Show Notes
Have you ever been so overwhelmed you know you need self-care… but choosing what to do feels impossible? In this episode, Dr. Megan Anna Neff (Autistic-ADHD clinical psychologist) and Brett from Neurodivergent Insights talk about why autistic self-care is different—especially for late-discovered autistic adults—and how to build support that works in the moment, not just in theory.
We also dig into Dr. Neff’s newest release, Self-Care Activities for Autistic People, a card deck of 100 step-by-step exercises designed to reduce decision fatigue and executive function load—so you can reach for something supportive right now.
You can learn more about the new card deck here: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/self-care-for-autistic-people-card-deck/?srsltid=AfmBOoqYaJIefAKDIK4oo3Og5YaFMNzwX56mX5FIcVcRAOd0R6QXveAJ
n this episode, we cover:
Why self-care can feel impossible when you’re overwhelmed What autistic self-care really means (and why generic advice often fails) How to use a step-by-step approach to reduce decision fatigue Ways to build a small “go-to” stack for burnout, anxiety, and overstimulation Relearning how to trust your body’s signals—on your terms Dr. Megan Anna Neff (she/they) is an Autistic-ADHD clinical psychologist who blends research, clinical insight, and lived experience to make sense of adult neurodivergence. She creates clear, compassionate, neurodivergent-affirming education for autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD adults, and for the clinicians who support them.Each video offers practical tools, grounded explanations, and honest conversations about sensory health, burnout, masking, identity, and everyday neurodivergent life, living with ADHD and Autism. Learn more and sign up for our newsletter at: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/
More from Neurodivergent Insights with Dr. Megan Anna Neff
What actually happens in an adult autism assessment, and is it worth it? In this deep dive, I sit down with Dr. Jess Hogan, a fellow AuDHD psychologist, to demystify adult autism, ADHD, and AuDHD assessments: where to start, what affirming assessment looks like, and the red flags to watch for. This conversation is for late-identified and self-identified Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD adults, and for clinicians who want to assess in a more affirming way.
AuDHD and OCD overlap in ways that make all three hard to see clearly, and most of us don't get language for it until we've been confused by these patterns for years.This video is for AuDHD adults, late-diagnosed Autistic and ADHD people who suspect OCD might be in the mix, and clinicians working at the intersection. We walk through where they overlap, and how to begin teasing apart what is what — including practical questions you can ask yourself in the moment.📩 If you'd like to go deeper, here's the full article on ADHD, autism, and OCD: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/adhd-vs-autism-vs-ocd/In this video, we explore:→ Why OCD often gets missed when ADHD or autism are already in the picture→ How working memory shows up differently in ADHD vs OCD vs AuDHD→ The difference between ADHD compensation and OCD compulsion (and how they can spiral into each other)→ Why autistic people need routines — and how that's different from OCD avoidance→ A predictive-processing explanation of why familiarity matters→ How to tell an autistic ritual from an OCD compulsion (look for the logic)→ What shows up at the three-way intersection — sensory sensitivities, BFRBs, executive function strain→ A starting place for noticing your own patterns with curiosity instead of judgementOCD commonly co-occurs with both autism and ADHD, and clinical observation suggests rates may be higher for AuDHD folks specifically. The overlap with predictive processing, executive functioning, and sensory differences means this work benefits from both neurodivergent-affirming accommodations AND targeted treatment for OCD — not one or the other.
The autism rate in the U.S. has risen from 1 in 150 to 1 in 31 over the past two decades. But the story behind that number is far more nuanced than the headlines suggest. In this conversation, Dr. Megan Anna Neff and Dr. Donna Henderson walk through the history of autism in the DSM, the systemic shifts driving increased recognition, and why "epidemic" framing misses the point. This video is for Autistic adults, late-diagnosed people, clinicians, parents, and anyone who has been asked "why is autism on the rise?" and wanted a deeper, more grounded answer to offer.
Two Autistic burnout authors in conversation for the first time. Dr. Megan Anna Neff sits down with Amelia Nagoski, co-author of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, to talk about what it means to complete the stress cycle when you're Autistic, alexithymic, and your body doesn't always tell you when it's stressed. They cover the science of the stress cycle, why removing the stressor doesn't remove the stress, alexithymia and interoception, sensory-based ways to find safety, Autistic persistence as strength and risk, the link between autism and long COVID, and why collective care (not self-care) is the real path out of burnout.
When autism is identified first, ADHD can hide in plain sight, tucked behind the structure, the routines, and the focused intensity that autistic neurology creates. If you've been told your focus looks "fine" while you're quietly drowning in cognitive noise, half-finished tasks, and a nervous system that won't settle, this video explores what might be going on underneath. This video is for AuDHD adults, late-identified Autistic people exploring whether ADHD is also part of their experience, and clinicians working with neurodivergent clients. If you want to go deeper, I wrote a companion article that maps out all six patterns in detail: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/adhd-hides-autism/ How autistic routines and structure can compensate for and hide ADHD distractibility