✺ Themes of Wonderland & Neurodivergence

✰ Identity & Self-Discovery 

Alice constantly questions who she is as she changes sizes, meets strange characters, and faces unexpected challenges. This mirrors the autistic journey of self-discovery— a process of unmasking, of peeling away performance in search of an authentic self beneath the scripts.

"Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!"

✴ For neurodivergent people, self-discovery often means peeling away the layers of masking and external expectations to find what is already true’ within – our true selves

✰ Curiosity & Exploration

Alice’s insatiable curiosity drives her to explore Wonderland, even when it’s overwhelming. Many neurodivergent people have a deep drive to question, innovate, and explore, even in spaces that weren’t built for us. We are driven by deep intrinsic motivation—monotropic focus, pattern-seeking, or sensory engagement—and thrive when allowed to explore freely.

"I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours."

✴  We challenge systems, ask "why?" more than most, and seek to understand the world in ways others may not. We pull systems apart. We see things others miss. Curiosity isn’t a distraction—it’s a compass.

✰ Imagination & Creativity

Wonderland is a place where imagination knows no bounds. The neurodivergent mind is often one of extraordinary creativity, nonlinear thinking, rich imagery, deep metaphor and world building. What may look like nonsense to others is often a language of inner sense.

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."

✴  Our ability to think divergently is our strength—it disrupts conformity and the status quo and opens portals to new possibilities.

✺ Language, Communication & the Double Empathy Problem

✰ Sense, Nonsense, & Communication Differences

Wonderland plays with logic and language—echoing how autistic communication is often framed as disordered when it is simply operating from a different logic system.

The Autistic Language Hypothesis (Cullen, 2022) reminds us that autistic language is not deficient—it is structured differently, often poetic, precise, or sensorial.

✴ Alice struggles to communicate with Wonderland’s inhabitants, who speak in riddles and contradictions. This reflects what Dr. Damian Milton (2012) termed the Double Empathy Problem—the idea that communication breakdowns are mutual, not unidirectional.

"‘If you don’t know what you mean,’ Alice said, ‘it’s no good trying to talk.’"

✴  In a neurodivergent-affirming world, communication is understood relationally—not judged against neuronormative standards.

✰ Absurdity & Challenging Social Norms

Wonderland challenges Alice’s understanding of reality, much like neurodivergent people challenge social norms, rules, scripts that seem arbitrary or restrictive. Many of us question the rules and exoectations imposed upon us, choosing authenticity over forced conformity.

"We’re all mad here."

✴  To be "mad" in Wonderland is not a flaw—it is a way of seeing the world differently, without constraints. In Wonderland, “madness” is also a refusal to conform to nonsense masquerading as logic. It is intelligence in disguise.

✰ Embracing Your True Self

Throughout her journey, Alice learns to trust herself and embrace her unique perspective. This resonates deeply with the neurodivergent experience of reclaiming authenticity beyond the need to “pass” or perform for acceptance.

"It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."

✴  The goal is not to conform, or return to some idealised ‘normal’, but to embrace our ever-evolving, authentic selves.

✰ Bringing Wonderland to Life

Wonderland’s playfulness, paradox and poetic logic reflect the richness of neurodivergent minds

✴  What looks like "nonsense" to some is often deep meaning to others and can often be a critique of systems that no longer make sense.
✴  What is considered "disruptive" is often a demand for justice and a reimagining of better possibilities.
✴  What is seen as "deficiency" is actually a different kind of brilliance.

By leaning into our divergence, resisting pathologisation, and trusting the wonder within, we reclaim the right to author our own realities.

➽ Step beyond the looking glass. Wonderland is waiting.