Stimpunks is large because it connects many kinds of knowledge: vocabulary, patterns, environments, collaboration systems, and design frameworks.

To help navigate the system, it helps to think of Stimpunks as three overlapping maps.

These maps answer three different questions:

Together they form the orientation system for the entire site.

🧭 You Are Here

The Three Maps of Stimpunks sit at the center of the site’s navigation system. From here, you can explore the major cartographic views of the Stimpunks ecosystem.

                Universe Map
                     │
                Knowledge System
                     │
                 Three Maps
                 (You Are Here)
                ╱           ╲
         Pattern Atlas   Pattern Graph
                │             │
            Pattern Clusters  Pattern Paths
                     │
                   Site Map

Explore the Maps

• Map: Language, Ideas, and Where to Go
  The practical site navigation map.
• The Stimpunks Universe Map
  The big-picture conceptual map of Stimpunks.
• The Stimpunks Pattern Atlas
  The structured overview of neurodivergent patterns.
• The Stimpunks Pattern Graph
  The network showing how patterns connect.
• Pattern Clusters
  Thematic groupings of related patterns.

How to Use This Page

This page explains three foundational maps that help you understand Stimpunks:

Forces Map
↓
Knowledge Map
↓
Habitat Map

Together, these maps show:

• why neurodivergent experiences happen
• how the Stimpunks knowledge system works
• how environments can be designed for different minds

Use this page as a trailhead for exploring the Stimpunks landscape.

Map 1 — The Forces of Neurodivergent Life

The first map explains the core forces shaping neurodivergent experience.

Attention
Energy
Environment

These forces influence how people think, regulate themselves, and interact with the world.

Attention

Attention describes how cognition flows.

Some people experience distributed attention.
Others experience monotropic attention, where focus flows deeply into a small number of interests.

Relevant pages include:

• Pattern 01 — Monotropism
• Pattern 05 — Deep Attention
• Pattern 04 — Processing Time

These patterns help explain why many neurodivergent people excel at deep work but struggle with constant interruption.

Design responses include:

• Designing Attention Sanctuaries
• Designing Monotropic Workflows
• Designing Predictable Environments

Energy

Energy describes how people regulate social, cognitive, and sensory effort.

Relevant patterns include:

• Pattern 06 — Social Energy
• Pattern 10 — Energy Accounting
• Pattern 11 — Burnout Threshold
• Pattern 12 — Energy Recovery

When environments ignore energy limits, people experience chronic exhaustion and burnout.

Design responses include:

• Designing Recovery Cycles
• Designing Regulation Spaces
• Designing Sensory-Safe Spaces

Environment

The third force is environmental fit.

People thrive when environments align with their sensory and cognitive needs.

Relevant patterns include:

• Pattern 09 — Environment Fit
• Pattern 03 — Sensory Load
• Pattern 08 — Masking Pressure

Supportive environments include:

• Neurodivergent Classrooms
• Neurodivergent Workplaces
• Neurodivergent Libraries
• Designing Cavendish Space

Map 2 — The Stimpunks Knowledge System

The second map explains how ideas move through the Stimpunks ecosystem.

Concepts
↓
Glossary
↓
Patterns
↓
Recipes
↓
Environments
↓
Frameworks

Concepts

Concepts often begin as lived experiences or community language.

Examples include:

• monotropism
• spiky profiles
• samefood
• penguin pebbling

These ideas become shared language through the glossary.

Explore the Stimpunks Glossary.

Patterns

Patterns describe recurring structures of neurodivergent life.

Explore the Pattern Library and the Core Patterns of Neurodivergent Life.

Patterns explain why certain experiences occur.

Recipes

Recipes translate patterns into practical design guidance.

Examples include:

• Designing Attention Sanctuaries
• Designing Flexible Participation
• Designing Recovery Cycles

Explore the full set in Pattern Recipes.

Environments

Environments show how patterns and recipes shape real spaces.

Explore:

• Neurodivergent Environments
• Designing Cavendish Space
• Neurodivergent Libraries

Frameworks

Framework pages explain how the entire system fits together.

Examples include:

• The Stimpunks Framework
• The Stimpunks Stack
• The Neurodivergent Operating System
• The Stimpunks Knowledge Ecosystem

Map 3 — The Cavendish Habitat Map

The third map shows how environments can support different modes of cognition.

Cavendish Space organizes environments into zones that support different activities.

Cave
Campfire
Watering Hole
Library
Habitat
Edges

Cave

Deep focus and regulation.

Supports:

• monotropism
• deep attention
• processing time

Campfire

Storytelling and shared meaning.

Supports:

• discussion
• teaching
• community building

Watering Hole

Casual interaction.

Supports:

• low-pressure connection
• information exchange

Tools like Interaction Badges and Lily Pads help make these interactions safer.

Library

Knowledge storage and navigation.

This includes:

• the glossary
• the pattern library
• the canon

Explore:

• The Stimpunks Canon
• The Stimpunks Universe Map
• The Pattern Atlas

Habitat

Spaces for sustained collaboration.

Examples include:

• neurodivergent workplaces
• collaborative learning environments
• community spaces

Edges

Transitions between environments.

Edges help people regulate during transitions.

Design tools include:

• lily pads
• flexible participation
• intermittent collaboration

Putting the Three Maps Together

When the three maps combine, the whole system becomes clear.

Forces
↓
Patterns
↓
Recipes
↓
Habitats
↓
Civilization

The forces explain why neurodivergent experiences occur.
Patterns explain how they work.
Recipes show how to design better environments.

Together they form a field guide for understanding and designing neurodivergent life.

Other Maps of Stimpunks

Stimpunks contains several different maps. Each one helps you navigate the ecosystem from a different perspective.

• Map: Language, Ideas, and Where to Go
  A practical orientation map showing how the major areas of the site connect.
• The Stimpunks Universe Map
  A big-picture view of the ideas, systems, and structures that make up the Stimpunks ecosystem.
• The Stimpunks Pattern Atlas
  A map of the core patterns that describe neurodivergent life.
• The Stimpunks Pattern Graph
  A network visualization showing how patterns connect and influence each other.
• Pattern Clusters
  Groups of related patterns organized by theme, such as attention, energy, and environment.

How These Maps Work Together

Site Map
↓
Concept Map
↓
Pattern Map
↓
Pattern Network

Each map reveals a different layer of the Stimpunks knowledge system.
Together they form a navigable landscape of ideas, patterns, and environments.

Map Index

Stimpunks includes several different kinds of maps. Each one reveals a different layer of the ecosystem.

           Stimpunks Maps

                Universe
                   │
            Knowledge System
                   │
                Patterns
              ╱           ╲
           Atlas         Graph
              │             │
           Clusters     Pattern Paths
                   │
                 Site

What Each Map Shows

• Map: Language, Ideas, and Where to Go
  A practical orientation map showing how the main sections of the site connect.
• The Stimpunks Universe Map
  A conceptual map of the ideas, systems, and frameworks within Stimpunks.
• The Stimpunks Pattern Atlas
  A structured overview of the core patterns describing neurodivergent life.
• The Stimpunks Pattern Graph
  A network view showing how patterns influence and connect to each other.
• Pattern Clusters
  Groups of related patterns organized by theme such as attention, energy, and environment.

Why So Many Maps?

Different maps help people navigate different kinds of complexity.

Universe Map → big ideas
Pattern Atlas → structured knowledge
Pattern Graph → relationships between ideas
Site Map → where things live on the website

Together they turn Stimpunks into a navigable landscape of knowledge rather than a list of articles.

Next: The Neurodivergent Design Handbook →