Mixed Neurotype Couples

Credit

Faculty

Kory Andreas, LCSW-C Related seminars and products

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Kory Andreas, LCSW-C is a clinical social worker and Autism specialist with a deep passion for understanding and supporting neurodivergent individuals. As an "identity-based practitioner", her late-diagnosed neurodivergence is a cornerstone of both her therapy practice and her role as a neurodiversity educator. Kory works in private practice to provide Autism assessments and therapeutic services to neurodivergent individuals and couples. Renowned for her humorous and insightful approach, Kory is a sought-after speaker, delivering neurodiversity awareness and affirming strategies to mental health practitioners, treatment facilities, and the corporate world.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kory Andreas maintains a private practice. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kory Andreas has no relevant non-financial relationships.

 

 

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Objectives

1. Identify at least three indicators of mixed neurotype to improve case conceptualization. 
2. Apply neurodiversity affirming assessment strategies to enhance therapeutic safety and accuracy. 
3. Implement interventions (e.g., structured communication frameworks, accommodation planning, special interest–based bonding) to strengthen intimacy and repair.

Outline

Foundations

• Understanding autism and ADHD as neurotypes, not disorders
• High masking and late diagnosis in adult relationships
• Why mixed-neurotype couples often arrive burned out and misunderstood
• Risks and limitations of traditional couples therapy approaches

Neurodiverse Relationship Dynamics

• Differences in communication, processing, and emotional reciprocity
• Common patterns of misunderstanding and sensory mismatch
• The role of identity, diagnosis, and disclosure within the relationship
• Framing neurodiversity as difference, not dysfunction

Why Neurotype Awareness Is Critical to Therapeutic Success

• Most mixed-neurotype couples have struggled in therapy before
• Late diagnosis is common, especially among women, BIPOC individuals, and LGBTQ+ people
• High masking: appearing neurotypical comes at an enormous personal cost
• How misattribution drives relational pain: assuming a partner is mean, avoidant, or simply doesn’t care
• Risks of missing neurodivergence: pathologizing neurological differences, misapplying techniques, and deepening shame

Common Presentations in Couples Therapy

• Hyperverbal over-explaining and shutdowns: how conflict looks in mixed-neurotype pairs
• Asymmetry in emotional expression and how it’s misread
• Predictability vs. control: reframing a common source of conflict
• Sensory sensitivity and its impact on connection and physical intimacy
• Special interests as an underutilized resource for connection

Masking and Its Relational Cost

• What masking is: suppressing autistic traits to appear neurotypical
• Who am I? Finding authenticity after a lifetime of performing
• Uncovering masking patterns beyond the partnership: why intimate relationships are often where the mask finally slips
• Why partners often feel deceived after marriage or cohabitation, and how to address it therapeutically
• Autistic burnout: when it looks like sudden personality change, withdrawal, or loss of intimacy

Intimacy, Gender, and Sexuality in Mixed-Neurotype Couples

• Understanding neurodivergent expressions of intimacy and desire
• The influence of gender identity and social conditioning on connection
• The diversity of neurodivergent relationship structures: ENM, long-distance, and non-cohabitating partnerships as deliberate and often healthy choices, not compromises
• Expanding the therapeutic frame: helping couples stop apologizing for relationships that don’t look traditional and start building ones that actually work for their neurotypes

Target Audience

• Psychologists
• Physicians
• Addiction Counselors
• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Psychotherapists
• Other Behavioral Health Professionals

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