Our Services

At Neurodiversity Ireland, we offer neurodiversity affirming, trauma informed supports for neurodivergent children, young people, families, schools, and professionals.

Our work is grounded in lived experience, occupational therapy practice, and a deep understanding of nervous system regulation. We focus on safety, connection, predictability, and autonomy rather than compliance or behaviour management.

Many of our services are particularly supportive for individuals with a Persistent Drive for Autonomy PDA profile, though all supports are inclusive of a wide range of neurodivergent experiences.

Children's hands covered in multicolored messy paint, pressing down on a large palette of swirling red, blue, yellow, and white paint.

Services for Parents and Families

Families often come to us looking for understanding, guidance and support that feels respectful and realistic. Our parent and family services are designed to reduce pressure and help you make sense of your child’s needs.

Close-up of a child's legs and feet wearing grey and black socks, black shoes, and khaki pants, standing on a dirt trail outdoors with an adult behind them in yellow and beige outdoor clothing, in a forested area near a body of water.

  • €30 per 45 minute session

    Sensory groups are small, child led groups focused on sensory regulation, play, connection, and autonomy.

    These groups offer a lower pressure option for many children and are particularly supportive for children with PDA profiles.

    Sessions are claimable through private health insurance only when led by Sorcha Rice.

  • €200 for 60 minutes

    Online parent consultations are delivered by Sorcha Rice, Senior Occupational Therapist.

    These sessions provide space to explore your child’s sensory profile, emotional regulation, autonomy needs, school experiences, healthcare interactions, or daily challenges. Consultations are collaborative and focused on practical understanding rather than judgement.

    Following the session, you receive a short written summary with tailored recommendations aligned with PDA affirming and neurodiversity affirming practice.

    CORU registered receipt provided for private health insurance.

  • €90 for 60 minutes

    AAC consultations are delivered by CJay, AAC Specialist.

    These sessions support families to choose, personalise, and use AAC systems in meaningful ways at home and school. Support includes device selection, customisation, modelling strategies, and guidance for communication partners.

    These sessions are not claimable through private health insurance.

  • €500

    This assessment is designed specifically for neurodivergent children and children with PDA profiles who may find traditional assessments overwhelming.

    The process is low demand, relationship focused, and centred on your child’s sense of safety and autonomy. It includes parent and teacher questionnaires, a play based observation led by the child, optional school collaboration, and a comprehensive written report.

    Recommendations focus on sensory regulation, autonomy support, predictability, and environmental adjustments at home and school.

    A one hour online parent feedback meeting is included.

    CORU registered receipt provided for private health insurance.

  • €750

    The full OT assessment is a comprehensive evaluation for children who may be dyspraxic DCD or who require Assistive Technology accommodations for school or exams.

    This assessment includes sensory, motor, and functional exploration, strengths based handwriting assessment where relevant, optional professional collaboration, a detailed written report, and a one hour online parent feedback meeting.

    CORU registered receipt provided for private health insurance.

  • €100 per 45 minute session

    One to one occupational therapy is available following assessment and places are limited.

    Sessions are delivered by Sorcha Rice, Senior Occupational Therapist, and focus on sensory regulation, emotional safety, autonomy support, and co regulation. Therapy is child led and builds on each child’s strengths and interests.

    CORU registered receipt provided for private health insurance.

Contact Us

  • "Sorcha created an excellent, neuroaffirmative report for our child (AuDHD/PDA), with very specific supports outlined for him, clearly explained through a PDA lense. She was very thorough in her approach, gathering information from home and school, focusing on the areas that cause him the most distress."

    —A Parent following a parent consultation

  • "Access to speak to such experienced experts is so very important to parents like us who are desperately trying to find the right support and even just understanding for our children. Everything is so very costly and very often far from neuroaffirmative that it is entirely prohibitive to try and find a trustworthy source can help you understand your childs needs before you begin the find for any services"

    —A Parent following a parent consultation

  • "Sorcha's direct, open approach and willingness to share examples that helped illustrate different things I was trying to understand. She also was able to explain clearly what was going in in different examples of situations with my children. Having a report to show for it afterwards is essential."

    -A Parent following a parent consultation

  • "Just confirming/validating the things I already knew about my PDA daughter. Helpful to hear things explained especially the Gestalt processing...so often it's only discussed as talking in scripts etc but it's obviously so much more than that"

    -A Parent after a Parent Consultation

Colorful rainbow-colored infinity symbol made of stars on a pink background.

Your Questions, Answered

  • No. A identification or diagnosis is not required. Support is available for children who are undiagnosed, self-identified, awaiting assessment, or whose needs don’t fit neatly into diagnostic boxes.

  • No. Many families seeking support have children with:

    • Sensory regulation differences

    • Anxiety

    • School distress or burnout

    • Demand sensitivity/drive for autonomy

    • Emotional overwhelm

      The focus is always on the child’s nervous system and sense of safety, not labels.

  • No. All work is child-led and low-pressure. Sessions prioritise safety, autonomy, connection and regulation — not compliance or performance.

