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Need urgent help or support?

If you feel distressed or unsafe, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option.

Other ways to contact NHS 111:

  • Text relay Call 18001 111 using text relay, 24 hours a day.
  • Signvideo for British sign language (BSL).
  • Help in other languages Call 111 and ask for an interpreter.

Your local NHS 111 Mental Health team is for people of all ages. It’s available 24/7, free of charge and you can call for yourself or someone else.

NHS 111 Mental Health is not an emergency service. In emergency situations where there’s an immediate risk to life, or you need urgent physical care, you should contact 999 or go to A&E.

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Find the right support for you

Everyone’s brain works differently. If you are autistic, have ADHD, or think you might, you are not alone. Autism, ADHD and learning disabilities are known as neurodevelopmental disorders.

Neurodevelopmental disorders can affect how people think, learn, focus and communicate

This page brings together support, tools and advice to help people with Autism and ADHD in everyday life,  whether you have a diagnosis or not.

Many of the tools and resources on this page are free to use.

You can access them without an ADHD or autism diagnosis, an NHS referral, or being in contact with NHS services.

 

Tools to help with everyday life

These tools can help with focus, organisation, memory and planning.

  • Todoist – helps you track tasks and set reminders
  • Trello – uses visual boards to organise your work
  • Microsoft To Do – simple daily lists
  • Notion – all-in-one system for notes, tasks and planning

  • Forest – helps you stay focused by reducing phone use
  • Freedom – blocks distracting websites and apps
  • Focusmate – virtual “body doubling” sessions
  • Time Timer – helps you see how time is passing

  • Read&Write – reads text aloud and supports focus
  • Grammarly – helps with writing clearly
  • Dragon (speech-to-text) – lets you speak instead of type
  • OrbitNote – helps you read and annotate PDFs

  • MindView – helps you plan and organise ideas visually
  • MindMeister – simple mind mapping tool

Access to Work  can help you do your job more easily.

Support can include software, equipment like headphones, and coaching.

You can apply even without a formal diagnosis.

A common access to work package might include:

  • Software: Including many of the apps and packages listed above
  • Equipment: Including noise cancelling headphones, dual monitors and smart pens
  • Human support: Including ADHD coaching, virtual assistants and admin support

 

You may be able to get Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) to help with study costs.

For students in higher education, support is available through disability and student support services, including reasonable adjustments and specialist support where needed. A formal diagnosis is not required to access support. The focus is on the student’s needs and the impact of their difficulties on their education.

National organisations that can support people with ADHD and autism include ADHD UK and ADHDadultUK.

Coaching can help build routines, improve focus and manage workload. There is a helpful guide to support with finding an ADHD coach near  you.

Coaching and support is often funded via Access to Work

Local and community support includes peer groups and online support. There is more information about these support groups on the AutismGM website.

ADHD and autism assessments

The support highlighted on this page is for people with diagnosed and undiagnosed conditions. We understand that waiting for an assessment to confirm these conditions can be stressful.

Changes to how assessments are managed in Greater Manchester were introduced from April 2026. You can find out more about those changes and the support available on this page.

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