Shauna Clune

Hello, my name is Shauna and I am an Assistant Clinical Psychologist in a Neurodevelopmental Team in CAMHS, NHS. I work closely with neurodivergent individuals, from assessment through to intervention as well as psychoeducation, service development and collaboration with services in the community and CAMHS. Through this, along with my academic background, I appreciate and validate the experiences of the neurodiverse community by understanding the neurodevelopmental differences in information processing, sensory integration, social interaction and communication.

Growing up in across seven different countries, I spent most of my time playing sport, eventually representing the UAE Teams in Woman U18 Netball and U18 Rugby. I understand how sport can fundamentally improve young people's lives through forging friendships, teaching life skills like teamwork, healthy competition, accountability and so much more. With many neurodivergent individuals struggling with low mood, isolation and low self-esteem, I can really see how sport can act as a protective factor to improve wellbeing and overall quality of life.

Having myself competed in sport to a high standard, I am aware of the cultures, expectation and system infrastructure of elite sport. With the increasing number of people self-identifying as neurodivergent and the movement towards neuroaffirmative language, it is more relevant now than ever before to understand neurodiversity and support neuroinclusive practices in sport. Sport can act as a vehicle for change and we are ready to come together with the right intention, research and experts to amplify voices of neurodivergent individuals to make lasting and impactful change.