Comprehensive Resources for Autism and ADHD Support

Finding comprehensive resources for autism and ADHD support can be overwhelming. However, with the right tools and information, families can navigate these challenges more effectively. In this blog post, we’ll explore valuable resources, organisations, and strategies that can aid in providing support to individuals with autism and ADHD.

Autism Resources

There are numerous resources available for families looking for support related to autism. These can include local organisations, websites, and community programmes. One of the foremost organisations is the National Autistic Society. They offer a wealth of information, including safety resources for children and adults, education support, and financial aid for families in need.

Wide angle view of autism support materials

Additionally, the National Autistic Society (NAS) provide workshops, support groups, and events tailored to specific needs. The support groups can be a vital source of encouragement and insight for families, promoting shared experiences and learning.

Another essential resource is the Autism Alliance UK. This organisation offers toolkits that cover various topics, such as transition planning and medical needs. They provide free downloadable materials available in English and other languages, making it accessible for families from diverse backgrounds.

ADHD Resources

Resources for Managing ADHD in the UK

When addressing ADHD, a similar range of resources is available in the UK. The ADHD Foundation provides crucial information for managing ADHD symptoms. Their website features practical tips for parents, an extensive database of articles, and local support groups for individuals and families.

Eye-level view of ADHD support books

Organisations like ADDitude Magazine provide a wealth of articles and personal stories that can motivate and inspire those facing ADHD challenges. Their resources include expert advice, newsletters, and a supportive community that offers a variety of viewpoints and experiences.

Organisations Supporting ADHD

• National ADHD Network: This network provides information and resources for those affected by ADHD in the UK, including research updates, training, and support services.

• ADDISS (The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service): ADDISS offers information, resources, and support for individuals with ADHD and their families, including workshops and training for parents and professionals.

• ADHD UK: This organisation aims to provide support and resources for individuals with ADHD, focusing on raising awareness and promoting understanding of the condition within the community.

Therapy and Intervention Strategies

For families seeking therapy or intervention strategies, there are guidelines available on diagnosis and treatment options. These resources can help parents understand potential educational accommodations and health interventions tailored to children's needs.

Therapeutic Approaches

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours. It teaches practical strategies to support organisation, time management, and emotional regulation, helping individuals to develop coping skills for everyday challenges.

Family Therapy: This approach aims to strengthen communication and relationships within the family unit. It can help family members to understand each other’s perspectives, and offers guidance to parents and carers on providing consistent support and managing behaviour effectively.

Group Therapy: Group sessions provide opportunities for individuals to connect with others who share similar experiences or difficulties. This can foster a sense of belonging, reduce feelings of isolation, and promote peer learning through shared discussion.

Mindfulness and Meditation: Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly used to support attention, emotional awareness, and self-regulation. Techniques such as breathing exercises and grounding activities can help reduce stress and improve focus.

Behavioural and Environmental Strategies

Task Management: Breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps can make them feel less overwhelming. Techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique, which involves focused periods of work followed by short breaks, can help maintain attention and productivity, note this can also impact an ADHD person's ability to hyperfocus.

Structure and Routine: Establishing clear daily routines and using organisational tools such as visual timetables, to-do lists, or planners can support consistency and reduce anxiety related to uncertainty or change.

Clear Communication: Provide instructions one step at a time, using simple and direct language. Reinforce success through regular encouragement and positive feedback to promote motivation and self-esteem.

School and Home Support: Collaboration between parents, carers, and the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) is essential. Consistent strategies, such as reward systems or visual prompts, can help to reinforce positive behaviours and build independence.

Physical Exercise: Regular physical activity can support focus, reduce restlessness, and promote overall emotional wellbeing. Activities that include movement, balance, or coordination can be particularly beneficial.

Role of Medication

Medication may be considered when symptoms of ADHD are significantly impacting daily functioning and other interventions alone have not been sufficient. Stimulant medications such as methylphenidate are commonly prescribed and should always be initiated and closely monitored by a medical specialist.

The NICE guidelines recommend a multi-modal approach, combining psychosocial and behavioural interventions with medication only when symptoms are severe or persist despite other support.

Once stabilised, ongoing prescriptions may be managed by a GP under a shared care agreement with the overseeing specialist, ensuring continuity and regular review of effectiveness and side effects.

