Aug 3
I have been searching high and low for the perfect specialist to come on the podcast and talk about autism and ADHD, and I think I finally achieved that with this episode’s guest, Dr. Megan Anna Neff.
Dr. Neff is not only a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with neurodivergent adults, but she herself is an autistic ADHDer, giving her an essential understanding of the internal experience. She was officially diagnosed at 37, and since then her work has grown to focus on educating the mental health field on non-stereotypical presentations of autism and ADHD.
During our conversation Dr. Neff shares her expert insights into AuDHD, the overlaps and differences between the two, the challenges and gifts of having both, what alexithymia is and ways it affects emotional regulation, how to talk about autism using neurodivergent-affirming language, and much more.
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"It's often through our children's stories that we begin to truly understand ourselves."
- Dr. Megan Anna Neff
"I'm really thankful for the ADHD, it creates more flexibility in me. It gets me out of my rut, it kind of opens me up to new experiences. And I love the infusion of creativity and spark that comes from my ADHD, and then I love the stability and the persistence and frankly the hyperfixation that comes with the autism."
- Dr. Megan Anna Neff
"My special interest gives me an object to orbit around, and so owning my business is the perfect thing as an autistic ADHDer because I've got my main object to orient around, then I've got all these side projects."
- Dr. Megan Anna Neff
- Dr. Megan discovered her neurodivergence through her children's diagnoses, but later realized she had ADHD first and then autism.
- Dr. Megan became an A student in college after finding a study method that worked for her ADHD brain, and went on to attend an Ivy League master's program.
- Dr. Megan found academic settings to be well-suited for her autistic traits, allowing for deep conversations and intellectual exploration.
[20:10 - 35:59] Neurodiversity, ADHD, and autism
- Megan shares her experiences as an autistic ADHD podcast host, discussing her inner critic and embracing her imperfections.
- Dr. Megan distinguishes between ADHD and autism in women, highlighting differences in social struggles and sensory sensitivities.
- Dr. Megan discusses the complexities of autism and ADHD, acknowledging that everyone has autistic traits to some degree, and that language around these conditions is evolving.
- Dr. Megan is skeptical of the idea that ADHD is a milder form of autism, citing clinical observations and research suggesting distinct genetic and neurobiological mechanisms.
- Dr. Megan shares her perspective on the overlap between ADHD and autism, mentioning her own experiences with creativity, visual thinking, and questioning social norms.
- Dr. Megan notes that inattentive ADHD is more common with autism, and slower processing speed is a common trait among autistic individuals.
www.neurodivergentinsights.com
Instagram: @neurodivergent_insights
1) My book is now available for pre-order: Self-Care for Autistic People
2) My podcast is now live, which can be found here: https://www.divergentpod.com/
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