About

About Neurodiverse Dating DFW

Our Story

In August 2024, Victoria Wolf created Neurodiverse Dating Dallas-Fort Worth (NDDFW) in partnership with Fran Templeton as part of Victoria’s doctoral capstone project for occupational therapy school. Fran Templeton co-hosts and promotes events through Neurodiverse Spectrum services alongside Victoria Wolf through NDDFW.

Victoria initially thought of the program idea after discovering the overwhelming lack of dating resources for neurodivergent individuals in the DFW. This idea led her to complete her doctoral capstone project on neurodivergence and dating.

“Many autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s Syndrome, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and other neurodivergent adults struggle to make connections on dating apps or through in-person encounters. I knew I wanted to create a safe space, with neurodivergent affirming resources, so atypical adults could develop positive dating skills and make connections without fearing prejudice or inadequacy.”

-Victoria Wolf

Our Mission

This program aims to increase DFW neurodivergent adults’ social participation and education in dating through inclusive platforms and events.

According to Wymbs et al. (2021), healthy romantic relationships are a significant part of adulthood and directly impact an individual’s quality of life.
Creating an opportunity for neurodivergent individuals to meet each other with the intent of forming intimate partner relationships can increase their social participation and overall life satisfaction (Smith et al., 2021).

References

Program Significance

A significant percentage of the population is neurodivergent (Goldberg, 2023). Neurodivergent adults often find forming and maintaining romantic relationships challenging (Tabassum et al., 2022). Increasing education and in-person and online dating opportunities for neurodivergent adults could improve the development of intimate partner relationships through condition visibility and partner understanding (Mitran, 2022).

Helping individuals cultivate intimate partner relationships in a community of people who are open, supportive, and understanding of conditions’ impact builds confidence and improves the individual’s sexual self-concept (Mitran, 2022).
Healthy relationships can also help decrease the impact of adverse life events and psychological disorders (Wymbs et al., 2021).

References

Program Leaders

Program Creator

Victoria Wolf, Doctor of Occupational Therapy

In 2024, Victoria Wolf graduated with her doctorate in occupational therapy at The University of St. Augustine’s Dallas campus. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor’s in Child Development from Texas Woman’s University, and later obtained her Early Intervention Specialist license. She began working with children and their families, advocating for neurodivergent support and specializing in sensory education. Victoria continues to focus on neurodivergent education and research, for pediatric and adult populations, to increase visibility and understanding. She developed Neurodiverse Dating Dallas-Fort Worth (NDDFW) due to the lack of opportunities and education available to atypical adults experiencing problems forming intimate partner relationships.

“Hi, I’m Victoria, a Texas local and fellow neurodivergent adult. I was diagnosed with ADHD in high school and later diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and OCD in college. I met my husband, who is also Neurodivergent, through mutual friends, and it was like our two worlds made sense together. That’s what inspired me to make this program. I want other Neurodivergent adults in the DFW to find partners who understand them, so they are never afraid to be themselves.”

Site Director

Fran Templeton; Life Coach and Business Owner

Fran is the owner of Neurodiverse Spectrum Services. She has been working continuously in the field of autism since 1994. In the early years, she contracted for public schools to develop and implement in-home and parent training programs. In 2009, she began to work exclusively with autistic adults. During this time, Fran has developed and written several adult transition curriculums that assist adults transitioning from high school into adulthood.

Fran graduated magna cum laude from Texas Woman’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies. Much of her knowledge is experiential in nature, as she is the mother of a 39-year-old autistic son and has worked with hundreds of autistic individuals and their families.