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Where are you looking for support?

Benefits, school funding and travel help work completely differently in each country, so we'll only show you the one that applies to your child.

πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§United KingdomπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈUnited States

You can switch any time using the flag at the top of the page.

Sensory-friendly services near you

The everyday appointments that are hardest to book for an autistic child β€” a haircut, a filling, an eye test, a doctor's visit. Parents in our study rated these the hardest of all to find, scoring them 1.93 out of 5 for how easy they were to track down. Pick a service to search your area.

πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§You're seeing United Kingdom results.Not right? Go to the United States site

No specialist near you? Use your ordinary local one

What to say when you book, how to tell them about your child, what to ask for at each kind of appointment β€” and what they have to do by law. Most of what helps is scheduling and warning, not training.

Read the guide
  • Barbers & hairdressers

    13 listed

    Barbers, hairdressers and salons that do something specific for autistic children -- a quiet or out-of-hours appointment, a visit to meet the chair before any cutting, no-clipper cuts, or a stylist who has done it before.

  • Dentists

    15 listed

    Dental practices with real autism or sensory provision -- longer appointments, a desensitisation visit before treatment, or a quiet room -- alongside NHS community special care dentistry, the referral route for children who cannot manage a high-street practice.

  • Opticians

    41 listed

    Opticians who can manage a sight test with an autistic child -- a quieter slot, a longer appointment, or a familiarisation visit first. Children's sight tests are free on the NHS.

  • GP practices & doctors

    Coming soon

    GP practices publishing a specific autism or sensory adjustment: a quiet waiting area, the first or last appointment of the day, a longer slot, or a named autism lead.

    We have none to list. Almost no UK surgery publishes an autism or sensory access policy, so rather than guess we have left this empty. Worth knowing anyway: every practice has a duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments, so it is worth asking yours directly for a quiet wait or a first-of-the-day appointment.

Or search straight from your postcode β€” pick a service first:

Can't find the service you're looking for?

Tell us what we've missed and we'll look into adding it. If it's your own service, this is how you ask us to list it β€” and if you know a provider who should be here, point them this way too.

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We check everything before it goes on the site.