focuses on strengths. We don’t think brains that are neurodiverse are broken, we think they work and see the world in different ways. Because of this, they need different strategies in order to thrive.
