Not Quite Typical:An AuDHD Podcast

Have you ever felt completely alone in a room full of people? Or walked away from a social event feeling lonelier than before you arrived?In this episode I look into one of the most quietly painful parts of the neurodivergent experience , loneliness. Not the kind that comes from being alone, but the kind that comes from being surrounded by people and still not being reached by any of them.This episode covers why ND brains find connection harder, what the research actually says, and my own honest account of navigating friendships, groups, and belonging as a late-diagnosed AuDHDer.In this episode:The difference between loneliness and isolation — and why it matters for ND peopleThe five types of loneliness and which ones hit hardest when you're neurodivergentMasking — why performing a version of yourself means nobody actually meets youRSD (rejection sensitive dysphoria) and how it makes us engineer our own lonelinessExecutive function — why ADHD brains lose friendships through drift, not intentionSensory overload in social settings — when the environment is the barrier, not youThe double empathy problem — why it's a mismatch, not a deficitThe myth that autistic people prefer to be alone — and what the research actually showsMy own experience from the school years to adulthood — the popular loner, the drift, the unmaskingSources & further reading:Bridgette Hamstead — AuDHD & Loneliness (Substack):https://substack.com/@bridgettehamstead/p-195049729Prof. Amanda Kirby — Neurodiversity 101: Loneliness (LinkedIn):https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/neurodiversity-101loneliness-prof-amanda-kirby-rluqe/EU Joint Research Centre — Defining loneliness:https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/projects-and-activities/survey-methods-and-analysis-centre/loneliness/defining-loneliness_enBauminger et al. (2003) — Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with autismCacioppo & Hawkley (2009) — Perceived social isolation and cognitionMichielsen et al. (2015) — ADHD and emotional loneliness in older adultsIf you're struggling:Mind — loneliness support: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/useful-contacts/Campaign to End Loneliness: https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/feeling-lonely/helpful-links/Find Not Quite Typical:Instagram: @notquite_typicalSubstack: notquitetypical.substack.comIf this episode resonated, please share it with someone who needs to hear it and leave a review if you can. It genuinely helps more people find the show.