When Your Client Tells You They Are Autistic

Learn how to better support Autistic adult coaching and therapy clients. And how to be a good ally when your client discloses they are Autistic.

When Your Client Tells You They Are Autistic Workshop

Available on-demand

How would it change your coaching practice if you felt more comfortable and confident working with your Autistic clients?

I mean, are you confident you’re responding in a supportive, affirming way, when a client discloses they’re Autistic or neurodivergent? How has it changed your relationship with your clients after they have disclosed in the past? Have things gotten better between you two, or awkward, tense, or sticky? Do you fumble for what to say, and know you’re losing them, but are not sure why, or what to do about it?

Would it be useful to understand why your autistic clients are struggling with the particular things that they keep complaining about? And why your techniques that work for everyone else aren’t working for them? Why they so often respond with “that won’t work for me,” before even trying? Do you want to be a better ally and support your Autistic clients more effectively?

And what if you had practical ways to do that?

THE PROBLEM

Hi, I’m Heather of Autism Chrysalis, and here’s the thing. You probably already have Autistic clients—whether you know it or not. And when a client discloses to you that they’re Autistic, that takes courage. They’re taking a risk, trusting you with something vulnerable.

But maybe you’re not sure how to respond. Maybe you’re worried about saying the wrong thing, or making assumptions based on outdated stereotypes. Maybe you want to be supportive but you don’t quite know what that looks like in practice.

Or maybe you think you know about autism, but most of what you learned was focused on children, or was from a deficit-based perspective, or doesn’t match what you’re actually seeing with your adult clients.

And the thing is, if you don’t understand how autism affects your clients’ lives—the sensory issues, the social exhaustion, the masking, the executive function challenges, the way their nervous system works—you might unintentionally be working against them instead of with them.

THE WORKSHOP

That’s why I created When Your Client Tells You They’re Autistic. This is a one-and-a-half hour recorded workshop, available to you right now, on demand.

This workshop is designed to help you better support adult Autistic clients. It’s geared toward coaches, but the principles can be easily applied to therapists, SLPs, PTs, educators, healthcare workers, and other helping professionals. It’s about how to be a good ally when your client discloses they are Autistic, and to give you practical, and often simple, ways to adapt your approach to be more effective.

This is an insider’s perspective from an Autistic, ADHD, and multiply-neurodivergent coach, through a trauma-sensitive lens. Not theory. Not what the supposed experts say should work—though they aren’t autistic, and regularly make disparaging comments about trying to get autistics to be like “normal people.” But what actually works, from someone who lives this, and works with Autistic clients every day. I’ve been coaching full time for more than 6 years, I’m a certified master coach, and I’ve consulted with many other experienced neurodivergent coaches and therapists. This isn’t a few anecdotes and idealism, this is based on thousands of hours of experience and lived insight.

WHAT’S IN THE WORKSHOP?

Okay, so what is actually covered in this workshop?

1.  How autism actually shows up in adult lives. Not the stereotypes, not the childhood-focused diagnostic criteria, but the real, lived experience of Autistic adults—including some things that might not be obvious at first.

2.  What’s involved when a client discloses their autism to you. The vulnerability, the risk, the trust. And what they need from you in response.

3.  Common misconceptions and misperceptions about autism that might be getting in the way of effective coaching or other professional relationships. The myths we need to let go of.

4.  How to be a good ally to your Autistic clients. What that looks like in practice, not just in theory.

5.  Practical ways to support them. How to work with their nervous system, not against it. Communication strategies. Executive function supports. Ways to reduce unnecessary barriers.

6.  Real examples and scenarios to help you apply what you’re learning to your actual client relationships.

HONEST EXPECTATIONS

Now, I want to be honest with you.

Will this workshop teach you everything about the Autistic experience? No. And I wouldn’t trust any short workshop that makes that promise.

It would be impossible to share the entire Autistic experience within an hour and a half, and everything that it takes to effectively and compassionately work with someone who is Autistic or AuDHD. That’s not realistic.

But this will give you a solid introduction. And if you already have a strong foundation, this is deep enough to expand your learning and fill in gaps you might not have known were there.

What I’m offering is a way to think about autism, the relationship pressures involved, and the competing needs, that clarifies common misconceptions. Because I want to support you so you can partner with your Autistic clients more effectively and be even better at what you do. 

