This toolkit has been developed by Neurodiverse Connection to support our practical approach to neurodiversity-affirming care and support across health, education, and social care. The foundation of this toolkit is the Autistic SPACE Framework – a person-centred care approach developed by Dr Mary Doherty, Dr Sue McCowan and Dr Sebastian CK Shaw – which we build on by integrating a stronger emphasis on emotional safety, sensory support, relational trust, embodied understanding and human rights. We believe that compassionate, relational and context-aware approaches are a more ethical and effective alternative to behaviourist models that prioritise compliance over wellbeing.
This toolkit has been developed by Neurodiverse Connection to support our practical approach to neurodiversity-affirming care and support across health, education, and social care. The foundation of this toolkit is the Autistic SPACE Framework – a person-centred care approach developed by Dr Mary Doherty, Dr Sue McCowan and Dr Sebastian CK Shaw – which we build on by integrating a stronger emphasis on emotional safety, sensory support, relational trust, embodied understanding and human rights. We believe that compassionate, relational and context-aware approaches are a more ethical and effective alternative to behaviourist models that prioritise compliance over wellbeing.