The Scatterbrain Shepherd

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🚨 BIG NEWS FROM ACFB 🚨

🎉 Our 2026 Diagnostic Assessment Program is now OPEN!! 🎉

We’ve taken everything we’ve learned and made it even better, faster, and more supportive for our clients.

✨ What’s new?
We now offer Medication Management add-ons for ADHD as part of our program.

That means:
✔️ Streamlined assessments
✔️ Multidisciplinary support
✔️ Option to include medication guidance with qualified professionals
✔️ A more complete, wraparound approach to care

No more bouncing between services or long waitlists trying to piece things together. We’ve built this to work as one connected system from start to finish.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get assessed or support someone else to take that step… this is it.

📍 Learn more or apply here:www.acfbfund.org.nz

Spots are limited and we expect these to fill quickly! Get your application in today!!

Sharing this because it's a really helpful thing to share. I don't have all the knowledge - perhaps this is something that might help you.

In preparation for the upcoming webinar, I have been talking quite a fair bit about advice in neurodivergent contexts. I looked at the language of advice in neurodivergent spaces and what happens when advice feels like rejection.

Next I would like to look at how advice interacts with a PDAer’s nervous system.

We have established that advice is one of those social rituals that is almost always interpreted as an act of kindness - a shared wisdom if you will.

For many people with a PDA profile however, advice doesn’t always land as help, but as pressure, like a subtle shift that the nervous system recognises immediately.

We know that advice rarely arrives as neutral information even though the intention might be there. It arrives with the weight of expectation and even when it is offered gently, the underlying message can feel like direction.

For a nervous system that is highly sensitive to threats to autonomy, this shift triggers a protective reflex which is not a rejection of the idea itself, but a response to the change in power.

Advice by its nature carries an inherent hierarchy, whether we mean it to or not. The act of giving advice positions one person as the one who knows and the other as the one who needs to know. In most conversations this goes unnoticed but for someone with a strong drive for autonomy, however, the dynamic feels like an imposition of authority which is the very thing their brain is wired to resist.

Inside the experience, the nervous system then reacts quickly to restore the balance it senses has been disrupted.

Language plays its part in this, more than people realise. Phrases like "you should" or even "have you tried?" carry a sense of obligation. To a PDAer, these are expectations of what they are supposed to do next. This can create a strange paradox… the PDAer may have already been considering the exact same idea, but the moment it is spoken aloud as advice, they can no longer do it, because the action is no longer entirely their own.

Autonomy for PDAers is not just about resisting control. It is about preserving a deep sense of ownership over decisions and actions. When an idea becomes advice, the ownership of it can feel like it has moved. If the suggestion works, the success now seems tied to the person who proposed it. Their idea solved the problem. Their thinking led the way.

For someone whose nervous system depends on autonomy to feel safe, that loss of authorship can feel painfully uncomfortable. Rejecting the advice becomes a way of protecting the sense that their choices still belong to them.

This is why people sometimes find themselves in an impossible position. They might genuinely want the help and they might recognise that the suggestion is reasonable, but the moment the idea arrives from someone else, the ability to follow through on it disappears. The advice has therefore transformed into a demand and the nervous system reacts accordingly.

If you are the parent, partner of or work with PDAers, you know how this can lead to misunderstandings. Someone offers help and feels dismissed. The PDAer feels pushed, even when no one intended to push. There is nothing unusual about this at all though. A nervous system encountered something that felt like a threat to autonomy and responded the way it was designed to.

When people begin to understand this, the reaction stops being interpreted as wilful resistance. It becomes easier to see it as a protective reflex, one embedded in the need to maintain agency.

For PDAers, that understanding is everything, because the moment an idea still feels like it belongs to them, the nervous system no longer needs to defend against it.

The resistance was never really about the advice itself. It was about the moment when the freedom to choose seemed to disappear.

*** I hope you will join me on the 25th or March at 7:30pm GMT when I will host a webinar exploring advice in neurodivergent contexts in more depth ***

Did you know... Many individuals with ADHD possess an exceptional capacity for hyperfocus?

When truly engaged, they can dive deep into a task, achieving remarkable breakthroughs.

It's not a lack of focus, but a different kind of focus!

What time are you seeing this?

The Power of Authentic Connection

When you shift from seeing yourself as a deficit, something amazing happens: you open the door to authentic connection.

The pressure to mask or conform fades away, and you can show up as your true self, inviting others to do the same. This isn't just about finding your tribe; it's about building relationships based on genuine understanding and empathy.

It’s in these moments that we truly flourish.

