Exploring Neurodiversity

Tools, Knowledge & Practice by NeuroXYZ

XyZ @ NeuroXYZ / NeuroBridge

About Me

XyZ

Autistic adult
Creator & maintainer of NeuroXYZ (solo, hobby project)
Neurodiversity advocate
Interested in disability justice & neurodivergent Marxism
Recent hobby: 3D printing

Related Projects

NeuroXYZ — Tools + Wiki knowledge platform
NeuroBridge (脑脑空间) — Decentralized ND community

Today's talk: Tools · Knowledge · Practice · Localization

Why NeuroXYZ?

Background

Systematic neurodiversity resources in Simplified Chinese remain scarce
— with thanks to pioneers like Qingshan Neuro (青衫Neuro)
Existing self-report tools are mostly in English / paid or have access barriers
Wanted to build a free, open, Simplified Chinese toolkit

Core Principles

De-commercialized — free and open
Simplified Chinese — translated + localized
Neurodiversity-affirming — presenting multiple perspectives

30+

Self-Report Tools

240+

Wiki Pages

2

Platforms (Web + Mini Program)

Personal website · Non-commercial · neuroxyz.cn

Design Philosophy & Principles

Knowledge Stance

Grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm, critically reflecting on the normativity paradigm
Tools are for exploration, not diagnosis
Neurodiversity-affirming while not ignoring the disability perspective
Attention to systemic issues — structural inequality and historical problems

Design Principles

Transparency — sources, validity, and verification status are labeled
De-authoritative — not "the expert tells you the answer"
Accessibility — free, in Chinese, no registration required
Autonomy — users explore and choose for themselves

Stay vigilant about two things:
"Weaponized heterogeneity" — using "different groups have different needs" to dissolve collective demands
Neurodiversity-Lite — superficial appropriation of terminology, depoliticized mainstream co-optation

Three Main Sections

Tests

Autism Core · Related
Sensory · Other ND-Related
Other Traits · Emotion & Cognition

30+ self-report tools · instant results

Wiki

240+ pages of systematic knowledge
6 major sections · reading pathways
Author database · reference library

From foundations to critique · from history to practice

Resources

Emotion visualization tools
ND burnout toolkit
External links & materials

Free · no registration · Simplified Chinese

Test Tools

30+ self-report tools · no registration · instant results · web version: no server storage

Wiki Knowledge Base

240+

Pages

6

Major Sections

89

Scholars / Authors

4

Reading Entry Points

I · Foundations

Neurodiversity · Pathology paradigm · Disability models · Neurodivergence · Neurotypicality · Movement

II · Critical Analysis

Neuronormativity · Depathologization · Capitalism critique · Neurodiversity-Lite · Social model · Affirmation model · Intersectionality · Decolonization

III · Historical Context

Invention of normalcy · Eugenics · Anti-psychiatry · History of the ND movement

IV · Experience & Practice

Double empathy · Camouflaging & masking · Burnout · Inclusive education

V · Diagnosis & Phenomena

ASD · ADHD · PDA · Alexithymia · BAP

VI · Tests

All test overview · CATI · RAADS-R · AQ · CAT-Q · RBQ-3 · EDA-QA · MAIA-2 · PAQ · ASRS

Reading Pathways

Just heard about it · Wondering if I'm ND · Took a test, want to understand the results · Academic research
Full reading roadmap →

Knowledge Network

Interactive knowledge graph · Collaboration guide

Bidirectional links · Author database · Reference library

Robert Chapman, Patrick Dwyer, Nick Walker, Steven Kapp, and 85+ others

Emotional Support Tools

More than questionnaires — free, no-registration practical tools on the site

Emotion Wheel

Interactive emotion visualization
Explore the layers and connections of emotions
Helps with naming and expressing feelings

emowheel.html

Emotion First-Aid Kit

5 evidence-based grounding techniques
Step-by-step guidance for urgent moments
Come back to the present when emotions surge

emotion-kit.html

Emotion Regulation Decision Tree

Identify needs → match strategies
Designed for children and adolescents
Find regulation methods during distress

emotree.html

All free · no registration · browser-based · also available in the Mini Program
More tools at neuroxyz.cn — explore freely

WeChat Mini Program — NeuroXYZ

Why a Mini Program?

