How Art Therapy Can Help Neurodivergent Clients

As an Art Therapist working in Rotherhithe, South East London, and online, I offer a safe, creative, and neurodiversity-affirming space where clients can explore their inner world without the pressure of traditional talk therapy. Whether you're living with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or sensory processing difficulties, Art Psychotherapy (Art Therapy) provides a powerful pathway to expression, regulation, and self-understanding. In this blog, we’ll explore how art therapy can support Neurodivergent individuals, helping them feel seen, empowered, and confident—just as they are.

In the UK it is estimated that 15-20% of the population are neurodivergent but being neurodivergent isn’t a flaw. Our world needs people who think differently. Many of the most creative and brilliant minds throughout history have been neurodivergent—Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Richard Branson, Michael Phelps, Heston Blumenthal, and Anthony Hopkins, to name a few. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder/DCD) all come with their own unique traits and strengths, but the challenge and overwhelm of living in a world built for neurotypical people can lead to stress, misunderstanding, isolation, insecurity and even burnout.

Just as no two neurotypical people are alike, no two neurodivergent individuals are the same but there are common challenges especially around communication, processing information, regulating emotion, and coping with sensory input.

As Temple Grandin wrote:

“sensory experiences that have little or no effect on neurotypical people can be severe life stressors for us. Loud noises hurt my ears like a dentist’s drill hitting a nerve.”“

— Temple Grandin, The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum (Grandin & Panek, 2013)

Many neurodivergent people feel they are constantly working twice as hard to decode both their inner world and the world around them with the aim to fit in and feel "good enough". Masking—suppressing natural behaviours to appear more "typical"—can become emotionally exhausting and deeply distressing over time.

Mental Health and Neurodivergency

Social and emotional challenges are common meaning neurodivergent people often experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, emotional dysregulation, and isolation. While autism and ADHD and AuDHD (dual diagnosis )often get the spotlight, people with dyslexia dyscalculia and DCD can also struggle profoundly, though they may fly under the radar socially.

Dyslexia, for one, isn’t just about reading and writing—it is about how someone processes and retains information. Since life is full of "information", this can lead to feelings of overwhelm, not keeping up, or general social anxiety. Many people struggling internalize this as being “stupid”, “not good enough" resulting in frustration and an increase in low self esteem

In his recent Channel 4 documentary Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution, Jamie Oliver advocates for screening all schoolchildren for neurodivergence—a vital step toward changing how neurodivergent children could receive early support. Misunderstood they are often labelled as “naughty,” “lazy,” “attention-seeking,” or “too sensitive,” when really, they’re just overwhelmed by a system that doesn’t work for them.

As someone who has worked as an Art Psychotherapist in mainstream and special educational schools, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of creating environments where neurodivergent children feel safe, regulated, and confident. This includes changes in classroom layout, quiet spaces, sensory rooms, small group support, and access to emotional support from ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants), Counsellors, and Art Therapists. Sadly,the educational system remains underfunded and outdated in meeting these needs, though staff in all the schools I have worked in would welcome more additional support and services—but that’s a blog post for another day!

A recent Guardian review of Oliver’s documentary noted:

“Students with dyslexia are now 3.5 times more likely to be expelled than those without. Expelled students are 200% more likely to get involved in violent crime”The Guardian, June 2025

Functioning in a world not designed for you is like being left-handed and being expected to write with a fountain pen — without adjustments or accommodations, the result is strain, smudges, and unnecessary struggle. It’s not the individual that needs to change, but the tools and expectations around them.

Neurodivergence, Trauma, and Therapy

As a therapist in my practice, in South East London, I see more and more neurodivergent clients presenting with social anxiety, chronic overwhelm, low self esteem, sleep issues, sensory sensitivity, and difficulty with emotional regulation. Often, trauma, attachment difficulties, and anxiety overlap with neurodivergence and it can at times be complicated to unpick these, however many neurodivergent individuals are more vulnerable to trauma, insecure attachment and increased mental health difficulties because of the difficulties already discussed and the constant strain of trying to fit into a world that misunderstands them.

As one recent publication put it:

“We can't distinguish neurodivergent behaviour from trauma because our current society produces very few un-traumatised neurodivergent people.”— The Overlap of Neurodivergence and Trauma: A Call for Recognition and Change (2025)

How Art Therapy Can Help Neurodivergent Clients

Clients don't have to be good at art or creative to engage in Art Psychotherapy. It offers an alternate way of exploration and expression which can be as simple as mapping, matching words with pictures or discovering unaware thoughts and feelings through the surfacing of the unconscious mind.

Art Therapy is an neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed approach that supports clients in understanding and expressing their inner world—without needing to rely solely on verbal communication. It meets each individual exactly where they are and exactly how they are. Art Therapy can remove the need for direct eye contact and sitting still which can occur in more traditional talking therapies. The tactile qualities of the materials can bring calm, focus and an avenue for communication. For neurodivergent individuals, especially those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or sensory processing differences, this can be transformative.

As a therapist I also use visualisation, grounding techniques, breathing exercises, somatic awareness and body scans to help clients reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and find calm amidst overwhelm. These tools are especially helpful when clients experience heightened sensory sensitivity, emotional dysregulation, or chronic anxiety. By slowing down and being in the body it can begin to help clients experience emotions in a safe way sometimes for the first time.

Creativity engages the senses in a slow, mindful way—offering clients a chance to regulate, reflect, and release. The creative process can soothe the central nervous system, making it easier to access feelings, manage difficult thoughts, and explore identity safely.

“Art-making and images offer a non-verbal language for communicating our experience … An image can literally show someone else how you see the world.”— Sarah Haywood, Neurodiversity and Art Therapy (BAAT, 2024)

This is especially helpful for children, non-speaking individuals, or those who have felt misunderstood or unheard.As Ellen Notbohm writes:

“Presuming that a nonspeaking child has nothing to say is like presuming that an adult without a car has nowhere to go.”(Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, 2005)

Art therapy can help neurodivergent clients:

• Understand and express emotions in a sensory-safe space

• Process shame, isolation, and social rejection

• Reclaim identity and explore neurodivergence with pride

• Build emotional literacy and confidence

• Find practical tools to manage anxiety, overstimulation, and overwhelm

• Develop a positive, compassionate relationship with themselves

It’s not enough for neurodivergent individuals to feel safe in their difference—neurotypical people must also take responsibility to advocate, listen, and help dismantle systems that marginalise those who don’t fit the mould. At City Solace Psychotherapy we not only embrace difference but celebrate the uniqueness of each and every one of us, as we are all on the journey of self discovery and finding our place in the world.

So if you are someone who is neurodivergent know it is not a flaw. Your needs are real. You deserve to exist as your full, unmasked self. In a world that often pathologises difference, art therapy offers more than healing—it offers recognition, dignity, and the freedom to be seen as whole.

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