FAQs

Why "autistic" not "with autism"?

We're respecting the majority opinion of the autistic community in our use of language on this site. We of course respect individual language preference of our clients during sessions. If you would like to learn more, click here and here to get you started.

What is neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is the term first coined by Judy Singer in the late 1990s to refer to the emerging understanding that there is natural variability among human brains, just as there is natural variability among plant species - biodiversity.

Neurodiversity, therefore, is collectively the diverse nature of human brains. Here is a fantastically thorough exploration of the concepts from Dr Chloe Farahar, an autistic academic: Click here

What's neurodivergent?

Neurodivergent refers to a brain and sensory system that is different from the 'typical',

Do you provide assessments?

No, that is outside our field of expertise at the moment.

Self-identification is, of course, valid and widely accepted throughout the autistic community, particularly as there are vast barriers to accessing neuro-affirmative services. If you do choose to seek professional diagnosis, usually, your first point of contact will be your GP as each country will have their own pathways of care,

Private assessments:

If you are seeking a privately funded diagnosis, for UK and Irish clients, we can highly recommend a new Irish practice for remote assessments, The Adult Autism Practice. In fact, we're so impressed with the service that we provide post-diagnostic support for their clients.

Is this a business, a charity or a not-for-profit?

Thriving Autistic is a not-for-profit, social enterprise founded in 2021. We are committed to transparency and all accounts will be published on this website at year-end. Our directors are volunteers and our CEO is a volunteer. We are not a charity as our main purpose is to promote the human rights of neurodivergent people which excludes us from registering as a charity in Ireland.