01/08/2026
Topic for today: Neurodiversity and . Multiple research studies have found that both people with ADHD and/or Autism experience statistically significantly higher rates of justice sensitivity. In brain terms, the amygdala in neurodivergent brains is found to be hyper-reactive, processing unfairness and hypocrisy as true danger signals. The anterior insula- (your instinct, gut feelings)- and the anterior cingulate cortex (detects errors, rule violations)are more strongly activated in neurodivergent brains AND, science tells us it’s harder to deactivate it once it’s activated. Next, the default mode network processes and links experiences. You link and apply what's happening around you to you. It becomes you. Then, there's the prefrontal cortex, arguably one of the most obvious parts of the brain impacted by ADHD and ASD. It regulates emotions. So pair the above danger signals with the lessened ability to control how you feel, you can feel terrible.
BondĂĽ, R. & Esser, G. (2015), Shafer & Kraneburg, (2015), Greenberg, et al. (2024), Dempsey, et al. (2022).
What this means? People like us- either neurodivergent adults or kids, or people carrying the genetic material responsible for our neurodivergent children (whether we admit or deny our similarities to our children’s reactions to the world), experience real danger signals when things “aren’t right”.
I’ve lived almost 40 years terrifying my family because of my stick-to-my-guns personality. If I knew how to turn it off, I would. My autistic daughter will have complete meltdowns over a disagreement on what she believes to be true. We see it in many forms, like mental rigidity (see yesterday’s post). Her sense of right and wrong guides every minute decisions.
Cue the infomercial voice “If you feel like you’ve been personally victimized by ____”. If you feel personally victimized by any current event that tiptoes a line of right or wrong, it’s backed by biology and neuroscience.
The reason I advocate so hard is because I know it to be right. And I can't not. But advocate for the “wrong” thing? “Wrong” people? “Wrong” idea? It’s dangerous. There exists a society where right and wrong feels gray. Where morality doesn't align with religious or law. What happens when that happens? We can find ourselves in dangerous situations.
If you are a parent to a neurodivergent human, give them grace while they experience seemingly ridiculous hills-to-die-on. And if your neurodivergent loved one is being vocal about morality, it’s ok to be scared for them. The world isn’t meant for binaries- yes and nos, but our brains are wired that way. And according to science, processing it can help deactivate the anterior insula. Keep your people safe. If you don’t allow safe conversations where neurodiverse people can let their feelings out, they will turn to the world to shout (metaphorically). If you want to keep them safe when loud discourse isn’t as safe as we once thought, give them a place to do so safely.
