LGBTQIA+, Masking / PassingLeave a comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's The Weight of Normal by Lyric Rivera - a teal book with purple text and a pink brain, there is also a person holding a heavy boulder on their shoulders - cover text reads: Assimilate or Be Punished: A NeuroDivergent, Queer Memoir of Survival and Awakening in a World That Demands Conformity A Look at the harms and traumas of NeuroDivergent Conversion "Therapy" and other methods of forced assimilation. Sticky post

New Book! NeuroDivergent Rebel’s The Weight of Normal – Preorder NOW (Available 12/16/25)

Lyric Holmans

The Weight of Normal is a raw and powerful memoir of survival and awakening. It is an unflinching indictment of the systems of forced assimilation—the NeuroDivergent and Queer conversion “therapies”—that teach self-abandonment as a virtue. Continue reading New Book! NeuroDivergent Rebel’s The Weight of Normal – Preorder NOW (Available 12/16/25)

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Autism, Identity and Me – A Practical Workbook to Empower Autistic Children and Young People Aged 10+ By Rebecca Duffus & Lyric Rivera

Lyric Holmans

Two books, one goal: Supporting Autistic young people in affirming their Autistic Identities and learning about themselves. Continue reading Autism, Identity and Me – A Practical Workbook to Empower Autistic Children and Young People Aged 10+ By Rebecca Duffus & Lyric Rivera

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Lyric Rivera - NeuroDivergent Rebel - refusing assimilation into neurotypical society Sticky post

NeuroDivergent Consulting

Lyric Holmans

Do you have a group, team, or organization that is looking for training and educational around Autistic and NeuroDivergent inclusion in your workplace?

Do your organizational policies and procedures unintentionally discriminate against Autistic and/or NeuroDivergent People? Would you know if your policies were harmful to people with invisible differences? Continue reading NeuroDivergent Consulting

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A purple book cover with the words Workplace NeuroDiversity Rising in the top middle, in a bold blocky font. Above that is the icon of a brain above white texts that reads Lyric Rivera NeuroDivergent rebel above an off-white box that includes text that reads neuroDiversity = all brains neurodivergent and NeuroTypical working together and supporting each other - and a pale teal and purple box at the bottom with dark purple text that reads “rethinking Workplace policy and culture to include people with diverse brains, and create workplaces where NeuroDivergent (and NeuroTypical) team members shine Sticky post

Workplace NeuroDiversity Rising – Start Making Immediate Changes to the World Around You

Lyric Holmans

Workplace NeuroDiversity Rising is intended to be a tool that can help ANYONE who wants to make the world, or the spaces around them more inclusive for NeuroDivergent (and all) People, in organizations, communities, schools, and beyond. Continue reading Workplace NeuroDiversity Rising – Start Making Immediate Changes to the World Around You

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ADHD and Me – Is It Trauma, Autism, ADHD, or… All of the Above?: Years After Being Diagnosed, THIS YEAR I’m Finally Unpacking My ADHD Identity

Lyric Holmans

I Almost Convinced Myself I Wasn’t ADHD. Then a Deadline Proved Me Wrong. What Does a Healed, Untraumatized ADHDer Look Like? I’m determined to find out.
Continue reading ADHD and Me – Is It Trauma, Autism, ADHD, or… All of the Above?: Years After Being Diagnosed, THIS YEAR I’m Finally Unpacking My ADHD Identity

Children & Families, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, SubstackLeave a comment
NeuroDivergent Rebel's The Weight of Normal by Lyric Rivera - a teal book with purple text and a pink brain, there is also a person holding a heavy boulder on their shoulders - cover text reads: Assimilate or Be Punished: A NeuroDivergent, Queer Memoir of Survival and Awakening in a World That Demands Conformity A Look at the harms and traumas of NeuroDivergent Conversion "Therapy" and other methods of forced assimilation.

The Autistic Burnout That Led Me Home to Myself: The Life I Built Was a Prison. My Autism Diagnosis Handed Me the Key.

Lyric Holmans

My Battery Was Draining Faster Than It Could Charge. My Needs Weren’t the Problem. Ignoring Them Was. When I was diagnosed Autistic, more than 9 years ago now, I was at a low point in my life. I was in … Continue reading The Autistic Burnout That Led Me Home to Myself: The Life I Built Was a Prison. My Autism Diagnosis Handed Me the Key.

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Lyric Rivera poses in their RV, holding up their latest book, NeuroDivergent Rebel’s The Weight of Normal. Lyric is wearing a black tank too with the words “Refusing assimilation into NeuroTypical society” and blue jeans, and they are smiling at the camera.

“You’re Too Smart to Be Acting This Way” & The Lifelong Harm of Neuronormative Expectations: What My ‘Gifted’ Label Actually Cost Me – A Late-Diagnosed Autistic Perspective

Lyric Holmans

My life with late-identified autism, healing from masking and forced assimilation, and learning about the neurodiversity paradigm, after being diagnosed Autistic at the age of 29.
Continue reading “You’re Too Smart to Be Acting This Way” & The Lifelong Harm of Neuronormative Expectations: What My ‘Gifted’ Label Actually Cost Me – A Late-Diagnosed Autistic Perspective

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Rebecca Duffus & Lyric Rivera on Autistic Identity – Full-Tilt Parenting Podcast

Lyric Holmans

Super cool thing happened during my break. Recently, Rebecca Duffus and I were asked to talk about our book Autism, Identity, and Me on the Tilt Parenting Podcast. The episode is up now on YouTube if you would like to … Continue reading Rebecca Duffus & Lyric Rivera on Autistic Identity – Full-Tilt Parenting Podcast