NeuroHub Connect Community

Autistic and neurodivergent adults who want structured peer support and space to make sense of their own experiences, alongside people building a positive Autistic identity.

It also serves practitioners, co-workers and parents looking for professional training on supporting Autistic people, including advocating for young people in the education system and understanding Autistic wellbeing.

The Six-Point Framework for supporting Autistic people, used across the community's training, was developed by David Gray-Hammond and Helen Edgar.

David Gray-Hammond presents in the community, including the Celebrating Neurodivergence recording made for ND Celebration Week. Helen Edgar delivered the Map Of Monotropism Webinar on their Map Of Monotropic Experiences.

Older descriptions of autism focused mostly on what Autistic people find difficult. Over the past 25 years, much of the newer thinking has come from Autistic people themselves. The word neurodiversity, usually credited to the Australian sociologist Judy Singer in the late 1990s, treats autism as one of the natural variations in how people think and sense the world.

Two ideas come up often in this kind of training. Monotropism, described by Dinah Murray, Wenn Lawson and Mike Lesser in 2005, is an attention style that locks deeply onto a few interests at a time, which helps explain both intense focus and why sudden change can be draining. The double empathy problem, named by Damian Milton in 2012, holds that misunderstandings between Autistic and non-Autistic people run both ways. In UK schools and care settings, the National Autistic Society's SPELL framework (Structure, Positive approaches, Empathy, Low arousal, Links) is widely used.

Many Autistic adults prefer identity-first language, "Autistic person" over "person with autism", and the community writes it that way. NeuroHub Community Ltd, the neurodivergent-led organization behind it, also offers consultancy and professional training and runs an annual Autistic mental health conference.

Professional training built on the Six-Point Framework, including the Re-Storying Autism video course and the Supporting Autistic People series. Understanding Autistic Wellbeing introduces the theories and concepts behind Autistic wellbeing.

Embracing Our Autistic Selves runs live on Zoom on Friday evenings, UK time, with mindful self-reflection, guided learning and group discussion. Webinar recordings cover topics such as monotropism, autism and substance use, and working with neurodivergent co-workers.

Member benefits

• Monthly NeuroHub Q+A sessions
• Mindfully Divergent peer support and structured peer support sessions
• ND Journal Club discussions
• The Mindful Hour and a Dungeons & Dragons group
• Autistic Pride Stim & Glim Party, free for all members
• On-demand webinar recordings and course materials