Designing Neurodiversity-Affirming and Trauma-Informed Clinical Spaces: A Theoretically Informed Practice Framework for Psychology and Healthcare Settings

Sensory processing differences are core features of Autism and are additionally documented in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), yet clinical environments are rarely designed with these needs in mind. This case study describes the design and implementation of a sensory-friendly psychology practice serving neurodivergent adults, with attention to fertility psychology clients experiencing ongoing traumatic stress. The framework is designed for replication across diverse practice settings, with low-cost modifications accessible to practitioners in rental, shared, or budget-constrained environments. Drawing on sensory processing research, universal design, trauma-informed environmental design, biophilic design, and fertility treatment stress literature, 10 design principles were developed and implemented across a multi-room practice in South Perth, Western Australia. Principles address visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, proprioceptive, thermal, and gustatory sensory domains, plus affirming visual messaging and explicit permission-giving. Environmental design represents an underutilised dimension of neurodiversity-affirming clinical care that may determine whether therapeutic engagement is possible before any intervention begins. This framework provides practitioners with a replicable model for transforming clinical environments. Principles vary in their evidence base, from direct empirical research in Autistic and ADHD populations through to theoretically grounded clinical consensus, and the framework is explicitly positioned as a practice-based synthesis rather than an established body of clinical evidence. Formal evaluation of the framework's impact on therapeutic engagement and client outcomes is identified as a research priority. Many impactful modifications are accessible regardless of budget or rental constraints.