Neurodivergent Diversions: Why SpongeBob Couldn’t Start His Essay — And Why Many Autistic People Struggle Tooby James CoulterFor over 25 years, SpongeBob SquarePants has been everyone’s favorite sponge living in a pineapple under the sea. By the time morning arrives, he has one hour left and ends up frantically writing an essay about everything he did instead of writing the essay. Autistic Inertia describes the neurological difficulty many autistic people face when trying to start, stop, or shift tasks. Tasks feel overwhelming. But for autistic people, understanding autistic inertia and executive dysfunction can turn a frustrating struggle into something manageable, even predictable.