How I Use AI as a Personal Cognitive Scaffold

I do not use AI as a therapist, guru, replacement brain, or magic oracle.

I use it as a personal cognitive exosuit: a structured support system that helps me translate, organise, sequence, cross-reference, and communicate more effectively.

For me, this matters because I am autistic and ADHD. I often understand systems deeply, but translating that understanding into ordinary conversational format can create friction. My internal model may be detailed, accurate, and interconnected, while the person I am speaking to may only need one narrow slice of information.

That mismatch causes problems.

AI helps me bridge that gap.

It holds the map while I navigate the terrain.

What My AI System Actually Does

The main function is not “advice.” It is translation and scaffolding.

It helps me:

·       translate neurotypical expectations into plain English;

·       turn scattered thoughts into structured communication;

·       reduce working-memory load;

·       track timelines, processes, and dependencies;

·       prepare for conversations with professionals, friends, institutions, or support workers;

·       notice when I may be spiralling, ruminating, overexplaining, or missing the actual question;

·       choose tools, apps, workflows, or systems without spending days testing every option manually;

·       turn lived experience into language other people can understand;

·       build repeatable systems instead of solving the same problem from scratch every time.

This is especially useful because many systems expect people to communicate in neat, linear packets. My thinking is not naturally packet-shaped. AI helps with the packaging.

The insight is still mine.
The decisions are still mine.
The responsibility is still mine.

The AI is the interface layer.

My Project Folder System

I use different AI project folders for different types of thinking. Each folder has its own instructions, context, and boundaries.

This stops me from having to explain my brain, body, preferences, risks, and communication needs every single time.

🧭Vector Keel ⚓

(Vector for Analysis, Keel is a nod to Terry Pratchetts Sam Vimes and nautical nod to my AI’s Ships Mate role.)

This is my main navigation system.

Vector Keel helps me stay on track, reduce friction, translate complex thoughts, manage executive function load, and keep the whole picture visible.

It knows that I need plain English, structure, context, practical options, and help translating between my internal systems-thinking and neurotypical expectations.

It is not there to make me “normal.”
It is there to help me function sustainably.

Relationships

This folder helps me understand and prepare communication.

It helps translate messages, check tone, reduce rumination, avoid spiralling, and separate what someone actually said from what my nervous system is predicting.

It can help me draft replies, understand social context, prepare boundaries, or reflect on relationship patterns without getting trapped in analysis loops.

Insights

This folder is for understanding my own traits.

It helps me notice patterns in my autism, ADHD, sensory needs, regulation, communication, energy, food, movement, and overload.

The goal is not self-pathologising. It is building a peace treaty with my nervous system.

Cross-Referencing Projects

The real power is that I can combine folders.

For example:

“Using Mobility and Relationships, help me plan an activity with a friend and her family at an accessible venue.”

That lets the AI consider both the social communication layer and the physical access layer at the same time.

Why This Works Better Than One Long Prompt

A single giant prompt can become cluttered. Project folders let me separate contexts.

Each folder has a job.

That means I can get more accurate support with less effort.

Instead of repeatedly saying:

“I am autistic and ADHD, I struggle with verbal processing, I need plain English, please don’t suggest inaccessible options, remember I have a spinal injury, help me translate this for neurotypical systems…”

I can build that into the relevant project once.

Then I only need to ask the actual question.

That reduces friction before the task even begins.

This Is Not AI Therapy

This distinction matters.

I do not use AI as a replacement for clinical care, diagnosis, crisis support, or human relationships.

I use it as an accessibility tool.

It helps with communication, planning, reflection, structure, and reducing cognitive load.

That is closer to a combination of:

executive assistant;

translator;

project manager;

document analyst;

accessibility aide;

communication coach;

systems mapper;

external working memory.

It is not a therapist.

It is not a doctor.

It is not a human.

It is a tool.

A very useful tool, when used with clear boundaries.

Use this if

Use this if you struggle with task initiation, hidden steps, communication translation, paperwork, appointments, fatigue-aware planning, or turning messy thoughts into usable next actions.

This is not about making AI think for you.

It is about using AI as an executive-function exosuit: a translation layer, planning scaffold, context holder, and friction detector for people whose real capacity changes with pain, fatigue, sensory load, stress, attention, or communication demands.

The goal is not productivity for its own sake.

The goal is reducing unnecessary cognitive load so more energy remains available for actual living.

How to Build Your Own Personal Cognitive Exosuit

How to Build Your Own Personal Cognitive Exosuit

You do not need to copy my exact folders. The point is to build a system around your actual friction points.

