Children & Families, LGBTQIA+, Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / FriendshipsLeave 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.

My New Book (‘The Weight of Normal’) Is Out NOW – And I’m Nervous…

Lyric Holmans

Why I Self-Published My Most Raw Book Yet – How Our Community Can Launch a Book: The Story Behind “The Weight of Normal”
Continue reading My New Book (‘The Weight of Normal’) Is Out NOW – And I’m Nervous…

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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

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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A happy Lyric, lounging in a pool on a pink pool float as the sun sets behind them.

Rest Is Not a Reward. It’s a Right. – We Are Not Burnt Out. We Are Being Burned. – On Being Fuel, Instead of Being Fed.

Lyric Holmans

Planting a Neurodivergent Mind in Neurotypical Soil. – I Wasn’t Lazy. I Was Autistic and Burnt Out. What My Autism Diagnosis Taught Me About Rest. We reside in a world that encourages self-neglect, where rest is viewed as a reward … Continue reading Rest Is Not a Reward. It’s a Right. – We Are Not Burnt Out. We Are Being Burned. – On Being Fuel, Instead of Being Fed.

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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, standing at the edge of a canyon with many beautiful structures behind it. They are wearing orange cargo pants and a black hoodie with lavender and teal text that reads “what sauce would you use to eat the rich?”

The Real-World Impact of Eliminationist Rhetoric on Autistic People

Lyric Holmans

While those in power have attempted to frame finding a cause of Autism (and eliminating it) as a public health goal, for many Autistic People, this type of rhetoric is received as a profound existential threat.

This language is part of a broader pattern where top officials have spoken about Autism (falsely) as a “preventable disease”, focusing efforts on finding a “cause“ and Autism as something to eliminate or prevent (rather than focusing on supporting the needs of existing Autistic People). Continue reading The Real-World Impact of Eliminationist Rhetoric on Autistic People