Neuronormative Domination, Monotropism & The Map of Monotropic Experiences

In collaboration with Stimpunks, I created a Map of Monotropic Experiences. This is a revised edition of the original map that highlights the impact of neuronormative domination that Autistic people may experience. It is framed through the lens of monotropism. I will explore some of the ways people can support monotropic (Autistic/ADHD) people to thrive and be proud of their authentic neurodivergent selves in a world dominated by neuronormativity.

There are many things that impact your ability to succeed in life and that affect your well-being if you are Autistic. This is due to the fact that the world is predominantly set up for the neuromajority of people, not the minority of Autistic/ADHD or other neurodivergent, disabled or marginalised groups. Historically, this has led to Autism research mostly being carried out by non-Autistic people with the aim of trying to fix Autistic people, to make them fit into neurotypical ways of being and to appear more ‘normal’ in society. As Ryan Boren said during a recent Stimpunks discussion, “Neuronormative domination is a public health crisis’, (Boren, 2025). We need to reframe our thinking and practice to ensure we are neurodiversity-affirming so that everyone can succeed and so that no one is left behind or stuck at the edges of society without support.

The theory of monotropism is different to the historical research about Autism that persists and is still prevalent in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is used to diagnose Autism. The theory of monotropism was developed by Autistic people, firstly Dinah Murray and Wenn Lawson in the late 1990’s. This evolved into the research paper ‘Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism’, which was published in 2005. The key difference compared to many other accounts of Autism is that the researchers were themselves Autistic and could offer their inner experiences to shape and form a new, more affirming theory that didn’t pathologise or stigmatise Autistic people further and instead celebrated the positives whilst also recognising the difficulties that can occur.

Monotropism is a neurodiversity-affirming theory of Autism. The research by Garau et al (2023) showed that Autistic /ADHD/ AuDHD people were more likely to have higher scores in their monotropism questionnaire than any other group of people. Monotropic people have an interest-based nervous system. This means that they focus more of their attention resources on fewer things at any one time, compared to other people who may be polytropic. Things outside a monotropic person’s attention tunnel may get missed and they may find moving between attention tunnels difficult and feel that this takes a lot of energy. Monotropism can have a positive and negative impact on the sensory, social and communication needs of people depending on their environment, the support provided and how a person manages their mind and body.

Outdated and inaccurate research influenced by non-Autistic perspectives has had harmful consequences for Autistic people. Viewing Autism through a deficit lens has led to a denial of autonomy and human rights, as Autistic individuals are perceived as abnormal and in need of correction. This has been reflected by the Shark-Infested Waters of Neuronormativity on the map. This water permeates all of society and seeps through the cracks, so people may not even notice its harm; yet it seeps through and affects families, relationships, work, education, health and social care settings.

From very early on in life, when Autistic children are flagged up as being a bit different to their peers and not fitting into the expectations of how they should be behaving, interacting, playing, communicating or managing themselves, their parents are often guided down the Autism pathway. Interventions and strategies are generally implemented to help them fit in with their peers and reduce their Autistic behaviours, things like positive behaviour support plans, the use of social stories and other systems are frequently written up into education and health care plans. Our education system is still filled with harmful behaviourist approaches where teachers and other professionals are focused on trying to fix or cure the person rather than looking at more holistic ways we can change the environment to support them instead and enable a space where everyone can flourish, regardless of neurotype.

For more information about the harm of behaviourism, alternative ideas and to sign and endorse our
Why Advocacy Sheets please see below:

Behaviourism – Why it is harmful: Resources and Research

Alternative Ways to ABA and Behaviourism

Add your signature to our Why Sheet

For other children who may be achieving well in school, hitting more milestones and are able to mask their Autistic ways to fit in, they may fall under the radar of teachers and even their families for many years. Eventually, when the demands of life outweigh their capacity to manage and mask, struggles start to become more apparent. Other mental health concerns may surface due to their Autistic needs going un-identified and as a consequence their authentic Autistic needs going unmet for long periods can affect well-being.

Luke Beardon, an Autism researcher at Sheffield University in the UK, came up with a wonderful
equation which sums up the importance of
changing the environment and not the person:

Autism + Environment = outcome

Autistic people do not need to be cured or fixed; we are all perfect as we are, but we do have needs. Many people require accommodations and support to survive and thrive in today’s society as neuronormative expectations and values still dominate.

