Neuro‑affirming Mentoring for Autistic Children and Young People
Actually Autistic, Specialist Mentors
What makes GROVE's neuro-affirming mentoring unique?
GROVE provides specialist neuro-affirming online mentoring for Autistic children and young people. Every Mentor is Autistic themselves and many hold advanced academic training in autism (PGCert, BA, MA, PhD), ensuring support grounded in lived experience and deeply specialist autism knowledge rooted in the most up-to-date and affirming autism theory and practice.
UK-based online mentoring support available worldwide
GROVE offers a safe space for connection, understanding, and helping your child develop a positive Autistic identity.
We know how important it is for young people to have a place where they can share their experiences, feel truly heard, and be supported by someone who really understands them. Our specialist Autistic mentoring is built on authentic connection and a deeply neuro-affirming understanding of Autistic and PDA experience. We fully reject the pathologising, medical-model framing of Autistic identity and experience meaning you can trust us not to try and change your child.
What neuro-affirming Autistic mentoring is like at GROVE:
Every Mentor is actually Autistic and deeply knowledgable – we unique because we bring together lived-experience, academic study and a dedication to supporting Autistic young people in a truly neuro-affirming way.
Our sessions are designed for Autistic young people aged 8–18 who would benefit from a consistent, understanding relationship with a professional Autistic Mentor who shares their neurotype. Many of GROVE’s Mentors are ADHD’ers and/or PDA’ers and otherwise neurodivergent. Our lived experience gives us a deep, intuitive understanding and our commitment to neuro-affirming practice underpins everything we do. We work from the most up-to-date research and community knowledge (such as Monotropism and Milton’s Double Empathy Problem) and focus on felt safety, connection and trust – never compliance or correction.
Mentoring is a space for being with someone who gets you and with time and trust, we can help explore Autistic identity and experience giving affirming language and framworks for self-understanding – on the young person’s terms. This can be structured with the young person’s goals in mind (for example managing transitions, self-advocacy, understanding sensory needs) or it can be more incidental and low-demand. Sadly, many of the young people we support have been let down or misunderstood by professionals in the past. We aim to show that there are good, safe and understanding people in the world. Together, Mentor and Mentee might:
- Explore their interests making space in the day for some Autistic joy.
- Discuss experiences and explore ways to navigate environments not designed by or for us.
- Engage in shared or parallel activity – gaming, creating art, crafting, listening to music, engaging in sensory play. We adapt activities to suit rather than mentoring through one specific medium.
- Explore ideas around Autistic identity, energy management and self-care.
- Develop the language and self-worth to advocate for their own needs.
“I’ve been through that too.”
“I found what helped me was…”
“Me too.”
“It does get better. We can explore some options together if you like?”
Every session is unique and led by the young person’s comfort and curiosity. As our Mentors are Autistic themselves they become positive role models with relatable lived experience, helping your child feel less alone in the world and giving them hope that things do get better once we understand and accept our needs.
GROVE’s Mentors are autism and PDA specialists
We have a uniquely specialised and deeply knowledgeable team. As well as GROVE’s Mentors being Autistic – bringing lived experience, deep empathy, and genuine understanding – we are also a team for whom autism, PDA, neurodivergence and neurodiversity is our shared interest! Our Founder and Director, Jess, holds an Master’s in Autism (Distinction), and across the team we have Mentors with PGCerts, Master’s degrees, and PhDs in autism as well as team members who research, write, present, and train nationally and internationally in the field. You can trust our knowledge and our ‘Neuro-affirming Foundations‘ – everything we do is rooted in up-to-date research, community wisdom and authentic Autistic experience.
Positive Autistic Identity and Wellbeing Focus
Together, we bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion, creating a specialist mentoring approach that is authentically Autistic, highly informed, and completely unique to GROVE. Your child will be supported by people who understand autism from the inside out and who are actively engaged with the latest research, practice, and thinking in the field.
