- Sensory: there will likely be additional sensory challenges in the home that may cause discomfort/distress.
- Processing: invite a client to tell you about times in which they have experienced distress and what happened.
- Allow time to process and answer.
- Follow up with “have you thought about a time?”
KEY ISSUES
As outlined above, Neurodivergent individuals have spiky profiles with different strengths and needs across settings. It is important to understand how neurodivergence manifests within the home context, the specific challenges this presents for the whole family, and who takes (or is expected to take) responsibility for structuring and regulating the environment. These challenges will be particularly complex where there is a mixed neurotype couple (e.g., due to communication differences or Neurodivergent children living in the home with competing needs. It is therefore important to get an understanding of how neurodivergence-related anxieties (e.g., sensory, communication, need for predictability) manifest in the home. This section provides some guided questions to consider when assessing risk in this context. These questions can be used to supplement (not replace) your own risk assessment tools and processes.
Further to the below, we have developed an Adapted SPACE resource that can be downloaded and printed with additional questions to explore with Neurodivergent clients during assessment or at other stages in the programme in relation to understanding challenges and coping strategies in the home. This can be found here.
We have also developed an adapted SPACE resource for practitioners who are supporting victim-survivors within Integrated Support Services to mirror these questions but from a victim-survivor perspective. This can be downloaded and printed here.
PRACTICAL TIPS:
Questions to pose
- How does anxiety, dysregulation present for you in the home?
- What challenges do you experience? (consider sensory sensitivities, communication with partner/children, care, planning, emotional control, task initiation, flexible thinking).
- Does this ever lead to distress? (e.g., feeling angry, upset, shutdown, meltdown).
- What does that look like? (describe what is happening in the mind and body in that moment).
- Tell me about a time when this happened.
- What exactly happened, what did you do, and to whom? (this can include abusive behaviours (verbal abuse, physical abuse), self-harm, or non-abusive behaviours).
- Does your partner know what this looks like?
- Do your children know what this looks like?
- What do they say/do when this happens?
- Good communication between the victim survivor worker and facilitator is needed throughout.
- Liaise with the partner’s worker – what is the victim survivor saying?
- How does the victim perceive or experience risk to her and/or the children?
- How does this information inform safety planning with the victim initially and throughout?
- Safety planning with the victim survivor should be a central feature throughout the programme.
- Are there other agencies involved (e.g. Children’s Social Care)? Gather as much information as possible.
- Check official records: what does the victim survivor say (e.g. in pre-sentence reports, via IDVA involvement)?