The domination of neuronormative ways means Autistic people have to mask to fit in, and masking is exhausting. If you grow up not even knowing you are Autistic until much later in life. If you are battling cycles of mental health issues, wondering why life is just so hard and exhausting, and constantly getting the message that you are not doing things right or managing as you should, it affects your mental health and ability to manage life. When you discover you are Autistic, lots of realisations may occur that are really positive, your world may begin to make a bit more sense to you. However, you may become filled with internalised ableism (represented by the islands of internalised ableism and imposter syndrome on the map).

Internalised ableism is when you adopt the negative views of disability that are prevalent in society. You may feel you don’t quite fit in or deserve the accommodations you know you need to do well. You may doubt or feel like you don’t even know who you really are any more. It may feel like you have to re-story your whole life to try and make sense of things – which is exhausting in itself.

When you first realise you are Autistic, you may doubt your own perception of yourself and find it hard to wrap your head around a new identity. This may be more so if your only previous experience of Autism was based on the outdated deficit model, it may be hard to understand how people can talk about Autism in an affirming way if all you have heard is negativity.

More information about the harm of neuronormativity and the benefits of embracing neurodiversity can be found in the works of:

Robert Chapman: Empire of Normality

Nick Walker: Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities

The double empathy problem (Milton 2012) intensifies and adds to the difficulties of internalised ableism and imposter syndrome due to the mismatch of experiences that often occur between Autistic and non-Autistic people (on top of other aspects of intersectionality) when people try to communicate. The double empathy problem can help explain a lot of the difficulties and differences in communication between people and it is also why Autistic people may find less of a DEEP Double Empathy Problem and more of a connection within Autistic led and neurodivergent communities. Finding your neurokin and community can create a sense of belonging and safety of being finally understood and accepted.

The Islands of Internalised Ableism and Imposter Syndrome can be a lonely and difficult place to be unless you have a community around you that understand and can validate your experiences and accommodate your needs as an Autistic person. Due to internalised ableism, imposter syndrome and the weight of neuronormativity bearing down on people, many Autistic people struggle to survive and end up in repeated cycles of burnout.

Burnout is a common and often reoccurring experience for many Autistic/ ADHD people. It occurs when external demands outweigh our internal capacity (Endow, 2015). If you are monotropic, then your energy resources are likely to be more severely impacted by environmental, social and sensory factors as you are constantly having to battle systems (school /work /healthcare) to get needs met. It can be utterly exhausting on a daily basis, leading to frequent feelings of overwhelm, meltdowns or shutdowns. Over a long period of time with not enough space to rest, recover and re-energise in authentically Autistic ways that suit your neurological bodymind, it can lead to more severe burnouts and eventually a mental health crisis.

The sensory system is like a sea that ebbs and flows inside us. The Tides of the Sensory Sea constantly fluctuate within each person and affect all of our senses in different ways depending on where we are, who we are with, the environment we are in and how safe we may feel. Due to the way monotropic bodyminds process and interact with the world, by hyper-focusing on certain things, many other things are missed that may help you recognise some of these signs you are approaching burnout.

The interoception system is the body’s internal sense that tells you when you may need the toilet, when you are in pain, hungry or when you may be getting tired. Many Autistic people struggle with their interoception system and don’t pick up on key signals due to all the energy resources being focused on other matters. This may mean that you find yourself deep inside a burnout whirlpool, and you may not quite know how you got there as your body didn’t pick up on the signals. This may be due to a combination of things such as interoceptive differences and also internalised ableism. You may end up dismissing some of the sensory signals that you did pick up on that you were struggling such as; exhaustion, finding communication more difficult, problems with your sleep, eating and executive functioning as you thought ‘everyone is like this’ and ‘I should be able to do better and manage better’. We often try to carry on regardless, until we can’t.

More information about the interoception system can be found in the work of:

Kelly Mahler

Mountains of Ruminating Thoughts may constantly loop through your mind as you strive to perfect your ways of being and fitting in; affecting work, family and relationships. Changes to a routine may become even more unmanageable when you are heading towards burnout. Things you used to be able to manage a bit better may feel like a Storm of Unexpected Events and can become completely dysregulating, sweeping you out of your comfort zone, taking away your safe flow state of being able to regulate by engaging with your passions and leave you unable to rest in your own monotropic way. We often plough on, we keep masking and try to keep going – until we can’t.

The weight of the waters of neuronormativity can pull people down and lead some people to feel like they are drowning in Burnout Whirlpools, lost in Mountains of Ruminating Thoughts, and being swept far away from their Comfort Zone Campsite of Safety. Having a base camp within a community that understands your inner experiences and where your needs are validated and met can make all the difference to your well being.

Having your needs met as a monotropic person means that people honour your differences and don’t invalidate your needs or stigmatise you. As neurodivergent people, we need a community around us that listens and accepts that monotropic people experience the world in a unique way that is different to the majority of polytropic (non-autistic/ADHD) people.

