This page is about everyday support for autistic and ADHD adults. It includes tips for sleep, money, travel, and health, plus help with sensory needs and life changes.
You'll find local services, apps, and advice to make life easier and more comfortable.
Looking after your wellbeing has a significant impact on your general health and happiness. Spending time engaging in interests plays an important role in maintaining happiness and wellbeing.
However, staying healthy and managing diet, sleep, finances and day-to-day activities can be a challenge for many.
Kent | Small Good Stuff is a KCC backed online directory that links people who need care or support with small local groups and people who might help. To be included in the directory the service must be small, and person centered, provided in the local community, value the person and their gifts, promote diversity and equality of opportunity. Services on offer include getting out and about, sport, activities help with washing and dressing and more.
Autistica Tips Hub | Autism tips and resources to make everyday life easier | Autistica is a free of charge app created by and for the autistic community that provides practical tips and high-quality resources to make everyday life easier. It can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Autism Understood Has a wide range of information around everyday life issues aimed at younger adults covering topics including, autistic differences, relationships, sexuality, periods, bullying and many other topics.
Involve Kent is a charity that helps people across Kent access the services and support they need, such as housing, healthcare, social care, education and benefits.
Support Groups and Services in Kent and Medway is an online directory that contains information and links to organisations, services, community groups, projects, places and spaces for people with ADHD and or Autism.
Sensory differences are a very common experience for neurodivergent individuals, and they can significantly impact daily life. Some of the ways people can be affected are below but it is important to remember sensory experiences are unique to each individual.
Strategies that may help include:
You can do an online test to help define your Sensory Profile.
People with ADHD and or autism can have difficulty falling to sleep, staying asleep and waking up. Understanding strategies to support good sleep and effective sleep management can help.
Many people have sleep issues, but if you're an autistic person, you may find sleeping particularly difficult. The National Autistic Society look at why this is and provide some strategies to help.
Adults with ADHD rarely fall asleep easily, sleep soundly through the night, and then wake up feeling refreshed. Often, ADHD's mental and physical restlessness disturbs a person's sleep patterns. Read more about why you're always tired or get tips on calming racing minds
The MoneyHelper website offers free and impartial guidance on a wide range of financial topics including earnings, debt management, pensions and retirement, savings and budgeting, life events such as redundancy or a relationship breakdown, benefits and mortgages.
Everyone needs a safe place to live. Citizens Advice can guide you to people who can help. If you need to find somewhere to live - Citizens Advice
You may be eligible to claim Housing Benefit to pay for the place where you live. Housing Benefit: Eligibility - GOV.UK
When you find somewhere to live, you will probably need to pay Council Tax. You might be able to get help to pay this. How Council Tax works: Working out your Council Tax - GOV.UK
Most people live in property where you need to pay for energy (electricity, gas), phone (landline and/or mobile), internet , council tax, water, rent or mortgage, and some pay service charges. You may also have extra payments, such as monthly repayments for items you have borrowed money for.
Many neurodivergent adults claim benefits. There are many different types of benefit. Some are only for people who have worked, and have paid National Insurance for at least two years. Some other benefits are designed for people who are unable to work. Other benefits are available to you and are not affected by whether you are working.
HMRC (His Majesty's revenue and collections) collect the money that pays for the UK's public services, and help families and individuals with targeted financial support. You can ask for additional support when dealing with them.
If your neurodivergence significantly impacts your daily living or mobility, you may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which can lead to extra help with benefits like Housing Benefit. You may also be able to apply for ESA which is a welfare benefit designed to support individuals who are unable to work due to a health condition or disability. It provides financial assistance to help with living costs and offers support to help individuals get back into work if possible.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP): What PIP is for - GOV.UK
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA): Overview - GOV.UK
Universal Credit: What Universal Credit is - GOV.UK
After applying for certain benefits people may be asked for an assessment. A healthcare professional asks questions and may ask you to perform tasks to evaluate how your disability or health condition affects your daily life. For autistic people this can seem irrelevant. However, you have completed the forms for the benefit. You know the types of questions. To prepare for the assessment write down everything you think you would like to say. You can add extra things too. You might need to explain the length of time it has taken to prepare the information, as the assessor will not know, and this is useful information for them.
A CEA card offers a free ticket to the person who accompanies you to the cinema. You have to pay for it, and you apply for it online Home - CEA Card
All adults can apply for the various railcards available. Additionally, adults who receive PIP can apply for a Disabled Railcard. This has additional benefits, a second person can travel for cheaper rates at the same time; it can be used earlier in the morning than some of the other cards, it is currently more economical to buy a three-year railcard.
Disabled Persons Railcard | Official Retailer | National Rail
Generally, if your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) letter shows that you receive 8 points in either 'the moving around' or 'verbal communication' sections you can apply for a disabled bus pass.
In Kent Apply for a disabled person's bus pass - Kent County Council
In Medway, you can also apply for a disabled bus pass if you receive 10 points or more on 'Planning and following' under the mobility criteria activities of PIP. Disabled person's bus pass | Apply for a concessionary bus pass | Medway Council
You may also be able to apply for a Disabled and Companion Pass if you cannot travel alone. Apply for a disabled person's and companion bus pass - Kent County Council in Kent, and Disabled person's bus pass | Apply for a concessionary bus pass | Medway Council in Medway.
The motability scheme enables people to use their mobility part of their PIP for a personal means of transport.
Autistic young people frequently are excellent at law keeping. There are many laws that allow young people to do different things at different ages. Some websites outline these laws, so that you know what can and can't be done legally as people age.
At What Age timeline - lawstuff.org.uk
Employment can give the stability of day-to-day activity for many years. Many find change a negative factor. There is some guidance online. You are allowed to continue working after retirement age, and you will no longer pay National Insurance contributions.
Retirement - Employment Autism
In England there are rules about getting married and civil partnerships. Details are available online.
Births and deaths are stressful events. Autistic adults can struggle during these times, and can find registering the birth or death of a person difficult. There is information on the internet to guide you through all the steps you need to take by law.
When you go to register a birth, make sure that everyone in the family agrees upon the spelling of the chosen names. You can also apply for a replacement birth certificate for yourself.
Register a birth: Overview - GOV.UK
Birth certificate application form - GOV.UK
If you need help when someone has died, there are several step-by-step guides available. These guides also explain how to register a death.
What to do when someone dies: step-by-step checklist | Age UK