Same Neurotype, Different Reality: Financial Privilege and Neurodivergent Support Needs – How Having Money Changes the Neurodivergent Experience
Over the years, I’ve had the immense privilege of meeting many Neurodivergent people worldwide, with a wide range of skills, needs, abilities, backgrounds, and Neurotypes.
I’ve also met many who are in extreme poverty, as well as some who’ve managed to find themselves financially privileged (either because they come from wealth or because they were fortunate enough to have skills that capitalism rewards heavily). These two groups of Neurodivergent people (those with wealth and those struggling to get by) move through the world very differently for a variety of reasons.
Before we move any further, because I, myself, am Autistic and ADHD, this piece will be written through those lenses.
It is important to understand that “Neurodivergent” is a huge umbrella term that covers a wide variety of experiences (even if Autistic people and ADHDers take up most of the space in conversations around Neurodivergence). This piece will primarily be talking about Neurodivergence through the lens of Autism and ADHD.
Financial Privilege, Neurodivergence, & Disability
Financial privilege doesn’t change whether someone is Neurodivergent or not. However, it can significantly affect what support they can access (and how easily they can access it).
Financial privilege may also change how people view their own Neurodivergence and/or disability status (because financial privilege and freedom may mean they don’t have to go through traditional medical channels to get their needs met).
Unfortunately, in our modern world, money often means Neurodivergent and other disabled people who are well off financially may have fast-tracked access to supports, while those of us barely making it financially may struggle to get even our most basic needs met.
For example, among the people I know personally, I know multiple Neurodivergent people (Autistic and ADHD) in high-paying positions (like engineers or executives running their own organizations). These Neurodivergent people have skills that have landed them jobs that give them financial stability and freedom that many of us can only dream of.
They can afford housekeepers, personal and/or professional assistants, in-home childcare, personal chefs, pre-prepared meals, and other forms of help that are out of reach for many of us.
A wealthy person can spend money to save energy. Meanwhile, the rest of us have to spend energy to save money.
If we are less financially privileged, even when we clearly need help, waiting lists, means-testing, paperwork, gatekeepers, and eligibility rules can block our access to the services we need.
On the other hand, wealthy people can buy the support they need to thrive, while less financially privileged people often have to prove they deserve access to support (if they can’t afford to pay for it).
Money turns support needs into manageable logistics, and poverty can turn those same needs into stress and near-constant emergencies.
The struggles of missed bills, untreated health problems, unsafe housing, burnout, and job loss add up, feeding into one another and draining us exponentially.
Access to a housekeeper can mean less sensory overload, less shame about a messy home (because the home is always clean), less physical strain, and more time and energy for work, rest, or care.
A personal or professional assistant can help with paperwork, appointments, emails, bills, scheduling, and transitions (exactly the “executive function” tasks that can be hardest for Autistic people, ADHDers, and those experiencing chronic illness or fatigue).
Wealth may make it possible to afford a nanny or other in-home childcare, which allows parents to rest, work, attend appointments, or recover without leaving their child in unsafe or unstable care.
Meanwhile, less privileged Neurodivergent people may be forced to leave their children in unsafe situations (if they have access to childcare at all). It could also mean sending a child to be cared for somewhere they may be harmed (like an ABA center, or with a relative who is unequipped or less than trustworthy).
Access to a personal chef or pre-prepared meals means a person can easily access safe, sensory-friendly meals and eat regularly without spending hours planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning.
Neurodivergent and disabled people living in poverty may go without eating, missing meals because they can’t afford to eat, or eating less nourishing meals (if they eat at all) because they don’t have the energy, financial means, or ability to cook for themselves.
A paid housekeeper, assistant, chef, or in-home childcare is a shock absorber that people in poverty don’t have.
Being able to afford paid help can turn “I cannot do this today” into “someone else can do this for me, and I can still be okay.” It can also mean avoiding survival mode because having enough money lets you maintain routines, rest, and cope (instead of just getting through each day).
Neurodivergent and other people in poverty may find themselves asking questions like:
“Do I buy food or pay my bills?”
“Do I clean or rest?”
“Do I risk losing a job because I can’t keep up, or risk my health by pushing through my exhaustion?”
“Do I send my kid to school or childcare sick?” Or “Do I go to work sick myself, because missing a day means I won’t be able to afford my rent?“
Dishes, laundry, bills, appointments, meals, and childcare still need doing.
Without paid help, people either force themselves through them, do them badly, or skip them. However, wealthy people can outsource tasks and be seen as organized or eccentric, or as just “too busy” or too tired to do them.
When the rest of us struggle to do the same tasks, we are often seen as lazy, unreliable, or incapable.
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Lyric Rivera is an educator and author of multiple books, including the best-selling business ethics book, Workplace Neurodiversity Rising, Neurodivergent Rebel’s The Weight of Normal, a collaborator on the U.S. Version of the Autism, Identity and Me children’s workbooks and helper guide by Rebecca Duffus, and co-author with Rebecca Duffus on the upcoming Autism, Identity, and me Workbook for adults releasing on November 13, 2026 (pre-orders open NOW)!
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Moonbird is a breathwork coach that helps me stay grounded when doing breathwork. Basically, it’s like a little silicone-coated lung that you hold in your hand that expands and contracts as you breathe along with it.
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