TPP 372a: Dr. Megan Anna Neff on Self-Care for Autistic People
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
How Self-Care Differs for Neurodivergent People
Megan Anna emphasizes self-attunement, interoception differences, alexithymia, sensory regulation, and barriers to care.
Today’s episode is all about self-care for autistic people, and joining me is return guest Dr. Megan Anna Neff of Neurodivergent Insights. Megan Anna has just published a new book called Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask! which she wrote to help autistic people accept themselves, destigmatize autism, find community, and take care of physical and mental health.
Megan Anna considers self-care to be a collective effort that includes the well-being of the community, a framework that really resonated with me. So we talk about that, along with other ideas from Megan Anna’s book, including how internalized ableism can hinder self-care, considerations for navigating self-care for individuals with PDA, and insights into co-regulation, sensory considerations, and how advocacy and accommodations in the workplace can also be forms of self-care.
ABOUT DR. MEGAN ANNA NEFF Dr. Megan Anna Neff (she/they) is a neurodivergent Clinical Psychologist and founder of Neurodivergent Insights where she creates education and wellness resources for neurodivergent adults. Additionally, she is co-host of the Divergent Conversations podcast. As a late-diagnosed AuDHDer (Autistic ADHD), Dr. Neff applies their lived experiences from a cross-neurotype marriage and parenting neurodivergent children to their professional focus. They are committed to broadening the mental health field’s understanding of autism and ADHD beyond traditional stereotypes. This personal-professional blend enriches their work and advocacy within neurodiversity.
Dr. Neff is the author of Self-Care for Autistic People and a forthcoming book on Autistic Burnout. Additionally, she has published in several peer-reviewed journals on topics ranging from neurodivergence, place attachment, relational psychoanalysis, social psychology, and integration of spirituality into psychotherapy.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Why self-care should be approached with self-attunement and an understanding of one’s own needs
- Why self-care is a collective effort that includes the well-being of the community
- How internalized ableism can hinder self-care and why it’s important to address it
- Ideas for navigating self-care for individuals with PDA regarding autonomy, co-regulation, and sensory considerations
- Ways to practice self-care in the workplace, including self-disclosure, documentation, and setting realistic expectations
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Self-Care For Autistic People by Dr. Megan Anna Neff
- Dr. Megan Anna Neff on Diagnoses and Misdiagnoses (Tilt Parenting Podcast)
- Is This Autism? A Guide for Clinicians and Everyone Else by Dr. Donna Henderson and Dr. Sarah Wayland
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