The Unwritten Rules of Neurodivergent Friendship with Caroline Maguire

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Apr 6, 2026

Caroline Maguire, social skills coach and author who treats social skills like a muscle. She explores using shared interests and proximity to bypass awkward small talk. She explains the scoop-by-scoop method to avoid oversharing. She talks about the rejection lens, the value of third places, and how online and low-pressure spaces help build neurodivergent friendships.

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ADVICE

Make Friendship Strategies Neurodivergent Friendly

Build friendship strategies that honor neurodivergent needs instead of masking to fit neurotypical norms.
Choose which tactics to use; Caroline advises taking what helps and leaving the rest rather than forcing prescriptive steps.

INSIGHT

Friendship Advice Must Respect Different Social Batteries

Neurodivergent people vary widely; friendship advice shouldn't assume extroversion or identical social batteries.
Caroline emphasizes choice: you can limit events if they drain you instead of forcing extrovert norms.

INSIGHT

Shared Interest Fuels Faster Bonding

Use shared interest fuel to bypass awkward small talk and bond faster with likely friends.
Deep interests (fandoms, true crime) let neurodivergent people info-dump and be received by those who care.

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Hey Team!

We've all had those moments where we walk away from a conversation and immediately spiral into a "self-regulation hangover," wondering if we said too much or if we were just being "tolerated" rather than included. Feeling like maybe this whole friendship thing maybe just isn't for us.

This week, I'm talking with Caroline Maguire, a veteran social skills coach and the founder of the Social Excellence training program. She holds a Master's in Social Emotional Learning and is one of the few experts who approaches social skills as a "muscle" that can be built, rather than an innate talent you either have or you don't. Her first book, Why Will No One Play with Me?, became an instant staple for neurodivergent families helping children struggling with social skills to make friends. And with what she learned from that book she is now bringing to her upcoming book, Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults: A Guide for the Anxious, Uniquely Wired, and Easily Distracted.

In this episode, we're looking at the mechanics of friendship through a neurodivergent lens. We talk about the importance of proximity and "shared interest fuel" in bypassing the awkwardness of small talk. We also touch on the "rejection lens" and how our history of being bullied or marginalized can often color our current adult relationships. Caroline also walks me through some of her most practical frameworks, including the "Ice Cream Scoop" method for building trust and why having a "third place" is essential for creating low-pressure social friction.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/285

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD

This Episode's Top Tips

1. ADHD impulsivity often leads to "oversharing," which creates a "self-regulation hangover" of shame. The shift here is to view sharing as taking one "scoop" at a time, waiting for the other person to match your level of intimacy before offering more, which protects your trust and your energy.
2. Our brains naturally hang on to negative social stories like Velcro while letting positive ones slide off like Teflon. Recognizing this biological bias allows you to challenge the "rejection lens" and realize that a friend's lack of a text might be about their own hard time rather than a reflection of your worth.
3. Making friends isn't a 1-2-3 prescriptive step; it's about "social friction" and proximity. By prioritizing showing up at the same place consistently, you allow people to get used to you, which lowers the barrier for entry into community and future friendships.
4. Remember, deep friendship doesn't happen instantly and takes work. Don't be discouraged if you're first attempts don't work out, keep at it and build up those friendships over time.