Hello

Hello, I’m Christina O’Neill

Founder and CEO of All About Us

Registered Charity: NIC107426

 

All About Us began with my family and with a journey I never expected to take.

 

I am a mum of three amazing children, all autistic, and I am autistic myself. Our shared experiences shape everything I do, both personally and professionally. Like many families, our lives became filled with appointments: assessments, therapies, training sessions, and constant meetings. While much of this support helped us understand autism better, it didn’t address one of the biggest challenges we faced every day. Belonging. My children struggled to find spaces where they felt accepted. Many activities simply were not designed with their needs in mind, too noisy, too busy, too unpredictable, or built around expectations that didn’t recognise sensory differences, communication styles or mobility challenges.

We tried club after club. Some experiences ended in distress, others in exclusion, and many in heartbreak as my children slowly realised they didn’t fit where other children their age seemed to belong so easily. As a parent, watching that happen is devastating.There came a point where there were no safe social spaces left for my children, no groups where they could relax, feel understood or build friendships without fear of judgement.

So I made a decision. If the space didn’t exist, I would create it. In September 2018, I founded All About Us, not as a charity at first, but as a mother trying to protect her children’s wellbeing and give them something joyful to look forward to each week. Our constitution was finalised on 9 September 2018, and we later became a registered charity. What began as a small group has grown into a community rooted in understanding, compassion and lived experience. My own autism diagnosis has given me deep insight into the realities many autistic children, young people and adults face, including anxiety, sensory overload, social exhaustion and the pressure to mask. These experiences influence every decision we make. Everything we do at All About Us is sensory-aware, trauma-informed and built around dignity and kindness. Alongside lived experience, I have continued to strengthen my professional knowledge to ensure our services are safe, evidence-informed and sustainable.

 

My qualifications include:

Higher Certificate in Psychology – Abertay University

Diploma in Community Development (Galway University) 

Currently completing a BSc (Hons) in Community Development (Ulster University) 

Mini MBA in Social Enterprise and Sustainability

Level 5 Childcare qualification

Education and Training 

Facilitation 

Good Relations and Conflict Resolution

Autism-specific training 

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Our delivery model is supported by all required qualifications and mandatory training, strengthened further through additional accredited learning and continuous professional development. This combination of professional training and lived experience allows me to design services that are practical, compassionate, and grounded in real life experience, not theory alone.

All About Us exists because families like mine should not have to fight for inclusion.

It exists so children can grow without shame, parents feel less alone, and autistic young people and adults are supported to thrive as their authentic selves.

 

A Final Word

“All About Us was born from my family’s journey, from love, resilience, and the belief that things can be better. Every person who walks through our doors deserves safety, dignity and belonging.

 

That belief guides everything we do.”

 

C O'Neill