NDIS Therapy Support for Autistic People and People with Intellectual Disability (13+)
Neuro-affirming, trauma-informed therapy supporting emotional regulation, independence, and identity at your pace.
I provide NDIS-funded therapy for autistic adolescents and adults and people with intellectual disability aged 13 and over. My approach is neuro-affirming, practical, and respectful, focused on building skills without pressure to mask or perform. Self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants welcome across the Sunshine Coast and via telehealth.
Angela Clayton
Mental Health Social Worker
A calm, neuro-affirming approach to NDIS therapy
Autistic people and people with intellectual disability often come to therapy with different needs, communication styles, and ways of experiencing the world. In this space, your individual experience, needs, and gifts are supported and centred in our relational work.
My approach is neuro-affirming and trauma-informed, with a strong focus on safety, respect, and individual pace. I do not view therapy as fixing behaviour or meeting external expectations. Many of the challenges people bring to therapy make sense when we consider how often the world is not designed with neurodivergent ways of thinking, sensing, and communicating in mind. Therapy focuses on understanding what is happening underneath, what matters to you, and building skills that genuinely support your everyday life and preferred future.
Sessions may focus on emotional regulation, self-understanding, identity, executive functioning support, communication, or practical skills. Some sessions are more structured, while others are slower and more relational, depending on what is most supportive at the time. Flexibility and collaboration are central to how I work.
This approach may be a good fit for participants who:
Feel anxious, overwhelmed, or easily dysregulated
Have spent a long time masking or pushing themselves
Find transitions, expectations, or emotional expression challenging
Benefit from support that adapts to them rather than the other way around
Wh0 I work with
I support NDIS participants aged 13 years and over, including autistic adolescents and adults and people with intellectual disability. Participants may be self-managed or plan-managed, have Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living funding in their NDIS plan, and live on the Sunshine Coast or access therapy via telehealth.
Support is suited to people who may be:
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and or intellectual disability
Late-identified or recently diagnosed
Experiencing anxiety, shutdowns, overwhelm, or emotional dysregulation
Navigating adolescence, identity development, or increased expectations
Adjusting to major transitions such as high school, post-school pathways, work, or changes in living arrangements
Seeking support that is respectful, flexible, and neuro-affirming
Some participants come with clear goals. Others are still working out what they need. Both are welcome.
What Support Can Look Like
NDIS-funded therapy looks different for each person. Supports are shaped around goals, capacity, and what is realistically helpful in everyday life.
Sessions may include a mix of therapeutic support and capacity-building activities, depending on your needs. The focus stays practical, relational, and paced to the individual.
Support may include:
Emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills
Understanding emotions, internal states, and body signals
Support with anxiety, shutdowns, meltdowns, or overwhelm
Identity development and self-understanding for autistic teens and adults
Executive functioning support, including planning, organisation, and follow-through
Communication support and relationship skills
Building independence and confidence in daily life
Support during transitions such as school changes, post-school pathways, work, or changes at home
Some sessions are skills-focused and goal-oriented. Others focus on safety, regulation, and making sense of experiences. Progress does not need to be fast to be meaningful.
Therapy can take place in-clinic, via telehealth, or in the community where appropriate and aligned with the participant’s NDIS plan.
Collaborative support
I work collaboratively with families, carers, and support coordinators, while keeping the participant at the centre of the work.
This includes:
Respect for consent, privacy, and participant choice
Clear communication around goals and scope of support
Collaboration with support coordinators and other allied health providers
Practical, NDIS-aligned documentation and reports when required
Where appropriate, parent or carer involvement can be included to support understanding, consistency, and skill-building outside of sessions.
Support coordinators are welcome to contact me to discuss suitability, availability, and alignment with a participant’s plan.
Accessing support
My practice is based in Caloundra, supporting NDIS participants across the Sunshine Coast and surrounding areas. Telehealth sessions are also available where appropriate.
If you are considering therapy for yourself or someone you support, you are welcome to get in touch. This may be to ask a question, check suitability, or discuss how therapy could fit within an NDIS plan.
You can make a booking directly, or arrange a brief consultation to talk things through before deciding.
Referrals are welcome from participants, parents and carers, and support coordinators.