  • No. PDA-affirming practice is not about eliminating all demands and pressure (which isn’t realistic). Instead, it focuses on:

    • Reducing unnecessary demands and pressure

    • Increasing predictability

    • Supporting nervous system regulation

    • Preserving autonomy wherever possible

  • This is very common. Masked dysregulation is explicitly addressed, with support focused on understanding where the dysregulation is stored and how to support recovery, regulation and safety.

  • Absolutely not. Support is non-judgemental, compassionate, and collaborative. The goal is to reduce blame and overwhelm for both children and parents.

  • Yes, with parental consent. Collaboration with schools or other professionals can be included to help ensure strategies are realistic and consistent across settings.

  • Yes. The work integrates:

    • Occupational therapy clinical expertise

    • Trauma-informed practice

    • Sensory integration and regulation frameworks

    • Lived experience as an AuDHD person with a PDA profile

For Schools and Professionals

We work with schools and professionals to build understanding, confidence, and practical capacity to support neurodivergent students.

Our approach centres regulation, predictability, and relational safety, with a strong focus on PDA informed practice.

A yellow backpack with bunny stickers resting on a yellow table next to a blue mesh pencil holder filled with colored pencils, and some folders or notebooks underneath, against a white tiled wall background.

  • All school trainings include a tailored presentation, time for questions, a written summary, and practical next steps for staff.

    Online Training €400
    One hour session delivered online, including a presentation summary and questions.

    In Person Training €700 plus travel
    One hour session delivered on site within a day trip distance.

    Half Day Workshop €1,250 plus travel
    Three to four hour in depth session combining theory, case examples, and practical strategies.

  • School Consultation €200

    Following training, schools can access individual student consultation delivered online.

    This includes collaborative discussion with key staff, strengths based recommendations, and a written summary to support consistency between school and home.

    Parental consent is required.

  • Please contact for pricing

    We provide training for educators, therapists, healthcare professionals, and organisations working with neurodivergent children and families.

    Topics include Persistent Drive for Autonomy PDA, sensory regulation, masked dysregulation, co regulation, autonomy support, and neurodivergent burnout.

    Sessions can be delivered online or in person and are tailored to the audience and setting.

    Pricing varies depending on format and duration. Please get in touch to discuss your needs.

  • Item description
Contact Us

  • "I'm just blown away by the level of knowledge Sorcha has, the practical advice for us teachers and how refreshing it was to learn neuroaffirmative ways to help our students"

    -A Teacher following an online training

  • "The webinar was incredibly informative. I found Sorcha's knowledge and lived experience so helpful for the children I support"

    -A Teacher following an online training

  • "Sorcha is just brilliant. Her personal experience and life experience have really helped me understand and better help the children I teach. I've learnt so much that benefit the PDA profiles of the wonderful children I teach and I cannot thank her enough for sharing her experience, skills and advice with us. The world needs more Sorcha's."

    -A Teacher following an online training

  • "Every single minute was jam packed with learning. A great list of physical resources. Knowledge about why saying 'I can see your tummy' in a sing song voice works. Sorcha Rice needs a lot more CPD courses as she is brilliant! Great to see a neuro-affirming training"

    -A teacher following an online training

  • "Such an insightful, informative, interesting webinar. I'd love a recording to be able to listen back because it was so much to take in. It was also really meaningful and practical because Sorcha related everything back to her own regulation needs as well as her experiences working with children. Sorcha has showed passion and dedication by surveying all her followers prior to the training and has collated all the responses by categorising. Really looking forward to the next one.. I really feel we could do with a series on regulation from Sorcha!!

    -A teacher following an online training

Colorful rainbow peace symbols with star patterns on a pink background.

Your Questions, Answered

  • No. A diagnosis is not required. The strategies shared are universal, neuroaffirming and supportive for all children, including those who are undiagnosed, waiting for assessment or whose needs are emerging.

  • No. While neurodivergence and PDA (Persistent Drive for Autonomy) are often discussed, the training supports sensory regulation, safety and nervous system needs, which are relevant for many children including those with anxiety, trauma histories, ADHD, or school burnout.

  • No. PDA is framed as a nervous system–based survival response, not as defiance, manipulation or poor behaviour. The focus is on understanding why demands and pressure trigger nervous system distress and how schools can respond in ways that reduce escalation and increase safety.

  • Yes. All trainings are deeply practical. Staff leave with clear, realistic strategies they can use immediately in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, and support roles — not scripts or behaviour charts.

  • Yes. Schools complete a short pre-training questionnaire so examples, language, and strategies are relevant to your students and setting.

  • Yes. Trainings can be tailored for:

    • Whole staff

    • SNAs

    • SETs

    • Leadership teams

      The content is adapted to roles, responsibilities, and school context.

  • Yes. All trainings are grounded in:

    • Trauma-informed practice

    • Neurodiversity-affirming values

    • Co-regulation and emotional safety
      There is no use of compliance-based or punitive approaches.

  • Yes. Schools can access follow-up consultations, student-specific support, or extended workshops to help embed learning into daily practice.

Not Sure Where to Start?

If you are unsure which service is right for you, please get in touch and we can help you decide next steps.

Contact Us