Author: Lyric Holmans

Lyric Rivera (they/them), from Neurodivergent Consulting, is a late-identified Autistic and ADHD adult. Lyric is the author of the best-selling business ethics book, Workplace Neurodiversity Rising (which was praised in Forbes as “an excellent ‘how to manual’ based on lived experience and professional competence”). Other titles Lyric has worked on include collaborating with Rebecca Duffus on the U.S. version of the popular children's workbook Autism, Identity, and Me (adult version coming worldwide fall 2026), and Neurodivergent Rebel's The Weight of Normal. Lyric is also the creator of #AskingAutistics, a hashtag that connects Autistic people and allies around the globe. The philosophy of Neurodivergent Consulting is to support the creation of accessible workplaces and other spaces (via universal design) that enable Neurodivergent (and all) people to fully realize their unique talents and fresh perspectives through care and support of the whole person. This allows us to bring our full selves to the spaces we enter.
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A video game character with cat ears and a health bar above them that is mostly full. To their side is a gold plaque that says ‘level up’.

The DSM-5 Has No Language for an Autistic Person at Peace – The Medical Model Only Shows You Our Worst Days

Lyric Holmans

I like to describe my experience using a video game ‘health bar’ metaphor.

The non-autistic people around me, especially those with more proximity to neuro-normativity, live in an environment that is tailored to charge up their ‘health bars’, or to take less life force away from them. Continue reading The DSM-5 Has No Language for an Autistic Person at Peace – The Medical Model Only Shows You Our Worst Days

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“Ask Me Anything” Sessions with Lyric Rivera. One-to-One Conversations: Meet and connect in real-time. $75.00 USD for a private one-hour video meeting. Ask me questions, info-dump about your interests, brainstorm a project you’re working on, or get feedback on something. *Subject to availability and scheduling.

1-hour Virtual One-to-One “Ask Me Anything” Sessions are BACK!!!

Lyric Holmans

As of today, I am releasing spots for 5 people to book one-to-one “ask me anything” sessions (limited to the first 5 people who book via the link below) as part of a fundraising strategy to try and keep the Neurodivergent Rebel blog (and all the free educational content I create) open and available to the public. Continue reading 1-hour Virtual One-to-One “Ask Me Anything” Sessions are BACK!!!

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Human Binaries: NeuroDivergent and Queer – Coloring Outside the Lines Will Be Punished – Intro to my latest book, Neurodivergent Rebel’s, The Weight of Normal

Lyric Holmans

Human minds crave simplicity and easy, quick categorizations; that’s why many stereotypes and false assumptions about those in marginalized groups run wild in our dominant culture (because it’s easier for people to oversimplify by thinking in black and white while ignoring nuance). This creates a failure to appreciate people as individual humans, and pressure on everyone to fit within narrow, unnatural, binary norms and categorizations. Continue reading Human Binaries: NeuroDivergent and Queer – Coloring Outside the Lines Will Be Punished – Intro to my latest book, Neurodivergent Rebel’s, The Weight of Normal

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Dog in a burning office at a table drinking coffee, smiling meme: Neurodivergent people in workplaces with Toxic positivity are like… “This is fine.”… But it wasn’t fine at all…

Organizational Culture: It’s More than Ping Pong and Beer Taps – Excerpt from Workplace Neurodiversity Rising by Lyric Rivera

Lyric Holmans

In cultures that champion self-sufficiency, and discourage people from asking for help, or speaking about struggles and weaknesses, people with disabilities may feel unable to ask for the accommodations they need (and are legally entitled to), because doing so means they may be looked down upon by leadership and peers. Continue reading Organizational Culture: It’s More than Ping Pong and Beer Taps – Excerpt from Workplace Neurodiversity Rising by Lyric Rivera

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Photo of Lyric, with a freshly shaved head, and the long middle part pulled back. They are posing for the camera, giving a shoulder and a closed-mouth smirk. They’re also wearing a black tank top and posing in their RV.

The Mystery Sickness That Almost Killed My Career (Before I Knew I Was Autistic): The 6-Year Burnout – What Corporate America Did to My AuDHD Brain

Lyric Holmans

To cope with my differences before AD (before Autism Diagnosis), I managed my life by leaning heavily into my skills, strengths, and abilities, while avoiding my weaknesses like they were a deadly sickness (because I would often become physically unwell whenever I put myself under too much stress). Continue reading The Mystery Sickness That Almost Killed My Career (Before I Knew I Was Autistic): The 6-Year Burnout – What Corporate America Did to My AuDHD Brain

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‘Ditch the ear defenders: head equips autistic girls for real life‘ with the subtitle “Sarah Wild, who leads Britain’s only autistic girls’ school, says mainstream teachers should make fewer adjustments and tell children it’s OK to feel uncomfortable“ has been making the rounds recently. - with an emoji of Lyric and the word “NO!” in the bottom corner.

Why Do We Celebrate Teachers Who Refuse to Make Adjustments for Disabled Kids?

Lyric Holmans

Sensory distress is not behavioral; it is neurological.

We wouldn’t ask non-autistic children to sit on a chair made of razor blades all day, to teach them that “it’s OK to feel uncomfortable”….

Still, with Autistic people, there is a toxic attitude that “the world isn’t sensory friendly.” This paints us as the problem, instead of challenging the systemic flaws and barriers that make life for Autistic people more difficult.

These “adjustments” that Sarah Wild is so against are disability supports, accommodations that Autistic people need to thrive and be our best selves, that are legally protected in many parts of the world. Continue reading Why Do We Celebrate Teachers Who Refuse to Make Adjustments for Disabled Kids?

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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’