Additional Resources for Families in the UK

• Mind: This mental health charity provides information and support for individuals and families dealing with various mental health issues, including ADHD, offering guidance on finding local services and support groups.

• Young Minds: Focused on children and young people’s mental health, Young Minds provides resources and advice for parents about supporting their children with ADHD and other mental health conditions.

• Therapy Directory: This online directory helps families find qualified therapists and counsellors in their area who specialise in ADHD and related issues.

By exploring these resources, families can find the support and information they need to navigate the challenges of ADHD effectively.

Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)

Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) affects social communication and social interaction, leading to differences in understanding and expressing emotions, forming and maintaining relationships, and interpreting social cues. It also involves restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities, which may include a strong preference for routine, repetitive movements, and sensory sensitivities to stimuli such as bright lights, certain textures, or loud noises. These characteristics can influence how a person interacts, learns, and behaves, often creating challenges across personal, family, social, educational, or occupational settings.

Autism Wheel

Impairments in Social Communication and Interaction

Understanding others: Individuals may find it difficult to recognise or interpret other people’s emotions, intentions, or perspectives, which can make social situations confusing or challenging.

Verbal and non-verbal communication: Difficulties may be seen in understanding tone of voice, sarcasm, humour, and non-verbal cues such as gestures or facial expressions. Some individuals may experience delayed speech or limited language, while others may speak fluently but struggle to use language flexibly or appropriately in social contexts.

Emotional expression: There may be differences in expressing emotions or in recognising and describing one’s own feelings.

Friendships and relationships: Individuals may find it challenging to initiate, maintain, or navigate friendships and relationships due to differences in social understanding or reciprocity.

Social cue interpretation: There may be difficulty interpreting body language, facial expressions, and implicit social rules or expectations.

Communication style: Speech may be literal, formal, or characterised by unusual tone, rhythm, or volume. Conversations may be one-sided or highly focused on personal interests.

Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours and Interests

Preference for routine: A strong need for predictability and routine is common, with unexpected changes often causing distress and/or anxiety.

Repetitive behaviours: Individuals may engage in repetitive movements such as rocking, hand-flapping, spinning, or pacing, which can serve as a form of self-regulation.

Focused interests: There may be highly focused or intense interests in particular topics or activities, sometimes pursued with exceptional depth or detail.

Sensory processing differences: People may be over- or under-sensitive to sensory input such as noise, light, touch, smell, or movement. These sensitivities can impact comfort, concentration, and emotional regulation.

Rigidity of thinking: There may be a tendency towards rigid thinking, difficulty with flexibility, and limited engagement in imaginative or pretend play.

Other Common Areas of Difference

Information processing: Some autistic individuals may take additional time to process verbal or visual information, particularly in environments that are busy, noisy, or unpredictable. Allowing for this processing time supports understanding and reduces cognitive load.

Generalisation of skills: Skills and strategies may be applied most effectively in familiar or structured settings. With support and consistency, individuals can learn to transfer these skills to new people, places, and routines at their own pace.

Co-occurring conditions: Autism often exists alongside other differences, such as anxiety, attention regulation, sensory processing variations, sleep differences, or specific learning profiles. Recognising and supporting these overlapping needs can help create a more enabling and inclusive environment.

High angle view of therapy session for children with autism

Community Support Networks

Community support networks play an important role in providing both emotional and practical assistance for individuals and families navigating autism and ADHD. Local support groups can offer a safe space to share experiences, exchange advice, and learn strategies for daily life. These may be accessed through organisations such as the National Autistic Society, ADHD UK, or local parent–carer forums. Many communities also host informal meet-ups or coffee mornings, often advertised through Facebook groups, local councils, or charities.

Schools also have a key role in providing structured support. In the UK, children with additional needs may receive help through Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which sets out the individual support a child requires to access learning. Close collaboration between parents, teachers, and specialists such as Speech and Language Therapists or Educational Psychologists helps ensure the right strategies and adjustments are in place.

Peer mentoring schemes can also be valuable, linking children or young people with others who share similar experiences. These programmes can promote self-esteem, social confidence, and a sense of belonging, while also encouraging positive role models and peer understanding.

Online Forums and Information

The internet offers a wide range of opportunities for families to connect with others and access reliable information about autism and ADHD. Online communities can provide a valuable source of shared experience, practical advice, and emotional support from people who understand similar challenges.

