About

Caves & Bears launched quietly during Invisible Disabilities Week in October, 2025. We are proudly among the first independent neurodivergent-led and neurodivergent-focussed media platforms in the world.

The idea of compiling an online community solely featuring neurodivergent (ND) news, opinions and think-pieces took spark a few months earlier, and, much like most special interests, would not let go until a flame was ignited.

So here was my goal: Create a vibrant collection of entertaining, authentic, insightful, and informative neurodivergent voices from all ages and stages of life.

Why? Aren't there PLENTY of neurodivergent-focussed organisations out there? Like, HEAPS of information? Yes, indeed - you would be correct on both counts. And, I must add, they're pretty great. (See our Resources page for a few fave recommendations). But when I received a Level 2 autism diagnosis and fun bonus ADHD diagnosis a few years ago as a 40-year-old woman, and joyfully disappeared down the research rabbit hole of ND topics, I devoured much of these (and podcasts, documentaries, webinars, and books galore). I proceeded to bend the ears off anyone who dared discuss these topics with me.

All this was nowhere near enough to quench my thirst.

I needed to learn more! I wanted to hear from others! I craved discussion and debate! I wanted to celebrate my community, challenge harmful stereotypes, and, in what is perhaps a lofty ideal, reshape the narrative around neurodivergence.

I wanted to dive into a fun and raw online site full of personal stories. This was missing from the internet, as far as I could see. I could get medical advice and educational articles elsewhere, and I could laugh at and share relatable memes on social media, but I couldn't find anything like a commercial, entertaining magazine featuring only ND stories.

Finally, but possibly most importantly, I wanted to shake off this awful lifelong sense of feeling alone and misunderstood. And maybe, just maybe, I could achieve that for my sons, too.

Thus, Caves & Bears was born.

Shannon Brie

Mama Bear/Founder

Neurodivergent people deserve to speak for ourselves. Nothing About Us, Without Us.

Our unique minds are not problems to solve.

Our stories are not niche — they’re necessary.

Media can be trauma-informed, justice-driven, and still beautifully weird.

Who we're for

We’re for the early and late ND diagnosed, self-identified, and the never-recognised.

We're for the family, friends and health professionals who want to support and learn more about their ND loved ones.

We're for anyone who enjoys learning or who just wants to have a good laugh.

Mission

What we believe

Our mission

At Caves & Bears, we celebrate real stories, unique minds, and big feelings. Proudly independent and neurodivergent-led, we aim to reshape how difference is understood — with honesty, humour, and heart.

Our platform amplifies authentic neurodivergent voices, challenges stereotypes, and builds a sense of belonging through storytelling and shared experience.

Because what sets us apart can also bring us together.

Origin Story

Why 'Caves & Bears'?

To begin with, bears are a powerful metaphor for neurodivergence. They follow their own natural cycles, hibernating through winters and emerging when conditions suit them, much like how many ND individuals may operate on personal energy patterns rather than rigid schedules.

Bears are deeply attuned to their surroundings, noticing details and changes that might escape others’ attention. Bears can appear solitary or slow to some, yet they are resourceful, resilient, and capable of profound focus and connection.

Mother bears fiercely protect and nurture their cubs, teaching and guiding them, which mirrors the way ND individuals often thrive in close, supportive environments. And just like a big bear hug, they can offer warmth, comfort, and emotional safety — reminding us that being different is not a weakness, but a unique way of connecting with the world and those we love.

While all this explains why the bear (scientific name: Ursidae, derived from Latin: Ursus) is the perfect mascot for this website, it is actually not where the idea stemmed from.

It started in the 90s, when I was a kid.

Back then, my (highly likely to be autistic) father would gather us around the table — me, my older sister, cousins and friends — and play a game called 'Caves and Bears'.

It was a simple set-up. Three standard dice, an endless succession of rolling, and the designated dice-master declaring how many caves and bears existed within each roll.

We watched closely. Took notes, looked for patterns, theorised in our minds and with each other. The 'hint' that came up over and over, which was incredibly frustrating until you knew the secret of the game: 'The bears come from the caves.'

You can have caves and no bears, but there can NEVER be bears with no caves.

Hypnotised by these seemingly non-sensical numbers and the accompanying hints that seemed to bear no rational reason (pun intended), we tried to make them make sense.

3 caves, no bears... 2 caves, 4 bears... No caves, no bears... 1 cave, 2 bears.

On and on it went. Roll after roll.

The puzzle was intoxicating.

When a person thought they had it all figured out, they could take The Test. Three official rolls followed. If any answer was wrong, then it was back to the unsworn tribe you would go.

However, if you got everything right, then you were pulled away privately and asked to reveal your method. If correct, then it was time for the honour of being formally inducted into the Caves & Bears club, and to swear an oath to never reveal the secret of the caves and the bears.

It was ridiculous. It was magical. It was maddening. It was ours.

Only years later did I realise how deeply neurodivergent that game was. Pattern-based. Non-verbal. Rule-bound but cryptic. A test of intuition and logic, play and observation.

The day I looked it up online as an adult was the moment I realised it wasn't actually a recognised game. In the eyes of the world wide web, it did not exist. It was only then that it dawned on me just how extra-super special it was.

It wasn’t just a dice game. It was a SECRET FREAKING SOCIETY. And, it offered a unique code — about how to survive in a world that rarely made sense unless you were very good at reading beneath the surface.

That’s what Caves & Bears, this online news site, is too.

And like that childhood game, it’s an open invitation:

Join us at the table.
Pay attention.
There’s something here for you.

Shannon Brie
Mama Bear/Founder, Caves & Bears