For AuDHD, autistic only, and ADHD only clients. Self-identification of neurotype is acceptable; no formal diagnosis for either autism or ADHD is required.
Sessions are held via Zoom only and are 60 minutes long.
This group is now closed for enrollment.
Group Schedule
This group will be held on Mondays at 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm, twice a month for a total of 12 sessions. It will use an interactive class format. These dates may be subject to change. Please check for last minute changes when planning to attend. Please note the November 17th group has been changed to November 24th.
Click on the topic links to get the public PDF of the class.
| 1. | October 6 | Introduction. What is bottom-up? What is executive functioning? |
| 2. | October 20 | BIMS (Burnout, Inertia, Meltdown, Shutdown). PDA. |
| 3. | November 3 | Nutrition and medication |
| 4. | November 24 | Circadian rhythm and exercise |
| 5. | December 1 | Interoception: Attunement |
| 6. | December 15 | Emotion processing |
| 7. | January 5 | Energy management & monotropism |
| 8. | January 19 | Exteroception and proprioception |
| 9. | February 2 | Strategies: Fill the bowl (pairing), body doubling, dopamine reset |
| 10. | February 16 | Strategies: NICE (Novelty, Interest, Challenge, Emergency) |
| 11. | March 2 | Strategies: Opportunities VEST (Visual, Easy, Space, Time) |
| 12. | March 16 | Wrap-up and summary |
AuDHD / Autistic / ADHD persons often struggle with the gap between ability and performance. They know they are capable of doing more, and that it can be hard to access that ability, especially consistently. Desperately wanting others to know they are not lazy or stupid or noncompliant, they ask, “Why can’t I do this simple thing I want to do?” They often feel they are letting other people down because they cannot perform on demand like others do.
Bottom-up refers to a model of intervention that starts with the body/environment to influence cognitive decisions in the brain. This is in contrast to top-down interventions that start with thoughts, planning, and willpower to guide the rest of the body.
There is a quotation by author Paul Collins:
“Autists are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work.
It’s that you’re destroying the peg.”
Top-down interventions often hammer down on the peg. Bottom-up interventions help the square pegs to create square holes.
Clients will be asked to think of an area of struggle (e.g. a messy closet or an unfinished project). Throughout the class, they will be asked to apply class concepts to that area of struggle. At the end of the class, there will be a reevaluation of how these skills have impacted that struggle (or not).
Contact Me
If you are interested in joining the group, please call, text, or email me. If you have any questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
(970) 275-2179 (call or text)
helen@montrosecounseling.net
Mont Rose Counseling, LLC 