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Neurodivergent And Disability Definitions
Insomnia
Ongoing difficulty falling or staying asleep, or waking without feeling rested, and is more common among autistic and ADHD people.
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Insomnia refers to ongoing difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or returning to sleep after waking during the night. It’s more common among Autistic and ADHD people and is often shaped by how the nervous system processes stimulation, stress, and the shift into rest.
For many people, insomnia grows out of a mix of racing or looping thoughts, sensory sensitivities, and a brain that stays alert long after the body feels exhausted. Even when someone is deeply tired, their nervous system may struggle to downshift into sleep. This often reflects both psychological and body-based factors, including differences in how brain systems like the hypothalamus help regulate arousal and circadian rhythms.
Insomnia isn’t a failure of sleep hygiene or willpower. Support usually involves more than bedtime routines alone and may include sensory accommodations, nervous system regulation, predictable wind-down rhythms, and easing the pressure to “sleep on command.”
For some, additional support might include working with a therapist, targeted sleep medications or supplements, light therapy, or other approaches that address both the mind and the body.
Internalized Ableism
When society’s messages about disability and difference get turned inward, shaping shame, self-judgment, or pressure to appear “capable.”
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Internalized ableism happens when we absorb society’s messages about disability and difference and turn them inward. It can sound like pressure to appear “capable,” shame when we need support, or the belief that our worth depends on how well we can mask or push through. This can affect people with both visible and invisible disabilities, including neurodivergent people, those with chronic illness, and people with body-based differences.
This process is often unconscious. It’s shaped by years of living in systems that link productivity, independence, and conformity with value. Over time, those external expectations can become internalized, making it harder to honor our needs, ask for help, or embrace interdependence.
Internalized ableism can look similar to self-criticism or trauma responses, and they often coexist. The difference is that internalized ableism is rooted in cultural beliefs about disability and difference — ideas learned from systems and norms — rather than solely from individual experiences of harm.
Noticing internalized ableism can help us gently recognize where these messages come from, so we can begin to loosen their grip and relate to ourselves with more compassion and choice.
