The Autism Dialogue Approach Handbook:
Transforming Communication in Neurodiversity
by
Jonathan Drury
Routledge, 2025
The Autism Dialogue Approach Handbook serves as both a comprehensive guide and a practical handbook for healthcare professionals, educators, caregivers, and anyone engaging with the autism community. Jonathan Drury presents the Autism Dialogue Approach (ADA), a pioneering framework rooted in dialogue and mindfulness practices. It addresses the diverse needs of autistic and neurodivergent individuals, emphasising that ‘the autism community’ includes everyone, promoting an inclusive understanding of neurodiversity.
The book critiques traditional therapeutic and coaching models, proposing ADA as an alternative that values co-creation and shared meaning-making. By exploring practical strategies, Drury demonstrates how ADA transforms therapy, coaching and leadership by fostering environments where neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals can connect authentically and transcend division.
With clear tools, exercises, and real-world examples, this handbook guides readers in applying ADA to cultivate neurodivergent-affirming, inclusive spaces. It also delves into the philosophical and spiritual dimensions of dialogue, offering insights into how societal structures impact autistic experiences and how systemic change can occur through dialogue. (from the publisher)
New, on-demand Foundations course coming in May 2026. Details.
“The Autism Dialogue provides an insightful perspective… aims to replace a negative deficit-based view with teaching people about the benefits of autistic ways of perceiving the world.”
Temple Grandin
“Exactly the sort of steps that need to be taken.”
~ Steve Silberman
Author, Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, USA
“This book tells of a careful, sensitive, at times irreverent, engagement with self, with rapidly changing autism understanding, and with the nascent Autism Dialogue Approach. Reflective and immersive at the same time, it invites the reader into dialogue, here and now, preparing us to more deeply, more wisely, take up caring for oneself, one another, and the world.”
~ Dr. Hanne De Jaegher
“The principles of Autism Dialogue are eloquently explained in this innovative book. It provides the reader with insights into a strengths-based approach that can empower.
The author invites us to consider the richness of lived experiences via self and mutual understanding.
This approach has great potential to reduce harmful societal misunderstandings of autism.
The Autism Dialogue Approach needs to be embraced.”
~ Megan Freeth, Professor of Neurodevelopmental Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK.
“In a world of positive psychology and self-improvement techniques that gives primacy to the individual – one that cannot but give rise to psychological models of deficiency or deficit that marginalize differences – we can welcome an approach that focuses on the radically relational and dialogical nature of our self-experience, beyond all psychopathological divides.
With this book, JD offers us the gift of a veritable view from within the world of autistic experience, a perspective that takes seriously the notion that practical knowledge about human experience is the royal road – and the active principle – for understanding how our minds are not isolated but work together to bring forth meaningful worlds.”
~ Amy Cohen Varela
Clinical Psychologist; Chair, Mind & Life Europe
“As someone deeply engaged in neurodiversity through the Evolutionary Stress Framework, I find the Autism Dialogue Approach transformative. Its focus on authentic, non-judgmental conversations between neurotypes aligns with our mission of highlighting stress as a driver of adaptive complexity.
By fostering vulnerability, ADA reduces fragmentation and builds resilient neurodiverse communities. Jonathan Drury’s creation of therapeutic spaces outside traditional therapy is a vital contribution to researchers and practitioners across many fields.”
~ Lori Hogenkamp, Center for Adaptive Stress, USA.
“Jonathan has developed a unique approach that addresses both the system and the individual, offering valuable insights for us all. This book is a powerful testament to fostering understanding and creating lasting impact in the field.”
~ Jane Ball, founder of The Academy of Professional Dialogue, UK
“It’s hard when meeting Jonathan not to be struck by his energy, intelligence and commitment. It’s hard to translate this into a book particularly as the subject matter is dialogue. I see this book as creating thoughts around which people can build their own presence in supportive dialogue groups. It’s all we have when we go into a group ourselves.”
~ Nicola Phillips
Author and thinking partner. UK
“This treatise explores in depth the principle and practice of understanding that all individuals have unique perceptions of the realities of themselves and their relationship to others’ perspectives. The dialogue approach sets a scene where all people’s views can be aired and listened to patiently and with minimal judgement. This is a good start both for communications and therapy.”
~ Mick Beck
Friend and practising therapist. UK
“The Dialogue Practices are at the heart of Autism Dialogue. Jonathan Drury recognised their potential to unlock disjointed miscommunications in the complex field of autism, and to encourage him we published his early attempts as an Acorn Paper in The World Needs Dialogue! (2019). This volume reveals the emerging oak, proving the worth of dialogue to reveal mutual understanding and appreciation.”
~ Peter Garrett
Author: A New Kind of Dialogue. chair: Academy of Professional Dialogue, UK.
Request an inspection copy of the Autism Dialogue Approach Handbook
For educators and university staff. Complete a short form to request from Routledge
“I was fortunate enough to participate in the inaugural Autism Dialogue sessions organised by Jonathan in Sheffield in 2018. I found the sessions to be enlightening and powerful, and their impact touched me both professionally and personally.
This text succinctly outlines the value of the Autism Dialogue Approach and the ways it can be used to enable deeper communication, respect and connection.”
~ Professor Elizabeth Milne
Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, The University of Sheffield, UK
“With this impressive handbook, Jonathan not only emancipates “Autism” from the shackles of conventional labelling, he also provides us all – whatever our neurotype – with deeply considered ideas to help us fully embrace our own uniqueness and that of others.”
~ Vincent Traynor
Associate Professor of Change Leadership, Sheffield Business School, UK
“Reading this book I could hear Jonathan’s honest, hopeful, reflective and passionate voice resonating through it.
Dialogue is such a deep yet simple and fundamental concept. This book dives into the depths whilst highlighting its simple, pure and humanising approach and philosophy.”
~ Sue Smith
Head of Lorna Wing Centre, London, UK