When Grief & Neurodivergence Meet

When a neurodivergent child is grieving, their emotions and behaviors may not look the way adults expect. Autistic and ADHD children often move in and out of grief through play, repetition, blunt language, or periods of calm. These responses are not signs of avoidance or lack of attachment — they are adaptive ways the nervous system copes with loss. What helps most is understanding, not correction.