Adoptee Experience Spectrum

An interactive tool for self-exploration, inspired by emerging perspectives on adoption trauma and its overlap with neurodivergent traits.

Important Disclaimer:

This is not a diagnostic tool and does not provide medical advice. It is an educational resource for self-exploration. Please consult with a qualified mental health professional for diagnosis and support.


This application is a powerful and validating tool designed to help both adoptees and those who care about them gain a deeper understanding of the lifelong journey of adoption. This is an educational tool for everyone. By participating, you help create a clearer picture of the unique experiences of adoptees.


For Adoptees

This app offers a space to explore and validate your experiences. It provides a private language for feelings you may have long carried without a name. You'll have the opportunity to see how your sensitivities and unique perceptions can be reframed not as a burden but as powerful assets. This tool can help you connect your current feelings and behaviors to the profound themes of your past, empowering you to move from a place of questioning, "why me?" to a place of direction, asking, "what now?"


For Non-Adoptees

For those who are not adopted, this app serves as a vital bridge to understanding. It can help you move beyond assumptions and enter the world of an adoptee with greater empathy. By exploring the various facets of the adoptee experience—from the complexities of identity and belonging to the unique ways the nervous system can be impacted—you can learn to offer the space and support needed for authentic connection.


The Spectrum of Experience

The Adoptee Experience Spectrum helps you visualize the intersection of adoption and lived experience. These categories represent common areas where early life experiences can have a lasting impact.


Your Experience Spectrum

Adoptee Norm
Non-Adopted Score
On a Healing Journey

This chart visually represents your responses. Higher scores may suggest areas where your experiences are more intense. Use this as a starting point for reflection, not a conclusion.