About Atypical Zebra
I’m Andrea Gallagher, and I am Atypical Zebra.
If our paths are crossing here, it might be that the word “atypical” resonates with you.
If you hang out with me long enough, you’ll find that I really like words and definitions. The Cambridge Dictionary defines atypical as “not having all the characteristics that you would usually expect from a particular group of things” or “not typical; different from most others of its type.”
As a late diagnosed AuDHD’er (autistic and adhd), I spent the first 50 or so years of my life trying to figure out how to fit in, and failing spectacularly.
Self-identification and the privilege of formal diagnosis have helped me to recognize that being on the outside isn’t the negative that I thought it was. I have consistently been able to notice patterns others miss and approach problems from unusual directions.
I am uniquely positioned to mentor others who are coming to this self-awareness, or starting to push back against how things are “supposed to be.”
My professional experience includes 25 years in the classroom: public school and private, special education and general, with students of all ages and ability levels.
My formal education includes BA and M.Ed. degrees. My informal education extends much more broadly and deeply, with passionate dives into topics that are important to me at any given moment.
Current and ongoing areas of active research and reading for me include:
understanding and supporting autistic communication
self-directed education & liberated learning centers
nervous system co-regulation
demand avoidance and low-demand approaches
school “refusal”
amplifying Autistic-led research focused on improving the quality of autistic lives
representations of autism and neurodivergence in popular culture and media
Atypical Zebra started in September 2023 as a direct response to my advocacy outgrowing my previous professional spaces. My original logo captured so much of who I was then, soft, drifting outside of boundaries, lots of ideas but not so clear about my direction.
Over the last two years, Zebra has connected with 56 clients for at least one visit or conversation, most for many more. I have learned that my advocacy must continue to outgrow my own comfort. I continue to support neurodivergent individuals as they struggle within systems that do not recognize or meet their needs—education, health care, employment, finance, etc.
In September 2024, my husband of 32 years died unexpectedly. 32 years is a long time, and you would think that two people could know just about everything about one another with that many years-months-weeks-days-hours-minutes together. My awareness of myself as an autistic person happened somewhere around year 27, though, and that made things different. Better. Knowing why things are hard is sometimes what makes them easier.
John was proud of Atypical Zebra and the work I do. When we talked about whether this could be a real thing, he said “It’s your turn.” And he took over virtually everything and let me figure out what Atypical Zebra could do, could be. (And he would musically contribute right here with a doo-bee-doo-bee-doo. Don’t worry if you don’t get the joke, you might be way too young.)
I have a lot of words to say about autistic grief, but what I want to share for now is that it has brought me to a place where I feel bold. Powerful. The new Zebra logo reflects that, and uses peach and gray to honor John as my partner in marriage, parenting, and continuing advocacy. These were the colors we chose when we were so much younger and thought “wedding colors” mattered. Onward.
