Developing a neurodiversity-affirming group therapy program for autistic adults through co-design

Introduction: Autistic adults often report unhelpful experiences when engaging with mental health support. Limited clinician knowledge of autism and a failure to tailor neurotypical approaches may be contributing factors. An initial draft mental health therapy group program was designed based on information provided by autistic adults and mental health clinicians. This study sought feedback about the program outline from autistic adults with co-occurring mental health conditions.