If you are monotropic, you use your attention resources in a different way than polytropic people. Having a deep passion for something (a topic or a sensory experience) can be incredibly rewarding for monotropic people. Monotropic passions are more than just hobbies or passing interests. They are part of our coping systems, and can bring Autistic joy and regulatory flow states.

The River of Monotropic Flow States feels like the ultimate goal to achieve every day for me. When I am engaged in my passions and deep in flow, all the worries and stress of life seem to melt away. I enter monotropic time where there it feel like there is almost a shift in reality and time distortion, 5 hours can feel like 5 minutes when in a flow state. I can drift along in my happy bubble for a very very long time until I get distracted by something else happening outside of my Flowy Attention Tunnel or get interrupted, it is then very hard to regain focus and pick up where I left off. Being in a flow state with something you are passionate about can bring great joy to your body and mind. Being in the right environment that enables hyper-focus and flow can help deepen knowledge and expand the potential for new skills and ideas.

For myself, the Rabbit Holes of Research play a huge part in my life as a monotropic person; diving down one hole, discovering new paths, and digging deeper into the rabbit warren and avidly reading and writing (about monotropism or Autism!) is highly rewarding, motivating and recharging me. A deep monotropic flow state can lead me into the Forest of Joy, Awe and Wonder, a place that feels like a magical home that I never want to leave.


Unfortunately, being in such a deep flow state also has its consequences, and often leaves other people on the outside of my rabbit hole and attention tunnel. When I have been in such a deep flow state, it can feel like I have forgotten to take people with me or even forgotten to give them the map to explain where I am and how I got to my decisions, and where to find me. It can cause lots of confusion and needs lots of backtracking and explaining to be able to reconnect with people, which is often exhausting to do.

Many Autistic/ADHD people benefit from concepts such as Body Doubling. Body doubling can be a really effective strategy that many Autistic/ADHD people use to help maintain focus on tasks. It involves another person joining you (in person or online) in the same activity or in a type of parallel play doing another activity simultaneously. Many monotropic people can get easily distracted by both external events and their internal sensory experiences. Having another person working alongside you, can help with accountability and also provide a nice, reassuring presence.

Penguin Pebbling is another common occurrence among neurodivergent people. Penguins pass pebbles to other penguins to show they care. Penguin Pebbling is one of the Five Neurodivergent Love Locutions, alongside infodumping, parallel play, body doubling, support swapping and deep pressure.

The Penguin Pebbling Cove of Friendship is where a little exchange of gifts happen between two people to show that they care and want to build a meaningful connection with each other. For Autistic people, giving little gifts spontaneously can be a meaningful way of communicating that you are thinking about someone and that you care. We are not talking about spending money; rather, it is about building connections through the friendship you have developed between you both, often through mutual interests. This could look like finding a pretty pebble, twig, or flower, sharing memes, perhaps taking a photo on a walk you enjoyed together and sharing it as if to say, ‘This reminded me of you today, I hope you like it.’ 

Another way to support and honour monotropic people’s needs is to allow time and space for infodumping about their passions. Infodump Canyon is where conversations can occur with others who may share the same or similar passions. Communicating can be difficult for many Autistic people, there is a lot to navigate to fit into the neuronormative ways of socialising. Making small talk and being in groups can be especially difficult – not knowing what to say, when to say it, if your tone of voice is ok, and if you are standing or sitting or dressed in the right way is all really hard and takes a lot of energy! It can cause even more looping thoughts and make joining in and following conversations really hard – you may find yourself stuck in the Mountains of Ruminating Thoughts again!

Being with people who share your passions and interests can make communication easier and help bridge the double empathy gap. Engaging in interest-led groups can enhance friendships with others who feel similar to you and share your joy. Being part of the Autistic and Neurodivergent community can be validating and provide empathy and understanding to help you make sense of your world and create a sense of belonging.

Neuronormativity dominates society and our education, social care and healthcare systems and workplace settings. By learning more about the theory of monotropism and how Autistic/ADHD people experience their lives, we can work towards a more neurodiversity-affirming society where both monotropic and polytropic people’s needs are met and celebrated in their own unique ways so everyone can thrive.

Find out more

Discover more about our Map of Monotropic Experiences.

Purchase a downloadable poster to support your own training from Stimpunks shop (all profits go to Stimpunks to support community work).

Keep updated and look out for our open course training programme about The Map of Monotropic Experiences and also Neuroqueer Learning spaces.

Find out more about Monotropism.