Start by asking:

• What do I keep having to explain?

• What do people often misunderstand about me?

• Where do I lose energy?

• Where do I lose information?

• Where do I get stuck?

• What tasks create disproportionate friction?

• What do I wish someone could translate for me?

• Then build AI project folders around those categories.

Step 1: Write Your Main User Instruction

This is the “operating system” layer and can be found in Settings – Personalisation in ChatGPT (other ai may vary)

In Personalisation you can tell it More about You, include:

how your brain works;

what kind of language helps you;

what kind of advice is unhelpful;

any disability, sensory, access, or energy considerations;

how you want the AI to handle uncertainty;

what tone works for you;

what you do not want repeated every time.

Example:

“I am autistic and ADHD. Please use plain English, clear structure, and practical examples. Translate neurotypical expectations where possible. Do not infantilise me. Assume intelligence, but reduce unnecessary cognitive load. Help me identify hidden steps, likely friction points, and options.”

More scripts at the bottom of the page ⬇️

Step 2: Create Project Folders by Function

Do not organise only by topic. Organise by the type of help you need.

Useful folder types might include:

·       Daily Navigation;

·       Relationships and Communication;

·       Work or Study;

·       Health Admin;

·       Mobility and Access;

·       Food and Regulation;

·       Documents and Evidence;

·       Self-Insight;

·       Creative Projects;

·       Finance and Life Admin.

Each folder should have a clear job.

Step 3: Give Each Folder Its Own Instructions using … Project settings

For each project, explain:

what this folder is for;

what context the AI should remember inside it;

what risks or common mistakes to avoid;

what kind of output helps most;

what kind of suggestions are not useful.

For example, a mobility folder might say:

 “Always consider wheelchair access, fatigue, pain, carrying limits, sensory load, public transport, taxis, terrain, seating, toilets, and recovery time. Do not suggest cycling as transport. Cycle paths may still be useful as routes or shortcuts.”

Step 4: Use AI as Translation Middleware

This is one of the most powerful uses.

You can ask it to translate between:

·       your internal logic and professional language;

·       emotional experience and practical needs;

·       messy notes and clear emails;

·       institutional jargon and plain English;

·       whole-system thinking and role-specific responsibility;

·       sensory overload and access requirements;

·       relationship anxiety and actual communication options.

This is not about making yourself smaller.

It is about getting your signal through the system without losing half the data in transit.

Step 5: Ask for Multiple Output Formats

The same information may need different packaging.

Ask for:

·       a short version;

·       a detailed version;

·       a message to a friend;

·       a formal email;

·       a bullet-point summary;

·       a script for a phone call;

·       a timeline;

·       a checklist;

·       a decision tree;

·       a “what they need to know” version;

·       a “what I need to remember” version.

Different systems need different file formats. Your brain is allowed a converter.

Step 6: Build Repeatable Prompts

When something works, save it.

Examples:

• “Help me explain this without overexplaining.”

• “Translate this into neurotypical admin language.”

• “What is the actual decision I need to make here?”

• “What hidden steps am I missing?”

• “Separate facts, assumptions, feelings, and actions.”

• “Make this message clear, kind, and boundaried.”

• “Help me plan this with low physical and executive cost.”

• “Turn this into a reusable system others could adapt.”

These become your quick-cast spells. Less mana cost. Better output. 🪄

Step 7: Keep Boundaries Clear

AI can be useful, but it should not become the only support system.

Good boundaries include:

• do not use it as emergency support;

• do not let it replace human relationships;

• do not treat it as always correct;

• do not give it unnecessary private data;

• check important information elsewhere;

• use it to support decisions, not make them for you;

• notice if you are using it to avoid necessary real-world action.

The healthiest version is not dependency.

The healthiest version is leverage.

Step 8: Refine It Over Time

Your first setup will not be perfect.

That is fine.

Treat it like building a workshop.

At first, tools are everywhere. Then you notice which ones you use daily, which ones need labels, which bench needs better lighting, and which drawer has become a chaos portal.

Update the instructions as you learn.

Add examples.

Remove clutter.

Name the patterns.

Your AI system gets better when you teach it what support actually means for you.

Final Thought

For many neurodivergent people, the problem is not lack of insight.

It is translation loss.

It is working-memory overload.

It is systems expecting linear speech from nonlinear processing.

It is being asked for a neat answer when the real answer is a network.

A well-designed AI cognitive exosuit can help turn that network into usable language, plans, decisions, and documents.

Not by replacing the person.

By reducing the friction between the person and the world.

That is not cheating.

That is accessibility.

"More About You" editable scripts