Specialist 1:1 Mentor Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) & ADHD

The role of a DSA specialist 1:1 mentor ASC offers clients a range of specialist support to manage not only their wellbeing as they navigate and traverse university life – a life changing experience that often brings challenges, but difficulties also brought about by unforeseen changes. Support provides individual, tailored made strategies depending on people’s academic aspirations, particular characteristics of autism – sensory differences, communication, social interaction differences and restrictive and repetitive behaviours and interests.

As part of the support I provide, I work within the National Autistic Society’s SPELL Framework and specialise in support for men and women aged 18 years and above. The support details consultation, and the set-up of an individual  support plan, which is regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with how things change in life and when strategies are working well, and when unidentified challenges and difficulties arise.

This means that support plan I provide is embedded in a ‘live’ document that changes with the person’s needs. DSA provision is not an advocacy service but one that supports the individual to develop their own ‘voice’ so they can learn to communicate their own academic needs in accordance with their reasonable adjustments, and aspirations.

To do this, I provide strategies and modelling techniques that allow clients to learn how best to approach challenges and difficulties within their academic learning in a professional manner.

For more information on higher education reasonable adjustments, please visit:

Some of the support strategies available to clients are as follows:

• Communication Techniques
• Managing sensory difficulties
• Self-Advocacy
• Signposting
• Social Skills
• Social Interaction
• Coping with Change
• Work/Study/Life Balance
• Recognising Stress Patterns
• Problem Solving
• Emotional Regulation
• Resilience
• Wellbeing and Coping
• Exam and Assessment Stress
• Managing Anxiety and Depression
• Motivation Techniques
• Setting SMART Goals – goal setting
• Time Management and Organisation
• Metacognition
• Developing Self-Awareness
• Action Task Planning
• Meditation and Breathing Practices