Today’s Living on the Spectrum highlights the evolution of autism research, the shared genetics behind neurodivergent traits, and practical ways to support the community through dance and affirming therapy.
At 25, INSAR needs to bring autism scientists together more than ever
Evolution of Neuroinclusive Research
Brian Boyd, president of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), noted the field's shift from clinical models to personalized interventions. The organization now focuses on a global, neuroinclusive community that incorporates the perspectives of neurodivergent individuals into scientific inquiry.
Persistent Structural Barriers
Research faces unstable funding, particularly in the United States. Significant disparities in support and services also remain for underserved communities, limiting the reach of scientific progress.
Future Collaborative Goals
The scientific community must break down professional silos to improve outcomes. Integrating lived experience into the research process ensures that findings translate into meaningful support for the autism community.
The Benefits of Dance for Neurodivergent Minds
Neurological and Motor Improvements
Dance engages sensory, motor, and cognitive neural regions to promote brain efficiency. Movement stimulates the production of dopamine and serotonin, while physical practice improves coordination for those with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).
Cognitive and Executive Support
Movement practices foster neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to form new connections. This process enhances executive functions, including working memory and flexible thinking, which are often areas of difference for individuals with ADHD and autism.
Social Connection through Synchrony
Dance facilitates inter-brain synchrony, where the brain activity of different individuals coordinates during shared movement. This synchronization helps reduce social anxiety and fosters a sense of belonging within a group.
Optimizing CBT for ADHD
Neurodiversity-Affirming Framework
Modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for ADHD prioritizes goal achievement over the reduction of symptoms. Practitioners use non-pathologizing language, describing "traits" rather than "deficits" to avoid identity suppression and masking.
Practical Intervention Tools
Therapy should include environmental modifications and physical tools like timers. Frequent accountability check-ins and adjustable tasks help keep interventions manageable and maintain patient autonomy.
Reducing Shame and Rejection Sensitivity
Addressing the emotional impact of ADHD involves normalizing the condition as a natural difference. This approach helps manage rejection sensitivity—the intense emotional pain triggered by perceived failure—by building skills without inducing shame.
3 Key Insights About Medical Gaslighting
Prevalence of Provider Dismissal
A survey of the neurodivergent community found that 78% of individuals experienced medical gaslighting. This occurs when healthcare professionals dismiss or minimize patient concerns, often due to a lack of current knowledge regarding ADHD research.
Vulnerability and Masking
Women are at high risk for dismissal because they often mask their traits to fit neurotypical standards. Medical providers frequently misinterpret ADHD symptoms as character flaws or assume a patient is "too successful" to have a neurodevelopmental condition.
Strategies for Self-Advocacy
Experts recommend developing a precise emotional vocabulary to describe symptoms accurately. Trusting personal intuition helps patients identify when a provider is not a good fit and find medical partners who remain curious and collaborative.
14 Psychiatric Conditions Share Genetic Roots
Genetic Clusters and Correlations
A study involving 6 million people identified overlapping genetic roots among 14 psychiatric conditions, organized into five clusters. The neurodevelopmental cluster shows a particularly strong genetic correlation between ADHD, autism, and Tourette disorder.
Biological Mechanisms
Researchers identified specific cell types linked to different clusters. Genes active in oligodendrocytes, which maintain neuronal health, correlate with anxiety and depression, while genes in excitatory neurons are associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Significance for Clinical Care
These findings explain why many individuals experience co-occurring conditions, such as having both ADHD and anxiety. Identifying these genetic patterns allows for more tailored clinical treatments and a better understanding of how these conditions overlap.
Podcast Transcript
Aaron: Hello everyone, and welcome to the podcast. I’m Aaron.
Jamie: And I’m Jamie.
Aaron: We’ve been looking through a lot of recent updates in the world of neurodiversity lately—some big genetic studies, some shifts in how therapy is approached, and even some reflections on where the whole field of autism research is going. It feels like there’s a lot of movement happening all at once.
Jamie: It really does. It’s an interesting time because we’re seeing a bridge being built between very high-level science—like genetics and neuroscience—and the actual, lived experience of people navigating these differences every day.
Aaron: I think that’s exactly where I’d like to start. I saw this massive study recently, something like six million people involved, looking at the genetic roots of different conditions. When I see a number that big, I usually assume it’s going to be very abstract, but this one felt quite relevant to the families we talk to.
Jamie: You’re likely thinking of the global study that categorized 14 psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions into clusters. What’s striking is that it confirmed what many parents and individuals have suspected for a long time: conditions like ADHD, Autism, and Tourette syndrome share a very strong genetic correlation. They actually sit in the same "neurodevelopmental" cluster.
Aaron: That explains so much of why we see these things overlapping. It’s rarely just "one thing," is it? But I noticed they also mentioned something about specific brain cells—I think they were called oligodendrocytes?
