'Young' in H.A.P.P.Y. refers to people aged 0-99 years!
Happiness in Autism Personal Project for Young People
H.A.P.P.Y. is a program that results in an autism friendly and personalized workbook with suggestions for activities that are concretizations of 10 evidence based wellbeing strategies. The program was created by Peter Vermeulen who is an international speaker on autism.
Why was H.A.P.P.Y. created?
Well-being research has identified several strategies that increase the happiness and wellbeing of people. However, Peter Vermeulen believes that these evidence based wellbeing strategies cannot be applied to autistic people without taking into account their unique profile of perceiving and understanding the world. H.A.P.P.Y. does not try to force autistic people to take on non-autistic ideas about how to be happy, or to make them less autistic. Instead, the aim of the program is to help children, teens and adults be autistically happy!
You can find out more about Peter Vermeulen and his work here.
What does a H.A.P.P.Y. coach do?
H.A.P.P.Y. coaches support autistic children, teens and adults with identifying and developing their own pathways to happiness and well-being by providing personalized support and guidance based on their unique needs and strengths.
In addition to being a H.A.P.P.Y. coach, I completed a Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies with the Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Griffith University, Australia. ACE's approach aligns with the neurodiversity paradigm and has a strong focus on incorporating the voices of the autistic community.
Neurodiversity is the art of being beautifully different in a world that seeks conformity.
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Late diagnosed autistic adults
Some people find out they are autistic later in life and this can provide an opportunity to understand themselves better, and view themselves through a more loving and compassionate lens. H.A.P.P.Y. is a great way to support late diagnosed adults with this process.