Spectrum Centre

16/10/2026

Your nervous system has opinions.
Wishing you a gentle Friday 💙

16/10/2026

Done is better than perfect. But with ADHD, even getting started can be difficult.

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Ever spent more time thinking about doing something than it would actually take to do it?

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You need to send an email.

But you want to word it properly.

So you think about it. Rewrite it in your head. Decide you'll do it when you can give it your full attention.

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Three days later, the email still hasn't been sent.

And now you've got the original task, plus the guilt of not doing it.

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Sound familiar?

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For some adults with ADHD, procrastination and perfectionism can become a frustrating combination.

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You don't want to do a bad job. You want to do it properly.

But the pressure to get it right can make starting feel even harder.

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And here's the frustrating part.

You can spend so much time preparing yourself to do something well that you never actually get around to doing it.

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But there's a difference between giving something time to develop and feeling stuck because you can't get started.

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𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁?

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Maybe it's sending the email that's clear enough, rather than rewriting it ten times.

Maybe it's spending 20 minutes on a task instead of waiting for three uninterrupted hours.

Maybe it's accepting that the first attempt doesn't have to be the final version.

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Not every task deserves the same amount of time, energy or attention.

And doing something imperfectly doesn't mean you don't care.

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Of course, ADHD-related procrastination isn't always about perfectionism. Difficulties with attention, planning, task initiation and emotional regulation can all play a part.

Simply telling someone to "just do it" doesn't make those difficulties disappear.

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But recognising when your own expectations are getting in the way can be a useful place to start.

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Because sometimes the thing holding us back isn't that we can't do it well. It's that we're struggling to allow ourselves to do it imperfectly.

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What's one thing you've been putting off because you want to do it properly?

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If procrastination, perfectionism or difficulties getting started are affecting your daily life, speaking with a specialist psychologist who understands ADHD can help you explore what's happening and find practical ways to manage these challenges.

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Book an appointment with one of our psychologists:
https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/spectrumcentre

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Find answers to common questions about assessments, appointments, medical aid, reports, online sessions and support groups. If you cannot find what you are looking for, our team is always happy to assist.

01/10/2026

A self-paced course on relationships, made for autistic adults by four South African psychologists.
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Autism & Relationships looks at how relationships work for you. It is not about learning to fit in. It is about understanding your own patterns, saying what you need more clearly, and building relationships that suit the way you think and feel.
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What it covers:
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• Identity, attachment and relationship patterns
• Communication, conflict and boundaries
• Dating, disclosure and early relationships
• Emotions, needs and feeling safe with other people
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What you get:
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• 16 recorded video lessons across 4 modules
• Reflection tools, worksheets and knowledge checks
• 12 weeks of access to work through at your own pace
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It is for you whether you are single, dating, in a relationship or thinking back on past relationships. You do not need a formal diagnosis.
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This is an educational course, not therapy.
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Launch Price: R997 once-off. No subscription and no automatic renewal.
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You can watch a free preview on the page first to see how it is taught.
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A self-paced online course created by four South African psychologists with experience in adult autism and relationships.

01/10/2026

AUTISM, BURNOUT AND TRAUMA: WHAT IS UNDERNEATH THE DISTRESS?
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A recent study of 629 adults aged 40 to 90 found that PTSD questionnaire cut-offs were exceeded by:
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• 37% of autistic adults aged 40 to 64
• 26% of autistic adults aged 65 and older
• 13% of non-autistic adults aged 40 to 64
• 4% of non-autistic adults aged 65 and older
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Exceeding a questionnaire cut-off is not the same as receiving a PTSD diagnosis. However, these findings remind us that trauma-related distress should not automatically be explained as “part of autism.”
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Autism, burnout and trauma can overlap in how they appear:
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• Withdrawal
• Exhaustion
• Reduced capacity
• Difficulty regulating emotions
• Avoidance
• Increased sensitivity or distress
• Feeling unsafe or overwhelmed
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But the reasons underneath these experiences may be different.
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Burnout may develop after prolonged overload and demands that exceed a person’s available capacity.
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A trauma response may be connected to previous experiences of bullying, rejection, abuse, humiliation or situations in which the person felt unsafe and powerless.
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Autistic characteristics are lifelong, although how they affect someone may change across environments and stages of life.
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Some useful questions to consider are:
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• Has this always been part of the person’s experience, or is it a significant change?

