Featured

What Is Self-Care (Really)? A Neuroaffirming Perspective by Barb Cook

January 14, 2026 Spectrum Women

From the Spectrum Women community Self-care is often presented as universal, but for autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD people, it rarely reflects real bodies, real energy, or real nervous systems. In this piece, Barb Cook offers a neuroaffirming perspective on self-care that moves beyond productivity, pressure, and “doing more,” and instead centres lived experience, regulation, and sustainability. Read the article on Barb Cook’s website HERE.

ADHD

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) – Understanding Intense Emotions

September 3, 2024 Spectrum Women

Imagine feeling an intense wave of emotion wash over you at the slightest hint of criticism or rejection. For many, this experience is all too familiar and can be overwhelming. Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is a condition that goes beyond typical feelings of disappointment; it can lead to profound emotional turmoil. Understanding RSD is crucial for those who navigate life with heightened sensitivity to rejection, especially within the context of ADHD. As we delve deeper into this topic, we’ll explore what RSD truly entails, its signs and symptoms, examine its causes, and discover how it intertwines with emotional dysregulation. Whether […]

Education

How Self Care, Interoception & Co-Regulation has Increased Peace in Our Family Life by Christina Keeble

January 6, 2021 Spectrum Women

Why is interoception & co-regulation important to being able to self-regulate? I get asked this quite often when I introduce families and professionals to these concepts. For more than a decade I’d worked with children and families and used programs such as the Zones of Regulation, sensory profiles, and sensory diets while working on increasing the child’s ability to self-regulate. It wasn’t until I had my own children that I learned and understood the importance of interoception and co-regulation. It was just never introduced in the trainings or literature I read. Interoception is our 8th sense and is our awareness […]