The Neurodivergent Design Standards define levels of support for environments designed with neurodivergent people in mind.
These standards build on the principles described in:
- The Neurodivergent Design Framework
- The Neurodivergent Design Specification
- The Neurodivergent Design Methodology
The goal of the standards is to help organizations, institutions, and communities evaluate how well their environments support cognitive diversity.
Rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought, the standards encourage environments that expect and support neurodivergent participation from the beginning.
The Three Levels of Neurodivergent Design
The Stimpunks design standards define three levels of neurodivergent support.
These levels describe increasing degrees of environmental alignment with neurodivergent needs.
ND-1 — Neurodivergent Friendly
ND-1 environments provide basic support for neurodivergent people.
They acknowledge that participants may have different sensory, attentional, and participation needs.
Examples include:
- quiet spaces or low-stimulus areas
- flexible seating or work locations
- optional asynchronous communication
- reduced reliance on rapid verbal interaction
Relevant design patterns include:
ND-1 environments reduce friction but may still rely on conventional participation norms.
ND-2 — Neurodivergent Supportive
ND-2 environments are intentionally designed around neurodivergent cognitive patterns.
These environments actively support attention stability, sensory safety, and energy sustainability.
Examples include:
- dedicated deep-focus environments
- sensory regulation spaces
- predictable schedules and structures
- asynchronous collaboration systems
- participation options that do not require constant social performance
Relevant patterns and recipes include:
ND-2 environments significantly reduce masking pressure and burnout risk.
ND-3 — Neurodivergent Native
ND-3 environments are designed from the beginning with neurodivergent cognition as a central design principle.
These environments assume cognitive diversity as the norm rather than the exception.
Examples include:
- environments designed for sustained deep work
- flexible participation structures
- multiple sensory environments
- collaborative niche construction
- distributed communication systems
- support for intermittent collaboration
Relevant ideas include:
ND-3 environments enable neurodivergent people to participate fully without masking or exhaustion.
Evaluating Environments
Organizations can use the standards to assess how their environments support neurodivergent participation.
Evaluation may include examining:
- sensory environments
- communication systems
- collaboration structures
- scheduling and pacing
- participation expectations
These factors are explored in:
Together, these tools help identify areas where environments create friction for neurodivergent participants.
From Accommodation to Design
Traditional accessibility frameworks focus on accommodating individuals after problems arise.
Neurodivergent design shifts the focus toward proactive environmental design.
Instead of asking:
How can neurodivergent people adapt to existing environments?
The design standards ask:
How can environments be designed to support diverse cognitive styles from the start?
Toward Neurodivergent Infrastructure
When adopted broadly, neurodivergent design standards can influence:
- workplaces
- schools
- digital platforms
- community spaces
- public infrastructure
This broader vision is explored in:
- Designing a Neurodivergent Civilization
- The Neurodivergent Civilization Atlas
- The Future of Neurodivergent Civilization
The long-term goal is not simply to support neurodivergent individuals.
It is to build environments where cognitive diversity is expected and supported as a fundamental part of human life.
Regulation & Bodymind Support
Requirement: Bodymind Breaks
Environments must support self-directed bodymind breaks.
Requirement: Bodymind Affirmation
Every environment must explicitly communicate:
- movement is allowed
- breaks are allowed
- leaving/re-entry is allowed
- needs are valid
Diagnostic Questions
- Can people move, rest, or leave without asking?
- Are breaks self-timed rather than externally controlled?
- Is re-entry easy and stigma-free?
- Are physiological needs (water, food, bathroom) freely accessible?
- Are regulation tools or spaces available?
Indicators of Good Design
- people take breaks without hesitation
- cameras/microphones are optional
- movement is normalized
- no penalties for stepping away
- transitions in and out are smooth
Indicators of Friction
- “wait until the end” rules
- restricted bathroom or water access
- forced stillness or eye contact
- penalties for stepping away
- visible discomfort or suppression
Design Moves
- offer “bodymind affirmations“
- explicitly state: “take what you need”
- build in pause points and flexible pacing
- provide sensory-safe and low-demand spaces
- allow asynchronous participation
- design for re-entry (notes, recordings, summaries)
System-Level Standard
Bodymind breaks should be:
- expected
- normalized
- protected
not:
- earned
- restricted
- stigmatized
