​​Supporting Neurodivergent Students Through a Major Life Transition

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Starting university is a huge milestone, new routines, new expectations, new environments, and far less structure than school or college. For autistic and ADHD students, this transition can feel exciting but also overwhelming.

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This 1:1 programme provides structured, personalised support to help neurodivergent students build the routines, executive functioning skills, emotional regulation strategies, and independent‑living confidence they need to thrive in their first term and beyond.

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Designed and delivered by a psychologist specialising in neurodivergence, this programme offers a calm, validating, strengths‑based space to prepare for university with clarity and confidence.

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What the Programme Includes

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1. Comprehensive 90‑Minute Assessment

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A detailed exploration of the student’s neurodivergent profile, including:

• Strengths and interests

• Sensory needs

• Executive functioning

• Current routines and habits

• Emotional regulation

• Academic challenges

• Independent living skills

• Goals and expectations for university

Outcome: A personalised University Success Profile – Part 1 that guides the rest of the programme.

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2. Six Personalised 90‑Minute 1:1 Sessions

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A structured, evidence‑based curriculum tailored to each student’s needs.

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Session 1 — Routines, Structure & Time Management

Energy mapping, weekly structure, time‑blocking, task chunking, morning/evening routines.

Session 2 — Academic Skills & Managing Workload

Assignment breakdown, ND‑friendly study strategies, planning deadlines, using adjustments.

Session 3 — Emotional Regulation & Overwhelm Management

Window of tolerance, grounding strategies, sensory regulation, coping tools.

Session 4 — Independent Living Skills

Sleep, food, budgeting, self‑care, managing unstructured time.

Session 5 — Social Navigation & Communication

Social scripts, boundaries, safe‑people mapping, navigating halls and societies.

Session 6 — Self‑Advocacy & First Term Survival Plan

Communicating needs, email templates, support systems, early‑warning signs, 12‑week goals.

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Alongside the comprehensive 90-minute assessment and six 90‑minute sessions (totalling 10.5 hours of direct support), students receive a full suite of practical, ND‑friendly materials designed to guide them through every stage of the transition.

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3. Programme Materials Include:

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• Personalised Transition Profile

A clear summary of their neurodivergent strengths, needs and learning style.

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• Weekly Structure & Routine Planner

ND‑friendly templates to help them build predictable, sustainable routines.

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• Executive Functioning Toolkit

Strategies, checklists and visual supports tailored to university demands.

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• Study Skills Pack

ND‑friendly academic strategies, note‑taking methods, and assignment planning tools.

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• Emotional Regulation Toolkit

Grounding strategies, sensory regulation ideas, and personalised coping plans.

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• Independent Living Guides

Simple, step‑by‑step guides for meals, budgeting, laundry, sleep and self‑care.

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• Social Navigation Scripts & Communication Supports

Practical scripts for halls, flatmates, seminars, societies and self‑advocacy.

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• First Term Survival Plan

A personalised, ready‑to‑use plan they can rely on when things feel overwhelming.

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• All Worksheets, Templates & Session Resources

Provided digitally (and printable), so they can revisit them whenever needed.

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Who This Programme Is For

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This programme is ideal for:

• Autistic students

• ADHD students

• Students with executive functioning challenges

• Students feeling anxious about the transition

• Students wanting structure, confidence, and clarity

• Students who benefit from personalised, 1:1 support

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What Students Will Gain

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By the end of the programme, students won’t just know more about themselves, they’ll feel more grounded, confident and prepared for the realities of university life. They will leave with:

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• A clear understanding of their neurodivergent profile and how it shapes their strengths, needs and learning style

• Routines and structure that genuinely support their brain, rather than working against it

• A personalised weekly plan that makes university life feel predictable and manageable

• ND‑friendly study strategies that reduce overwhelm and make academic work feel achievable

• Emotional regulation tools they can use when stress, sensory overload or uncertainty hits

• Greater confidence with independent living, from meals and sleep to budgeting and self‑care

• Practical social scripts and communication strategies for navigating halls, flatmates, seminars and societies

• A personalised First Term Survival Plan they can rely on when things feel challenging

This programme is designed to reduce overwhelm, build confidence and help neurodivergent students feel prepared, supported and capable as they begin university life, with tools they can return to again and again.

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Why Work With Me

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I bring a rare combination of clinical expertise and real, inside knowledge of university life.

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Alongside my therapeutic work, I also work as a Course Director at a UK university, where I train future child and young people’s mental health clinicians in neurodiversity‑affirming practice.

This means I understand both:

• the psychological needs of autistic and ADHD students

• the practical realities of how universities actually operate

Because I sit inside the system, I understand:

• what lecturers realistically expect

• how deadlines, extensions and adjustments work in practice

• how Disability Services and Wellbeing Teams operate

• where ND students typically struggle in their first term

• what genuinely helps them succeed

This dual perspective means your teen isn’t just getting generic “study skills”, they’re getting specialist, psychologically informed guidance grounded in the real world of higher education.

It’s support that understands them and understands the system they’re about to enter.​​​​​