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Adulting with AutismAuthor: April Ratchford MS OT/L
ADULTING WITH AUTISM A movement for neurodivergent adults, created by autistic occupational therapist April Ratchford, OTR/L. Adulting with Autism is a global community for autistic and ADHD adults navigating independence, relationships, college life, careers, emotional regulation, and real-world executive-function challenges. With over 2.7 million downloads, April blends lived experience, clinical insight, and honest conversation to guide neurodivergent adults into their next chapter of growth. Each episode brings practical tools, mental-health strategies, autistic storytelling, and real talk about boundaries, burnout, sensory needs, finances, friendships, and the messy parts of becoming an independent adult. Featuring leading experts in autism, mental health, neuroscience, accessibility, and creative industries along with deeply human stories from autistic adults around the world. If you're a late-diagnosed autistic adult, a college student trying to survive executive-function chaos, or a neurodivergent person trying to build a life that actually fits you are in the right place. Hosted by: April Ratchford, OTR/L autistic occupational therapist, autism advocate, author, and executive contributor to Brainz Magazine. Language: en Genres: Education, Health & Fitness Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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What Works for Your Brain? Personal Science with Gary Wolf
Episode 359
Monday, 5 October, 2026
What if understanding your energy, attention, and daily struggles does not require another expensive wearable—or tracking every 15 minutes of your life? In this episode of Adulting with Autism, I talk with science writer Gary Wolf, co-founder of the Quantified Self movement and author of The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe. His work explores how people can use their own observations and data to answer questions that matter in their everyday lives.workman+1 We discuss how to start with one concrete question: Do I have energy left after work? When do I crash? What makes me late? What helps me recover? Gary explains why personal observations matter, how wearables can provide context without telling the whole story, and why an experiment that does not work is information—not proof that you failed. We also walk through my hypothetical work-crash pattern and explore how to investigate it without immediately turning my entire life upside down. This conversation is for autistic, ADHD, and neurodivergent adults who want to understand themselves without creating another overwhelming productivity system. In this episode How a gathering organized by Gary and Kevin Kelly became a worldwide self-research community. The three Quantified Self show-and-tell questions: "What did I do? How did I do it? What did I learn?" Why tracking attention or energy does not have to mean recording every moment. Starting with one daily observation rather than a complicated dashboard. Gary's practical starting suggestion of approximately six weeks of daily observations—not a universal threshold for proving a result. Why "I had energy left after work" is a meaningful observation. Refining vague measures into something easier to notice. Investigating specific difficulties instead of trying to measure "executive function" as one giant concept. Foreground data: the question or experience you actually care about. Background data: context from wearables, calendars, messages, and other existing records. The difference between noticing a useful personal pattern and proving an intervention works for everyone. When tracking becomes more burdensome than useful. The role of clinician collaboration when questions involve symptoms, medication, or health decisions. April's hypothetical question: "Why do I crash every third workday?" Observing a pattern before choosing a change. Using what you learn to select a small, relevant experiment. Why curiosity can help replace the story "This system failed, so I'm a failure." Learning from other people's self-research without assuming their solution will fit your life. About Gary Gary Wolf is a science and technology writer based in Berkeley, California. A former executive editor of Wired Digital and contributing editor at Wired, he co-founded the Quantified Self movement in 2008.workman He now works with the Personal Science Research Group to develop methods, tools, and case studies that support small-scale empirical research. His book, The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe, brings together personal stories and scientific reasoning methods for exploring questions about mood, cognition, sleep, pain, digestion, and other areas of life.workman+1 Resources: Gary's website.antephase Quantified Self and book information.quantifiedself Publisher's book page.workman Release note: The publisher lists October 6, 2026, as the book's release date. Use "available for preorder" if the episode publishes before then, and "available now" afterward.workman Key takeaways Start with a question that matters to you—not whatever your device happens to measure. One useful observation can be more manageable than a complicated tracking system. Your experience belongs in the picture; a wearable score is not the whole story. Personal patterns can guide questions and decisions without establishing universal cause and effect. Tracking should serve your life. Reassess when its burden exceeds its usefulness. An unsuccessful experiment can still teach you something. Health-related tracking can support a clinical conversation; it is not a substitute for medical evaluation or guidance on medication changes.
