Differently Brained

Ranting about the Neurodivergent Tax: the EXTRA costs of living

Buckle up benevolent audience and listen to us get a little hot under the collar in this episode. This time we've talking about the "Neurodivergent Tax" and how it affects us and makes us more than a bit cranky at times. This is one of those times.
The Neurodivergent Tax is, to be very brief, the extra cost involved in simply existing as a member of society when you are neurodivergent. Things such as paying for medication and therapy are obvious things, but what about buying obsolete things because you forgot you already had the same thing at home? Or having to pay late fees for things that you rented or borrowed that completely went out of your mind?Jacinta and Lachlan also discuss the ways they personally handle dealing with this tax.Enjoy!Resources mentioned:The National Debt HelplinePh: 1800 007 007

Masking: Hiding, Performing, Surviving

Hello friends, welcome to the Differently Brained Masquerade! We are delighted to have your attention while we ramble on about something very common amongst neurodivergent folks: Masking! We've mentioned it in episodes before, but haven't ever dedicated a whole episode - UNTIL NOW!Jacinta and Lachlan talk about why they mask, how they mask, what they mask, when they mask, and where the mask - the full gamut, really.Enjoy and watch out potentially for another episode on the topic in the future!

Public Demand Avoidance: Autonomy and Care with Frances McCafferty

In this episode, Jacinta and Lachlan chat with occupational therapist and neurodiversity advocate Frances McCafferty about PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), autonomy, and what it means to create truly neurodiversity-affirming spaces. Frances, who founded Embrace Neurodiversity with her husband, shares her personal perspective as an autistic PDAer, what PDA actually feels like from the inside, how demands can show up in surprising ways, and why safety and choice matter so much. Frances talks about how she balances her roles as a peer researcher, therapist, and advocate — and how we, at large, can all do better to support PDAers at home, school, work, and beyond!You can find more about Embrace Neurodiverity here.The website for PDA Society can be found here.We couldn't find the exact clip from "Everything's Gonna Be Okay" by Josh Thomas, so here's a trailerfor the first season of the show. It is currently no longer streaming on iview or any other service, but may be available elsewhere.

Neuroqueer Histories: Art, Identity & the Power of Representation with Drew Pettifer

This week Jacinta and Lachlan talk to artist and academic Drew Pettifer. As an austistic ADHDer, Drew chats about growing up queer and neurodivergent, finding connection through creativity, and why telling overlooked stories—especially queer ones—matters so much (as well as the intersections between queer identity and neurodivergent identity). It's a fascinating interview and was a pleasure talking with Drew. You're bound to learn something along the way!
You can find Drew's website here, as well as his RMIT profile here.
 
Resources:
Dr. Alison Bennett: website, RMIT profile, "Queering the Paradigm" - Talking Pictures
Nora Nord: website, "Neuroqueer Artists with ADHD Gain Visibility in a Photo Series" - ADDitude
Dr. Nick Walker: website, "Neuroqueer Heresies"
"Defiant" by Athena Lynn Michaels Dillon & Michael Scott Monje Jr.

Snuggle up with Cozy Gaming

It's getting colder out there, listeners, so why not curl up with an episode of Differently Brained and a cozy video game? Lachlan and Jacinta chat about what a cozy game is (and what it isn't), how they help us regulate and feel safe and calm, and some recommendations for you to try out.
Resources:Gaming statistics in Australia - Australia Plays 2023 Report - Interactive Games and Entertainment Association
Reuters article - Cozy comfort: new research backs up what games have thought for years: video games can be an antidote to stress and anxietyÖnnberg, M. (2024). Cozy games and their impact: An exploration study of coziness in games. - http://his.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:1881616 Bowdidge, S. (2024). Cosy games: How games such as Animal Crossing help mental health, BBC News -  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cglk8wl3lylo 
https://wholesomegames.com/ 
 
 

Dungeons and Dragons and Differently Brained (oh my!): Tabletop Roleplaying Games with Jess C Wheatley & Declan Nathan

