The Challenge of finding an autism-friendly cafe

One of my favourite activities, is spending a couple of hours in a café with a regular Americano and my laptop.

It’s a great place to work these days, There’s something about the atmosphere of a nice café that allows me to be really creative and productive, as I write articles for this website or my up-coming book on autism.

Whilst I enjoy cafe culture, I have to choose my cafe carefully, as I can still get really stressed out if there are lots of noisy people on the other tables. Also, the sound of chairs banging on wooden floors drives me crazy. Harsh lighting is a challenge, as is lots of movement in my peripheral vision.

Yes, being autistic can be a challenge!

On a general note, cafe’s are expensive places to go. Whilst we can’t avoid paying at least £2 for a regular coffee in London, it’s still a great way to either do some work, or chill-out by yourself or with a friend.

The HeadRoom Cafe

I recently came across a very special café in North-London called Head Room. They are affiliated to the Jewish mental health charity JAMI.

The Head Room Cafe is a great place to spend an hour in a beautifully designed low-arousal space. The Headroom Café is staffed by really friendly people. They provide a much calmer environment than the average Starbucks.

The unique thing about HeadRoom, is that-when available-it’s possible to speak to a mental health peer-support worker if you are feeling a bit down.

I had a great chat with one of their excellent support-workers. They are seeing more people with mental health difficulties and autism in their sessions.

I will do a longer feature on both JAMI and the Head Room Café in the near future.