Understanding Neurodivergence.

Understanding the Person.

I’m Alison Wombwell, a Neurodiversity Specialist, accredited Coach and Trainer, Support Practitioner and published author.

I’m also an Autistic and ADHD woman and mum to two neurodivergent daughters.

For me, neurodiversity isn’t simply something I’ve studied.

It’s something I live, parent and understand personally as well as professionally.

My work is about looking beyond a diagnosis or a behaviour to understand the whole person.

Whether you’re a parent trying to understand your child’s needs, an adult beginning to make sense of your own neurodivergence, someone struggling to get the right support in education or employment, or a professional wanting to develop genuinely neurodiversity-affirming practice, you’re in the right place.

Different brains need different approaches.

And sometimes, being properly understood is where everything begins.

How Can I Help?

Neurodivergence can affect every part of life — communication, sensory processing, emotional regulation, executive functioning, education, employment, relationships and how we understand ourselves.

That’s why I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all support.

My work brings together professional knowledge, practical strategies and lived experience to help identify what is happening, why it may be happening and what can actually help.

Children, Young People & Families

Supporting a neurodivergent child can sometimes feel like constantly trying to explain a child that other people don’t fully see.

Your child may hold everything together at school and fall apart at home. They may struggle with sensory overload, anxiety, emotional regulation, executive functioning, communication, masking, tics, transitions or demands.

Or perhaps you simply know that something isn’t quite working, but you’re not sure where to begin.

I support children, young people and their families to understand the needs underneath the presentation.

Support can include:

• 1:1 Neurodiversity Coaching
• Autism & ADHD Non-Diagnostic Screening
• Comprehensive Neurodiversity Profiles
• Sensory Processing Profiles
• Emotional Regulation & Interoception
• Executive Functioning Support
• Masking & Self-Understanding
• Tic & Tourette’s-Informed Support
• School Recommendations & Reasonable Adjustments
• Parent/Carer Support

The aim isn’t to change your child. It’s to understand them.

Adult Neurodiversity Coaching

Perhaps you’re only just beginning to understand yourself.

Many neurodivergent adults reach adulthood knowing that life feels harder than it appears to be for everybody else — without understanding why.

You might be highly capable professionally yet unable to keep on top of your washing.

You might desperately need routine but struggle to maintain one.

You may be brilliant in a crisis but become completely overwhelmed by an unanswered email.

You might spend your working day appearing confident and capable, then have nothing left when you get home.

Or perhaps you’ve spent decades masking so effectively that other people have no idea how much effort everyday life actually requires.

I understand this personally as well as professionally.

I received my own Autism and Combined Type ADHD diagnoses in adulthood after my daughters were diagnosed.

Neurodiversity coaching can help you stop asking:

“What’s wrong with me?”

and start exploring:

“How does my brain work — and what does it need?”

Together, we can explore:

• Autism, ADHD and AuDHD
• Executive functioning
• Task initiation and ADHD paralysis
• Time blindness and organisation
• Sensory processing
• Emotional regulation
• Masking and late diagnosis
• Rejection sensitivity
• People-pleasing and boundaries
• Demand avoidance
• Communication and relationships
• Neurodivergent burnout and overwhelm
• Workplace difficulties
• Sustainable routines and everyday strategies

You don’t need to become better at pretending to be neurotypical.

You need strategies that work for your brain and your life.

Neurodiversity Profiles & Screening

Sometimes you need to understand the bigger picture.

A person rarely fits neatly into one box.

Autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, executive functioning difficulties, masking, anxiety, emotional regulation and other neurodivergent traits can overlap and interact.

My comprehensive profiling and non-diagnostic screening services are designed to help bring those pieces together.

Rather than simply producing a score, I look at how an individual’s neurodivergence presents in real life.

Depending on the service, this can include:

Detailed reports can also provide useful supporting evidence when seeking further assessment or requesting appropriate support within education, healthcare or other services.

Understanding the profile allows us to understand the person.

SEND & EHCP Support

When you know your child needs more support, but don’t know where to start.

As a parent of neurodivergent children myself, I know how overwhelming the SEND system can become.

I’ve sat in meetings.

I’ve read reports that didn’t reflect the child I knew.

I’ve questioned why important needs hadn’t been included.

I’ve had to advocate, challenge and ask for amendments.

That personal experience now sits alongside my professional knowledge when supporting other families.

