This is a dedicate hub for all things neurodiversity. On this webpage, you will find resources, research and case studies which you may find helpful. Please do use and circulate how you see appropriate.
Autistic and ADHD poets, writers and a photographer co-produced this poetry anthology to try and bridge the gap of understanding between neurodivergence and neurotypicality.
When it comes to referring to autism and autistic people, there are usually two ways of going about it. The first is person-first language. This is where someone would say “they have autism” or “people with autism”.
The second is identity-first language. Instead, of saying someone has autism, they say that someone is autistic. A couple of common examples are “Luke is autistic” and “autistic people”. Identity-first language is something that many within the autistic community use quite frequently. They see it as a logical choice; autism is something that’s part of you, rather than something you carry around.
Leeds Autism AIM has worked with neurodivergent people to put together a guide that explains how to make information accessible to neurodivergent people in a number of ways. This free document has examples of good and bad practice and a number of links to making accessible info, as well as general tips you can use.
Leeds Autism AIM, West Yorkshire Police and other local organisations have coproduced a free autism alert card. Initially, the card is available for autistic adults in Leeds to use. The card can be used to help communicate your needs and how being autistic affects you in stressful situations.
In Calderdale, the SEND Reference Group, Tough Times Reference Group and Calderdale Young Commissioners have created this two page guide on what they as young people feel is important to them when having an assessment. Each young person has undertaken some kind of assessment during their lives for various different reasons, several members having had an autism assessment. The guide lists what they think should happen pre-assessment, during an assessment and after an assessment.
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust has produced some helpful Easy Read guides for people coming for an assessment for autism or other neurodevelopmental disorder.
Watch a video about the work to improve the health of autistic people, from the National Director for Learning Disability and Autism at NHS England, Tom Cahill. He says how important it is for health services to work with and listen to autistic people in developing their services.
Watch a video about the commitments the NHS has made to autistic people from the NHS Chief Operating Officer, Sir David Sloman. This includes improving the diagnostic pathway and post assessment support, reducing health inequalities and improving access to, and the quality of, mental health inpatient services.
Autistic and ADHD poets, writers and a photographer co-produced this poetry anthology to try and bridge the gap of understanding between neurodivergence and neurotypicality.
Small changes to health services can help people to feel comfortable and able to get the help they need. Sometimes these are called reasonable adjustments.
Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone's disability. For example:
These reasonable adjustment twin guides for employees and employers include useful information on how reasonable adjustments can support neurodiverse colleagues in the workplace.
These videos show how important adjustments are to neurodivergent people in the workplace and how managers can support staff to be the best that they can be.
Kate Sims, head of the ICB people team, talks about how rethinking work processes can help neurodivergent colleagues thrive in the workplace
Lucy Clement is a GP in West Yorkshire who shares more about her neurodiversity
Nadine Rooney is a Learning Disability services care navigator
Louise McKelvey, West Yorkshire ICB Head of People Plan delivery, talks about her experiences and what special adjustments can be made
Karen Gilbank is an advanced practitioner lead social worker
Joe Krasinski is a social, emotional and mental health consultant
Listen to a podcast of an autistic person, a family carer and a GP discussing changes that can be made to appointments to make them work well - Supporting autistic people in primary care
In Joe’s video, he speaks about how been autistic makes him unique and has given him to drive to achieve lots of things.
Find out how NHS England is working to improve the quality of mental health support for all autistic people, both close to home and if needed in hospital in Sarah Wright's blog.
It has long been recognised that people who have Down’s syndrome experience poorer health outcomes than are seen in the general population. To support a health or social care professional, the Down's Syndrome Association have put together this resource that brings together all of DSA’s health-related resources along with relevant resources.
Why a research strategy is needed - Change is needed to ensure health policy and clinical decisions about the care provided to autistic people is consistently based on the best available scientific evidence. Co-ordinated and strategic action is needed to improve our ability to act with urgency without undermining our ability to measure the effectiveness of healthcare changes made. This research strategy sets out the first steps that need to be taken to build better evidence-based healthcare for autistic people in England.
Making health services better with people who are neurodiverse.
This report can be described as a small-scale action research project which set out to gain a deeper and richer understanding of how to support the development of kinder, more compassionate, and more effective health services with people who are neurodiverse.
The law (Equality Act 2010) says that employers must make reasonable adjustments for:
employees and workers
contractors and self-employed people hired to personally do the work
job applicants
Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone's disability. For example:
making changes to the workplace
changing someone's working arrangements
finding a different way to do something
providing equipment, services or support
Reasonable adjustments are specific to an individual person. They can cover any area of work.
Helpful resources
These videos show how important adjustments are to neurodivergent people in the workplace and how managers can support staff to be the best that they can be.
Kate Sims, head of the ICB people team, talks about how rethinking work processes can help neurodivergent colleagues thrive in the workplace
Lucy Clement is a GP in West Yorkshire who shares more about her neurodiversity
Nadine Rooney is a Learning Disability services care navigator
Louise McKelvey, West Yorkshire ICB Head of People Plan delivery, talks about her experiences and what special adjustments can be made
Karen Gilbank is an advanced practitioner lead social worker
Joe Krasinski is a social, emotional and mental health consultant
West Yorkshire Keyworker Service
The West Yorkshire Keyworker Service offers non-clinical support for children and young people (up to the age of 25) who have a learning disability and/or who are autistic and are supported by the Dynamic Support Register. Support is also offered for their families/carers. This includes those who are currently in mental health inpatient settings or are at risk of admission and those at risk of residential placement breakdown. Find out more.