September 23, 2026 Creating a Neurodivergent-Friendly World

We chatted with Ryan Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT, MedFT, and the mind behind The Autism & ADHD Ally Handbook: Creating a Neurodivergent-Friendly World, coming soon to a shelf near you!

What inspired you to write your book?
The inspiration for this book has been building for many years. On the one hand, there has been a lot of inspiration from my professional life. I have a Ph.D., and I was very fortunate to get my training from some wonderful schools. That being said, as I began my professional practice as a therapist, I realized that even having attended some amazing training programs, I had learned next to nothing about autism. I didn’t like feeling unprepared in that way, and so began a long process of seeking out opportunities to learn. And what a saga that has been! 

It was humbling to find that many of the things that I was learning were horrendously out-of-date, or just didn’t seem to match well with the realities of the clients I was working with. I found myself involved in an intense process of refinement, both by seeking out better research and conceptualizations and through developing my own perspectives and tools in my work with autistic people. Over time, I was able to make connections with other like-minded clinicians, and we worked together to continue to refine concepts and approaches. Over time, I connected with the larger neurodiversity movement, and I’ve been along for the ride ever since.

I also got to a point personally where I recognized that neurodivergence was very common in my own family of origin, even though we did not have the words or concepts to express it as such while I was growing up. Then, I married an amazing neurodivergent wife, and all of our children are neurodivergent. So, the people I love the most and the causes I have devoted my life to are all strongly rooted in neurodivergence. 

This book springs from my desire to help people understand neurodivergent people better, relate to them better, and make the world a more welcoming place for them. 

What was it like to publish with Microcosm?
It has been a wonderful experience! I would say working with Microcosm has felt like a real partnership. They bring a wealth of expertise to the table, but they don’t take over and dominate. They make thoughtful and intelligent suggestions, and they helped me anchor the message I wanted to get across to a presentation that would be more accessible to a larger audience. This book is definitely a better work than it would have been if I had not been working with Microcosm. I would be delighted to work with them again in the future.

What was the submission/query process like for you?
It was very smooth. They provided good feedback in a timely fashion. They did an excellent job of explaining what working with them would be like. They provided clear timeframes and processes. It was well organized, warm, and friendly.

What else have you written?
I have written “Screen Savvy: Creating Balance in a Digital World” and “The Choice to Leave Abuse,” both published by Cedar Fort. I have written a variety of professional articles and several textbook chapters. And on the fun side, I have written about two dozen space simulator missions for the Telos Discovery Space Center. 

What are you currently reading?
I am just finishing up reading the collected works of Adrian Tchaikovsky. I tend to choose an author, read everything they have written, and then jump to another author.  

What’s the best book you read in the last year?
Well, I did say that I am currently on an Adrian Tchaivoksky kick this last year, and I would say the one I enjoyed the most would be a toss up between Children of Time, Children of Ruin, and Children of Memory. So, maybe you could just say the Children of Time series.  Since I have written a book on neurodivergence, it’s probably no surprise that the idea of connecting with and understanding minds that think differently than our own is something that I find both fascinating and important, and these books do an amazing, insightful, and very fun job of exploring that idea. 

What’s next for you?
Well, I will continue my clinical practice. It’s important for me to do what I can to directly help people. I do have another completed manuscript that I might try to get published, although it is an incredibly niche topic so I may have to just self-publish it. And who knows? I may have a few more books up my sleeve for the future. I have several other non-fiction topics that I think would be worth writing about. And I have a few fiction ideas I would love to actually fully get down on paper. So, we’ll see where the winds take me. 

Ryan Anderson has a Bachelor’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development, a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and a Ph.D. in Medical Family Therapy. He has over 20 years of clinical experience as a therapist. He has extensive experience working with neurodivergent people and has presented on neurodivergence-related topics at over 60 local, regional, and national conferences. He has published over a dozen articles in professional journals and has authored and co-authored five textbook chapters. He also co-founded and ran a specialized school that works with the biological, psychological, social, and academic needs of neurodivergent young adults as they transition into young adulthood.