The Stimpunks pattern language describes recurring forces that shape neurodivergent life. These patterns are not isolated ideas. They form interconnected systems.
To make the pattern language easier to explore, the patterns are grouped into clusters that reflect three fundamental forces:
- Environment — the conditions surrounding us
- Attention — how cognition organizes itself
- Energy — how participation consumes and restores nervous-system resources
Together, these clusters form a basic ecology of neurodivergent life.
The Three Pattern Clusters
Each cluster describes a different set of forces that interact to shape everyday experience.
Environment Patterns
Environment patterns describe how physical, social, and sensory environments interact with neurodivergent nervous systems.
Abilities are not fixed traits. They emerge from the interaction between people and environments. When environments align with sensory needs, attention patterns, and energy rhythms, strengths become visible.
Explore the Environment Pattern Cluster →
Attention Patterns
Attention patterns describe how focus, cognition, and information processing behave in many neurodivergent minds.
Attention often concentrates deeply around a smaller number of interests. This can produce extraordinary focus, but it also creates friction in environments designed around rapid switching and constant responsiveness.
- Pattern 01 — Monotropism
- Pattern 04 — Processing Time
- Pattern 05 — Deep Attention
- Pattern 08 — Masking Pressure
Explore the Attention Pattern Cluster →
Energy Patterns
Energy patterns describe how nervous-system energy flows through daily life.
Participation has an energetic cost. Social environments, sensory input, and cognitive switching all consume nervous-system resources. These patterns describe how energy is spent, when burnout occurs, and how recovery happens.
- Pattern 06 — Social Energy
- Pattern 07 — Regulation First
- Pattern 10 — Energy Accounting
- Pattern 11 — Burnout Threshold
- Pattern 12 — Energy Recovery
Explore the Energy Pattern Cluster →
How the Clusters Work Together
These clusters interact continuously.
Environments shape sensory load. Sensory load affects attention. Attention patterns influence how quickly energy is consumed.
Together, these forces shape whether participation feels sustainable or exhausting.
Environment ↓ Sensory Load ↓ Attention ↓ Energy ↓ Participation ↓ Recovery
This ecological model helps explain many everyday neurodivergent experiences — including deep focus, social exhaustion, sensory overload, and burnout.
Understanding these patterns makes it possible to design environments where different minds can flourish.
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