Navigating our experiences requires shared understanding and collective support.
Figuring it out alone is possible, but more difficult. Many of us belong to multiple spaces and intersections, facing a variety of challenges as we search for a place where we truly belong.
Isolation is a recurring theme in my work, and building and maintaining communities is both a privilege and a responsibility for those who can do so. I’ve always valued “self-care,” but sometimes I ask myself whether prioritising caring for ourselves as individuals might unintentionally reinforce the idea that others are unsafe. Many of us have been pushed into isolation by family systems, social structures, bullying, and fear — is there another way?
Let’s talk about community care. Creating spaces for diverse knowledge and experiences can completely shift the narratives we hold about what it means to be neurodivergent. I’ve seen how shared spaces, witnesses, and community engagement can transform lives, and I’m driven to find ways to incorporate community into individual therapy and individuals into the community.
There are many ways to do this – support groups are the most obvious. Therapy can sometimes be one-way, focused solely on supporting you in the moment rather than fostering mutual sharing. While there’s value in that, hearing multiple people’s stories and sharing your own can feel much warmer and more comforting. It’s easy to believe you’re the only one struggling, but knowing others have faced or are facing similar issues can be healing. At times, simply suggesting an idea, a strategy, or sharing an anecdote can demonstrate the good we can offer without even realising it.
There’s great healing in helping others. Connecting with specific groups that resonate with you or that seem to have the most fun can be very validating. You never know where someone might show up in your life, as just who you needed, but stepping into a space where everyone is going to “get it” on some level.
Why Neurodiversity and Community Connections Matter for Adults
For many neurodivergent adults, community becomes more important later in life. Childhood often teaches people how to adapt, mask, or stay quiet to fit in. Those strategies can help people get through school or work, but they can also lead to long-term disconnection.
Neurodiversity and community connections offer something different. They create spaces where people don’t have to justify how their brains work. Shared understanding reduces the emotional labour of explaining yourself and allows relationships to form on safer ground.
This kind of connection doesn’t erase challenges, but it can make them easier to carry.
The Difference Between Support and Belonging
Support is often practical. It looks like advice, tools, or strategies to manage daily life. Belonging is emotional. It’s the sense that you don’t need to perform, mask, or prove yourself to stay connected.
In neurodivergent community spaces, belonging often shows up quietly. Someone waits while you finish your thought. No one rushes you to be concise. Forgetting what you were saying is treated as normal. These moments matter because they reinforce safety rather than correction.
Belonging helps people move from “What’s wrong with me?” to “This makes sense.”
Community Care Alongside Individual Therapy
Individual therapy can be deeply supportive. It offers focus, privacy, and space to explore personal experiences. At the same time, therapy is usually one-directional.
Community care adds something else. In shared spaces, people learn from each other’s lived experiences. One person’s story might give language to something you’ve felt for years but couldn’t name. Another person’s strategy might spark an idea you hadn’t considered.
For many people, therapy and community work best together. One supports insight. The other supports the connection.
How Shared Experience Supports Neurodivergent Wellbeing
When neurodivergent people come together, patterns emerge. Burnout, sensory overload, social fatigue, and overwhelm stop looking like personal failures and start looking like shared responses to similar pressures.
That shift matters. It reduces shame and opens the door to compassion. It also reminds people that they’re not alone in what they’re carrying.
Neurodiversity and community connections create room for mutual care, where people can both receive and offer support over time.
Finding the Right Neurodivergent Community
Not every group will feel right, and that’s okay. Some people prefer structured support groups. Others connect through shared interests, creativity, or advocacy. What matters is how the space feels to you.
Helpful questions to ask yourself:
- Do I feel respected here?
- Can I participate in my own way?
- Is the difference treated as normal rather than something to fix?
The right community allows you to show up without pretending.
Common Questions
Is community necessary if I already have coping strategies?
Coping strategies help manage daily life. Community offers shared understanding and connection. Many people find they meet different needs.
Can group spaces feel overwhelming?
They can. Well-facilitated neurodivergent groups usually allow different levels of participation, pacing, and communication so people can engage safely.
Do I need a formal diagnosis to join a neurodivergent community?
No. Many people relate to neurodivergent experiences without a diagnosis. Community spaces often focus on shared experiences rather than labels.
What does neurodiversity-affirming community support look like in Australia?
It centres respect, autonomy, and lived experience, while recognising systemic barriers rather than individual “failures.”
Closing Reflection
Neurodiversity and community connections remind us that healing doesn’t always happen alone. Sometimes it happens through shared stories, quiet understanding, or simply being in a space where no one expects you to explain yourself.
Community doesn’t solve everything. It can, however, soften isolation and make life feel more sustainable. For many neurodivergent adults, that sense of connection isn’t extra — it’s part of what makes wellbeing possible.
I currently have one group running: Life with ADHD. If you’re interested in joining or learning more, head over to Groups or get in touch.