• Is the response connected to a particular person, place, tone or situation?

• Does the person feel overloaded, or do they feel unsafe?

• Are they avoiding something because it is demanding, or because it reminds them of a harmful experience?

• Have previous experiences shaped what they now believe about themselves, relationships or asking for help?
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These questions cannot diagnose PTSD or reliably distinguish it from autistic burnout. They can help identify when distress deserves further exploration rather than being dismissed as simply part of autism.
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As we always say at Spectrum Centre: when you have met one autistic adult, you have met one autistic adult.
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Understanding the individual means looking beyond the diagnostic label to their personal history, environment, relationships and lived experiences.
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👉 Click here for more information or to book a session: https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/spectrumcentre

🌐 https://neurodiversity.spectrumcentre.co.za/home

📧 [email protected]
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Source: McAdams et al., Trauma and PTSD Symptoms: Exploring the Experiences of Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults in Midlife and Old Age, 2026.
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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613261486059

30/09/2026

ADHD Support Group

This month’s topic:
I know what I need to do. Why can’t I get started?
Thursday, 22 October | 6pm – 7pm | Online
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10–15 minutes of psychoeducation
40–50 minutes of facilitated support and group conversation
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Each month’s topic is carefully researched and presented by Counselling Psychologist Brenton Thornton, followed by facilitated discussion and support.
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Join the conversation. Book your seat.
https://supportgroup.spectrumcentre.co.za/adhd-registration

24/09/2026

DIAGNOSIS OR SUPPORT?
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A recent report from England examined approximately 3,000 complaints about autism and ADHD services. Complaints increased by almost 206% over five years, with people reporting long waits, confusing care pathways and limited access to support after diagnosis.
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The report is based on the English healthcare system, BUT... the broader point is relevant:

Receiving a diagnosis and receiving appropriate support are not the same thing.
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An autism or ADHD diagnosis can bring enormous clarity.
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It can explain why certain things have always felt harder, why previous advice did not work, or why you have spent years feeling that everyone else received instructions you somehow missed.
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However, understanding the reason does not automatically change the difficulties which led you to seek a diagnosis in the first place.
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After diagnosis, a person may still need support with processing painful or traumatic experiences of being ridiculed, rejected or excluded for being neurodivergent, and understanding how these experiences may have shaped your beliefs, relationships and life today.
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Other support may also include:

• Understanding how autism or ADHD affects your particular life
• Anxiety, depression or burnout
• Executive functioning
• Relationships and communication
• Workplace or educational accommodations
• Medication referral and monitoring
• Deciding what support is actually useful to them
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Support should be available and clearly explained, but it should never be imposed as though Autism or ADHD itself needs to be “treated.”
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Diagnosis can give you the missing information.
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What happens next should be guided by what you need.
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As we always say at Spectrum Centre: when you have met one autistic adult, you have met one autistic adult. Every person has their own unique experiences, needs, strengths and challenges.

👉 Click here for more info or to book an appointment: https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/spectrumcentre

🌐 https://spectrumcentre.co.za/
📧 [email protected]

18/09/2026

18/09/2026

When everyone is trying, but no one feels understood.

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Two people can care deeply about each other and still leave the same conversation with very different understandings of what just happened.

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The meaning intended is not always the meaning received.

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A question may be heard as criticism. A request for space may be understood as rejection. An attempt to explain may create more confusion rather than clarity.

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This does not automatically mean that either person is uncaring, unreasonable or unwilling to listen.

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Sometimes the conversation needs a different starting point.

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Honest dialogue can help people find the words for what they need, clarify what was meant and understand where their expectations or limits differ.

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Boundaries can form part of that dialogue. A boundary is not about punishing someone or forcing them to change. It is about being clear about your own needs, limits and choices.