Jamie: Yes, that’s where the research gets more granular. They found that different clusters of conditions are linked to different types of brain cells. For instance, things like anxiety and depression were linked to those oligodendrocytes, which help maintain nerve health. But the neurodevelopmental cluster is more about how the brain is "wired" and how neurons communicate. It helps us see that while there’s overlap, there are also these distinct biological patterns. It’s not just a single "gene" for something, but a complex web.
Aaron: It’s a bit of a relief to hear that the science is catching up to the reality of co-occurring conditions. Speaking of the science catching up, I was reading about the International Society for Autism Research—INSAR—celebrating 25 years. Their president, Brian Boyd, had some interesting things to say about how far we’ve come.
Jamie: It was a very reflective piece. He talked about moving away from what we call "clinical models"—which often focused on what was "wrong" with a person—toward more personalized support. The biggest shift he highlighted, though, was "neuroinclusion." That’s the idea that research shouldn't just be about neurodivergent people; it should include them in the process.
Aaron: I love that idea, but I wonder how much that’s actually happening on the ground. He mentioned "silos" and funding issues, which sounds like there’s still a lot of friction in the system.
Jamie: There is. Especially in the U.S., research funding can be unstable, and there are still huge gaps in how we support underserved communities. Brian Boyd was quite honest about the fact that if we don't integrate the voices of those with lived experience, the scientific results might not actually lead to meaningful outcomes in someone’s daily life.
Aaron: That gap between research and real life is so visible when you look at how people are treated in medical offices. I was actually quite shocked to see a statistic recently—that 78% of neurodivergent people have experienced "medical gaslighting." That’s a heavy term.
Jamie: It’s a very heavy term, and sadly, it’s a very common experience. It happens when a healthcare provider dismisses or minimizes what a patient is feeling. In the context of ADHD or Autism, a doctor might tell a patient their struggles are just "character flaws" or that they’re "too successful" to have a certain condition.
Aaron: I hear that so often from women especially. They’ve spent their whole lives "masking"—trying to act neurotypical just to get by—and then they finally work up the courage to ask for help, only to be told they’re "fine" because they have a job or a family. It must be incredibly isolating to have your reality questioned like that.
Jamie: It leads to a lot of self-doubt. The experts suggest that to push back against this, people really need to develop what they call a "precise emotional vocabulary"—learning the specific words for their experiences so they can advocate for themselves. But it also places the burden on the patient, which isn't ideal. The goal is to find providers who stay curious rather than jumping to conclusions.
Aaron: It’s like we need a whole new framework for how we talk to each other in a clinical setting. And that actually reminds me of what I was reading about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. Apparently, there’s a move toward making it "neurodiversity-affirming," specifically for ADHD.
Jamie: Right, and this is a big departure from traditional CBT. Historically, therapy might have focused on "fixing" ADHD symptoms so the person acts more like everyone else. A neurodiversity-affirming approach flips that. It prioritizes the person’s own goals rather than just reducing symptoms.
Aaron: So, instead of a therapist saying, "Let’s make you less distracted," they might say, "What do you actually want to get done today, and what tools can we use to help you do it?"
Jamie: Exactly. It uses non-pathologizing language—so, calling things "traits" instead of "symptoms." It also focuses on the environment. Maybe the problem isn't the person’s brain; maybe the problem is that their workspace is a sensory nightmare. It encourages things like using timers or "body doubling" and, most importantly, it addresses the shame that comes from years of masking.
Aaron: That shift from shame to practical support seems so much more sustainable. It’s less about "trying harder" and more about "trying differently." And speaking of doing things differently, I saw some research about dance and movement. It turns out it’s not just a hobby; it’s actually doing something quite specific to the brain.
Jamie: This is a fascinating area of study. Dance actually engages almost every part of the brain—sensory, motor, cognitive, and social. For people with ADHD or Autism, it can help with "inter-brain synchrony." That’s a fancy way of saying it helps our brain activity coordinate with others, which can naturally reduce social anxiety and help people feel like they belong.
Aaron: I also saw it mentioned something about DCD—Developmental Coordination Disorder. I know a lot of kids who struggle with just feeling "clumsy" or out of sync with their own bodies.
Jamie: Precisely. Because dance requires coordination and rhythm, it stimulates neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new connections. It also triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin, which we know are often at different levels in ADHD brains. It’s a way to work on executive function and mood regulation without it feeling like "work."
Aaron: It’s a nice reminder that sometimes the best "interventions" don’t happen in a doctor’s office. They happen in a dance studio or just in the living room with some music on.
Jamie: It really brings the whole conversation full circle—from the complex genetics and the high-level research at INSAR to the way we treat people in clinics, and finally, to how we can find joy and connection through movement.
Aaron: It’s a lot to process, but it feels like the direction is toward more respect for individual differences, which is encouraging. We’ve covered a lot today, and if you’d like to dive deeper into any of these topics, we’ve included summaries of the articles and the original links on our episode page.
Jamie: Thanks for joining us today. It’s always good to look at these issues from a few different angles.
Aaron: We’ll be back next time with more updates. Until then, take care.
Jamie: Goodbye, everyone.