Neuro-Affirming Care
At PR Nutrition, we provide neuro-affirming nutrition care in a safe and supportive environment and we understand and value neurodiversity. Neurodivergent people may experience the world, communicate, process information and approach everyday tasks differently, and our aim is to work with these differences rather than against them.
Our dietitian has experience supporting neurodivergent people, including Autistic people, people with ADHD and AuDHDers. We welcome people who identify as neurodivergent, whether formally diagnosed, self-identified or exploring whether neurodivergence may be relevant to their experiences.
Your goals may overlap with other areas of support, including eating disorders, disordered eating, gut health and digestive symptoms, or you may have other nutrition or sustainable health goals. Either way, exploring and working with differences that you experience is part of our holistic care.
You’re not alone if…
You may experience differences in areas such as:
Planning and time management – including, but not limited to, meal planning, food shopping, meal preparation, cooking and cleaning
Flexibility and adaptability – for example, when the food you planned doesn't feel appealing anymore, plans change unexpectedly, or you need a different option at the last minute
Maintaining focus on tasks – such as starting, continuing or finishing cooking
Managing emotions and overwhelm – which can make planning, preparing and cooking meals feel even more difficult
Executive functioning – including getting started, switching between tasks, remembering steps, sequencing tasks or knowing where to begin
Sensory differences – including food textures, tastes, smells, temperatures and preferences, or the sensory environment in the kitchen
Foods becoming unappealing after eating them repeatedly – sometimes described as “the ick”
Making decisions – including decisions around what to eat
It isn't always as simple as “just eat”. There can be many steps involved in getting food from an idea to your plate, and each of those steps can require planning, energy, decision-making and executive functioning.
What looks like a simple task from the outside can feel much more overwhelming. That's okay. Our role is not to expect you to simply “try harder”, but to work with you to find strategies that fit your brain, your capacity and your life.
How a dietitian can help
Working with a dietitian can help you explore how your neurodivergence may interact with eating, food and everyday nutrition, and develop strategies that work with your individual needs. This may include:
Meal planning that considers your capacity, energy and executive functioning
Creating flexible eating routines that provide structure without feeling restrictive
Finding ways to vary familiar foods and manage food boredom or “the ick”
Exploring sensory preferences and finding foods that feel comfortable and manageable
Exploring ways to expand food variety when this is something you want to work towards
Reducing pressure around food and moving away from “all-or-nothing” thinking
Developing practical strategies for shopping, meal preparation and cooking
Finding ways to make eating feel more manageable during periods of overwhelm or low capacity
What working together might involve
Appointments provide a supportive space to explore your experiences with food and develop practical strategies that fit your lifestyle. As food can be a tricky topic to discuss, we offer a range of options to help make appointments more comfortable, including:
Low lighting
Fidget toys
Heat packs
Blankets
Summary email after appointments
A quieter environment
Where possible, gaps between appointments to allow some flexibility if you’re running late
The option for Reggie, Caylah’s dog, to join your session
If there’s anything else that would make you feel comfortable or communicate your needs, please let us know. You are also welcome to let us know if you prefer written information, extra processing time or a particular way of communicating.
Quieter Appointment Days
At present, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Hearing & Audiology team does not have appointments. If you prefer a quieter environment, we recommend booking on a Wednesday or Thursday.
A Note from Caylah
Hi, I'm Caylah, the dietitian behind PR Nutrition. I want to be transparent that I am not neurodivergent myself. I recognise that everyone's experience of neurodivergence is different, and that I won’t have the same lived experience as you.
My role is to listen, learn and work collaboratively with you to find what works for your individual needs. I'm committed to continuing to learn from neurodivergent people, as well as from current evidence and recommendations around neuro-affirming practice.
At the end of the day, you know yourself best, and our work together starts from there.
Book an appointment or reach out if you’d like to learn more about how PR Nutrition can support you.