Nurturing Passions: Helping Neurodivergent Children Thrive

Let’s talk about those big, beautiful passions our ND kids latch onto—you know, the ones that turn into full-blown personality traits. Dinosaurs, trains, Pokémon stats, bottle caps (yep, that’s a thing), or in my son's case... video games. Not “just for fun” kind of games, but deep-dive, hyper-focused, built-his-own-world kind of games.

When he was younger, I didn’t totally get it. I mean, I tried to limit screen time like every well-meaning mom out here trying to follow the so-called rules. But for him? That wasn’t just a game. It was regulation. It was recovery. It was how he made sense of the chaos around him when everything else felt like too much.

Fast forward to high school—and boom. He discovers cybersecurity. And when I say “discover,” I mean he started cracking through the school's firewalls for sport. One minute the district’s IT guy was feeling smug, the next minute—bam—my kid’s back on YouTube. I swear, it turned into a whole unofficial chess match between him and the board office.

What looked like “hacking” was actually a gift. That laser focus? That curiosity? That constant need to figure things out? It was all leading somewhere. Now he’s exploring a career in cybersecurity—because of the very thing people once told me to discourage.

And this, mama, is where we’ve been lied to. We’ve been told these passions are “too much.” That our kids are “obsessed.” That we need to “redirect.” But what if those so-called obsessions are just passions waiting to grow roots? What if their deep interests aren’t detours—but the freaking roadmap?

These passions? They do something. They help our kids regulate. They give them joy. They offer a safe space to retreat, express, explore. They become bridges to confidence, creativity, even careers. But only if we stop squashing them.

Because let’s be honest—our ND legends don’t usually play by typical rules. They color outside the lines... and then turn those scribbles into something genius. Sometimes the kid lining up dinosaurs is secretly practicing categorization and focus. The one who recites Pokémon data like a sportscaster? They’re flexing memory muscles. And that anime-doodling tween? That’s visual learning, emotional expression, and serious artistic fire.

Don’t believe me? Look around.

Temple Grandin took her connection with animals and turned it into an entire movement. Greta Thunberg channeled her passion for the planet and shook the world. Chris Bonello didn’t fit the mold as a teacher—so he broke it and built Autistic Not Weird instead.

And pop culture? Full of ND trailblazers.

Dan Aykroyd turned his childhood ghost obsession into Ghostbusters. Anthony Hopkins used his hyper-focus to build an acting legacy. And Tom Kenny—yep, the voice of SpongeBob—once said SpongeBob totally reads as autistic. The literal thinking. The big feelings. The hyper-fixations. The unfiltered joy. (Honestly? If SpongeBob isn’t the poster child for ND passion, I don’t know who is.)

None of these folks were told to tone it down. And if they were, thank goodness they didn’t listen. Because their “too much” became their more than enough.

This is what I want you to see in your own child. The magic in their interests. The spark in their “weird.” The potential in their passions. And by the way, the motto in our house is Embrace Your Weirdness!

And while we’re at it, can we please celebrate every win? Not just the big stuff. I’m talking about the moment your kid shares their special interest with a classmate. Or advocates for time to focus on their passion project. Or just lights up when they’re in their zone. That’s growth. That’s confidence. That’s them showing up as exactly who they are—and that deserves a whole lot more than a gold star.

Here’s the deal: supporting your child’s passion isn’t just about letting them have a hobby. It’s about giving them a foundation. A way to build identity, resilience, and joy. When we say yes to what lights them up, we’re saying yes to them—mess, magic, and all.

So if your kiddo is obsessed with planets, frogs, trains, or coding the next Minecraft mod—don’t shut it down. Don’t panic. Don’t pull away.

Lean in.

You might just be raising the next genius, innovator, storyteller… or a wildly happy, beautifully unique human.

And honestly? That’s more than enough.