Kayla Warren is a Registered Occupational Therapist (#524) with the Newfoundland and Labrador Occupational Therapy Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Behavioural Neuroscience and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Dalhousie University.
Kayla is an adult-diagnosed Autistic ADHDer and was featured on the cover of Occupational Therapy Now (July/August 2023) for her article, Advocating for Neurodivergent-Affirming Spaces with Lived Experience. Her work highlighted barriers in academia, the importance of community-level accommodations, and the positive impact of unmasking with neurodivergent clients.
Before establishing her independent, identity-based occupational therapy practice, Kayla spent a year in the non-profit sector developing and facilitating life skills programs for Autistic teens and adults, promoting autonomy, self-advocacy, and authentic self-expression. She also led social and peer support groups to foster connection and unmasking in safe spaces.
Kayla’s practice is rooted in occupational justice—the belief that everyone has the right to engage in meaningful activities that support their well-being and community participation. She takes a trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming approach, integrating both evidence-based strategies and lived experience.
Her clinical interests include sensory modulation, interoception, mental health, and community-based participatory research. She has pursued continuing education in neuro-affirming practice, trauma-informed care, harm reduction, gender-affirming care, sexual health, interoceptive awareness, nervous system regulation, peer support, and suicide safety planning with Autistic youth.
Kayla is a clinical and lived experience consultant for the NLHS Adult Autism Working Group and a co-convener for the Research and Knowledge Exchange on Autism through the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research.
