A little bit about us, how we started and what we do.
With over 20 years' experience working with Autistic children and adults, Davida Hartman, psychologist, adjunct professor and author, recognised the need for respectful, kind and neurodiversity-affirmative autism assessment for adults
In 2020, with Tara O'Donnell-Killen (Post-identification Support Lead) and Dr Maeve Kavanagh (Co-Principal Psychologist) as core contributors, Davida founded The Adult Autism Practice. Soon after, Dr Anna Day, (Co-Principal Psychologist) joined the team, and was promoted to in 2023 to be a core team member. As Clinical Director, Davida leads a growing, neurodiversity-affirmative team, specialising in online, adult autism assessment (Collaborative Autistic Identification)
It is part of The Adult Autism Practice’s mission to actively employ and be informed by Autistic professionals and the Autistic community. Therefore, our Ireland and UK-based psychologists and support staff are a proud mix of Autistic and non-Autistic professionals, with a wealth of experience and expertise to work with people across Ireland, the UK and wider Europe
Naturally, Davida aspires to be a trusted ally to the Autistic community and is neurodivergent herself, being identified as ADHD in 2022. Indeed, the Autistic community is at the heart of everything we do at The Adult Autism Practice. We celebrate everything Autistic and work closely with Autistic-led advocacy groups
With our progressive, neurodiversity-affirmative approach, we acknowledge the language and very concepts of ‘assessment’ and ‘diagnosis’ are perhaps ultimately unsuited to adequately capture the journey and joy of Autistic discovery
We celebrate the strengths, passions and differences of unique Autistic experiences. Assessment (Collaborative Autistic Identification), is entirely informed by your active participation and our understanding of neurodiversity and individual neurodivergence
Furthermore, recognising the breadth and depth of human experience, we are LGBTQ+ affirmative and have extensive experience with gender-diverse Autistic adults
Please note: unfortunately we are unable to work with US or Canadian residents, as it is necessary for psychologists to be registered in the US state or Canadian province in which a client lives
Employment opportunities (both as employees and subcontractors) are currently available for fully qualified psychologists wanting to join the team. We are fully remote, and provide flexible working hours in a kind and supportive work environment. We would in particular love to hear from you if you are Autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. Contact info@adultautism.ie for further details
“I was very cautious when choosing a practice to pursue a diagnosis with, as I found through my research that there exists an unfortunate deficit of understanding of neurodiversity in the clinical field.
It is clear that the goal of Adult Autism is to uplift neurodiverse individuals, which is both heartening and very necessary. The kindness and understanding I felt during each stage of my assessment made the process much easier than I expected, and the continued feeling of support has enabled me to feel hopeful and optimistic.
I really am grateful for the existence of The Adult Autism Practice, and I hope the open-mindedness and empathy of the clinicians can be experienced by many more individuals like myself.”