Coaching for Autistic Adults, Teens, and their Caretakers
With Bird Sellergren
How Coaching Works
We may be a strong fit if….
Autistic People
You have an autism diagnosis. What happens next?
Diagnosis provides an explanation, but many autistic adults still need support translating that knowledge into changes in home life, relationships, work, self-advocacy, and internal standards. Coaching begins with a reframe: the systems you are navigating aren’t built with autistic needs in mind, and the difficulty you experience in them is not a personal failing. The goal is to embrace your authentic self, build confidence in who you are, and develop self-advocacy skills to navigate the world on your own terms.
You have read extensively about autism but are still trying to apply that knowledge to your own life.
You want to examine patterns rather than receive generic instructions.
You are rebuilding your life after burnout or late diagnosis.
You want language for explaining your needs to partners, family members, clinicians, or colleagues.
You value autistic knowledge, collaborative inquiry, and individualized systems.
You are prepared to meet weekly for at least two months. Continuity is the key to a successful coaching process.
Organizations
Organizations, managers, and others in leadership who want to genuinely support neurodivergent people need more than accommodation policies and compliance frameworks.
My coaching, consulting, and training help your team develop a deeper understanding of neurodivergence in the workplace and what that means for how you structure work, communicate expectations, and build inclusive environments. We work together to align your organizational culture with the needs of the neurodivergent people you work with.
Families and Caretakers
Most families arrive at coaching with the right intentions — to support their autistic loved one —but may be using an incomplete framework.
Coaching for families and caretakers starts by examining the assumptions underlying the questions you are already asking about behavior, support, and what the autistic person in your life needs. We work together to understand how autism functions and shapes the lived experience of autistic people, and how to position yourself as an informed support system for those you love.
Are you autistic and need support to navigate life's responsibilities, plan for the future, and achieve your goals?
Are you a parent, caretaker, or educator who wants to learn how to support the autistic person in your life better?
Do you feel like those around you aren’t hearing you or don’t truly understand your needs?
My Lived and Professional Experience
I am autistic myself, and my coaching is informed by lived experience as well as academic training.
I completed my master’s degree in cultural anthropology, researching the tension between autistic and organizational cultures. I am currently pursuing a PhD focused on autism equity in education, heavily centered around relationality and autistic epistemology.
An Autism-Affirming Approach
My practice is explicitly autism-affirming. I do not aim to change autistic behavior to fit neurotypical norms.
Instead, I work from the understanding that autism is a valid form of human neurology, and that many challenges arise because environments and expectations are not designed with autistic people in mind.
Rather than focusing primarily on symptom reduction, my coaching uses metacognitive reflection to help clients understand their own cognitive, sensory, and relational patterns and translate that understanding into self-advocacy, decision-making, and life design.
Who I Work With
I provide coaching for autistic adults and teens, as well as for parents, caretakers, and educators who want to better understand and support autistic people in their lives. My work centers autistic perspectives while also supporting the people and systems around them.
What We Work On Together
My coaching is metacognitive and systems-oriented. I help autistic clients examine how they process experiences, identify patterns across relationships and environments, develop precise language for their needs, and use that understanding to make more intentional decisions about how they want to live and relate to others.
Values and Framework
My coaching validates autistic autonomy, self-determination, and worth.
I work within the neurodiversity paradigm and draw on feminist, decolonial, and intersectional frameworks to ensure that support is ethical, respectful, and responsive to real-world power dynamics.
Together, we can work on areas such as:
Executive functioning, decision-making, and follow-through
Balancing relationships, boundaries, and alone time
Communication, self-advocacy, and navigating misunderstandings
Stress, burnout, and emotional regulation
Adapting to change, uncertainty, and transitions
Education planning, including college and graduate school applications
Employment-related support, including job applications and workplace navigation
Supporting or understanding PDA profiles and demand-related stress
Understanding and reducing rejection sensitivity distress
Supporting autistic identity development, including gender-affirming care navigation
Building sustainable routines that support health, well-being, and engagement with the world
Helping caretakers better understand autistic needs, strengths, and support strategies
Coaching may be a good fit if you are autistic, or if you are a parent/caretaker, or organization supporting an autistic person.
My work is informed by lived experience and by leadership as a nonprofit founder, educator, and facilitator, allowing me to support clients with both practical skill-building and systems-level insight.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Each session is 60 minutes long, and a single session costs $110, paid by Venmo, credit/debit card, or cash.
Multi-person sessions for families, couples, or otherwise start at $180/hour.
I also offer a Rapid Lab session, a quick 15-minute session to follow up on a specific scenario or question you may have or need support with. Rapid Lab is $40.
Rates are periodically adjusted to reflect demand, specialization, and the practice's sustainability. Existing clients are notified in advance of any pricing changes.
Session structure:
A typical coaching session will include a brief check-in on the previous session’s work. After that, we will build on that content and discuss new issues as they arise. We may dive deeper into aspects of the autistic experience, set new goals, or think about new strategies. Last, we wrap up by discussing what you may work on between sessions.
Rapid Labs are one-question, one-scenario, one-issue brainstorming sessions.
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Coaching focuses on autism-informed reflection, real-world problem-solving, systems navigation, self-advocacy, communication, and building practical strategies for daily life, relationships, work, education, and identity integration. My work is collaborative, forward-focused, and grounded in helping clients develop language, frameworks, and interpretive tools to understand their experiences and navigate the world more effectively.
Coaching does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions and is not psychotherapy or a replacement for therapy. Clients seeking support for acute mental health concerns, trauma processing, crisis stabilization, or clinical treatment may benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional alongside or instead of coaching. Many clients engage in both simultaneously, and referrals are provided when therapeutic support is needed.
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All of my coaching sessions are conducted over Zoom.
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The length of coaching varies depending on your goals, support needs, life circumstances, and the type of work we are doing together.
Some clients seek short-term support around a specific transition, challenge, or question and work with me for a few months. Others engage in longer-term coaching focused on autism-informed self-understanding, communication, relationships, burnout recovery, self-advocacy, education, work, or systems navigation.
Because this work is collaborative and individualized, there is no required timeline or fixed coaching model. Some clients meet weekly for a period of time, while others prefer biweekly or more flexible schedules depending on their needs and capacity.
Coaching is intended to support meaningful, sustainable growth over time rather than quick behavioral “fixes,” and the pace of the work is shaped collaboratively based on your goals, readiness, and circumstances.
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The first step is to book a complimentary 30-minute coaching discovery call, which you can schedule by contacting me through my contact page.
A consultation conducted on Zoom will allow us to talk, discuss your situation, and explore whether I am a good fit for your needs.
Want to request a coaching consultation? Click below to schedule a free 30-minute call.
