It’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week!
This year the focus is on organisational change and sharing best practice.
We’ve produced an evidence summary on Supporting neurodivergent people and their families to highlight how important it is for services and support to embrace the neurodiversity paradigm. This means moving away from the concept of “fixing” people, to making environments more accessible by removing barriers and recognising strengths.
How can we support neurodivergent people and their families?
The evidence summary explores how:
- strengths-based approaches help build confidence, well-being, and engagement
- support shouldn’t depend on diagnosis - long waits mean families need a “no wrong door” approach
- accessible environments (predictable routines, sensory-friendly spaces, flexible communication) make a huge difference
- parents and carers need support too, including empathy, clear information, and practical help.
Why is this important?
When we design support around people’s lived experiences and strengths, we create environments where neurodivergent people can thrive.
Making sure neurodivergent people are included is important in all aspects of social care. We’ve written about research on the experience of neurodivergent people in these evidence summaries too:
Transitions: perspectives of young people and their families