Somewhere on most desks, there is a thing that gets squeezed. A pen cap, a paperclip bent out of shape, the corner of a notebook worried soft. Hands go looking for something to do when the rest of you is trying to hold still. That instinct is the whole idea behind stress ball toys. Give … read more
You have read the same sentence four times. Somewhere around the third read, your knee started bouncing, or you rolled the chair back a few inches, or you tucked one foot up under you without deciding to. Your body is trying to do something. The question is whether your chair is helping it or fighting … read more
Picking an autism book in 2026 means walking into a section that has more entries than ever and less clear signal about which ones the autism community actually trusts. Bestseller lists feature authors who have never been autistic. Acceptance-month listicles recycle the same five titles. Reddit threads pick those listicles apart, and round and round … read more
It is 12:40 in the morning, the housemate on the other side of the wall is watching something with explosions in it, and you have counted the same four ceiling shadows for an hour. Somewhere in the second hour, most people start shopping. That is usually where a search for the best white noise machines … read more
It’s no secret to neurodivergent individuals that the traditional education system doesn’t always cater well to all learning styles. Depending on the topic, learners can encounter a heavy emphasis on memorization, recalling facts and figures, and vocabulary training. Traditional methods of studying can sometimes feel like trying to fit a square peg into a round … read more
Have you ever noticed how your productivity skyrockets in the presence of someone else? There’s a growing trend on social media and neurodivergent-themed blogs recommending “body doubling”, a productivity technique involving using a second person (sometimes hired for pay) to be present while you work. For many neurodivergent individuals, including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), … read more
We start with some Life Skills Advocate poetry: In a world that spins so fast and furious, Where tasks pile up, both big and serious, We seek a magic spell, a secret knack, Lo and behold, we find the life hack! Why a life hack, you might inquire? To boost our success, to leap higher … read more
‘What you see, is not always what you get.’ How many examples can you think of in working with your neurodivergent teen or young adult child where this adage rings particularly true? Parents, educators, and neurodivergent individuals have known for some time, particularly for ADHD, that many of the day to day challenges of what … read more
You sit down with a new board game, crack open the rulebook, and somewhere around the third page you have quietly checked out. That is not a character flaw, and it is not a sign these games are not for you. It is usually the single biggest reason board games for executive functioning get recommended … read more
A few weeks ago, I was running at the gym when a television ad for smartphone app for sleep caught my attention. Along with some brightly colored graphics, the ad made a series of claims about green, brown, pink, and white noise. The ad implied that listening to recordings of different color noises can improve … read more