Mentoring activities are tailored
We recognise that not every young person connects best through conversation alone – whether that’s spoken words, typing, or AAC. That’s why our Mentors are ready to engage in a range of shared or parallel activities that your child enjoys. From crafts and gaming to exploring special interests or sensory play together, these activities provide a natural, low-pressure way to build connection and trust, supporting your child in ways that feel comfortable and enjoyable.
We can help your child understand autism.
We can help your young person make sense of their Autistic (and otherwise neurodivergent) experience, offering language and frameworks that feel meaningful to them. This might be through gently validating and reflecting their experiences, or through a more structured approach - always guided by what works best for your child.
GROVE'S neuro-affirming mentoring can help with Autistic children's self-esteem, self-understanding and mental health.
We are truly and intentionally neuro-affirming
We are grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm, neurodiversity movement and recognise the importance of respecting intersecting identities. Alongside our team of Young Leaders, we developed our own ‘Neuro-affirming Foundations’ that guide everything we do. Our team is deeply knowledgeable about both historic and current theories of autism, and we reject harmful, deficit-based models. Our approach is rooted in the most up-to-date, affirming research and lived-experience knowledge. We also stand strongly against neurodiversity-lite (read more about ND lite here). We naturally work in a consent-based, low-demand manner to ensure your young person feels safe and comfortable.
Why neuro-affirming support matters for Autistic children's well-being.
We are acutely aware of the harm caused by neuro-normative “social skills” or “social cognition” teaching, which encourages masking and negatively affect self-esteem. Autistic people have their own authentic social skills, and we are committed to fully accepting and celebrating those. If your young person wants or needs it, we can also explain the theory, research, and lived experience behind social communication in an accessible way. Where desired, we can support a value-neutral understanding of neurotypical social communication, drawing on the Double Empathy Problem to show that differences in social interaction across neurotypes are simply differences, not deficits.
Actually Autistic, Highly Qualified Mentors
The gift of connection to other Autistic people
Every Autistic young person deserves the opportunity to connect with their neurokin – to explore what being Autistic means to them, to be truly understood, and to be embraced for who they are. Being Autistic is a valuable and natural way of being, but it can be hard for young people to recognise that without connection to other Autistic people.
Our work is grounded in respect, curiosity and authenticity, giving each young person the time, space, and a safe relationship to build the foundation of self-acceptance.
Because when Autistic young people understand and value who they are, they can begin to build lives that truly work for them. Autistic identity matters. When a young person understands their experience and feels accepted for who they are, everything changes – confidence, relationships, self-advocacy. That’s what our mentoring helps to nurture. That’s what makes GROVE unique.
Parent-carers - we see you. And we get it. Many of us are parent-carers too - we live the heartbreak of school-induced trauma, the exhaustion of burnout, and the fear for the future. We can’t fix everything (as much as we wish we could), but we can be in your corner - helping your child heal, rebuild self-esteem, and rediscover their sense of safety and belonging. Once you are part of GROVE's community you will get invites to free and low-cost parent/carer events, Q&As and webinars.
What online mentoring looks like with GROVE:
Find out who mentoring is for, options for funding (EHCP, EOTAS / EOTIS, self-funding) and how we match your child to our specialist Autistic Mentors:
- How to enquire: Complete our expression of interest form or email jess@gr0ve.org
- Careful Mentor matching: We will work together to find the right Mentor for your young person – considering energy, shared interests and trusting your gut feeling. You can have a little look at the team here but we’ll share more detailed profiles upon enquiry.
- Flexible session lengths: Choose between 30, 45-minute or 1-hour sessions, with a minimum of 1 session per week but the option of more subject to availability.
- Flexible duration: We do not have a set duration because we are not a ‘quick-fix intervention’ – we remain with your young person for as long as we are able and they need us. We find most our current Mentees benefit from having the consistency of a long-term Mentor there to support them through whatever they are experiencing.
- Runs year round: We work year round rather than following school term times to ensure consistency of support. If you need to make a unique arrangement for term time only, please talk this through with Jess.