You must listen to this podcast episode before venturing forth!Gather one and all and listen as Lachlan interviews Jess C. Wheatley and Declan Nathan about a hobby that is growing seemingly exponentially in popularity and accessibility - Dungeons and Dragons (or, more broadly, tabletop roleplaying games).We discuss how these games have helped people to express their creativity, explore their personalities, develop social skills and provide a safe space for many neurodivergent folks.BIOGRAPHIES:
Declan NathanDeclan has been dealing with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and ADHD for his entire life. However, in the last ten years he got involved with his local tabletop role playing game community, and it has changed how he approaches stress and social anxiety. Jess C WheatleyJess was raised in the Hinterland behind Byron Bay. She is a regional writer and director who revels in rip roaring stories with supernatural twists and heart. Her award-winning short script, The Call Out, led to a spot in 2023’s WeScreenplay’s Shorts Lab, while her TV pilot Alternate was awarded an Ian Potter Emerging Artist Grant to attend the 2024 Stowe Lab Writers Retreat in Connemara, Co. Galway. In 2020 Wheatley was selected for Screenworks Career Pathway Program ‘Inside The Writers Room’ and the ‘Write From Home’ initiative run by Screenworks and the AISF. A production designer, illustrator and storyboardist, Jess also holds 1st class honours in her Masters of Screenwriting. When not writing, she works in disability education support and runs D&D on weekends for kids through an NDIS social hub.
Check out Jess's Portfolio here!Also check out her Instagram!
RESOURCES:AusCare Social Clubs
A brief primer if you want to know more about D&D

Reframing Success: Rejoicing in Rejection with Alaina Dean

Writer Alaina Dean joins Jacinta and Lachlan in "the studio" to talk about her approach to literary rejections. She has been undertaking a years long project to get her writing out to as many publications as possible and, in the meantime, accrue 100 rejections!Somehow Alaina managed to find a secret cheat code that allows her to re-frame what it means to succeed. Listen to find out!Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/alainaddream/?hl=en
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/alaina-is-aiming-for-100-rejections-she-says-we-should-all-embrace-our-failures-20250402-p5logt.html
https://lithub.com/why-you-should-aim-for-100-rejections-a-year/
https://www.clippings.me/users/alainadean
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/21194493.Alaina_Dean
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-dean-93867b196/?originalSubdomain=au
https://www.goodfriendresumes.com.au/about-1

Smartphones: Keep 'em or Dump 'em? Part 2

Welcome back to the Differently Brained soapbox! We have started releasing these on a fortnightly basis, but it seems right to share this one with you all right off the back of part 1.We hope you didn't actually dump your smartphones after listening to the last episode. Especially because in this one Jacinta and Lachlan discuss how they might actually be, you know, kinda good for mental health. Maybe? Just a little? From accessibility, sensory regulation, and connecting to people when you feel isolated - many of these things are made so much easier with smartphones.Let us know what you think!

Smartphones: Keep 'em or Dump 'em? Part 1

It's the 21st Century and Smartphones are commonplace. Perhaps TOO commonplace!In part one of this "deep dive" (into their own personal relationships with smartphones), Jacinta and Lachlan chat about just how much smartphones suck and what they do to their mental health.But we like to be fair (and balanced) at Differently Brained), so make sure to tune in next time for counterarguments to our own arguments.And if you're listening to the episode on your smartphone, wait until after you have finished listening before dumping it!

Doomscrolling: The Brain on Bad News

This is fine. Everything is fine.Doomscrolling -- the very contemporary phenomenon that so many of us just can help but fall victim to!
Jacinta and Lachlan chat about what Doomscrolling is, why we do it, what it does to the brain, and maybe how we can mitigate it.
 
RESOURCES:
Mayo Clinic Article: Doomscrolling: Stop the scroll, protect your mental health - Alisa Bowman
Wired Article: How to Stop Doomscrolling—With Psychology - Kenneth R Rosen
Sharma B., Lee, S. S., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). The Dark at the End of the Tunnel: Doomscrolling on Social Media Newsfeeds. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 3(1: Spring 2022). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000059
Dr. A. Shaji George, A.S. Hovan George, Dr. T. Baskar, & Dr. M. M. Karthikeyan. (2024). Reclaiming Our Minds: Mitigating the Negative Impacts of Excessive Doomscrolling. Partners Universal Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 1(3), 17–39. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13737987