In my work, and as a neurodiverse therapist, I see this often — particularly in workplace settings: people being misunderstood for the very ways their minds are trying to stay connected, engaged, and contribute.
What gets labelled as “too much,” “too fast,” or “interrupting” is often not what it appears to be.
Neurodiverse minds — particularly ADHD minds — don’t move in straight lines. They connect, loop, jump, and build meaning in layers. From the outside, that can look scattered. From the inside, it’s often completely coherent.
What can look like oversharing is often a mind moving quickly, trying to express ideas before they disappear.
What can look like interrupting is often a fragile working memory — if it’s not said now, it’s gone.
What can feel like “too intense” is often a nervous system responding in real time, not a choice to overwhelm.
And what can be read as withdrawal is, just as often, regulation—a need to pause, organise, and come back.
These aren’t communication failures. They’re adaptations.
In professional environments, where communication is often expected to be linear, measured, and consistent, these differences can be easily misinterpreted. Without context, they may be seen as a lack of professionalism, rather than a difference in processing and expression.
When we only view communication through a neurotypical lens, we risk pathologising difference instead of understanding it. And in doing so, we miss the strengths that sit alongside it: quick thinking, creativity, deep focus, rich association, and a genuine drive to contribute.
The work — whether in therapy, leadership, or teams — isn’t about forcing neurodiverse individuals to communicate “better” within a system that doesn’t quite fit. It’s about learning to recognise the language that’s already there.
To allow space for thoughts to be expressed fully. To respond with clarity rather than assumption.
To create room for both pace and pause.
Because when that shift happens, what once felt like “too much” often becomes something else entirely — something insightful, valuable, and deeply human.
