Justice Sensitivity Is Plaguing Autistic & ADHD Individuals—Here's What to Know

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Does It Mean to Have Justice Sensitivity?What Causes Justice Sensitivity in Autistic People?What Causes Justice Sensitivity in ADHDers?Justice Sensitivity in AuDHDWhat Are the Benefits of Justice Sensitivity?What Are the Drawbacks of Justice Sensitivity?Caring for Yourself When You Have High Justice Sensitivity

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Does It Mean to Have Justice Sensitivity?

What Causes Justice Sensitivity in Autistic People?

What Causes Justice Sensitivity in ADHDers?

Justice Sensitivity in AuDHD

What Are the Benefits of Justice Sensitivity?

What Are the Drawbacks of Justice Sensitivity?

Caring for Yourself When You Have High Justice Sensitivity

Justice sensitivity refers to an individual’s sense of fairness, equity, and inclusion, as well as their need to address and correct injustices. Most people would describe themselves as having some level of justice sensitivity, though the intensity to which they focus on issues of justice and equity will vary, like all traits.

Some people experience extremely high justice sensitivity, which can impact how they respond to perceived injustice and wrongdoing in the world around them.AutisticandADHDindividuals in particular tend to have higher levels of justice sensitivity compared to neurotypicals. While not every neurodivergent person reports high justice sensitivity, and many people with high justice sensitivity are not autistic or ADHD, this can be anautistic or ADHD trait.

This article describes justice sensitivity and how it manifests in autistic and ADHD people in particular.

If you or a loved one are struggling with chronic stress or burnout, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

An individual’s justice sensitivity is the degree to which they are aware of issues of equity, equality, fairness, and otherjusticeissues. When someone is highly justice-sensitive, they are more acutely aware of these issues, noticing injustices when they happen and working hard to bring injustice to others’ attention and correct it.

As we have noted, an individual does not have to be autistic to experience justice sensitivity. However, some commonautistic traitscan explain why autistic people are more likely to experience justice sensitivity.

There is not one simple reason why autistic people are more likely to be justice-sensitive, but many factors contribute to this trend.

Navigating the Experience of Hyper-Empathy in Autism

Again, while not all people who experience justice sensitivity haveADHD(and not everyone who has ADHD experiences justice insensitivity), there are ADHD traits that can increase the probability that someone will be more sensitive to injustice.

AuDHDrefers to when someone is both ADHD and autistic. Those who experience justice sensitivity due to a combination of ADHD and autistic traits might have an even more intense perception of justice.

Justice sensitivity can show up for different autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD people in different ways based on their value systems. Justice isn’t necessarily a standard definition for everyone, and this can lead to different expressions of this trait.

Caring about others and wanting to see justice prevail in the world are positive qualities. They reflect compassion and often empathy, and they drive us to help and support each other.

People who have high justice sensitivity often make excellentadvocatesbecause they are driven to fight for change and address injustice whenever they see it, refusing to tolerate inequity, bigotry, and other justice issues. They educate others about justice issues and demand positive change in the world around them. They can point out unfairness and inequality, helping others advocate for themselves.

When turned inward, justice sensitivity helps individuals self-advocate and articulate their needs to those who can help them. They can call out harmful behaviors and exercise their right for respect, support, and (when appropriate)accommodations.

Although a strong sense of justice can be a wonderful thing, there are also drawbacks that accompany high justice sensitivity, particularly for autistic and ADHD individuals.

Because special interests can be intense and all-consuming, an autistic or ADHD person with a special interest or hyperfocus in justice issues may find themselves seeking out information on various injustices. They may engage indoomscrollingon social media, constantly exposing themselves to injustice after injustice. While they may hope to bring attention to these issues and correct them, the constant barrage of injustice can be draining and exhausting.

Advocacy work itself is highly intense. There is no end to the injustices of the world, and so those with high justice sensitivity are likely to be caught up in an endless line of causes. Again, while advocacy work is essential, if an autistic person who is highly justice sensitive struggles toset boundariesand take breaks from this work, they can become burned out.

Additionally, we presently live in a society where harm seems to be around every corner. Many justice advocates report struggling with the concept of “ethical consumption” when every product creates harm somewhere along the supply chain. Those with high justice sensitivity can struggle with basic survival when it is impossible to buy ethically sourced food or exist in the world without having a carbon footprint. Attempting to honor your justice ideals in a world that makes this impossible is exhausting.

