What we've learned so far in Autism Central

Just over six months ago, Anna Freud took on delivery of Autism Central - the National Peer Education Programme for families and support networks of autistic people of all ages in England.

Commissioned by NHS England, Autism Central provides families with education, coaching and connection through resources, one-to-one peer support and group learning and reflective events.

It’s a service that builds on the learning and impact of Anna Freud’s National Autism Trainer Programme as well as my own research work at UCL’s Group for Research in Relationships And NeuroDiversity (GRRAND).

We’ve known for many years that autistic and non-autistic family members have reported feeling isolated, misunderstood and unsure where to turn before and after a diagnosis. Autism Central aims to combat that through co-designed peer support that is practical, compassionate and research-informed.

We’re just over six months into the programme and felt the time was right to share the stories of some of the families who have benefitted to date, as well as what we’ve learned on the way as a pioneering mental health charity.

Our stories

Building connection through shared experiences

To date, more than 40,000 people have taken part in our one-to-one or group sessions.

One of those is Victoria - a parent who’s been supporting their autistic daughter for the past nine years. Victoria was also late diagnosed with autism, ADHD and dyspraxia themselves. In their story, shared on the Autism Central website, Victoria talks about how their daughter dealt with masking and sensory overload and says this of Autism Central:

"Autism Central has brought connection and improved our relationship along with providing practical strategies. We [previously] felt surrounded by barriers, very isolated and had both lost a lot of confidence in being around people. This programme offered a spark of hope."

Read the rest of Victoria's story.

Supporting with diagnoses

We were also able to help people whose family members are going through diagnoses.

Moira is mum to two neurodivergent children. Her son was put on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service pathway after he had a breakdown. He was later diagnosed AuDHD and it was during this time that we were able to help. Moira said:

"During the diagnosis I was attending Autism Central groups and I also had support from a peer guide in one-to-one sessions, who helped to guide us through the process."

Read the rest of Moira's story.

Lived experience expertise

One of the biggest strengths of our service is the fact that support is offered by autistic people with lived and family experience.

One of these is Olive, a late-diagnosed AuDHD mother, parenting practitioner and parent-carer peer supporter. Olive is also a parent to autistic children and has supported them through her family’s journey of diagnosis, masking and mental health challenges. She said:

"For me, being part of a programme that integrates lived experience with thoughtful, evidence and trauma-informed resources feels both grounding and impactful. I became an Autism Central peer guide with group education and group coaching facilitation duties because I believe in the power of shared learning.

“I know how much it matters to have access to a space where lived experience and research sit side by side. I wanted to help create spaces where families feel their experiences are held as expertise and where they feel understood and can belong with others."

Read the rest of Olive's story.

What our data is telling us

Feedback from Autism Central sessions to date is overwhelmingly positive.

Families who have attended have shared how the group learning sessions have helped them feel less isolated and more empowered to advocate for the autistic person they support. In April 2026, attendees shared that 89% felt more empowered, 94% found our sessions useful, and 98% would recommend that others join a group session.

Feedback from families attending one-to-one coaching where peer guides provide tailored, practical guidance is similarly positive. In April 2026, 86% of families said they felt more confident in advocating for their child or family’s needs, 90% indicated they had gained valuable tools, strategies, or insights, and an overwhelming 99% would recommend the session to other families.

Some personal reflections

An adapted mentalising framework (P.E.E.R.S) helps family members to understand neurodivergent needs

Our group and one-to-one sessions utilise a model called P.E.E.R.S that invites family members to make sense of behaviours by considering thoughts, feelings and needs in themselves and others. This kind of adapted mentalising approach offers a family a more compassionate way of understanding each other. During our sessions, we ask families to pause and re-imagine relationships to reduce judgement and remain curious. I have found this approach helps families regulate and reconnect during moments of stress, conflict or overwhelm. It also opens up possibilities for greater compassion, relational safety and shared understanding because, when autistic experiences are genuinely centred and respected, families are better able to reconnect.

Mothers, sisters and family members assigned female at birth are often unseen

Many of the women I meet have spent decades prioritising the needs of autistic children, partners, siblings or parents while minimising or silencing their own. They frequently describe feeling unable to take up space, ask for help, rest or show vulnerability. Within autism-centred practice, this can be particularly important, as many of these women may themselves be neurodivergent, masking distress while remaining highly attuned to the needs of others. Our P.E.E.R.S model aims to hold space for their experiences and, by slowing down interactions and encouraging reflection, it allows for care to move in multiple directions within the family.

Professionals need to pause, too

Professionals working alongside autistic individuals and families carry significant relational responsibility and may struggle to acknowledge their own limits and need for support. A neurodiversity-informed and experience-sensitive coaching approach can help services create cultures where reflection, compassion and shared understanding are valued alongside problem-solving and care. Encouraging professionals to pause and recognise multiple perspectives makes them better able to prioritise more effective relational practice.

What’s next?

We’re so proud of how far we’ve come with Autism Central but there’s more to learn, more to share, and more people that we hope will get involved in our service.

Keep up to date by subscribing to our newsletter. If you are a parent, carer or otherwise in a support network for an autistic person, you can sign up to a one-to-one coaching session on the Autism Central website.