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Our next online support group gives parents and partners of autistic teens and adults a place to explore these conversations without blaming, labelling or trying to diagnose the autistic person.

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Facilitated by Clinical Psychologist Kevin Naidu, the group will focus on communication, boundaries and finding a clearer way forward when familiar conversations keep becoming difficult.

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Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 6pm
Online via Zoom
R320 per person

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR SPOT:

Online support groups for parents and partners of autistic teens and adults, offering practical information, guided discussion and shared understanding.

17/09/2026

A recent viral meme highlights how quickly a person can be judged by a single facial expression.
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A Florida mother’s 16-year-old son, who had reportedly been diagnosed with schizophrenia and mild autism, had been missing for almost 48 hours.
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During a live press conference, she was suddenly told that he had been found safe.
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Within hours, a few seconds of her facial expression had been clipped, shared and turned into a meme.
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People decided that she looked disappointed. That her reaction was strange. That something must be wrong.
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But what exactly is the “correct” face for relief after almost two days of fear, exhaustion and uncertainty?
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Some people cry. Some collapse. Some become animated. Others freeze, appear expressionless or need time to process what they have just heard.
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Autism has a strong genetic component, with a large international study estimating its heritability at approximately 80%. We are certainly not claiming that this mother is neurodivergent, and her reaction tells us nothing definite about that nor does it provide a diagnosis. What we are highlighting is the reminder that people do not all process or communicate emotion in the way society expects.
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The problem is that we have created a narrow, largely neurotypical idea of what emotion is supposed to look like.
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If someone does not produce the expected facial expression, tone of voice or immediate response, we start questioning their character instead of questioning our assumptions.
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A few seconds of somebody’s face or immediate reaction cannot tell us what they feel, what they have endured or how much they care.
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This is why neurodiversity awareness matters, and why we are so passionate about supporting neurodivergent people and sharing information that builds understanding.
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Not so that we can assign labels to strangers, but so that we stop treating difference as evidence of something sinister.
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Before we turn a human being into a meme, we need to remember that we are seeing a moment, not the full person.
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Understanding begins when we stop demanding that everyone look, react and communicate exactly as we would.
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Click here for more info or to book a session: https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/spectrumcentre

17/09/2026

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUTISM, ADHD, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND GENETICS

A new peer-reviewed study investigated whether ADHD, anxiety, depression and other conditions occurring alongside autism are linked to the same genetic influences as autism or involve additional genetic factors.

Researchers analysed diagnostic information from 74,204 autistic participants. Genetic analyses included 17,582 participants, while within-family analyses included 5,236 parent-child trios.

The diagnoses formed three broad clusters:

• ADHD and disruptive behaviour disorders
• Depression and anxiety
• Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

The researchers found evidence that these clusters had additional genetic influences rather than simply reflecting the genetic influences associated with autism itself.

In practical terms, ADHD, anxiety and depression should not automatically be viewed as symptoms or expressions of autism.

Autism and ADHD are separate conditions, although they can occur together. Having autism does not automatically mean someone has ADHD, and having ADHD does not automatically mean someone is autistic.

This is why Spectrum Centre assesses autism and ADHD separately. Each condition has its own DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and requires its own careful clinical assessment. Where both are assessed, we use separate sessions and provide separate reports.

The study does not mean that genetics alone causes these conditions. Mental health and functioning are also shaped by relationships, stress, trauma, discrimination, environmental demands and access to appropriate support.

It also highlights why diagnosis is only the beginning.

A diagnosis may provide clarity, but people may still need support with anxiety, depression, burnout, executive functioning, relationships, identity, masking, emotional regulation and the practical demands of everyday life.

This is why we encourage clients to consider ongoing therapy after diagnosis.

Long-term therapy is not about treating autism or ADHD or making someone appear less neurodivergent. It provides time to understand how each different conditions, experiences and environments interact in that individual person’s life.

We are all unique.

Source: Okewole et al., Molecular Psychiatry, published 12 September 2026.

Click here for more info or to book an appointment: https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/spectrumcentre

🌐 https://spectrumcentre.co.za/
📧 [email protected]