ONLINE SOCIAL GROUPS

~Connect with Autistic peers in a relaxed, fun session that is child / young person led with opportunities for mentor facilitated games, activities & discussion topics that may include but are not limited to:

~ Exploring one another’s interests, sharing day to day experiences, learning about autism & Autistic identity, developing self-advocacy skills.

~ ACCEPTANCE ~ FRIENDSHIP ~ BELONGING ~

ONLINE INTEREST BASED GROUPS

~Connect with Autistic peers to celebrate a shared interest;

~Child / young person led with opportunities for mentor facilitated games, activities & discussion topics linked to the interest topic.

~A variety of topics will be available!

~ ACCEPTANCE ~ FRIENDSHIP ~ BELONGING ~

ONLINE 'AUTISTIC IDENTITY' EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

~Support your child to learn about autism & their Autistic identity in a neurodiversity-affirming way;

~ Research informed;

~Choose from a range of programmes & approaches to suit your child’s needs.

PLUS:

~Programmes & resources for non-autistic children & young people to learn about autism too!

~ UNDERSTANDING ~ IDENTITY ~ SELF-ESTEEM ~

ONLINE INDIVIDUAL MENTORING

~Lived experience & well-being focused (important – this is not a therapy or counselling service & should not be used as a replacement for seeking professional mental health support if your child is in need of that);

~Experienced, actually Autistic/ADHD mentor;

~Child / young person led & relationship driven;

~Trauma informed, low demand, low arousal approach;

~Bookable by parents/carers & schools.

~ ACCEPTANCE ~ SUPPORT ~ UNDERSTANDING ~

FOR PARENTS / CARERS:

~ Watch this space for updates!

~ ACCEPTANCE ~ SUPPORT ~ LEARNING ~

TRAINING, CONSULTANCY & SPEAKING EVENTS

~For professionals & organisations;

~Autistic/ADHD facilitator;

~Qualified teacher with 17 years experience in mainstream schools including in whole school leadership positions;

~Choose from a range of foci, approaches & packages for staff development & also for the children/young people themselves.

~ KNOWLEDGE ~ POLICY ~ PRACTICE ~

GROVE’S FOUNDER: Jess

NEURODIVERGENT 

I am a late-identified & proud Autistic, ADHD’er & I founded GROVE with my family & your family at heart.

PARENT (Note: Information shared with my son’s consent.)

More than anything my son (who is Autistic PDA & home educated) wanted & needed to connect with other neurodivergent children. He felt alone, misunderstood & rejected – inevitably his self-esteem was suffering.

My son wanted to feel a connection to others who understood & shared his experience & he longed to feel he belonged somewhere. He also needed to learn about his Autistic & PDA identity in an affirming way, a way that validated his experience & embraced his differences. He needed to know that he was not bad, broken or disordered.

Once I sought out connections for him with his neurokin he began to experience happiness, he felt he was no longer alone & he formed friendships based on shared experience & interests. Learning about his neurology in an affirming way is beginning to help him understand & embrace his neurology.

These experiences of connection, community & growth are something that all neurodivergent children & young people should have the opportunity for & something I hope that GROVE can provide for your child.

TEACHER & MENTOR

I worked for 17 years with many wonderful neurodivergent children & young people as a teacher & mentor. I led a department for the majority of that time & also worked in whole school roles with a focus on training & development. During that time I was a vocal opposer of the many barriers that our education system creates for our children & young people: behaviourism (for instance compliance, punishment & reward), excessive assessment, poor training, lack of sensory accommodation & inappropriate intervention to name a small number. That said, I have learned so much since my own child suffered in school & since discovering my own neurodivergence that I realise I too made many mistakes. 

In more recent years my time & energy was centred upon improving Autistic students’ experience at school through individual mentoring, group mentoring & social groups.  It has been wonderful to play a part in helping to amplify their voices & join with them to try & improve the educational experience for all neurodivergent children & young people.  When I left the education system one of my Autistic students wrote me a letter & she said: “Thank you for making me feel like being Autistic is nothing to be ashamed of”. I am very, very proud of her.

LEARNER

Autism (especially children & young people’s Autistic experience) is my main dedicated interest. Along with the qualifications & training listed below I have completed 100s of hours of CPD & will continue to learn as much as I can, particularly from my Autistic community. 