- Communication: We accommodate all forms of communication and work with you and your young person to support their needs.
- For ages 8-18: Mentoring is available to Autistic children and young people (formal diagnosis not required – we fully support self-identification) who are aware of their Autistic identity or are in the process of identification. We can work with children under 8 if you feel our approach would work for them. Further, we are able to work with young people age 19-25 but only UK-based and only connected to their EHCP funding at that stage.
- Cameras can be off: Once ID is verified your young person doesn’t need to have their camera on.
- Safer recruitment and safeguarding oversight: All of GROVE’s Mentors have been through a Safer Recruitment process which includes an Enhanced DBS check including children’s barred list. We have a trained DSL and external safegurding oversight.
- UK wide and international: As we work online we are able to support young people across the UK and worldwide.
- Funding: Mentoring can be self-funded by parents / carers or by professional services such as schools or Local Authorities. We are ready to work with your Local Authority to become an approved supplier for funding via ‘short breaks’, EOTAS/EOTIS, EHCPs and such-like. We are approved by a number of Local Authorities already.
- Cost: £50 per hour, reduced accordingly when shorter sessions of 45 or 30 minutes are booked. Full Terms and Conditions including payment, cancellation and so on can be viewed on our Policies page. *Please note prices remain subject to review.
- What mentoring is not: It is important to note that mentoring is not a substitute for therapy or counselling. If your young person is struggling with their mental health, we recommend seeking help from a qualified mental health professional first. Mentoring may be a valuable complement to professional mental health support, offering your young person a consistent, understanding presence in their life. We are also not tutors and do not do ‘academic mentoring’.
View some more feedback below…
Resources for Your Young Person
Does your child want to know more about Individual Mentoring with GROVE? We believe that mentoring should always be a consensual and collaborative process. Young people have the right to understand what mentoring is, how it works, and how it might benefit them. That’s why we’ve created the video and written resources below – to help them explore what mentoring could look like and decide whether it feels like the right fit for them.
All resources below contain the same information, just presented in different formats.
Need this information in a different format? No problem! Please contact us and we can discuss what your young person needs to be able to access this information.
SPECIALIST AUTISTIC MENTORING OFFERS YOUR CHILD:
Acceptance, belonging & validation
Improved self-confidence
A positive Autistic role model
A safe environment
Support
Affirming knowledge of autism
Positive Autistic identity
Self-understanding
Self-worth & self-esteem
SUBJECT TO WHAT YOUR CHILD WANTS AND NEEDS, IN MENTORING SESSIONS WE MAY EXPLORE:
Sensory experiences & needs
Executive function strategies
Problem solving
Planning for upcoming transitions
Skills to self-advocate
Hopes & aims
Interests & passions
Planning for upcoming events
Social interaction, communication styles & preferences
Autonomy & boundaries
Challenges
Frequently Asked Questions: INDIVIDUAL MENTORING
WILL YOU ONLY WORK ONLINE?
Yes, we only work online.
CAN YOU GAME WITH MY CHILD?
Yes, we do that with many of our young people along with other activities such as arts and crafts, sensory play, role play and just chatting. We will adapt to what your young person enjoys and much of the time we spend with young people is on their interests!
WILL YOU PAIR MENTORS WITH CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE?
This is something we work together on because you know your child best! We have details profiles with pictures, bio’s and videos and you can select a Mentor based on your ‘gut feeling’, matching interests and our guidance. We will also look at matching the requested time slot to who has availability.
WHAT SORT OF THINGS WILL YOU DO IN A MENTORING SESSION?
As we are child/young person led the answer to this question is: it depends! But everything we do is built on a foundation of connection. We listen, we seek to understand, we support the child/young’s self-understanding & but above all else we follow their lead. Sometimes all someone needs is to be heard, really heard & understood without judgement & without the need to ‘do’ something. In a world that can be invalidating, traumatising & full of barriers for Autistic people connecting with someone who understands & may have had similar experiences that may offer your child some solace. For individuals who do prefer something to ‘do’ rather than just talking then virtual ‘side by side’ play/activity may work well – we can explore crafting, writing, cooking, listening to music…
DO YOU OFFER ANY FREE SERVICES?
