Neurodivergence and Grief Training
Practical, neurodiversity-affirming training for professionals supporting people with ADHD and autism through grief and bereavement.
When we understand that neurodivergent people often experience and respond to the world differently, it makes sense that grief won’t necessarily follow the patterns we’re used to seeing.
Yet many conventional approaches to bereavement support still rely on assumptions about how people recognise, express and talk about their feelings.
Shutdown can be mistaken for avoidance. A lack of visible emotion can be interpreted as a lack of feeling. Someone who needs clear, practical information may instead be encouraged to talk about emotions they struggle to identify.
These misunderstandings matter. They can leave people feeling unheard, judged or unsupported at a time when they may already be struggling.
Ready to develop your understanding? Our £89 training package combines a 2.5-hour live interactive workshop with a complete seven-hour CPD-accredited online course.
Why understanding neurodivergent grief matters
Grief can affect concentration, sleep, relationships, routines and the ability to manage ordinary daily tasks. For someone with ADHD or autism, some of these difficulties may interact with existing differences in processing information, managing demands or navigating sensory and social environments.
But neurodivergence doesn’t tell us exactly how someone will grieve. Two autistic people may have very different experiences of bereavement, just as two people with ADHD may need very different kinds of support. That’s why this training focuses on understanding differences without turning them into stereotypes.
For example, for people with ADHD, grief can also interact with attention, executive functioning, emotional regulation and sense of time. We explore that in more depth in our article ADHD and grief: how can ADHD affect the way we grieve?
Without that understanding, support can easily miss the mark. Someone may be pushed to talk before they are ready, shutdown may be mistaken for disengagement, sensory overload may be overlooked, or behaviour may be judged against an idea of what grief is supposed to look like.
Good support starts with curiosity rather than assumption. It means noticing what this person needs, rather than trying to fit them into a standard model of grief.
Understanding and Supporting Neurodivergent Grief
Live interactive workshop + 7-hour CPD-accredited online course
£89 per person | Delivered online
Our training explores how ADHD, autism and other forms of neurodivergence can shape experiences of grief, and what professionals can do to offer support that better fits the individual. You’ll explore how cognitive, emotional and sensory differences can shape grief, and how to adapt the way you communicate and offer support.
Through this training, you’ll develop:
A better understanding of how ADHD and autism can influence grief.
Greater confidence in recognising needs that might otherwise be overlooked.
Practical ways to adapt communication and bereavement support.
Approaches you can take directly into your professional practice.
Created from lived experience
This isn’t simply training about neurodivergent people. It’s training created by neurodivergent people.
Our approach draws on lived experience, professional practice and the recognition that even well-intentioned support can miss the mark when someone’s needs don’t fit conventional expectations.
Martin Roddis is an experienced educator and trainer who has developed and delivered grief training across a wide range of organisations and industries, including the Grief First Aid course for Cruse Bereavement Support.
Trudie Bamford is a therapist, grief trainer and writer with a particular interest in neurodivergence, bereavement and the ways people experience and communicate difficult emotions.
Together, we bring professional knowledge and personal understanding to training that is practical, accessible and grounded in the realities of supporting people through loss.
See the learning in action
Knowing what to say and how to respond are two different things. Our online course includes filmed role-plays that explore everyday situations, showing how small changes in communication and approach can make a real difference.
Here’s a short extract to give you a flavour of what to expect.
Other Ways to Learn
Prefer to learn at your own pace?
You can take our complete seven-hour CPD-accredited Neurodivergence & Grief course independently for £60.
You’ll have access to the same in-depth course content, practical demonstrations, exercises and learning resources, without attending the live workshop.
→ Neurodivergence & Grief: Practical Skills for Better Support – £60
Start with our free introductory webinar: The Neurodivergent Experience of Grief and Loss
If you’re new to the subject, our free 60-minute awareness webinar offers an introduction to how neurodivergence can influence grief and bereavement.
It’s an opportunity to explore some of the key ideas and begin thinking differently about the support neurodivergent people may need.
We keep our introductory webinar free because we want this basic understanding to be widely available.