How is CBT adapted for autistic and ADHD clients?
Written by the clinical team at The Lyceum Clinic. Clinically reviewed by Sanah Younis, Founder and Clinical Director, BABCP-accredited (no. 1000792). Published 28 October 2026. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.
Clinical perspective: The Lyceum's specialist therapist in neurodivergent-adapted CBT.
Standard CBT assumes typical executive functioning, so the adaptation is practical rather than cosmetic: visual working, shorter chunks, explicit transition warnings, and sensory regulation addressed before any cognitive work is attempted.
In the session
Whiteboards rather than talk alone. Information in shorter pieces. Transitions signposted instead of assumed.
Between sessions
We do not simply assign a task. Alarms are set during the session, the task is tied to a routine that already exists, and the plan is built around executive function rather than in spite of it.
For more detail, read about neurodivergent-adapted CBT.
Sensory first
Cognitive restructuring is difficult to do in a body that is overloaded. Regulation comes before the thinking work, not after it.