All images (c)Saddlebank Publishing Ltd 2025

Different, Not Deficit (c)Saddlebank Publishing Ltd 2025

The breakthrough moment: realising ADHD is just different, never a deficit. That shift changed everything and opened the door to flourishing, authentic connection, and unlocking true potential. This is the core philosophy that drives everything we do at The Scatterbrain Shepherd and through our ground-breaking Cecil's Yarns™ Programme

Are you ready to stop adapting to systems not built for you, and instead, help shape a truly neuro-inclusive Aotearoa?

Excited for this 🧡🧡🧡

We are getting ready for Hoods Up Volume Down 2026!

This April, we're encouraging all schools, businesses and workplaces in Aotearoa to participate in a 'Hoods Up Volume Down' quiet hour for Autism Acceptance Month.

Hoods Up Volume Down will happen on Wednesday, April 29th, at 10am.

We're asking everyone to turn down the lights, turn down the noise and turn up for the autistic and wider autism communities.

This is an opportunity to make your environment more accessible to autistic people. During this hour, we invite you to limit the sensory input in your environment, including lighting and sound.

We also encourage everyone to wear hoodies during the Hoods Up Volume Down Event. Many autistic people use hoodies as a subtle way to block out overwhelming sensory input, so they've become a symbol of a community ready to truly accept autism and embrace the accommodations needed to create an accessible society.

And, if you would like an official 2026 Hoods Up Volume Down Hoodie, they'll be on sale in a few short weeks. Keep your eye on our social media for updates, teasers, designs and sales going live!

Hoods Up Volume Down is also a great opportunity to fundraise and donate to Autism NZ, to help us continue our work informing, educating and supporting the autistic and wider autism communities of Aotearoa.

For more information, resources, posters and ways to donate, you can head to our website here: https://autismnz.org.nz/autism-acceptance-month/

You can also register your event, so we know just how big Hoods Up Volume Down is growing!

Remember to turn down the lights, turn down the noise and turn up for the autistic and wider autism communities on April 29th, 10am!

What a week of crucial conversations!

This past week, we've shone a necessary light on ADHD and its profound intersection with the justice system. We've confronted the stark reality of ADHD's significant overrepresentation in our prisons, understanding that it's often a complex mix of neurobiological differences, unmet needs, and comorbidities.

We challenged the outdated notion that neurodivergent individuals need to be 'reprogrammed,' recognising that such thinking fuels cycles of re-offending and significant societal costs.

Instead, we explored evidence-based solutions: from dramatic reductions in recidivism through appropriate diagnosis, medication, and support, to the powerful idea of harnessing neurodivergent strengths to add to our economy and communities.

The path forward is clear: it's a call for a neuro-inclusive justice system founded on understanding, compassion, and systemic change that prioritises early identification, tailored support, and genuine connection.

This isn't just about reducing crime; it's about unlocking human potential and building a more equitable Aotearoa.

We're bringing together vital voices and groundbreaking insights to co-create a future where neurodivergent individuals in the justice system are seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.
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As we reflect on ADHD and the justice system this week, we've explored some stark realities: the significant overrepresentation of neurodivergent individuals, the complex comorbidities, and the cycle of re-offending when ADHD is unaddressed.

Yet, we've also seen the immense potential for change.

Empathy is not a weakness; it's a powerful tool for transformation.

When we truly understand that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition – not something to be 'reprogrammed,' but something that needs support, compassion, diagnosis, and treatment – the path to a more just and effective system becomes clear. We've seen how targeted support can dramatically reduce recidivism and unlock strengths for the greater good.

How can we cultivate greater understanding for those whose neurodivergent brains navigate the world differently, especially within structured environments like the legal system?

Let's carry this empathy forward into our daily interactions, recognizing that understanding fuels genuine, positive change.

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What would a neuro-inclusive justice system truly look like?

It would be founded on understanding, not outdated assumptions/criticism.

When we hear rhetoric like Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's call for "discipline" for young offenders who "need to be reprogrammed and redirected very strongly," as reported in Stuff Nov 17,2022 it highlights a critical misunderstanding.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition.

It is not a problem to be fixed.

It is not a disorder to be cured.

It is not something that can be disciplined out of an offender.

People with ADHD do not need to be 'reprogrammed' – they're not computers! They need support, compassion, and affordable and easy access to best-practice diagnosis and treatment.

A truly neuro-inclusive justice system involves early identification, tailored communication, appropriate accommodations, and a focus on rehabilitation that addresses root causes, not just symptoms.

This is the future we're advocating for, building a justice system that works for all and unlocks potential.

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