By choice all of my Masters in Autism study has focussed on the experience of children & young people. I have explored areas such as the value of teaching children & young people about Autism theory & models of disability, why we should not be teaching Autistic children neuro-normative ‘social skills’ & how mainstream schools create barriers to attendance, well-being & achievement. My academic study will feed into the work that GROVE do & I hope to bridge a gap between the Autistic led research in academia & the day to day practice for people working directly with Autistic children & young people. Many of GROVE’s Mentors also hold or are studying professional qualifications in the field from Post Graduate Certificates to PhD level making us a team of specialists.

I have had many other interests over the years & hope to be able to find some children & young people who would like to be part of an interest-based group linked to at least one of them! Faeries… Drama & theatre … Trees… Weight training… Martial Arts… Shakespeare… Folk & country music…Baking … Human biology… Knitting…  to name but a few!

Please do reach out to me if you want to understand any more about my experience, my aims or any of the work that GROVE will do.

Jess (she/her).

QUALIFICATIONS, TRAINING & CREDENTIALS:

~ BA Hons English ~ PGCE English/Drama & QTS ~ MA Autism (note: 2022-2025) ~

~ Level 3 Supporting Children, Teenagers & Young Adults with PDA ~ Level 4 ADHD ~

~ Enhanced DBS with children’s barred list ~ Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) ~

 ~ PREVENT ~ Safer Recruitment ~

~ Trauma Informed Practice ~ Holistic Nervous System Science

~ Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults ~ Suicide & Self Harm Awareness ~

WHY CHOOSE GROVE?

WE ARE NEURO-AFFIRMING

We fully subscribe to the neurodiversity paradigm & this informs every area of our work. We reject ‘performative’ neurodiversity-lite.  View our Neuro-affirming Foundations.

WE ARE NEURODIVERGENT

Our Founder is Autistic / ADHD & all of our Mentors are Autistic. At present our focus is Autistic young people but as we grow and expand to support otherwise neurodivergent young people our team will also reflect that.

WE ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED & EXPERIENCED

Our team is uniquely qualified, blending years of experience with advanced training and deep community insight. Led by our Founder, who is currently pursuing a Master’s in Autism, GROVE’s Mentors bring diverse, high-level qualifications in autism studies, from Postgraduate Certificates to PhDs. Beyond formal education, we prioritise lived experience and active involvement in the Autistic community. This integration of academic knowledge and firsthand understanding enables us to support Autistic young people with true understanding.

WE ARE RESEARCH INFORMED, CONTINUALLY LEARNING

Our team is dedicated to deepening our understanding of Autistic experience and identity through continual learning and reflection. Informed by academic research, lived experience and active engagement with the Autistic community, we remain humble in our approach. Regular professional development and a commitment to staying updated with the latest research guide us in our work with young people.

OUR VALUES

NEURO-AFFIRMING:  Valuing all.

CONNECTION: Acceptance, friendship, togetherness.

COMMUNITY: Belonging, authenticity, shared experience.

GROWTH: Understanding, self-esteem, identity.

OUR VISION

GROVE aspires to be a safe community for Autistic young people to connect through shared interests & experiences.

We support young people’s personal growth by fostering a positive & authentic identity through neuro-affirming mentoring, social & interest-based groups & ‘Autistic Identity’ programmes.

Note: Although our initial focus is Autistic young people we plan to expand to support young people who are otherwise neurodivergent in time.

GROVE’S NEURO-AFFIRMING FOUNDATIONS

  • Our approaches are grounded in the principles of Neurodiversity Paradigm. 
  • We recognise the pervasive role of ableism within society, including the influence of internalised ableism. We aim to challenge ableist narratives about neurodivergent people.  
  • We are committed to being anti-racist. 
  • We are committed to being LGBTQIA+ affirming. 
  • We recognise and respect each individual’s intersectional identity and are committed to unpacking one’s own privilege.  
  • We aspire to work in a way that is trauma informed.  
  • We respect all forms of communication and presume competence. 

Our Foundations enable us to aspire, wherever possible, to create an accessible and emotionally, psychologically, sensorially, relationally safe space for GROVE’s young people, their families and those with whom we work.  