Personal websites in China cannot collect user data ← regulatory constraints
WeChat cloud storage + long-term tracking, results can be reviewed and compared over time
Tabs: Home · Tools · Profile

ASD Profile

Multi-test radar chart integration · save as image

Portable Toolkit

Grounding · Emotion wheel · Decision tree · ND burnout

Assessment History

Result tracking & comparison · privacy controls

All Tests

30+ tools · search by category

Challenges: Translation & Localization

Beyond Language Translation

Sarcasm/idiom items — different meanings across cultural contexts
Social situation items — expression and understanding vary
Lack of localized norm data
Cross-cultural psychometric property differences

Cultural Impact on Measurement Structure

Take CAT-Q as an example:

Western: higher camouflaging → poorer mental health (negative correlation)
Japan (Oshima et al. 2024) / Taiwan (Chun-Hao Liu et al. 2026):
non-linear relationship — moderate camouflaging may be adaptive in East Asian cultures

→ Factor structure may differ across cultures; can't simply apply original dimensions

It's not "translate and done" — tools need re-validation in Chinese populations

Translation Issues: Real Examples

AQ — Color Conformity & Other Problems

Some translations render "making up stories" as "编瞎话" (fabricating lies)
"编瞎话" carries moral stigma in Chinese (lying/dishonesty)
The original is closer to fiction-making, morally neutral
→ If translation introduces leading connotations, it may alter measurement properties

RAADS-R — Mistranslated Items

Some versions contain completely mistranslated items
Partially incorrect items → scoring confusion → misleading results

Be cautious: don't blindly trust any single translation (including mine) — cross-reference with the original and verified versions, stay critical

Self-Report Positive ≠ Diagnosis

Assuming 10% ADHD prevalence in the population

100 people · one dot each

● 10 ADHD ● 90 non-ADHD

↓ ASRS screening ↓

Specificity 0.71 · Sensitivity 1.0 → 36 test positive

● True positives ~10 (1.0*100*10%)
● False positives ~26 (0.29*100*90%)
● Negatives ~64 (0.71*100*90%)

Example: ASRS v1.1

The most commonly used ADHD screening tool
Specificity ~0.71 — 29% of non-ADHD individuals also screen positive
Sensitivity 1.0 — almost never misses ADHD
(Hines, King & Curry, 2012)

Even if ADHD prevalence is as high as 10%,
out of 100 who screen positive
~72%
are NOT ADHD

Screening ≠ diagnosis
In low-prevalence populations
false positive rates are extremely high

Challenges as a Solo Advocate

Validation Dilemma

Difficult to conduct standardized translation-backtranslation procedures
Translations largely lack formal psychometric validation
Data collection is hard — insufficient sample sizes, self-selection bias

Copyright Limitations

Many classic instruments are proprietary/closed copyright
Can only use CC-BY and other open-access tools
Respecting creators, supporting open science

Domestic Compliance

Complex regulatory constraints: ICP filing
Individual developers face category restrictions
Strict limits on data collection
→ WeChat Cloud hosting as a viable path

Academic Paywalls

Psychometric literature locked behind paywalls
Individuals without institutional access must pay out of pocket
Closed research outcomes are hard to turn into open tools
→ Need more open-access resources

Format Limitations

At its core: a self-report questionnaire engine
Cannot do structured interviews or behavioral assessments
Subjective bias, metacognitive and language limitations
→ Future direction: task-based tools

Being transparent: most translations on NeuroXYZ have not yet undergone formal validation; individual capacity is limited

Progress & Future Directions

CATI Preliminary Validation

NeuroBridge conference paper — workplace double empathy
~300-person sample validating the Chinese CATI, good performance
No significant difference in CATI scores between self-diagnosed and formally diagnosed ASD
→ Relevant to the "self-diagnosis" debate

In Progress

Collaborating with mainstream academics to validate CAT-Q and RAADS-R
Seeking more collaborative validation for additional tools
Platform labeling of translation sources and validation status
Open discussion: community translation + academic validation

Near-Term Plans

Localized tool validation studies
Exploring more open tools
Continuing Wiki content expansion
Mini Program feature improvements

How to Get Involved

Use & give feedback
Contribute Wiki content — github.com/xyzhou0323/wiki
Academic collaboration — reach out for validation studies
Spread the word — share with those who might benefit

Thank You

Questions & Discussion Welcome

neuroxyz.cn

NeuroXYZ工具包

Xiaohongshu @XyZ

XyZ@NeuroBridge.cn