THE DETAILS

Here’s the details:

This is the recorded version of a live workshop I gave in May of 2025, so you get the video recording, an audio-only version, a complete transcript with slides included, the slides separately, and all workshop materials and bonuses.

Because it’s recorded, you have the freedom to follow along at your own pace. Rewind and rewatch and take notes as needed. Engage on your own time, as your energy allows. With no pressure to show up on someone else’s schedule or participate in a live meeting. And you can come back months later for a refresher when you need it.

You’ll have access for at least a full year, guaranteed, and probably several years. I don’t want to promise “lifetime access”—whose lifetime, yours or mine?—but I intend to keep this available for the foreseeable future.

This is an inclusive, trauma-sensitive, and BS-free zone. All are welcome, including LGBTQIA+ humans and all gender identities.

And while this workshop is designed primarily for coaches, the information and recommendations aren’t exclusive to coaching. This is also a good fit for counselors, therapists, OTs, SLPs, educators, healthcare workers, and other professionals working with Autistic clients.

INVITATION

So, here’s my invitation.

If you want to better support your Autistic clients. If you want to feel more confident when a client discloses they’re Autistic. If you want practical, and often simple, ways to adapt your approach to be more effective with neurodivergent clients, this workshop might be a fit for you.

For more info, or to sign up, go to www.AutismChrysalis.com/your-client-autistic.

Because your Autistic clients deserve professionals who understand them. You deserve to feel confident in your work with neurodivergent clients. And it is possible to learn how to be a better ally and supporter.

If this sounds like what you’re looking for, I’d love to share with you what I’ve learned.

Okay, wishing you a neurowonderful day.

Learn how to better support Autistic adult coaching and therapy clients. 

Learn how to be a good ally when your client discloses they are Autistic.

An insider’s perspective from an Autistic, ADHD, and multiply-neurodivergent coach, through a trauma-sensitive lens.

This is the recorded version of the live workshop in May of 2025. So it’s available to you now. This on-demand version includes the video recording, audio-only recording, full transcript with slides included, slides, and all workshop materials and bonuses.

What does the workshop cover?

Learn how to better support Autistic adult coaching clients.

We’ll look at some ways autism shows up in people’s lives, which can look different than you might be expecting, what’s involved in taking the risk of disclosing to you that they’re Autistic, and how to be a good ally when they do.

Then we’ll apply that to how it can influence a coaching relationship, and how to be responsive as a coach, with some practical tips and examples to make it useful.

An insider’s perspective from an Autistic, ADHD, and multiply-neurodivergent coach, through a trauma-sensitive lens.

In this 1 hour 30 minute workshop, you’ll learn:

  • What autism actually is—and isn’t. We’ll address common misconceptions and stereotypes that may get in the way of effective coaching, and explore how autism shows up in people’s lives in ways you might not expect.
  • How to be a strong ally when clients disclose. Understand the risk your client is taking when they share their autism diagnosis, and learn how to respond in ways that are respectful and supportive.
  • How autism can influence the coaching relationship. Discover practical examples of how the Autistic experience might differ from perceived norms in a coaching setting, and how to adapt your approach accordingly.
  • Affirming language and communication. Learn how to talk about autism respectfully, with clarity on key terms and considerations.
  • Practical strategies for common coaching scenarios. We’ll address questions like working with open-ended questions, supporting clients through dysregulation, building self-esteem, and fulfilling ICF competencies while coaching impactfully.
  • 15 Minutes of Q&A with real ICF coaches, applying this to their real coaching practices.

Bonus content

  • Autism in Coaching Resources PDF
  • Common coaching stressors for Autistics
  • Practical Tips for Disclosing Your Autism Workshop Recording
  • Video – The Chrysalis of Autism Discovery
  • Video – Finding Your Autistic Way Is Like Being Lost In The Wood

This is the recorded version of the live workshop in December of 2024. So it’s available to you now. This on-demand version includes the video recording, audio-only recording, full transcript with slides included, slides, and all workshop materials and bonuses.

Topics covered

1 – Intro

  • My story, in brief.
  • How my story relates to your clients.

2 – How to be a strong ally

  • 3 Common misconceptions that get in the way.
  • How autism historically has been perceived.
  • About the stereotypes.
  • What autism is, and isn’t.
  • Autism as medical issue vs. identity.