I can help with:

• Reviewing EHCP drafts
• Identifying missing or poorly represented needs
• Reviewing Sections B, E and F
• Ensuring recommendations translate into meaningful provision
• Sensory and neurodivergence evidence
• Pupil Passports
• School recommendations
• Supporting evidence
• Preparation for meetings and reviews

You shouldn’t need to become an SEND professional overnight simply because your child needs support.

Sometimes you just need somebody who knows what to look for.

Workplace & Access to Work Support

Neurodivergent adults often have enormous strengths in the workplace while simultaneously experiencing barriers that other people never see.

I support individuals and organisations to identify practical adjustments around executive functioning, sensory processing, communication, workload, meetings, time management, transitions and emotional regulation.

I also provide neurodiversity coaching and support in relation to Access to Work and reasonable adjustments, helping individuals understand and communicate what they need to work effectively and sustainably.

The goal isn’t to reduce somebody’s potential.

It’s to remove the barriers preventing them from reaching it.

Training, Workshops & Consultancy

Moving Beyond Awareness Towards Understanding

I provide neurodiversity training, workshops and consultancy for:

Schools • Professionals • Parent/Carer Groups • Charities • Organisations • Businesses • Workplaces

My training isn’t simply about diagnostic criteria.

I want people to understand what neurodivergence can feel like from the inside.

Training topics can include Autism, ADHD, AuDHD, sensory processing, emotional regulation, communication, behaviour as communication, masking, executive functioning, demand avoidance, transitions, tics and Tourette’s, and creating neurodiversity-affirming environments.

My training combines professional knowledge, evidence-informed practice and lived experience with practical strategies that people can take away and actually use.

Meet Alison

Professional Knowledge Meets Lived Experience

Hi, I’m Alison.

I’m an Autistic and ADHD woman, mum to two incredible neurodivergent daughters, Neurodiversity Coach, Support Practitioner, Trainer and published author.

I’ve worked within mental health and care for over twelve years, supporting people with neurodivergence and complex mental health needs.

But my professional qualifications only tell part of my story.

My daughters’ diagnoses began a journey that ultimately led to my own diagnoses in adulthood.

After more than thirty years of masking and trying to fit into a world that often didn’t make sense to me, I finally began understanding why my brain worked the way it did.

That experience changed the direction of my life and my work.

Today, I combine professional training with lived experience as a neurodivergent adult and parent.

It means that when somebody tells me:

“But they manage at school.”

“I don’t know why I can’t just do it.”

“Nobody sees what happens when we get home.”

“I don’t think anyone understands how exhausting this is.”

I don’t just hear the words.

I understand what can sit underneath them.

My approach is compassionate, collaborative, practical and neurodiversity-affirming.

I don’t want the people I work with to become better at hiding who they are.

I want them to understand themselves, recognise their needs, discover their strengths and develop strategies that make life feel more manageable.

Who I Work With

Children & Young People

Helping children understand their neurodivergence, sensory needs, emotions, executive functioning and individual strengths.

Parents & Families

Helping families understand what may be happening underneath behaviour and identify practical ways forward.

Neurodivergent Adults

Supporting Autism, ADHD and AuDHD, late diagnosis, masking, executive functioning, emotional regulation, sensory needs and everyday life.

Schools & Professionals

Helping professionals move beyond awareness towards genuinely neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Workplaces & Organisations

Supporting neurodivergent employees and creating environments in which different brains can thrive.

You Don’t Have to Have Everything Figured Out Before You Contact Me

Perhaps you’re a parent who knows their child is struggling.

Perhaps you’re an adult wondering whether Autism or ADHD could explain experiences you’ve had throughout your life.

Perhaps you already have a diagnosis but nobody ever explained what it actually means for you.

Or perhaps you’re a professional who wants to do things differently.

You don’t need to know exactly which service you need before getting in touch.

We can start with where you are now.

Understanding Makes the Difference

I believe neurodivergent people deserve more than simply being taught how to cope in environments that weren’t designed for them.

Children deserve to grow up understanding their brains rather than believing they are difficult.

Adults deserve to understand why they’ve spent a lifetime working so hard to keep up.

Parents deserve to have their concerns heard.

And professionals deserve the knowledge and tools to provide meaningful support.

My role isn’t to change the person.

It’s to help us understand the person — and then change what isn’t working around them.