Frequently Asked Questions

Stimpunks Foundation is a disabled- and neurodivergent-led nonprofit providing mutual aid, creator grants, learning opportunities, and human-centered resources — created by and for neurodivergent and disabled people. We presume competence and believe in self-determination. Learn more →

Stimpunks combines “stimming” and “punks.” It stands for open, proud stimming, resistance to being normalized, and the DIY spirit of punk, disabled, and neurodivergent communities. Instead of hiding our stims, we bring them to the front. Learn more →

Stimpunks is by and for neurodivergent and disabled people. We’re a disabled- and neurodivergent-led mutual aid and access-infrastructure project — serving our community directly through grants, learning resources, and support, while building public tools anyone can use. We presume competence and center self-determination. Learn more →

Yes. Stimpunks Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 87-4010796), incorporated in December 2021, and holds a Candid Silver Seal of Transparency. Our annual reports, IRS filings, board and staff composition, and governance policies are all published for anyone to review. Learn more →

Yes — and we hope you do. Everything Stimpunks makes is openly licensed as a Free Cultural Work: our glossary, field guide, library, and resources are free to share, remix, and adapt, with attribution. We default to open and treat our work as a gift to the commons. Learn more →

Stimpunks offers Mutual Aid Grants to US-based neurodivergent and disabled people. Our grant page explains how grants work, what they cover, and the current application status — application pipelines open and close in cycles, so check there for whether we’re accepting new applications right now. Learn more →

Our Creator Grants offer up to US$3,000 to neurodivergent and disabled creators in the US for art, advocacy, or research. Full eligibility and current application status are on the grant page, since our pipelines open and close in cycles. Learn more →

Allies can load-share the work of existing against structural ableism — there are ways to help in everyday life, and we look for values fit over credentials. Our volunteer page has the specifics on what we need and how to get involved. Learn more →

Neurodivergent (sometimes shortened to ND) means having a mind that functions in ways that diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.” It’s an umbrella term rather than a diagnosis, covering autistic people, ADHDers, dyslexic people, and many others. Learn more →

They aren’t interchangeable. Neurodiversity is the diversity of all human minds — the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning across our species — so a group, a classroom, or humanity as a whole is neurodiverse. An individual whose mind diverges from dominant norms is neurodivergent. One person is neurodivergent, never “neurodiverse.” Learn more →

Neuronormativity is the set of norms, standards, and expectations that treat one particular way of functioning as the correct way to think, feel, communicate, play, and behave. It’s the assumption that there’s a single right way to exist, enforced everywhere from our relationships to classrooms and workplaces. Learn more →

They’re five ways many neurodivergent people show and feel care: infodumping (sharing what you’re passionate about), parallel play / body doubling (being together while doing your own things), support swapping / sharing spoons (trading help), deep pressure (“please crush my soul back into my body”), and penguin pebbling (sending little finds — a rock, a link, a meme — to say “I thought of you”). Learn more →

AuDHD is the intersection of Autism and ADHD, two neurotypes that frequently co-occur. It isn’t simply autism plus ADHD — it’s its own experience, where the two interact, overlap, and sometimes contradict each other, like craving routine and novelty at the same time. Learn more →

Dolphining (or ADHD dolphining) is when an ADHD person responds to a conversation in a seemingly unrelated way because they’ve taken a deep dive inside their own thoughts and come up for air with an afterthought — surfacing somewhere the rest of us didn’t expect. Learn more →

Monotropism is a theory of autism developed by autistic people. Monotropic minds tend to pull attention strongly toward a small number of interests at any given time, leaving fewer resources for other processes — which can explain much of what’s commonly associated with autism. Learn more →

Monotropism is a lens for understanding attention, not a diagnosis, so there’s no test that “proves” it. Our Map of Monotropic Experiences is a self-reflection tool for exploring whether monotropic patterns — deep focus, attention tunnels, difficulty switching tasks — resonate with your own experience. Learn more →

A good autism organization is led by and accountable to autistic people themselves, guided by the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us” — rather than being run for autistic people by others. Organizations we point to include the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN), and the Association for Autistic Community. Learn more →

A spiky profile is an uneven set of abilities — pronounced strengths sitting right alongside significant difficulties, rather than a smooth average. It’s a defining characteristic of many neurominorities, where executive-function challenges coexist with real neurocognitive strengths. Learn more →