Why It Matters
Autistic and ADHD children and adults often experience the world differently, and this can affect how they handle transitions, regulate emotions, communicate, process sensory input, and manage the demands of daily life.
These differences are shaped by how the brain works, sensory needs, individual ability, and the world around them. They are not simply about effort or motivation alone. When everyday environments and expectations don’t match these needs, daily life can become harder to navigate, less accessible, and more limiting than it should be. With the right kind of support, many of these barriers can be reduced.
Well-matched, practical support helps people engage more fully in daily life at home, in education, at work, and in the community. It supports learning, independence, communication, regulation, and participation across different stages of life. The aim is to reduce unnecessary barriers, build meaningful skills over time, and support confidence, autonomy, and quality of life for individuals and families.
Who This Support Is For
Autistic and ADHD children and young people- Autistic and ADHD adults
- Families and caregivers seeking practical developmental support
- Individuals with sensory, communication, or regulation needs
What We Offer
We provide practical, ongoing developmental support for autistic and ADHD children, young people, adults, and families. Our approach is person-led and designed to support growth over time rather than quick fixes.
All support is delivered by professionals experienced in neurodivergent-informed practice, with a focus on working alongside individuals and families in a way that feels respectful, realistic, and sustainable.
Based on your goals, strengths, and where support is needed, our team helps guide you towards the most appropriate developmental pathway and connects you with the right professionals.
How It Works
We offer different ways to access support, from one-off consults to ongoing sessions. You can choose short consults for focused advice or longer sessions for more in-depth work.
You’re in control of the pace and frequency, and can adjust how often you access support as your needs change over time.
Speech & Language Therapy (SLT)
Speech and language therapy helps autistic and ADHD people communicate effectively using speech, signs, visuals or Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Suitable for:
- Children, young people & adults (all ages)
- Those who are minimally verbal or pre-verbal (with supported AAC)
- Caregiver and parent coaching in communication strategies
Occupational Therapy (OT)
Occupational therapists (OT) help with everyday life skills and sensory emotional regulation. OTs teach self care tasks (dressing, feeding, hygiene), organisational skills (focus, routine, work/school skills) and leisure participation (socialising, hobbies, motor skills). They also assess sensory processing differences, which are very common in autism, and provide strategies to manage sensory overload. Sensory-based interventions can reduce anxiety and improve attention by helping the nervous system stay regulated.
Suitable for:
- Children, young people & adults
- Sensory sensitive individuals (e.g. hyper or hypo reactive to stimuli)
- Individuals with sensory processing differences
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
PBS plans are developed in collaboration with the person and their family/supporters, creating proactive strategies (environmental changes, schedules, choices) to reduce anxiety and prevent crises.Key goals include:
- Understanding the cause of distress and unmet needs
- Reducing overwhelm and sensory shutdowns by adapting the environment
- Teaching safer ways to communicate needs (e.g. use of gestures, signals or AAC)
- Building emotional regulation and coping skills over time
Suitable for:
- Autistic & ADHD children and adults, especially those with high support needs or frequent meltdowns.
- PBS is ideal for individuals who have difficulty expressing needs verbally (so their behavior may signal frustration or overload).
Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT)
Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) is an OT led, play based approach to address sensory motor needs. In SIT, the therapist and child work together in meaningful activities that provide varied sensory input at a “just right” level of challenge. The goal is to improve the child’s ability to process and integrate sensations so they can engage more adaptively in daily activities. Sensory integration therapy has led to improvements in client specific goals and daily functioning in small trials. Typical targets include emotional regulation, attention/focus, motor coordination and body awareness, as well as reducing sensory overload. This therapy is delivered by OTs with specialist training following a thorough sensory assessment.
Supports:
- Emotional regulation (self-calming strategies)
- Attention and focus during tasks
- Coordination and body awareness (gross/fine motor skills)
- Reduced sensory overload (tolerance of sounds, lights, textures)
- Greater comfort and participation in daily life
Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) & Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Informed Strategies
Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and related Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) informed strategies provide motivational, play-based support for skill-building. PRT, a well-researched approach based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), is child led and emphasises natural rewards. In practice, therapists follow the person’s interests and use preferred items/activities as “natural reinforcement” (e.g. if a child requests a toy with an utterance or gesture, they get that toy). The focus is on communication, engagement and learning through motivation (the child chooses the activity), plus building everyday functional skills. Because it is consent driven and interest based, this approach is never rigid or compliance driven, it respects each individual’s dignity.
Focus areas:
- Communication: Encouraging attempts to communicate (words, gestures, questions) by using the child’s own interests as motivators
- Engagement: Sustaining attention through fun activities and turn-taking.
- Motivation & play: Building skills via play, praising any meaningful attempt even if imperfect
- Functional routines: Teaching daily living skills (requests, choices, self-care tasks) within natural contexts.
Studies show PRT is one of the most validated behavioral treatments for autism, with 20+ trials demonstrating improvements in communication and social skills. This support is suitable for young children through to adults who benefit from a warm, play based ABA approach.
Suitable for: Autistic & ADHD children and adults, especially early childhood or anyone needing functional behavior support.
Creative Therapies (Music/Art/Play)
Creative therapies offer non-verbal, expressive approaches to support emotional connection and self expression.
- Music Therapy (using sound, rhythm and movement) has been shown to significantly improve social communication, emotional regulation and motivation in children with autism.
- Art Therapy provides a pressure free way to convey feelings, many autistic people find drawing or painting allows them to express thoughts and reduce anxiety when words are hard.
- Play Therapy (a child led, safe play session) lets children explore emotions through play in a secure setting; research indicates play based interventions can enhance social skills, turn taking and emotion regulation.
These creative methods complement verbal therapies and can be especially empowering for those who struggle with language.
Suitable for: All ages. (Play Therapy is typically for ages 4–12, though music and art therapy can benefit teenagers and adults as well.)
Developmental Psychology & Regulation Support
Our developmental psychologists focus on supporting developmental progress and emotional regulation (not on diagnosing or treating mental illness). They help families and individuals understand development level needs and co-regulation strategies: for example, coaches may teach parents to model calm behavior or create a “safe space” so that children learn to self regulate their emotions. Psychologists view behaviour as communication, guiding teams to identify the underlying message of challenging behavior and replace it with a more adaptive skill. Other supports include sensory emotional development work.. Our psychologists collaborate closely with SLTs and OTs to ensure a joined up approach, offering one off guidance sessions or ongoing developmental support tailored to each person’s level.
Suitable for:
- Children, young people & adults (including minimally verbal individuals) and their caregivers, especially when developmental delays or sensory/emotional needs require specialised understanding.
- Parents and caregivers can also book sessions for coaching on supporting their child’s development and regulation.
Why Autimly?
- 1:1 sessions: Personalized support focusing on your goals.
- Online or in-person: Flexible options to suit your family and location.
- Neuro-affirming, trauma-informed care: We respect each person’s identity and pace.
- Flexible pacing: Sessions are unhurried and adapt to your needs (no rushing).
- One-off or ongoing: Receive a single consultation or an extended therapy program, as needed.
- Dignity-first: No pressure, no one-size-fits-all.
