Adam’s Story

Initial assessment identified several areas impacting on Adam’s wellbeing and daily functioning, including:

• Limited understanding of the relationship between autism and mental health.

• Difficulties recognising, understanding, and communicating emotions.

• Persistent suicidal thoughts and difficulties identifying alternative coping strategies.

• Sensory processing differences contributing to overwhelm and dysregulation.

• Difficulties managing energy levels and balancing daily responsibilities.

• Anxiety associated with communication and social interactions.

• Challenges with maintaining routines and managing transitions between different roles and activities.

Adam expressed a wish to better understand himself, develop practical coping strategies, and improve his ability to manage periods of overwhelm and emotional distress.

A significant focus of intervention involved supporting Adam to develop an understanding of autism and how it may influence his experiences of mental health, emotional regulation, communication, sensory processing, and energy levels.

Sessions explored the increased vulnerability autistic people may have to experiencing mental health difficulties and helped Adam begin to understand his own experiences through an autism-informed lens.

To support communication during periods of distress, Adam was also introduced to traffic-light communication cards which could be used to help others identify when he was struggling and what support he may need.

Adam reported that when distressed he often struggled to identify what he was feeling and would instead become consumed by suicidal thoughts. He described these thoughts as feeling “addictive” and reported difficulty redirecting his attention away from them.

Intervention focused on increasing emotional awareness and developing a greater understanding of the links between emotions, overwhelm, autism, and mental health. Discussions aimed to help Adam recognise emotional experiences earlier and identify coping strategies before distress escalated.

An autism-informed safety plan was also collaboratively developed following discharge from inpatient services and reviewed throughout intervention. This provided Adam with a personalised resource identifying warning signs, coping strategies, sources of support, and actions to take during periods of increased risk.

An Adult Sensory History was completed to explore Adam’s sensory profile and identify sensory experiences that contributed to stress, overwhelm, and dysregulation.

Following assessment, a range of sensory regulation strategies were identified. Adam worked on developing a personalised sensory profile, identifying activities that helped him feel calmer when overwhelmed, alongside strategies that increased alertness and engagement during periods of low motivation and low energy.

Adam continues to focus on developing a personalised sensory toolbox that he can access during periods of dysregulation.

Adam reported difficulties balancing the demands of work, parenting responsibilities, and daily activities. Intervention introduced concepts such as pacing and Spoon Theory to support greater awareness of energy expenditure and recovery.

Together, we explored activities that increased or depleted his energy and discussed ways of balancing responsibilities with restorative activities to reduce the likelihood of becoming overwhelmed.

Adam identified anxiety associated with certain social and workplace interactions. A communication statement was developed to help him communicate his preferences and support needs more effectively.

This was intended to reduce anxiety around communication and support others to understand how best to interact with him.

Work was undertaken to explore Adam’s daily routine across self-care, leisure, employment, and parenting responsibilities. Strategies were identified to support smoother transitions between activities and roles, as Adam reported finding these changes difficult and overwhelming at times.