We will offer free services from time to time, please subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
HOW IS MENTORING DIFFERENT TO COACHING, COUNSELLING & THERAPY?
Firstly, it is really important to explain that mentoring is not mental health therapy or counselling – if your child is struggling with their mental health please seek advice & support from a professional in this field first.
There are various perspectives on the difference between coaching & mentoring. At GROVE, we take the view that mentoring is not necessarily ‘outcome’ or ‘goal’ focused & therefore is more holistic than coaching. Objectives can change over time, are led by the mentee & the relationship between mentor & mentee is centered. The mentor can offer support, guidance, skills development & empathy as, when & how the mentee may benefit most.
CAN MY CHILD USE THIS SERVICE AS PART OF AN EOTAS PACKAGE?
We would love to support children/young people as part of an EOTAS package. Please contact us to discuss a bespoke approach.
CAN MY CHILD PARTICIPATE WITH THEIR CAMERA OFF?
Yes! We have guidelines for safety to verify who is in attendance but we are very happy working with our mentees off camera.
CAN PARENTS/CARERS ATTEND THE MENTORING SESSION TOO?
If that is what the young person needs then that is absolutely fine in the short or long term! We will work together to find what is best for each individual and we know for many young people they need their safe person there to co-regulate.
CAN MY CHILD PARTICIPATE VIA TYPED CHAT OR AAC?
Yes! We will discuss this with you ahead of the first session.
CAN YOU OFFER SESSIONS WITH JUST THE PARENTS/CARERS?
Subject to availability your Mentor can be booked for parent/carer sessions too. We also offer parent/carer Q&As and community events from time to time too.
Please note: We will not disclose anything discussed in your young person’s session without their express permission.
Sessions are charged at the same rate as Mentoring sessions & invoiced alongside.
ARE YOUR MENTORS AUTISTIC?
Yes! All Mentors are Autistic.
WILL YOU ONLY WORK WITH CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UK?
No, we can support children all over the world!
HOW MUCH WILL SESSIONS COST?
£50 per hour, reduced accordingly if 30 or 45 minute sessions are booked (no VAT charged currently).
WILL WE HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR A SET PERIOD OF TIME?
Our mentoring approach is intended to be a long-term, stable support for your young person but there isn’t a long tie-in, just a reasonable notice period of 2 weeks.
DOES MY CHILD NEED A MENTOR IF THEY AREN'T STRUGGLING?
Great question! We feel that every child in every walk of life deserves access to a responsible adult to offer support, understanding & validation. Mentoring is one way to achieve this. The solid foundation of a mentor/mentee relationship can be viewed as preventative rather than curative (& of course is not a mental health service so must be considered as secondary to a mental health practitioner if your child is struggling in this manner).
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED WORKING WITH PDA'ers?
Jess, our Founder/Director has a Level 3 PDA qualification & lived experience parenting & teaching PDA’ers and also provides PDA training to other organisations. Some of our Mentors also identify as PDA. At present, most of the young people we support are PDA’ers.
DO YOU FOLLOW A SET CURRICULUM OR APPROACH?
No, we do not. That would not be a ‘child/young person led’ approach. We have a huge range of past experiences, resources, approaches to call upon if they are relevant to your child. We will respond to their needs rather than the other way round.
CAN MENTORING TAKE PLACE AT SCHOOL?
Yes! We will be happy to liaise with schools so that mentoring can take place during the school day whether funded by schools or by parents. Please contact us discuss this further.
I WANT MY CHILD TO LEARN SELF-ADVOCACY & EXECUTIVE FUCTION SKILLS - CAN YOU ENABLE THAT?
We have the skills and knowledge to enable that if it is also what your young person wants. We prioritise developing a secure relationship and from there we will act upon opportunities that naturally arise to develop self-knowledge and skills in a low-demand way.