People often think of autism in terms of traits—difficulty with social interaction, sensory sensitivities, routines. What they don’t always see is the deep, quiet exhaustion that comes from constantly having to perform in a world that wasn’t built with me in mind. 

If I had to name the most powerful tool we have when working with children and young people—especially those who are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent—it wouldn’t be a strategy, a diagnosis, or a set of rules.  

It would be curiosity.