Welcome to Neurodivergent Friends™, a community dedicated to supporting and empowering Neurodivergent individuals in our community. Please reach out if you are interested in starting an activity or being a Neurodivergent Friend!
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Neurodivergent Friends Needs Your Support
Our Vision
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a world where neurodivergence is celebrated and embraced, enhancing the lives of neurodivergent individuals.
Our vision is to create a world where neurodivergence is celebrated and embraced, enhancing the lives of neurodivergent individuals.
Our Mission
Our Mission
We strive to promote acceptance, understanding, and equal opportunities and to create or discover psychologically safe spaces for neurodivergent individuals.
Our Value Statement
Our Value Statement
At Neurodivergent Friends™, we recognize that neurodivergence is a natural and valid part of human diversity but we also acknowledge that not all experiences of being neurodivergent are positive. The challenges we face are often not because of who we are but because of how society treats us through misunderstanding, lack of accommodations, and systemic barriers to support.
Too many neurodivergent individuals struggle with frustration, isolation, and a lack of communication support leading to distressing experiences including self-injury and profound emotional pain. For those with high support needs inadequate services, lack of access to necessary accommodations, and societal neglect make thriving difficult. We believe that no one should have to navigate this alone.
We are committed to fostering psychologically safe spaces where neurodivergent individuals are accepted, understood, and supported. Our work is centered on building community, advocating for necessary services, and ensuring that neurodivergent people regardless of their support needs have access to the tools, connections, and respect they deserve.
Here your struggles are seen. Your experiences are valid. Your presence matters.
Here you belong™.
What is Neurodivergence?
What is Neurodivergence?
Neurodivergence refers to natural variations in cognitive and neurological processing that differ from what is considered neurotypical. Neurodivergent individuals experience the world in unique ways, shaping how they think, learn, communicate, and interact with their environment. Some have significant support needs in areas like communication, mobility, or self-care, while others have exceptional abilities in memory, pattern recognition, or creativity. Many experience both, with fluctuating challenges and strengths that are not always visible or easily understood.
For decades, neurodivergent individuals have been pressured to mask, suppress, and conform rather than being accepted as they are. Instead of teaching society to meet us where we are, the focus has been on forcing us to appear more neurotypical, regardless of the harm it causes. This expectation has led to burnout, trauma, and a loss of identity, creativity, and self-expression. Neurodivergence is not a linear scale from "mild" to "severe," and outdated labels like "high-functioning" fail to capture the complex and individualized nature of neurodivergent experiences.
There is also a widespread misconception that if someone is gifted in one area, they must be independent in all areas. Likewise, those who need support with activities of daily living (ADLs), like dressing or hygiene, are often assumed to need the same level of assistance with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), such as financial management or planning. These assumptions erase the reality of spiky skill sets and diverse support needs, leaving many neurodivergent people misunderstood and underserved.
At Neurodivergent Friends™, we reject the expectation that neurodivergent individuals must adapt to neurotypical norms at the expense of their well-being. Instead of requiring us to fit into a world that was not designed for us, we build spaces that embrace us as we are. We prioritize symbols that reflect growth, intersectionality, and neurodivergent identity, using the rainbow butterfly for ADHD, the rainbow infinity symbol for Autism, and their combination for AuDHD. These symbols recognize both the challenges and strengths that come with being neurodivergent, as well as the dynamic and sometimes conflicting nature of our experiences.
Neurodivergence is not always tied to a diagnosis, nor should it have to be. Many recognize through lived experience that they process the world differently. At Neurodivergent Friends™, a diagnosis is not required. Here, you belong™.
Example Diagnosis
Example Diagnosis
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Alexander Disease
Angelman Syndrome
Asperger Syndrome (now typically included under ASD)
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Bipolar Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Cerebral Palsy (when affecting cognitive functioning)
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
Conduct Disorder
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
Epilepsy (especially when accompanied by cognitive and behavioral changes)
Executive Function Disorder
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Fragile X Syndrome
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Hyperlexia
Hypersensitivity or Hyposensitivity Disorders
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)
Kanner’s Syndrome (classic autism)
Klinefelter Syndrome
Learning Disabilities (LD)
Major Depressive Disorder (chronic or treatment-resistant)
Mood Disorders (affecting cognitive abilities)
Neurofibromatosis
Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Prader-Willi Syndrome
Rett Syndrome
Savants
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizophrenia
Selective Mutism
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
Sleep-Wake Disorders
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder
Speech and Language Disorders
Synesthesia
Tourette Syndrome
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Turner Syndrome
Williams Syndrome
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