Clarity Compass Blog

When we talk about social justice, we often think about race, gender, or economic inequality. Yet, one of the most overlooked areas is how society treats neurodivergent individuals, people whose brains function differently from what is considered typical. The neurodiversity paradigm challenges traditional views of neurological differences, framing them not as deficits but as natural variations of the human brain. This shift has profound positive implications for social justic

Not in a dramatic, movie-moment kind of way. More like… I ran out of energy to keep auditioning for normal. I was tired of being the before-version of myself. Tired of waking up and immediately scanning my own life like a crime scene: What did I do wrong yesterday? What’s the missing piece? What book, what course, what “practice” will finally make me a person who can cope like everyone else seems to cope. Piles of stacked hardback books My self-help shelf (spilled over onto t

In our increasingly diverse world, language plays a crucial role in shaping our understanding and acceptance of different perspectives. As a parent of a neurodivergent (ND) child, I have come to realize the profound impact that neuro-affirming language can have on fostering inclusivity and respect. I even prefer myself to look at the world of neurodivergence from the neurodiversity paradigm and social model, versus the medical 'deficit' model lens. I recently attended a scho

There’s a quiet pressure that follows a lot of neurodivergent kids and adults: try harder, be more normal, blend in. It sounds helpful. It isn’t. I stopped treating my child like a problem to solve, and started treating them like a person to understand. The message hiding underneath “Try harder” A lot of neurodivergent kids grow up hearing the same message in a thousand different ways: try harder, act normal, be quiet, don’t stand out. Sometimes it’s said with love. Sometimes

TLDR: If an autistic student is moving into a mainstream school or classroom, the biggest mistake adults make is assuming they “should be fine” because their grades or test scores look okay. Real success depends on what happens in real classrooms: starting tasks, handling noise and pace, managing materials, coping with group work, and navigating all the unspoken rules. Start with this: assess, don’t assume. Build a current learner snapshot based on real school tasks, not just

It took my child to show me who I really am.

Some nights I sit at the kitchen table watching my son stare at a blank page, textbook open. The pencil is in his hand, the homework is open… but nothing happens. I see the shutdowns, the screaming, the running to their room in avoidance. And in that moment, I think: Please please tell me they’re not refusing again. Please tell me this isn’t about laziness. Because I’ve seen enough to know, it isn’t. What Task Initiation Really Looks Like It’s not just "getting started." It’s

Self-determination and self-advocacy are so connected; you can’t advocate for yourself well unless you first know yourself.

If I had to generalize how to foster independent skills in autistic individuals, I would start by looking at generic societal definitions of independence. For example, I would create a list of skills one needs to navigate life on your own, with no or little help. These could include, simple finances, washing your clothes, cooking, cleaning, transportation, to more specific executive skills like remembering when the garbage needs taking out, brushing your teeth or showering. I

When we got his diagnosis in 2020, in the height of COVID, I thought I was learning how to support my autistic son, but somewhere along the way, I started learning about me too. When your child experiences the world differently, you don’t just adjust routines, buy all the books or read new research. You start questioning your assumptions about success, behaviour, motivation, and even what it means to be “doing okay.” I used to measure days by what we got done. Now I notice h

My Short 5-Step Process to Regulation

Executive functions are the mental skills that help us manage daily life, from planning and organizing to controlling impulses and staying focused. (Pardo-Salamanca, 2024). Thomas E. Brown, a clinical psychologist known for his work on ADHD, identified six key clusters of executive functions. Understanding these clusters can help us recognize how our brains work and why some people struggle with tasks others find easy. What Are Executive Functions? Executive functions are li

Risk Doesn’t Diminish Dignity — It Builds It. People with disabilities have the right to make their own choices.

What you need to know about Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD)

Neurodivergence is an important term that refers to various neurological differences, including Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and learning differences like Dyslexia. These differences are not defects ; they represent unique ways of experiencing and interacting with the world. As someone who identifies with neurodivergence, I have learned to appreciate both the strengths and challenges that accompany it. In this post, I will explore at a very high le

TL;DR Online learning doesn’t just change how  kids learn, it changes how they feel understood . Emotional mirroring (reading facial expressions, tone, body language) is a huge part of connection, and video platforms remove most of those cues. Research shows that this loss affects engagement, motivation, and emotional safety. For neurodivergent kids, this is even harder. They are more vulnerable to cyberbullying, misreading tone, oversharing, and missing red flags online. Stu

The ache of a lifetime of being seen wrong I thought the moment I realized I was neurodivergent would feel like relief. Like this big exhale I’d been holding in my whole life. Instead I sat on the edge of my bed and cried in a way that surprised me, not loud, not dramatic, just quiet and stunned, like someone had reached into my chest and gently undone something I’d spent years stitching and holding together. It wasn’t the word that broke me. It was the memories lining up beh

TLDR: During emotional dysregulation, the connection between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala is weak, and the amygdala's "distress signal" is not adequately managed, leading to difficulty controlling strong emotions. Being in this state for too long has serious health consequences on the brain and body. (Ismail, 2021). I created a simple evidence based 5 step process; a graphic organizer with mnemonics, and chunking to support diverse learners, and teach a simple nervo