speak brain uses AI to generate responses grounded in the research and lived experience of the experts below. Every response cites its source. This page explains who those sources are and why we chose them.
speak brain is powered by Claude (by Anthropic). It is not trained on proprietary content from these sources — it uses them as a knowledge framework to shape responses that are grounded in established research and community-led understanding of ADHD and autism.
Each response cites the most relevant source for that specific question. speak brain is in beta. Responses are a starting point for better communication, not clinical advice.
One of the leading researchers on ADHD, executive function, and self-regulation. His work on working memory, time blindness, and emotional dysregulation underpins much of how we understand ADHD as a neurological condition — not a character flaw.
russellbarkley.org →Hallowell has ADHD himself and has spent decades reframing it as a gift when properly managed. His work emphasizes strengths-based approaches and the relational impact of ADHD on families and partners.
drhallowell.com →Author of The ADHD Effect on Marriage. Orlov's work directly addresses the communication patterns that develop in relationships where one partner has ADHD — the parent-child dynamic, the resentment cycle, and how to interrupt them.
adhdmarriage.com →Practical, research-backed content for people with ADHD and the people who love them. Covers everything from executive dysfunction to household management to parenting with ADHD.
additudemag.com →One of the leading ADHD advocacy and education organizations. CHADD provides evidence-based resources for individuals, families, and professionals navigating ADHD across the lifespan.
chadd.org →Price is autistic and writes from inside the experience. Unmasking Autism examines how autistic people learn to hide their traits to survive in neurotypical environments — and the cost of that masking over time. Essential for understanding why the "at home" version of your person might look so different from the public one.
Unmasking Autism →Milton is autistic and developed the Double Empathy Problem — the idea that communication difficulties between autistic and non-autistic people are mutual, not one-sided. It reframes the conversation from "autistic people have a deficit" to "two different communication styles are missing each other." This underpins a lot of how speak brain approaches the problem.
Double Empathy Problem →Walker's work centers the neurodiversity paradigm — the idea that neurological differences are natural human variation, not deficits to be fixed. Their writing challenges deficit-focused framings of autism and offers a more affirming lens for understanding autistic experience.
neuroqueer.com →One of the most widely cited clinicians on autism, particularly in adults and in women and girls who are often underdiagnosed. His work on social cognition, emotional regulation, and the autistic experience in relationships is a key clinical reference.
tonyattwood.com.au →ASAN is led by autistic people and advocates for policy, rights, and community resources from inside the community. Their materials are grounded in autistic experience and identity-first language.
autisticadvocacy.org →Funds and promotes science-based autism research with an emphasis on quality of life, co-occurring conditions, and understanding autism across the full spectrum.
autismsciencefoundation.org →Covers ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and related conditions with accessible, research-backed content for both individuals and the people supporting them. Particularly useful for overlap between conditions and for parents of neurodivergent kids.
understood.org →