Nurturing a Positive Autistic Identity

An autism diagnosis is much more than just a ‘label’. If you’re autistic, you’ve been autistic your whole life and you will gradually become aware that you experience the world in a different way to many of your peers. Unfortunately, an autism diagnosis carries with it a stigma, and becoming aware of this stigma can be damaging to a young person’s wellbeing as they get older – and the later they are recognised as autistic, the more problematic this becomes. Naturally, we want to remove the stigma, but this depends not on the autistic young person to change, but everyone around them, which is why we advocate for whole school training on neurodiversity – the more you understand about difference, not deficit, the less likely you are to stigmatise. However we can also nurture the young person so that they develop a positive view of their autistic identity, and can become advocates for themselves and others. Health and Social Care Professionals often become involved when a young person is heading into crisis, and at periods when identity development is taking place such as adolescence.

This training is adapted for professionals who work with autistic children and adults in health and social care settings, focusing on the principles of neuro-affirmation and trauma-informed practice.

An autism diagnosis is much more than a clinical ‘label’; it is a description of a neurotype—a different way of experiencing the world. Unfortunately, this diagnosis often comes with significant stigma which, when internalised, is deeply damaging to an individual’s identity and long-term well-being. This impact is particularly severe in care settings where misunderstandings can lead to ineffective support, increased anxiety, and misdiagnosis of co-occurring mental health conditions. Our training advocates for a shift: the required change is not in the autistic person, but in the systems and professionals around them.

This session will help your team move from a deficit-based model to one that actively nurtures a positive autistic identity, equipping staff to become powerful allies and co-regulators for the people they support.

This training will empower staff to embed a neuro-affirmative culture by helping them to:

To eliminate anxiety, all attendees will be provided with a detailed outline of expectations and content prior to the session.

Please contact us for more details and to discuss how we can tailor this to the specific needs of your health or social care setting.

Really informative and clearly comes from someone passionate about the topic, not someone who is paid to just facilitate training. I now have a much clearer framework for understanding distress in my clients.

Health Professional, Mental Health Services