Neurodiversity in Clinical Practice: recognising, assessing and supporting neurodivergent adults

A comprehensive continuing education course on neurodivergent profiles for clinical psychologists

Your patient is intelligent, articulate, holds down a professional life. And yet something is not right. They are inexplicably exhausted after social interactions. They have always suffered from a feeling of never truly belonging. They have struggled with chronic anxiety for years without conventional treatments making much difference. And perhaps — they mention it hesitantly — they wonder whether they might be a little "different."

This patient may be neurodivergent. And in a general psychology practice, they are far more common than one might think: an estimated 15 to 20% of the population presents some form of neurodivergence — potentially 3 or 4 of your 20 patients in treatment.

This 6-module course, designed exclusively for psychologists and other mental health professionals, gives you the clinical tools to identify these profiles, understand their internal logic, and adapt your practice — regardless of whether your patients have received a formal diagnosis.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Recognise the main neurodivergent profiles in adults within the clinical context Distinguish ASD, ADHD, giftedness, learning disorders and atypical sensory processing in their adult presentations — which often differ substantially from the classic child-centred descriptions. Recognise the masked presenting complaints (anxiety, depression, burnout) behind which an undiagnosed neurodivergent profile may be concealed.

2. Understand the cross-cutting mechanisms common to these profiles Master the key concepts that run across all neurodivergent profiles: masking (camouflage), developmental asynchrony, emotional dysregulation, late diagnosis and the identity questions that accompany it. Understand why these profiles overlap so extensively and how to navigate between diagnoses without losing the clinical thread.

3. Adapt the therapeutic framework to the specific needs of these patients Have concrete tools to adjust your clinical practice: communication style, session structure, sensory environment, therapeutic goals. Know the validated assessment instruments and understand when and how to refer for specialist evaluation.

4. Adopt an ethical stance informed by the neurodiversity movement Distinguish neurological difference from clinical suffering. Recognise the identity dimension of neurodivergence and its implications for the therapeutic relationship. Support post-diagnosis integration — relief, anger, grief, identity reconstruction — with the appropriate tools.

Course Content

The course consists of 6 modules available at your own pace — delivered as video lectures with an avatar presenter.

Module 1 — Introduction to neurodiversity Definitions and conceptual framework: neurotypical vs. neurodivergent. History of the term and the neurodiversity movement. The two models of understanding (medical and neurodiversity). Overview of the profiles. Prevalence data and the challenges of underdiagnosis. Nosographic reference points: DSM-5 and ICD-11.

Module 2 — ASD in adults DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and support levels. Adult clinical presentation: the clinical iceberg model. Sensory differences. Masking: mechanisms (mimicry, scripts, stim suppression), consequences (autistic burnout, identity confusion, diagnostic delay). ASD and gender: the female phenotype. Differential diagnosis and comorbidities. Adaptations to the therapeutic framework.

Module 3 — ADHD in adults Evolution of the concept and persistence into adulthood. The three clinical presentations. Executive functions: time blindness, dysregulation, inhibition, task initiation. Emotional dysregulation and RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria). ADHD and gender: the female profile. Clinical assessment (CAARS, ASRS, DIVA 2.0). Therapeutic approaches: psychoeducation, CBT based on Safren, coaching, medication.

Module 4 — Giftedness Definitions: IQ ≥ 130, prevalence, limits of IQ. The purely cognitive and holistic models (Dabrowski). Associative thinking. Developmental asynchrony: intellectual, emotional, social, intra-cognitive. Overexcitabilities. Specific areas of suffering: isolation, perfectionism, impostor syndrome, chronic boredom. Myths and clinical reality. Twice exceptionality (giftedness + ASD, giftedness + ADHD, giftedness + learning disorders). Guidance orientations.

Module 5 — Learning disorders and sensory hypersensitivity The family of learning disorders: common features and neurobiological basis. Dyslexia in adults: presentation, compensatory strategies, impact. Dyspraxia (DCD): motor skills, spatial and temporal organisation. Dyscalculia, dysorthographia, developmental language disorder. Atypical sensory processing: hyper- and hyposensitivity across the five sensory modalities, interoception. Sensory overload and emotional regulation. Support, adjustments and workplace accommodations.

Module 6 — Complex clinical presentations and synthesis Mapping comorbidities. The logic of overlaps: shared genetic basis, transdiagnostic dimensions. The AuDHD profile (ASD + ADHD). Neurodivergence and trauma. Clinical method in complex cases: developmental history, dimensional approach, prioritising by degree of suffering. Diagnostic pitfalls. Late diagnosis: post-diagnosis reactions, identity integration, grief work. The neurodiversity movement. The posture of the neurodiversity-informed clinician.