These foundations create the potential for authentic connection, community and growth in a way that is meaningful for each individual – for instance, developing meaningful relationships, a sense of belonging, possibly developing self-understanding, positive self-esteem and neurodivergent identity.  

‘...more dissatisfaction with autistic personal identity predicted lower self-esteem, and more autism pride predicted higher self-esteem’

Corden, K., Brewer, R., & Cage, E. (2021). Personal Identity After an Autism Diagnosis: Relationships With Self-Esteem, Mental Wellbeing, and Diagnostic Timing . Frontiers in Psychology , 12(699335), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.699335

'...open discussions about autism may foster positive identity development... learning about one’s diagnosis often helps autistic people understand their differences'

Riccio, A., Kapp, S. K., Jordan, A., Dorelien, A. M., & Gillespie-Lynch, K. (2021). How is autistic identity in adolescence influenced by parental disclosure decisions and perceptions of autism?. Autism25(2), 374-388.

On diagnosis (we prefer 'identification'): '...for some young people associated with positive experiences in terms of better understanding oneself. It legitimated difference & empowered them to negotiate living lives of difference.'

Mogensen, L. and Mason, J. (2015), The meaning of a label for teenagers negotiating identity: experiences with autism spectrum disorder. Sociol Health Illn, 37: 255-269. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12208

'...there is evidence that some autistic people prefer to see autism as integral to their identity, & that having a positive sense of autism identity has benefits for mental health'

Cooper, R., Cooper, K., Russell, A.J. et al. “I’m Proud to be a Little Bit Different”: The Effects of Autistic Individuals’ Perceptions of Autism and Autism Social Identity on Their Collective Self-esteem. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 704–714 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04575-4

'...social identity processes are relevant in autistic young people as well as adults, in that positive feelings about one’s autism identity and autism solidarity are particularly related to better psychological well-being'

Cooper, R., Cooper, K., Russell, A.J. et al. “I’m Proud to be a Little Bit Different”: The Effects of Autistic Individuals’ Perceptions of Autism and Autism Social Identity on Their Collective Self-esteem. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 704–714 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04575-4

'...higher autism satisfaction was associated with higher psychological well-being and lower social anxiety'

Cooper, K., Russell, A. J., Lei, J., & Smith, L. G. (2022). The impact of a positive autism identity and autistic community solidarity on social anxiety and mental health in autistic young people. Autism, 13623613221118351.

WHY THE NAME 'GROVE'?

When I decided to create an organisation with neurodivergent children and young people at its heart, I wanted a name that would capture our values: connection, community and growth.

A ‘GROVE’ as I see it: A community of trees. Each tree unique yet together their connection supports each individual’s growth. Their community may be smaller than that of a forest but this is inconsequential. This GROVE is united in shared experience and so together the trees thrive.

I also just really love trees!

Jess (Founder)

CONTACT US

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS YOUR SAFEGUARDING APPROACH?

Your child’s safety is of the upmost important to us. Our Safeguarding Policy is comprehensive & is available for viewing. We post a summary on our website. Please view this in conjunction with our Safer Recruitment Policy.

HOW ARE YOU NEURODIVERSITY ALIGNED & NEURO-AFFIRMING?

A little note on language initially:

~’Pathologise’: Considered medically / psychologically abnormal. When autism is pathologised it leads to inappropriate & harmful interventions, treatments & the search for cure. This is because there is an assumption that there is an ideal, normal neurocognitive style of being & any deviation from this is inherently wrong (Chapman, 2021; Walker, 2021).

~’Neurodiversity’: There is infinite variation in human minds – this is just biological fact (Walker, 2021).

~’Neurodiverse’: We are ‘neurodiverse’ as a society due to our collective differences.  

~’Neurodivergent’: A value-neutral term for an individual who differs from what is considered ‘typical’ in society. Coined by Kassiane Asasumasu (2000).

~’Neurodiversity paradigm’: A set of beliefs within which the notion of an ideal neurocognitive style of being is rejected & instead neurodiversity & neurodivergence is normalised & valued (Walker, 2021)

~’Neurodiversity lite’: Neurodiversity is trivialised, performative & there is little or no understanding of neurodiversity concepts (den Houting, 2019; Neumeier, 2018; Roberts, 2021) . Crucially the underlying default pathologising of neurodivergent minds remains unchallenged, stereotypes are perpetuated & ableism remains (Chapman, 2021). Ultimately, the belief that there is something ‘wrong’ that needs fixing is still there, even if hiding from plain sight. 

