Neurodivergent Spoons & Forks: How to Explain Autism and Fatigue

Everyone has different ways of describing how they deal with fatigue, whether it’s physical, emotional, or mental. Many disabled and neurodivergent people have to ration their energy in a way that able-bodied and neurotypical people do not.

Two models of explaining fatigue and energy expenditure, the Spoon Theory and the Fork Theory, were created by disabled folks and distributed throughout their communities by word-of-mouth. These theories are applicable to the neurodivergent community — especially to autistics — as…