If you experience high justice sensitivity, these tips can help you learn to balance your well-being and ideals:

Most qualities can be strengths or cause deficits depending on the context and severity, and justice sensitivity is no exception. It is not wrong to care about issues and want to make the world a better place, but it is important totake care of yourselfalong the way.

Compassion Fatigue: The Toll of Caring Too Much

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wood R.Autism, intense interests and support in school: from wasted efforts to shared understandings.Educational Review. 2021;73(1):34-54.Haruvi-Lamdan N, Horesh D, Zohar S, Kraus M, Golan O.Autism spectrum disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder: an unexplored co-occurrence of conditions.Autism. 2020;24(4):884-898.Dempsey EE, Moore C, Richard AE, Smith IM.Moral foundations theory in autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative investigation.Autism. 2020;24(8):2202-2212.Ashinoff BK, Abu-Akel A.Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention.Psychological Research. 2021;85(1):1-19.Luderer M, Reinhard I, Richter A, Kiefer F, Weber T.Adhd is associated with a higher risk for traumatic events, self-reported ptsd, and a higher severity of ptsd symptoms in alcohol-dependent patients.Eur Addict Res. 2020;26(4-5):245-253.Martz E, Weiner L, Weibel S.Identifying different patterns of emotion dysregulation in adult ADHD.bord personal disord emot dysregul. 2023;10(1):28.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wood R.Autism, intense interests and support in school: from wasted efforts to shared understandings.Educational Review. 2021;73(1):34-54.Haruvi-Lamdan N, Horesh D, Zohar S, Kraus M, Golan O.Autism spectrum disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder: an unexplored co-occurrence of conditions.Autism. 2020;24(4):884-898.Dempsey EE, Moore C, Richard AE, Smith IM.Moral foundations theory in autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative investigation.Autism. 2020;24(8):2202-2212.Ashinoff BK, Abu-Akel A.Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention.Psychological Research. 2021;85(1):1-19.Luderer M, Reinhard I, Richter A, Kiefer F, Weber T.Adhd is associated with a higher risk for traumatic events, self-reported ptsd, and a higher severity of ptsd symptoms in alcohol-dependent patients.Eur Addict Res. 2020;26(4-5):245-253.Martz E, Weiner L, Weibel S.Identifying different patterns of emotion dysregulation in adult ADHD.bord personal disord emot dysregul. 2023;10(1):28.

Wood R.Autism, intense interests and support in school: from wasted efforts to shared understandings.Educational Review. 2021;73(1):34-54.Haruvi-Lamdan N, Horesh D, Zohar S, Kraus M, Golan O.Autism spectrum disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder: an unexplored co-occurrence of conditions.Autism. 2020;24(4):884-898.Dempsey EE, Moore C, Richard AE, Smith IM.Moral foundations theory in autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative investigation.Autism. 2020;24(8):2202-2212.Ashinoff BK, Abu-Akel A.Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention.Psychological Research. 2021;85(1):1-19.Luderer M, Reinhard I, Richter A, Kiefer F, Weber T.Adhd is associated with a higher risk for traumatic events, self-reported ptsd, and a higher severity of ptsd symptoms in alcohol-dependent patients.Eur Addict Res. 2020;26(4-5):245-253.Martz E, Weiner L, Weibel S.Identifying different patterns of emotion dysregulation in adult ADHD.bord personal disord emot dysregul. 2023;10(1):28.

Wood R.Autism, intense interests and support in school: from wasted efforts to shared understandings.Educational Review. 2021;73(1):34-54.

Haruvi-Lamdan N, Horesh D, Zohar S, Kraus M, Golan O.Autism spectrum disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder: an unexplored co-occurrence of conditions.Autism. 2020;24(4):884-898.

Dempsey EE, Moore C, Richard AE, Smith IM.Moral foundations theory in autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative investigation.Autism. 2020;24(8):2202-2212.

Ashinoff BK, Abu-Akel A.Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention.Psychological Research. 2021;85(1):1-19.

Luderer M, Reinhard I, Richter A, Kiefer F, Weber T.Adhd is associated with a higher risk for traumatic events, self-reported ptsd, and a higher severity of ptsd symptoms in alcohol-dependent patients.Eur Addict Res. 2020;26(4-5):245-253.

Martz E, Weiner L, Weibel S.Identifying different patterns of emotion dysregulation in adult ADHD.bord personal disord emot dysregul. 2023;10(1):28.

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