3 – Disclosing their autism to a coach

  • The risk they are taking in disclosing.
  • Considerations they may have before disclosing.
  • How you can be respectful and supportive when they disclose.

4 – How autism may show up in coaching

  • How it can influence a coaching relationship.
  • How can you be responsive as a coach.
  • Practical examples of how the Autistic experience might be different from what you’re expecting, or the perceived norm, in a coaching setting.

5 – Affirming language

  • How to talk about autism respectfully.
  • Clarifying a few terms.

6 – Q&A

  • Thoughts on supporting Autistics through career transitions.
  • Are open-ended questions harder for a person with autism? How to make it easier?
  • How to help when an Autistic person gets disregulated in a coaching session?
  • How to help them build self-esteem and rebuild the sense of “I’m good enough”?
  • How do we fulfill ICF competencies and still coach impactfully for an Autistic client?
  • Thoughts on exploring coaching approaches for Autistics that tap into creativity.

Will this teach me everything I need to know to be a strong ally?

I want to be realistic, so the honest answer is no. And I wouldn’t trust any short workshop that makes that promise.

It would be impossible to share the entire Autistic experience within an hour and a half, and everything that it takes to effectively and compassionately coach someone who is Autistic or AuDHD.

Nevertheless, this will give you a good introduction, and is deep enough to expand your learning if you already have a strong foundation.

I’d like to offer a way to think about autism, the relationship pressures involved, and the competing needs, that clarifies common misconceptions and misperceptions, so that you can partner with your Autistic clients and be even more effective as a coach. 

When is it?

This is the recorded version of the live workshop in May of 2025. So it’s available to you now.

This gives you the freedom to:
    • Follow along at your own pace.
    • Rewind and re-watch as much as needed.
    • Pause to take notes.
    • Engage on your own schedule, as your energy allows.
    • Not feel pressured to participate in a live meeting.
    • Not need to take it all in at once, avoiding overwhelm.
    • Reduce demand avoidance of learning on someone else’s schedule.
    • Come back months later for a refresher.

So when is it?
It's ready when you are.

FAQs

This is the recorded version of the live workshop in May of 2025. So it’s available to you now.

This gives you the freedom to:
    • Follow along at your own pace.
    • Rewind and re-watch as much as needed.
    • Pause to take notes.
    • Engage on your own schedule, as your energy allows.
    • Not feel pressured to participate in a live meeting.
    • Not need to take it all in at once, avoiding overwhelm.
    • Reduce demand avoidance of learning on someone else’s schedule.
    • Come back months later for a refresher.

There are a variety of accommodations built into the course for various learning styles:

  • Human edited transcripts (no funky AI typos) of every video.
  • Transcripts include the slides so you don’t have to jump back-and-forth between files.
  • Audio only files if you prefer to just listen.
  • Table of contents built into each video to easily jump to topics of interest.
  • The video player remembers where you leave off so you don’t have to find your spot.
  • Bonus pages with clear explanations of important concepts for easy reference.
  • The course website is WCAG compliant. 

This is an inclusive, trauma-sensitive, and BS-free zone.*

ALL are welcome, including cis, trans, nonbinary, a-gender, gender expansive, and other LGBTQIA+ humans.

The language used throughout the course is intentionally gender inclusive.

*The presenter is trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive, but you are the best judge of what you can handle at the moment. Please take care of yourself.

You will have access for at least a full year (and longer if I renew my subscription to the course platform, which is likely).

I don’t want to promise “lifetime access”—(Whose lifetime, yours or mine? Or the lifetime of the website? All of which could be misleading.)—which is why I’m intentionally cautious about promising too much, but it is my intention to keep this available for the foreseeable future.

I want to be realistic, so the honest answer is no. And I wouldn’t trust any short workshop that makes that promise.

It would be impossible to share the entire Autistic experience within an hour and a half, and everything that it takes to effectively and compassionately coach someone who is Autistic or AuDHD.

Nevertheless, this will give you a good introduction, and is deep enough to expand your learning if you already have a strong foundation.

I’d like to offer a way to think about autism, the relationship pressures involved, and the competing needs, that clarifies common misconceptions and misperceptions, so that you can partner with your Autistic clients and be even more effective as a coach. 

Yes!

The information and recommendations I present aren’t exclusive to coaching.

For example, this may also be a good fit for counselors, therapists, OTs, SLPs, medical professionals, educators, and other professionals working with Autistic clients.