December 2025 Neurodiversity Newsletter Issue #3
The December 2025 Neurodiversity Newsletter (Issue No. 3) is presented as a warm, informative roundup that celebrates, supports, and empowers neurodivergent adults and their communities. It brings together lived-experience stories, practical strategies, assessment guidance, and professional learning opportunities focused on ADHD, autism, and neuro-affirming care.
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Welcome and overall focus
In this issue, readers are invited to reflect on how sleep, movement, sensory regulation, and community shape everyday life for neurodivergent adults. The publication highlights offerings from the Adult ADHD Centre, Adult Autism Centre, ADHD Training Academy, and the Bold Education Skills Treatment (BEST) Program, emphasizing collaboration across these services.
“Tired But Wired” – ADHD and sleep
The first featured story, “Tired But Wired” by Marlee Boyle (BSc, RRT, CCSH), examines the complex relationship between ADHD and sleep. It explains how sleep deprivation can intensify difficulties with attention, working memory, and emotional regulation in people with ADHD, creating a cycle of exhaustion and worsening symptoms.
The article introduces two key processes: sleep pressure (Process S), which builds the longer someone is awake, and the circadian rhythm (Process C), the 24‑hour internal clock. Many adults with ADHD experience delayed circadian rhythms and feel most alert late at night, which often leads to racing thoughts at bedtime and mornings that begin already fatigued. Everyday factors such as stimulant medications, caffeine, daytime napping, and sleeping in are described as influences that can disrupt sleep pressure and delay sleep onset, but the story also notes that targeted treatment and education can help break this cycle.
“Singing and Dancing” – regulation through movement
The second featured story, “Singing and Dancing” by Andrea Dasilva (MEd, RCC), offers a hopeful perspective on emotional regulation during a busy time of year. It explores how singing and dancing can bridge the gap between seasonal overwhelm and moments of calm.
Andrea describes how music and movement support emotional regulation, attention, concentration, and social bonding, with or without spoken language. Whether neurodivergent or neurotypical, readers are encouraged to see singing and dancing as accessible tools that help release stored emotions, ease tension, and clear mental “fog,” not just as holiday traditions but as year-round supports for busy brains.
Navigating sensory overload during the holidays
Another major feature, “Navigating Sensory Overload During the Holidays: Practical Tips,” focuses on the reality that festive environments can quickly become overwhelming for autistic, ADHD, highly sensitive, or anxious adults. It acknowledges the impact of bright lights, loud gatherings, strong scents, unpredictable schedules, and increased social expectations.
The piece offers practical strategies such as:
- Checking in with internal needs like hunger, thirst, and fatigue to reduce vulnerability to sensory overload.
- Setting expectations before events, including where someone is going, who will be there, and how long they realistically intend to stay.
- Communicating sensory needs in advance to hosts or organizers, such as requesting lower music volume, quieter seating, or the freedom to step away.
Further suggestions include protecting “anchor routines” like sleep, meals, and downtime, bringing a personalized sensory toolkit (for example, headphones, sunglasses, fidgets, or portable deep‑pressure items), and treating breaks as a deliberate regulation strategy. The article closes with guidance for sensory‑friendly hosting, such as softer lighting, moderate sound levels, quiet spaces, and seating options away from crowds, to help neurodivergent guests participate more comfortably.
Adult Autism Centre – what to expect from an autism assessment
The Adult Autism Centre section provides a step‑by‑step overview for adults considering an autism assessment. It breaks the process into four key steps: defining goals, gathering information, attending an interview, and receiving a written assessment report.
Readers learn that the first stage involves clarifying what they hope to gain from an assessment, such as self-understanding, accommodations, or direction for future supports. The next step includes completing an Autism Assessment Tool that covers childhood history, health background, family context, and lived social experiences, sometimes with help from a partner, friend, or family member. The clinical interview then explores current functioning and past experiences in a collaborative, non‑judgmental environment, and the final report summarizes the discussion, offers a diagnosis when appropriate, and outlines recommendations and accommodations.
The section notes that a high proportion of individuals with ADHD also meet criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder and explains how overlapping traits, such as challenges with social cues and sensory sensitivities, can complicate self-understanding. The Adult Autism Centre emphasizes timely, more affordable assessments for adults in Canada, including a Parhar Compassion Program for those who qualify, and underlines that a diagnosis can support self‑acceptance, advocacy, and access to supports and accommodations.
BEST Program – community for adults with ADHD
The Bold Education Skills Treatment (BEST) Program is introduced as a way for adults with ADHD to begin 2026 feeling more connected and supported. It addresses the reality that many neurodivergent adults feel isolated or misunderstood and positions BEST as a welcoming, judgment‑free community.
BEST is delivered entirely online and offers two monthly webinars on topics such as sleep, medication, impulse control, organization, and focus. Sessions are led by Dr. Gurdeep Parhar along with guest experts who address related areas like financial well‑being, nutrition, and everyday organization. In addition to structured learning, the program gives members opportunities to connect with each other, share experiences, and offer mutual support. Many participants report that meeting others who truly understand ADHD makes the condition feel less isolating and more manageable.
ADHD Training Academy and ADHD‑CEPP certification
For professionals, the newsletter highlights the ADHD Training Academy and its ADHD‑Certified Expert Practicing Professional (ADHD‑CEPP™) program. This section explains that ADHD affects approximately 1 in 20 adults in Canada and that stigma and misinformation can create barriers in workplaces, educational settings, and healthcare.
The ADHD‑CEPP program is designed for a wide range of professionals—including educators, healthcare providers, social workers, human resources teams, and those in communications or marketing—who support neurodivergent adults. It consists of 12 online modules covering key aspects of ADHD, such as medication, sleep, and co‑existing conditions, each followed by an examination. After successfully completing all modules, learners can apply for the ADHD‑CEPP designation, which signals expertise and commitment to creating more inclusive, supportive environments. A time‑limited New Year promotion reduces tuition from the regular fee to a significantly lower rate for the first group of learners who enroll before the end of December 2025.
December 2025 events and webinars
The December events section outlines a robust calendar of educational sessions hosted by the Adult ADHD Centre, Adult Autism Centre, and the BEST Program. These include:
- A BEST member–exclusive webinar on rejection and ADHD, focused on mental fatigue, stress, and difficulties with focus related to rejection in family and workplace settings.
- A free public webinar on the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), led by Dr. Gurdeep Parhar, explaining eligibility, application steps, examples of qualifying mental and physical health conditions, and how the DTC links to supports such as the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and new federal benefits.
- A free public webinar, “Autism & the Senses,” with Drs. Gurdeep and Anita Parhar, exploring how ADHD and autism affect sensory experiences and why this knowledge matters for adults, caregivers, families, and professionals.
- A BEST member–exclusive webinar on ADHD and aging, examining changes in memory, focus, energy, and emotional well‑being and offering practical strategies for adapting routines and maintaining independence later in life.
Each event listing provides dates, times across time zones, and clear calls to register or to learn more via links or QR codes.
Team recognition and staying connected
The newsletter concludes by recognizing the team behind Neurodiversity News: Editor‑in‑Chief Devon Krahenbil, Assistant Editor Chandler Cumming, Dr. Anita Parhar, Dr. Gurdeep Parhar, and Media Manager Patrick Wachter. Readers are thanked for following along through three issues and are invited to stay connected with the Adult ADHD Centre and its partner organizations for future resources, events, and updates.