The Neurodivergent Woman

Latest Episodes:

What does an Autistic, ADHD’er brain look like? Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to Season 3 of the pod! In this episode Michelle and Monique discuss the overlap and the differences between Autism and ADHD. We cover the differences in presentation of the two, and what it looks like to have both an Autistic and ADHD brain, across executive functioning, special interest, social processing, and sensory processing domains. We also explore the diagnostic criteria for both Autism and ADHD; what is being measured through these criteria and what are other possible explanations for Autistic and ADHD traits.

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Neurodivergence and disordered eating with Annie Crowe May 02, 2022

Show notes

Content warning: This episode discusses disordered eating, weight loss, and diet culture, and Annie describes her experiences during periods of an active eating disorder. Some listeners may find this content triggering, particularly those currently experiencing an active eating disorder, and those in recovery from an eating disorder. Please consume with caution, and reach out to your local crisis line if you need to talk to a professional.

In our final episode for Season 2 we chat with Annie Crowe about neurodivergence, late diagnosis, chronic health issues, and disordered eating. Annie is an Autistic lawyer with ADHD, dyslexia and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Annie shares her journey to diagnosis and her experience of disordered eating throughout her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. We chat about the overlap between neurodivergence and eating disorders, including common eating disorders that co-occur with Autism and ADHD, and untangling eating issues that are part of neurodivergence versus part of an eating disorder. We discuss barriers to effective treatment of health and eating issues for neurodivergent individuals and what can be done differently to improve treatment and recovery.

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Interoception and alexithymia Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

This week we chat about interoception and alexithymia. We unpack what these concepts mean, and the difference between the two, including understanding our embodied experiences and emotional awareness. We describe some activities to build interoceptive awareness.

A handout detailing the interoceptive activity described on the podcast will be available on our Patreon this month!

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Representation and intersectionality with Paige Krystal Wilcox Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is Paige Krystal Wilcox. Paige is an award-winning activist and author, and she uses the Intentional Storytelling method to create compelling stories that counter unhealthy or unhelpful bias, tropes, and stereotypes in mainstream media. Paige is a neurodivergent woman who was assigned male at birth, and she does not use the labels trans or transgender.

In this episode we discuss the power of stories as a communication tool and the importance of representation in media. Paige shares with us her method for creating complex and diverse characters. We unpack ‘intersectionality’ and what this has meant for Paige throughout her life, and the personal strengths and challenges that have come from her neurodivergences and life experiences. Finally, Paige shares some of the accommodations she has in the workplace and she extols the benefits of spreadsheets and walking!

Paige’s books:

My Life Most Memoirable

Before We Pulled The Trigger

Paige’s podcasts:

Listen More with Page Krystal Wilcox

Paisal: A True RomCom

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Parenting Neurodivergent Kids Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

This week we discuss some of the strengths and challenges in parenting neurodivergent kids, whilst being neurodivergent yourself. We talk through the heritability of neurodivergence, intergenerational impacts of this, and the importance of knowing yourself to best know and support your child. We address boundary setting, managing conflicting sensory needs, teaching interoception, and managing expectations.

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Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Neurodiversity with Amanda Donnet Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode we interview clinical psychologist, Amanda Donnet. Amanda works at the intersection of infant feeding, mental health, and early parenting, and she works from a Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) framework. She champions finding solutions that honour the needs of both parents and baby, bringing fierce compassion to perinatal mental health.

For those who are new to the term 'perinatal' - this just means 'around birth', so it includes pregnancy and infancy. While this ep is focused on parental mental health in the early years of your baby's life, there is loads of relevance for parents of kids of all ages!

In this episode we discuss common mental health challenges in the perinatal period and the intersection of society, gender, and neurodiversity in the perinatal mental health space. We unpack some common CFT-based frameworks and approaches in this space, and talk though loads of practical strategies, covering maternal rage, managing sensory and executive functioning load, and how to manage both mother and baby’s needs during this time.

This episode is packed with information! This month our Patreon subscribers receive a tip sheet detailing many of the great strategies mentioned in the episode. Check out our Patreon page for this and more exclusive additional content: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod

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Treating Sleep Disorders Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

This week is part 2 of our two-part series on sleep. In this episode we discuss issues around chronic disordered sleep. We chat about the impact of sleep on emotional regulation and the feedback loops between other disorders or health conditions and sleep, including trauma, anxiety, depression, and pain conditions.

Monique takes us through how sleep disorders are actually assessed and treated. She explains the sleep drive and how we can tune into this for the best chance of sleeping, and how sleep consolidation works.

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Synaesthesia and ADHD epidemiology with Dr Holly Erskine Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

This week Monique and Michelle interview neurodivergent woman, epidemiologist, and mental health researcher, Dr Holly Erskine. Holly’s PhD research focussed on the global epidemiology of ADHD and conduct disorder as well as the long-term outcomes associated with these. She now leads an international project looking at mental health in adolescents in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

In this episode we discuss with Holly her experience of synaesthesia and she explains to us just how grapheme-colour synaesthesia works. Holly also describes her research on ADHD epidemiology, including prevalence data, long term outcomes for ADHDers, and the surprising (or maybe not!) connection between ADHD and driving accidents. We discuss disability and disorder terminology versus ‘difference’, and unpack some of the intricacies and inadequacies of language.

To explore more about GBD data visit GBD compare at: https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/

A caveat: Dr Holly Erskine is not associated with the Deloitte report mentioned in the episode.

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Chronic Pain and Autoimmune Conditions Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

In this episode we discuss the overlap between neurodivergence, chronic pain, and autoimmune conditions. We review information on the prevalence of chronic pain and autoimmune conditions in neurodivergent women and discuss what can contribute to these conditions in neurodivergent women. Finally, we go through some strategies on how to manage the ‘boom and bust’ of chronic health conditions.

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Sleep and Neurodivergence Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

This week is part 1 of a two-part sleep series. We discuss sleep cycles, common sleep issues and sleep disorders in neurodivergent people, and what can contribute to or cause sleeping issues. We go through some strategies to support healthy sleep, and what to do if you’re worried about your sleep.

In part 2 of the sleep series, to be released on 21st March, we will dive into clinical sleep disorders and how to treat them.

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