Blogs and social media pages created by autistic and ADHD advocates, professionals, and parents can offer meaningful insight into everyday life, strategies for managing routines and emotional wellbeing, and reflections on navigating education and health systems. Engaging with these online networks can help families feel informed, empowered, and part of a supportive community, regardless of location.

Recommended Online Resources

• National Autistic Society (NAS): www.autism.org.uk Offers information, an online community forum, and guidance on education, diagnosis, and support services.

• Ambitious about Autism: www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk Focuses on supporting autistic children and young people through education and advocacy.

• Contact – for families with disabled children: www.contact.org.uk Offers advice on benefits, education, and accessing local support networks.

• ADHD UK: www.adhduk.co.uk Provides information, signposting, and support for adults and children with ADHD.

• IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice): www.ipsea.org.uk A charity offering free, independent advice on education rights and EHCP processes.

• Young Minds: www.youngminds.org.uk Supports children, young people, and families with mental health and emotional wellbeing.

• Scope: www.scope.org.uk Provides advice, advocacy, and online community spaces for disabled people and their families.

Finding Appropriate Therapies and Support Services

When exploring therapeutic options, it is important to seek guidance from professionals with expertise in autism and ADHD. In the UK, this may include Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), Clinical or Educational Psychologists, and Psychiatrists. These professionals can help identify suitable interventions and recommend services based on an individual’s profile of strengths and needs. Early identification and timely support can make a significant difference to long-term development and wellbeing.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in supporting individuals with ADHD and co-occurring anxiety, helping to develop coping strategies and emotional regulation skills. Speech and Language Therapy can support communication, social understanding, and self-expression, while Occupational Therapy may focus on sensory processing, motor skills, and everyday independence.

Families may also benefit from multidisciplinary services such as CADS Autism, which provide holistic, individualised assessments and therapeutic guidance to promote self-understanding, confidence, and independence, particularly during key life transitions.

Support for Parents and Carers

Caring for a neurodivergent child or young person can be both rewarding and demanding. Support for parents and carers is therefore essential. In the UK, parent training programmes such as The National Autistic Society’s EarlyBird or EarlyBird Plus, offer practical tools and strategies for understanding and supporting children’s needs at home.

Access to respite care, parent support groups, and SEND-related workshops (often available through local councils or parent–carer forums) can also help families to feel more supported.

Equally important is self-care for caregivers. Many charities and local authorities host peer support groups and drop-in sessions, providing safe, non-judgemental spaces to share experiences and connect with others who understand. Talking with other parents can ease feelings of isolation and build confidence in managing day-to-day challenges.

Technology-Based Supports

Technology continues to open new possibilities for supporting individuals with autism and ADHD. A range of UK-accessible apps and digital tools can assist with communication, organisation, and emotional regulation:

• Proloquo2Go: A widely used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app supporting non-verbal individuals to express themselves using symbols and speech output.

• Todoist or Microsoft To Do: Task-management apps that can help children and adults organise routines and visualise their daily activities.

• Headspace or Calm: Mindfulness apps that can support relaxation, focus, and stress reduction.

• Choiceworks: A visual schedule app used to teach waiting, emotional regulation, and daily routines, suitable for younger children.

Incorporating these tools can encourage independence, improve time-management, and support self-regulation across home, school, and community settings.

Financial and Practical Support

Families may be eligible for financial assistance or grants to help with the cost of therapies and specialist equipment. Organisations such as Family Fund (www.familyfund.org.uk) and Turn2us (www.turn2us.org.uk) provide information on grants and funding opportunities for families of children with additional needs.

Local authorities may also offer Short Breaks or Direct Payments to help families access respite care or therapeutic support. It can be helpful to speak with the local SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) at school for guidance on eligibility and application processes.

Building Connections

Connecting with others who have similar experiences can be an invaluable source of understanding and encouragement. Local autism and ADHD support groups, often listed through the National Autistic Society, ADHD UK, or local parent–carer forums, provide opportunities to meet others, share strategies, and access community events.

Online platforms such as moderated Facebook groups, Mumsnet SEND boards, or charity-run forums offer further ways to connect for those unable to attend in person. Establishing a supportive network helps both individuals and families feel less isolated and more empowered in navigating daily life.

Summary

Although navigating support systems can sometimes feel overwhelming, a wide range of resources exist across the UK to help families and individuals thrive. By combining professional input, community support, practical strategies, and technology-based tools, families can build a strong foundation for understanding, wellbeing, and independence.