In recent years, the conversation around neurodiversity has shifted — and rightly so.
We are moving away from approaches that focus on “fixing” individuals, toward understanding how environments, communication, and expectations shape a person’s experience.
At Onyx Therapy, this shift is at the heart of everything we do.
We are a multidisciplinary team providing Occupational Therapy (OT) and Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT), alongside consultancy support to children, young people, and adults. We work across schools, families, and organisations — not just with individuals, but with the systems around them. Because in our experience, meaningful change doesn’t come from trying harder — it comes from doing things
differently.
A key part of our identity is that we don’t just work in neurodiversity — we live it. Four of our team’s six members, including both directors, are neurodivergent. This shapes how we think about both sensory needs and communication, how we build relationships, and how we design support that is realistic and sustainable in
everyday life.
Across both OT and SaLT, one of the biggest shifts we are seeing is a growing awareness of masking — where individuals hide or suppress their natural ways of being in order to fit in. This can relate to sensory behaviours, movement, communication style, or social interaction. While masking may help someone “get through the day,” it often comes at a high cost, including anxiety, burnout, and loss of identity.
This is why our approach is neuroaffirming. Rather than asking, “How do we make this person fit the environment?”, we ask, “How do we adapt the environment, communication, and expectations so this person can thrive?”
In practice, this means combining OT and SaLT perspectives to create meaningful, joined-up support:
- Shaping sensory environments and daily routines to reduce overwhelm and support regulation
- Adapting physical access to learning (e.g., seating, movement) alongside adapting how information is presented and processed
- Supporting communication as a whole — including understanding, processing time, expressive language, and alternative communication methods
- Valuing different communication styles, including echolalia, non-speaking communication, and differences in social interaction
- Helping staff and families understand the connection between sensory/emotional regulation and communication
We see OT and SaLT as deeply interconnected. A young person who is overwhelmed by sensory input may not be able to process language. Equally, a young person who is not understood or cannot communicate effectively may experience increased anxiety and dysregulation. Addressing one without the other
often limits progress.
We also recognise a key gap in current support: too often, therapy happens in isolation. A young person might have a weekly session — but the rest of their week remains unchanged. That’s why we prioritise building toolkits that travel — equipping schools, families, and teams with strategies they can confidently use every day, across both sensory and communication needs.
Another important shift in the field is the growing value placed on lived experience. As a service, we actively champion neurodivergent voices within our team and are continuing to develop pathways for neurodivergent therapists working with neurodivergent individuals. This is not just representation — it’s about deeper
understanding, authenticity, and trust.
Our goal is simple: to create support that feels meaningful, respectful, and sustainable.
Because when we stop trying to change the person — and start adapting the environment, communication, and expectations around them — everything shifts.
