Neurodivergence is not one thing. It is a word that covers autism, ADHD, Tourette's syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia, among others. What these have in common is not a symptom.
It is the experience of a world built around a different set of assumptions.
OCD is here too, and it sits a little differently. The clinical manuals do not class it as neurodevelopmental: ICD-11 lists it at 6B20, outside the 6A00 to 6A0Z block. It occurs alongside autism and ADHD often enough that many people here are living with both.
The OCD page covers how the two are told apart. Each condition page states its ICD-11 code at the foot. That lets you check what a professional or a referral letter means by it.
These pages are for the person trying to work out whether therapy is going to be worth it. Some of them carry uncomfortable numbers. We would rather show you the real ones than a comfortable version.
You do not need a diagnosis
This is the question we are asked most often. You do not need a diagnosis to use ViaCara. You do not need one to use NHS Talking Therapies either.
The NHS is explicit about it. Its Talking Therapies manual says this:
Neither a diagnosis of autism nor awaiting an autism assessment should prevent people from receiving treatment in NHS Talking Therapies services.
NHS England's guidance for mental health services says the same thing twice. Its scope covers adults who may be autistic without a formal diagnosis.
We are a connecting service, not a clinical one. We do not assess anyone and we do not diagnose anyone. ViaCara is built to ask what you need, then find professionals who work that way.
Where to start
If you are waiting for an assessment, start with the waiting page. If you already know how you work and want to say so, the sensory page is the practical one. If you are exhausted from performing all day, the masking pages are for you.
If the exhaustion goes wider than masking, the burnout pages are the broader set.
ADHD, Autism and the Body
Studies link ADHD and autism with PMDD, hypermobility, poor sleep and pain. What the research found, and who can help with which part.
Autism and ADHD Together
Often called AuDHD. Until 2013 nobody was allowed to be given both diagnoses, which is why many adults were only ever told half the story.
Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia
These are lifelong differences that adults carry into work and relationships. The support that helps is rarely about reading, writing or sums.
Sensory-Friendly Therapy
Lighting, noise, space and breaks. What you can ask a professional to change, and why NICE says they should make those changes anyway.
Therapy for OCD
OCD is not tidiness. It is intrusive thoughts and the exhausting compulsions that follow, and NICE names the therapy it recommends for it.
Therapy When You Are Autistic
Does talking therapy work for autistic adults? NHS data says yes, slightly less well than for others. Here is what good support looks like.
Therapy When You Have ADHD
ADHD is under-recognised in UK adults and the waiting lists are enormous. Here is what talking therapy can and cannot do alongside that.
Therapy When You Have Tourette's
Tourette's is mostly not swearing, and therapy is mostly not about stopping tics. Here is what support looks like for adults, and what to ask for.
Therapy While You Wait for an Assessment
Autism and ADHD assessment waits in England now run into years. You do not have to wait for a diagnosis before you get support.
