Working towards a neurodiversity-informed service for CYP

Throughout this book, we have brought together the views of academics, therapists, service users, and the neurodivergent community to explore the current state of mental health provision and to consider new ways of working with and understanding the needs of, autistic children, young people (CYP) and their families. Some of these ideas have been formalised through autistic-led theory such as Double Empathy and Monotropism, while other ideas come from the unique experiences of all concerned. In this final chapter, we would like to pick up on some of the themes expressed in the previous chapters and bring these key ideas together into a proposed model of informed practice and service delivery. Whilst this chapter will not address every question or concern that readers may have, we hope it can provide a foundation for personal and service reflection to improve mental health support for autistic CYP and their families.