The Neurodiversity Group Offers Peer Support and Positivity

Family Centre Series: Part 4.

For several years, voluntary group activities focused on neurodiversity have been organised in the Vihti/Karkkila area. Within the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, similar activities are available in Espoo as well.

In Vihti, the demand for these activities is high. The groups fill up quickly, partly because a formal diagnosis of the child is not a prerequisite for joining. The next group is set to start in early 2024, and parents of grade-school children will be notified via Wilma. Additionally, groups for pre-school children will be organised by early childhood education.

Group leaders Heidi Kajander and Tuija Hyvönen are also involved out of their own enthusiasm.

- Leading a group is rewarding, especially when you feel like you’re making a real difference. We’re well-equipped for this task, backed by a fantastic multidisciplinary team and effective collaboration at the Vihti Family Centre.

Both Kajander and Hyvönen specialise in coaching neurodivergent individuals and work as HOPE-nurses (an acronym from Finnish, combining care and pedagogy in an educational and psychiatric approach). They are trained coaches and part of a neurodiversity network, which includes family centre staff, youth workers, and school personnel.

The sessions have received positive feedback from parents, who are keen for these group activities to continue. Peer discussions and practical advice for daily life — such as managing gaming time, practising bedtime routines, or effective ways of giving feedback — have proven beneficial and brought noticeable positivity to everyday family life. Guest presentations, such as those by the psychologist Amanda Nokelainen, have also been highly appreciated.

Alongside the meetings, participants have had the chance to explore the Neurodiversity Lending Library in the Vihti Family Centre. Here, the Family Centre’s occupational therapist Marita Lindqvist, has compiled a range of tools, resources, and ideas to support families at home and assist children in school settings. The library also hosts visits for teachers, offering advice on easing classroom challenges and practice of techniques for staying still, calm, or focused with the help of weighted plushies. These plushies work similar to weighted blankets.

What is Nepsy?

• In Finland, “Nepsy” is a commonly used abbreviation for neuropsychiatric challenges linked to structural and functional brain differences. These challenges may manifest in daily life as inflexibility, a strong need for predictability, issues with concentration or emotional regulation, executive functioning difficulties, and social challenges or withdrawal. Sensory hypersensitivity (over-responsiveness) and hyposensitivity (under-responsiveness) are also common.
• For more information in Finnish: naenepsy.fi(external link) (Näenepsy.fi)

About Vihti Family Centre

• In early 2023, the Vihti Family Centre moved to a smaller yet better-located space on the second floor of the municipal office building.
• Located at Asematie 30, the Family Centre is situated near good transport connections and offers ample parking space.
• The Family Centre staff consists of 80 employees. 

This article is part of our series on family centres. In this series, we will explore the services and activities that Western Uusimaa family centres offer to families with children.