Our Mission

Our Mission is to provide a comprehensive range of services for parents of Autistic/ADHD children across the UK, at all stages of the assessment and diagnosis process. Services that will support and empower all areas of parent carer life and wellbeing.

Our Vision

Our vision for AAPS-UK is to create an industry leading, nationwide organisation, that removes isolation and ensures parents & carers feel supported, equipped and empowered in their parent carer role.

A trusted and valued organisation that not only champions and celebrates families like ours but believes in the power of peer support and community, and creates a family like support network for its members, to ensure no parent/carer needs to face this journey alone again.

When parents are properly supported, families thrive, we want to create an organisation that plays a huge part in making that the norm, not the exception.

Our Values

What's important to us

Respect Differences

Respect, and appreciation for the multitude of differences in parents and families.

Neuro-affirming

Positive neuro-affirming approach, which celebrates and empowers neurodivergent individuals and their experiences.

Accessibility

Ensuring we make our services as accessible to all as possible, and prevent barriers to access where at all possible.

Trust

Ensure that we are always honest, open and deliver on what we promise.

Parent led

Always seek to develop services with parent voice and opinion in mind, ensuring they are at the heart of what we do.

Strive for better

Continually evaluating what we do well and how we can do better, to ensure our services always meet the needs of those using them.

Meet the Team

Kertrina Gearing

Founding Director

Kertrina Gearing is the founding Director of Autism & ADHD Parent Support UK CIC, author and qualified Coach, specialising in supporting

parent carers and neurodivergent business owners

Mum to four amazing neurodivergent young adults and late diagnosed autistic herself, Kertrina has over 22 years experience both personally and professionally, she is passionate about supporting and empowering fellow parents, providing them with the support they need, to enable the entire family to thrive.

Kelly-Anne Riley-Smith

Director

Kelly-Anne Riley-Smith is a teacher, author and autism and parent support advisor who has over 20 years experience of SEN and autism (both professionally and personally).

Through her business, SENsational Life: Supporting & Empowering Neurodiverse Families, she aims to provide fellow parents of autistic children with the tools, strategies, and knowledge so they can provide and secure their family with the support and services needed for an inclusive and happy life

Our History

Before the CIC…..

Autism & ADHD Parent Support began life as a desire for one mum, to bring people together, so they could support each other and reduce the isolation they faced. Back then knowing very little about the sheer number of parents of autistic/ADHD children, she expected the group to grow to no more than 50 members at its peak! How very wrong was she, that group is still around and actively supporting members today, over 19,600 of them!

That mum was Kertrina Gearing, mum to four amazing children, three diagnosed autistic/ADHD. After spending many years running the group and seeing the consistent struggles of other families, she very much wanted to create something more, a way of supporting families, a way of ending the pain, struggles and isolation she had faced. This was the beginning of a journey that was to become Autism & ADHD Parent Support UK CIC.

Thinking she might create a standard business of some kind, Kertrina joined a membership to help her learn about Facebook groups and how to grow them, it was there she met a lovely lady, Kelly-anne Riley-Smith, who would not only become a great friend but a business partner too!

Fast forwarding through lots of soul searching and ‘figuring things out’, Kelly-anne and Kertrina joined forces and on 17th February 2023, Autism & ADHD Parent Support UK CIC, was officially born.

Autism & ADHD Parent Support UK CIC, still offers that Facebook group but also s continually growing range of support services online across the UK and now in person in the Kent area, supporting parents and carers at all stages of their child’s assessment and diagnosis process.

Click here for our parent and carer support services, blog, resources and much more.

If you are a parent carer or neurodivergent individual in business or have a product or service based business that supports families like ours then head over to this section.