Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults

Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults

From All Aboard ADHD by Claire Quigley Ward

May 29, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

This episode discusses how neurodivergent adults can build and maintain authentic friendships tailored to their unique needs.

How can neurodivergent adults, especially those with ADHD and/or autism, build trust and maintain authentic friendships, in a way that works with their brains instead of against them? In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Caroline Maguire, award‑winning author, ADHD coach, and neurodivergent adult herself. Building on her first book Why Will No One Play With Me? , Caroline’s new book Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults, offers a practical playbook for adults who have always felt “bad at friendship” and are ready to try again on their own terms. Claire and Caroline discuss: 🤔 Why adult friendship still feels hard - the impact of childhood social struggles, lack of practice, together with “a new day” of diagnosis and self-understanding. 🧠 What’s actually going on in our brains - the layered challenge of executive function, developmental delay (“stage not age”), plus how this shapes confidence and connection. 🧩 Past experiences, rejection, and self-worth - how old wounds, people pleasing, and low confidence can push friendship to the bottom of the list. 🎭 Masking vs adapting - the difference between suppressing traits vs choosing temporary…

People in this episode

Host: Claire Quigley Ward

Guest: Caroline Maguire

Topics covered

  • neurodivergent friendships
  • ADHD
  • autism
  • executive function
  • self-worth
  • masking vs adapting
  • trust in friendships

Keywords

  • neurodivergent
  • friendship skills
  • ADHD coaching
  • social struggles
  • executive function
  • self-understanding
  • trust
  • masking
  • confidence

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Why Will No One Play With Me?, Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults

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