Humanity, authenticity and innovation: the National Autism Trainer Programme

The National Autism Trainer Programme (NATP) is a partnership between Anna Freud and AT-Autism, commissioned by NHS England to improve autistic people’s experience of mental health care.

It was co-designed, co-produced and co-delivered with over 100 autistic people, and promoted an experience-sensitive, trauma-informed approach.

NATP commissioned training has come to an end, with over 5,000 delegates from settings including health and justice, inpatient mental health hospitals, and residential special schools trained between 2022 and 2024. The programme’s train-the-trainer model vastly increases its impact as delegates deliver the training back to their own workplace, meaning their colleagues also receive NATP’s learning.

All delegates deliver training alongside an expert with lived experience of autism – an Expert by Experience (EbE). EbEs were essential to the programme’s success, providing insight and firsthand experience to help services create neurodiversity-informed change that ensures effective support for all.

Amy is an NATP-trained EbE. She supports NHS staff who attended NATP to roll out training in their services and apply their learning to improve the care they deliver for diagnosed and undiagnosed autistic people.

Following the programme’s celebratory closing conference in February 2025, she shares some reflections on NATP.

My NATP story: using my experience to create change

"As a late-diagnosed autistic woman with severe mental and physical health challenges, I know first-hand the harm caused by inadequate mental health support. I’ve experienced neglect, rejection and a total lack of empathy time and time again. The trauma of not being heard has at times made me feel like an empty vessel instead of a human.

"I think the desire for change in care systems is obviously there. It’s clear more and more people, autistic or not, are aware of the need for change – a need that I am painfully aware of from my own experiences.

The programme

"The National Autism Trainer Programme is much more than its name suggests. These words cannot begin to capture the passion, heart, and dedication for honest coproduction at the programme’s core.

"One presenter at the NATP closing conference described the programme as “living and breathing”. The programme is inherently human because it evolves, it challenges and questions. It seeks to dig out negative narratives and confront the status quo. But it does so carefully and genuinely, with care and kindness at its centre. This balance creates safety while challenging trainees to consider their own beliefs and biases, to ignite the sparks of change.

"NATP seeks to create greater understanding, greater empathy and greater acceptance – and in its approach, it certainly leads by example. Importantly, NATP is adaptable to suit different people and settings. Just like people, every organisation is different, so one size cannot fit all.

Transforming lives

"The programme has done so much more than help staff to support autistic people, including many dealing with mental health challenges – NATP training has the potential to transform whole organisations. It creates small changes that will gradually become seismic shifts. And by changing organisations, it can also change lives. The lives of patients, of course, but also of professionals within these settings – it has enriched and changed the direction of delegates’ work.

"At the closing conference, one such person made this clear when she said that she knew nothing about autism before doing this training, but now absolutely loves finding new ways to support autistic people. This delegate has rolled out several programmes in her organisation after attending NATP, which are in huge demand in her service.

"I believe this change is at the heart of the programme, as made clear at the closing conference. NATP teaches us to re-think, and in many cases to ‘un-think’. It is fundamentally about authenticity and empowerment – empowering autistic people, but also empowering the therapist, the support worker, the nurse.

Celebrating neurodiversity

"Neurodiversity is not a concept that applies to a tiny margin of society. It is in all of us, and NATP celebrates that what can and is transforming lives of autistic individuals can transform the lives of all individuals. It is about what is best for everyone.

"The programme is a testament to acceptance of neurodiversity and a balanced view of neurodivergence and co-occurring mental health conditions. All manner of neurodivergent people co-created and co-produced this programme, and their input and their stories are invaluable. Neurodiversity is something to be celebrated and the community at the heart of the programme is something to be championed.

Shaping the future

"At the closing conference, I heard someone say, “the world is not designed for us”. As neurodivergent people, we often hear and feel this – that we do not fit, or we are not ‘normal’. People, social constructs and conformities may have led us to be othered, but our biodiverse world actually mirrors our own neurodiversity.

"NATP shows us this in a reflective and frank way, encouraging us to reconsider the constructs we follow and start with changing our own beliefs. Let’s be at one with our world and celebrate our neurodiverse communities.

"We can take forward the enormous difference NATP is making by taking action. We can all be a part of the ripples of change – and together we can create an ocean of acceptance and support."

Find out more

To find out more about the impact of the programme, read these stories.

Improving Mental Health Therapies for Autistic Children and Young People

Georgia Pavlopoulou, NATP Strategic Co-Lead and Programme Director at Anna Freud was one of the editors of Improving Mental Health Therapies for Autistic Children and Young People, published by Routledge in 2024. This book was co-produced by 25 autistic authors and allies, and forms part of our Key Ideas and Best Practice series. You can find the book on the Routledge website.

About Anna Freud

We have been supporting children and young people for over 70 years and are working to close the gap in children and young people’s mental health. NATP is helping us achieve this by providing professionals with the skills and knowledge to ensure autistic people are properly supported in mental health settings.