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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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A young Lyric, with a blank face, sitting cross legged in a rocking chair that is the perfect size for their small body. They are wearing a blue dress.

How Being the “Problem Child” Nearly Killed Me (And Why My Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life)

Lyric Holmans

I didn’t know I was Autistic until I was 29. Before that, I just knew I was tired—tired of being told my best wasn’t good enough, tired of feeling like a problem that needed solving, and so exhausted. Hi, my … Continue reading How Being the “Problem Child” Nearly Killed Me (And Why My Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life)

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A black and white photo of two disabled children in strait jackets, chained to a radiator in a room with dirty walls and floors.

No, there aren’t suddenly ‘more Autistic people’ or ADHDers. We’ve always been here.

Lyric Holmans

It never fails, multiple times a week, when I share my experience of being Autistic or ADHD, some ignorant waffle feels the need to pop into my comments section with some sort of nonsense such as (but in no way limited to) “You’re not Autistic“ (or ADHD), “Everyone’s Autistic/ADHD or Neurodivergent these days“, “It’s all the chemicals in the food/air/water or the vaccines“. There is also the classic “We didn’t have so many people who are Autistic or ADHD in my day…. and none of it is true.

Just because you didn’t, personally, know any Neurodivergent people when you were growing up, it doesn’t mean we didn’t exist. Continue reading No, there aren’t suddenly ‘more Autistic people’ or ADHDers. We’ve always been here.

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Welcome to ‘Autism Month’ and Why, as an Actual Autistic Person, I am NOT a Fan of Having a ‘Month for Autism’

Lyric Holmans

If you’re new to this blog or Autism month, you might be asking yourself, “What’s so bad about having a month to honor Autistic people? Isn’t awareness a good thing?” Which, in itself, brings up one of my biggest frustrations with this ‘special month for autism’: Continue reading Welcome to ‘Autism Month’ and Why, as an Actual Autistic Person, I am NOT a Fan of Having a ‘Month for Autism’

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“Dear Ms. [REDACTED],We have decided that we wish to defer testing [DEAD NAME] for learning disabilities at this time. We wish to pursue other options just now. We are considering private testing and tutoring as we research their possible problems. Thank you for calling this to our attention. We will get back to you soon.”

Autistic & Creeping Up on 40, Birthday Reflections Around Being 1 of Many Missed Generations of Autistic People

Lyric Holmans

Thoughts on late diagnosis, growing up undiagnosed, changes to the definitions and descriptions of Autistic people in the DSM since the 1980s, and how being identified late in life can be lifesaving. Continue reading Autistic & Creeping Up on 40, Birthday Reflections Around Being 1 of Many Missed Generations of Autistic People

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I am Autistic - Neurodivergent Rebel

I AM Autistic – Please Don’t Ever Call Me a ‘Person with Autism’

Lyric Holmans

Why, to me, “Autistic person” and “person with Autism” are two VERY different phrases, and why I never want to be called a “person with Autism” – please note this is just my PERSONAL preference. Over the years, I’ve often … Continue reading I AM Autistic – Please Don’t Ever Call Me a ‘Person with Autism’

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Paw-prints our vet took when we lost our eldest dog this past Friday.

Easier Than People: An Autistic Adult on the Connection to and the Wisdom of Animals and Why I Speak “Animal” Body-language More Fluently Than “Human”

Lyric Holmans

Beyond Small Talk: Lessons in Connection from the Animal World and a Different Frequency – On Autism, Animals, and Authentic Connection Continue reading Easier Than People: An Autistic Adult on the Connection to and the Wisdom of Animals and Why I Speak “Animal” Body-language More Fluently Than “Human”

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An article titled 'Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum,' featuring a digital illustration of a character expressing dismay, alongside a red 'X' mark over the title.

An Autistic Response to: Uta Frith’s “Why I no longer think autism is a spectrum.”

Lyric Holmans

“The autism spectrum has widened to the point of collapse, affecting how teachers should support autistic pupils in the classroom,” researcher Uta Frith tells Helen Amass in a recent interview, and my response as a late-diagnosed Autistic adult. Continue reading An Autistic Response to: Uta Frith’s “Why I no longer think autism is a spectrum.”