What is a Neuro-affirming Practice?

With autism and ADHD on the tip of every commentator's tongue, everyone is climbing on the bandwagon, declaring themselves as neuro-affirming. This blog describes the minimum you should expect from a therapist describing themselves as neuro-affirming.

Jaki North

8/17/20262 min read

What if the problem isn't that your brain isn't working properly, but that you've spent years trying to make it work in an environment that wasn't designed for it?

For me, neuro-affirming means that I work to a person's strengths, acknowledging the reality that not everyone's brain works the same way! Autism and ADHD are not, in themselves, evidence that someone is deficient. They represent differences in how a person's brain processes and experiences the world. Many articles use the analogy of a Mac Vs a Windows computer. Neither operating system is inherently 'wrong'—but a system designed for one may not work particularly well for the other.

A Spiky Profile:

I often begin by talking about something called a Spiky Profile. This takes us away from the idea of a broad spectrum and looks instead at characteristics that everyone shares, but to different degrees. The image above shows an example Spiky Profile. It demonstrates, very simply, that whilst there are areas in which some people are weaker, there are also areas where they excel. For some people, this is the first time they've been able to see that in many areas they are better (by far) than neurotypicals. Some strengths, some weaknesses, and often a profile that is anything but average!

Working out what our strengths are brings self-confidence without even thinking about it. We don't ignore the weaknesses either. However, in older approaches to therapy, counsellors used to attempt to make the neurodivergent 'conform' to a neurotypical profile. A neuro-affirming practice will explore possible work-arounds, tools or systems that may help you to operate in a world that can be unforgiving of difference.

Reasonable Adjustments:

Under the Equality Act 2010, certain people may be entitled to reasonable adjustments, and autism and ADHD can fall within the legal definition of disability where the relevant criteria are met. This may include a request for online rather than in-person therapy. It may be a request to remove loud ticking clocks or to reduce the lighting levels. You can also ask for shorter meetings or breaks. Anybody offering services to the public is required (where it is possible and cost-effective) to comply with those requests. I would expect a neuro-affirming practice to ask before a client even starts, 'would you like any reasonable adjustments?' I would also expect them to have already thought about sensory issues (smell, sound and light).

Ethos:

Any communication you receive should also consider neurodivergence. This will mean offering very clear communication (especially in writing) as well as offering plentiful information about the counselling process and venue access information.

For me, neuro-affirming counselling isn't about pretending that difficulties don't exist. They do. It's about understanding those difficulties without turning them into a judgement about the person. We can recognise the areas where life is hard, while also discovering the strengths, interests and ways of thinking that make you uniquely you.

Jaki-mvcc@outlook.com

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