GROVE’S approach: We subscribe to the neurodiversity paradigm. We celebrate the value of all neurotypes, we challenge the pathologising of neurodivergent minds, we aim to dismantle ablism & challenge bias (including our own). We are therefore ‘neurodiversity aligned’, neurodiversity affirming & neurodivergent affirming (shortened ‘neuro-affirming’).

With regards to autism specifically – we reject the pathologising, deficit-based framing & instead celebrate our differences notwithstanding the challenges we may experience. We believe that autism is a natural & valuable form of human variation. This does not ignore the challenges that Autistic people experience.

In essence, we will not try to change or fix your child! We practice unconditional acceptance of who they are.

We also continue to reflect upon our practice as there will always be things we can learn & can do better. 

REFERENCES:

WILL YOU ONLY WORK ONLINE?

Yes, at the moment. We are very happy to discuss accommodating your child’s preference & needs with regard communication style & cameras & we understand working online does not suit everyone.

WILL YOU ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT FORMS OF COMMUNICATION? FOR INSTANCE PEOPLE WHO USE AAC?

Yes! Absolutely. We will discuss with you how best to support your child’s needs & preferences. 

DO YOU TEACH 'SOCIAL SKILLS'?

We believe there are important skills all children & young people benefit from learning, irrespective of their neurotype. Skills such as: self-advocacy, boundaries, consent, self-respect, self-understanding.  Additionally gaining understanding of different communication styles, social interaction & the Double Empathy Problem is also important for all. We do not encourage our children & young people to use what are regarded as neurotypical ‘social skills’ that may suppress their authentic Autistic nature. Guided by your child, we may seek to understand neurotypical social skills & how Autistic socialisation, interaction & communication may differ, but teaching the use of these may encourage masking & that can have a hugely detrimental impact on mental health.

In line with this GROVE does not support the use of ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis), PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) or PBIS (Positive Behaviourial Intervention & Supports). We do however, acknowledge the position of privilege from which we are able to take this stance & understand that for far too many Autistic people supressing Autistic authenticity is necessary for safety & thus there is nuance needed with any discussion of this nature. We will work hard to be part of the movement to dismantle racist & ableist systems that lead to interventions such as these & necessitate masking for safety.

DOES MY CHILD NEED A FORMAL DIAGNOSIS?

No! Awaiting assessment, self-diagnosis/identification, exploring the possibility of being Autistic are all fine as long as your child is fully aware.

WHAT RESEARCH & EVIDENCE BASE WILL YOU WORK FROM?

We will draw upon a wide range of up-to-date, neuro-affirming research on areas such as: Double Empathy Problem (Milton, 2012), Monotropism (Murray, 2005), self-determination theory, diversity of social intelligence & cognition, models of disability (social, social-relational, human rights), minority stress, epistemic injustice/justice (Fricker, 2007), intersectionality, trauma informed practice.  We are committed to continuing to engage in the most up-to-date academic & lived experience research to inform our work.

REFERENCE:

  • Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic injustice power and the ethics of knowing. Oxford University Press.
  • Milton, D. (2012). On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem. Disability & Society, 27(6), 883-887. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008 
  • Murray, D., Lesser, M., & Lawson, W. (2005). Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism. Autism9(2), 139–156. https://doi-org.hallam.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1362361305051398
WILL YOU ALSO SUPPORT FAMILY / FRIENDS / WIDER PEERS TO UNDERSTAND AUTISM?

For non-autistic children & young people we will soon have a range of resources & educational programmes/approaches for them to learn about autism & neurodiversity both at home & in schools. Whilst these are in development we would be happy to conduct individual, paired or small group mentoring sessions between siblings / friends / family members seeking to understand one another, please contact us to discuss.

YOU USE THE RAINBOW INFINITY SYMBOL NEURODIVERSITY & THE WORD 'NEURODIVERGENT' A LOT RATHER THAN JUST 'AUTISTIC' & THE GOLD INFINITY SYMBOL - WHY IS THAT?

Although our founding services are for Autistic children & young people we have lots of plans for otherwise neurodivergent people in the future.

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