Resources for AuDHD adults

When I first discovered I am autistic and have ADHD many years ago, I struggled to find resources for people like me. People who weren't diagnosed as children for one reason or another, never could understand why you just could't quite fit in. I learned I was autistic shortly after starting college, but I never learned how deeply it affects every aspect of my day to day life until I was nearly 30. Around the time I discovered I was ADHD was just around the time we finally decided you could still have both ADHD and autism. So, I ended up getting told multiple times that it was "rare" for me to have both, so I didn't fully discover my autism until I was nearly 30 and burnt out.

This page is meant as a personal collection of bookmarks. I love collecting and organizing, so this is a good use of my skillz lol. This is a constant work in progress, so it is hard to say what all will be here. Books, small businesses, articles about navigating social situations, ideas for chore/self care motivation. Most of what I have here will be resources aimed at adults. We are probably all well aware that most AuDHD resources are aimed at children and their parents/care takers. We also probably all know that you don't suddenly stop having autism/adhd once you become an adult. I want to include resources that are either aimed at adults or are all ages friendly. Also; just because you are an adult does not mean something "meant for kids" can't work for you. Jessica of How to ADHD has a a fun video talking about it!

A small note before we begin, just because I link a helpful resource does not at all mean I endorce someone's content. I may link a video where I disagree with their other videos. I do try and do a brief scan of accounts that I link to make sure there isn't something that stands out as being particularly harmful (racism, homo/transphobia, overt ableism), but I am not perfect. If you have a concern with someone linked, contact me at sadflowerprince [at] outlook [dot] com

Last updated Feb 29th, 2024

Directory

Books

Navigating Social Life

Destigmatizing

Shops

Chores, Self Care, Schedules, and Motivating Ourselves

Books

Rember that it is very likely your library carries these books,can find you a library that carries these books, or you can use Hoople/Libby to get an ebook/audio book verion. I have read some, but not all of these books. Some of these are suggestions I have received in the past from dear friends. Most of my ADHD books are coming from a friend's Cohost post.

  • Autism
    • Unmasking Autism: Discovering the new faces of Neurodivergency by Devon Price, PhD
    • Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities by Nick Walker
    • Looking after your autistic self:A Personalized self-care approach to managing your sensory and emotional well-being by Niamh Garvery
      • Currently been reading this one on and off and I will try and post a review for it when I am done. I have been using some of the activities in the workbook to compliment some DBT skills I have been learning
  • ADHD
    • You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo
    • ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadea, Ph. D
      • I listened to an audiobook of this one! It is very focused on working adults with children, so a lot of the information didn't super apply to me. However I still found it fun to listen to while at work!
    • Organizing Solutions For People With ADHD by Susan C. Pinsky
    • Driven to Distraction by Edward M Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Ratey, M.D.
    • How to ADHD: An Insider's Guide to Working with your Brain (not against it) by Jessica McAbe
      • You may be familiar with Jessica's Youtune channel under the same name. I have watched her channel on and off throughout the years and it is so nice to finally have the wealth of ADHD knowledge she has shared in one easy to reference book.

Navigating Social Life

Destigmatizing

For those who were diagnosed later in life, there is a lot of unlearning we have to do. Internalized ableism and shame are very common feelings for me when it comes to learning to better take care of and accept myself. As a white person on the lower end of care needs, I also think it is important for normalize autism and ADHD as different neurotypes. Stimming and using assistive devices in public should not be seen as shameful or even dangerous behavior, but unfortunately for many "acting suspicious" in public can be a death sentance. People who can safely work towards destigmatizing autism and ADHD should do so, but if anything here sounds like it would be unsafe for you, please don't feel like you must force yourself to.

  • What is autism regression in adults? Some late diagnosed people may feel a change in their ability to function through day to day life like the used to shortly after diagnosis/realization. This can be intensified by burnout, which is usually what leads to people seeking a diagnosis. I think this video did a good job of explaining why this happens. In my opinon, removing the shame around needing extra help is important here.
  • Internalized autistic meltdowns. This video was a bit tough for me to watch. I think she does a good job at reminding us that meltdowns are a part of autism and it is okay that we have them, and we shoudn't restrain ourselves from having them, while also acknowledging that meltdowns are still scary for both us and those aroudn us.

Shops

I will try my best to keep to smaller owned businesses here. We probably all know you can buy a mass produced squishy toy at Target.

Chores, Self Care, Schedules, and Motivating Ourselves

  • My quest board a blog post by me. This is my version of a sticker reward chart that I use to track my self care
  • Taking care of hygeine when you are disabled (Personal blog post, coming soon)
  • Intuitive eating when you are neurodivergent a WIP blog post by me
  • Journaling when you have ADHD a blog post by me
  • Simple Time Tracker (Google Play link) is a simple app that can be a great time blocking resource for those that need it. Here is a helpful explanation of how this app can be used when you have ADHD
  • Feeding yourself at low capacity as both a blog post and a Youtube video
    • This person's blog/youtube has a lot of great videos about adapting chores to your energy needs. I would link them more, but I feel it is fair to warn that they appear to being doing a sponsorship with a diet company, so there are several videos promoting it.
  • Dana K. White of A Slob Comes Clean. While Dana does not claim to be ADHD herself, I think a lot of ADHD people will relate to her and her story. When I was learning how to "get better" at cleaning and organizing my house, Dana's podcast and books were huge to me. It helped take away a lot of the shame I felt about "failing" to properly take care of my home
  • Speaking of which, How to Keep House while Drowning is also a great book on cleaning. I personally didn't get what I expected out of this book, as in I didn't learn how to clean, but I did learn to begin removing the shame I felt related to cleaning.
  • Learning the 7 kinds of rest was a game changer to me. I always viewed rest as either sleeping/napping, staying in my room all day doing nothing, and maybe meditating or something. I never actually felt refreshed. Scrolling your phone all day happens sometimes, but it is not restful and it may not be what your mind and body needs either. Now when I feel myself dragged down for days on end, I have a better tool to ask myself "What areas of my life need more attention". I was introduced to the 7 conecepts of rest from this video. Their channel is full of other great ADHD resources.

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