12 ADHD & Autism Tax: The Hidden Cost on Health, Energy & Money

Being neurodivergent comes with hidden costs — not just emotionally, but to our energy, health, finances, and long-term wellbeing.

In this episode of ADHD Late to Know, I explore the tax of ADHD and Autism from an AuDHD adult perspective: how chronic stress, masking, nervous system overload, and lack of support quietly add up — and what we can do to protect ourselves.

We talk about:

• Research linking ADHD and autism to poorer health outcomes and reduced life expectancy
• Why burnout and exhaustion aren’t personal failures — they’re systemic
• The financial tax of neurodivergence: impulse spending, forgotten subscriptions, convenience costs
• Protecting energy through pacing, boundaries, and safer socialising
• Intentional thinking about your future self — wanting to feel nourished, rested, and steadily working toward what matters
• Practical systems that lower the tax without shame or perfectionism

This episode is about awareness, self-advocacy, and building a life that costs you less to live — and gives you more back.

For adults with ADHD, autism, AuDHD — and those who want to understand and support them better.

Show Notes (Key Resources)

• Cambridge University (2025), British Journal of Psychiatry — ADHD & long-term health outcomes
• National Autistic Society (UK) — Autism, wellbeing & life expectancy
• Tools discussed: energy budgeting, safe social plans, future-self thinking, payday money pots, subscription audits