A new centre providing timely assessment, diagnosis, and tailored support plans for neurodivergent children, adults, and families is opening in Swansea, with services available across South Wales.
The Neuropathways Centre, launched by health and wellbeing organisation Health is One, is designed to provide earlier identification, faster access to assessments and more joined-up support.
It comes amid growing concerns about long NHS waiting times and fragmented care for people seeking assessments and the lack of post-diagnosis support.
The centre provides comprehensive support for neurodevelopmental needs, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and sensory processing challenges.
Services include diagnosis, counselling, and post-diagnostic care, alongside specialist input for additional learning needs such as speech and language development.
But what sets it apart, according to its Directors, is its focus on adopting a whole-system model of care for people, with support plans co-ordinated across home, school or work, health and community settings.
“We know that health is not just about symptoms. It’s about how people feel, function and connect with the world around them,” says Emma Davies, a Director at Health is One.
As Chair of the Children, Young People and Families Committee for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Emma leads national conversations on evidence-informed practice, neurodiversity inclusion, and service innovation.
“The Neuropathways Centre reflects our commitment to a joined-up pathway of support that recognises the full complexity of people’s lives, including their unique clinical, social and emotional needs.
“By working in close partnership with families, schools, and local services, we’re building a more inclusive and responsive system of support. One that actively addresses inequality in mental health care, not by offering the same to everyone, but by recognising individual needs and delivering tailored support that enables every person to thrive.”
The launch forms part of a broader initiative by Health is One to transform how mental health and neurodiversity support is delivered.
The organisation is showing how support can move away from traditional, siloed care models towards a fully integrated wraparound service that is personalised to real-life needs and adapts to every stage of a person’s journey.
“Before we self-referred for support, we were at breaking point,” says Jenny, a parent whose 10-year-old autistic son has been supported by Health is One. “He was feeling overwhelmed and having frequent meltdowns in school as there wasn’t an outlet for him to self-regulate his emotions.”
“We knew we couldn’t wait months or even years for help, so finding somewhere that could see us quickly made all the difference. The support we received through Health is One changed everything.
“It helped my son understand his emotions, recognise his triggers, and gave us the tools to support him through particularly intense reactions. For the first time, he began to feel in control of his feelings rather than frightened by them.”
Alongside emotion coaching and newly devised coping strategies, simple but effective changes were made within the school environment to help Jenny’s son self-regulate and feel safe.
“We worked with the school to set-up a quiet corner in the classroom that he could take himself to for a reset if he was starting to feel overwhelmed, and ensured he had sensory cushions and movement bands to help him regulate.
“The progress he has made has been incredible. So much so, he was recently able to attend a residential school trip – something we never thought would have been possible before we accessed professional support.”
