Peer Connect
One-to-one conversations with volunteer peers who bring lived experience, listening, and human connection.
Peer Connect gives autistic and neurodivergent adults a way to talk one-to-one with a volunteer peer. You do not need to know exactly what you want to talk about. Sometimes having another person listen is enough.
Peer Connect is part of the MyCelium Network inside MyAOG, and is for adults 18 and over. It is not therapy or professional care.
Find a Peer Connector opens the Peer Connect area inside MyAOG. You will be asked to sign in first — creating a MyAOG account is free. Or read about becoming a Peer Connector.
How Peer Connect works
Find someone
Browse the Peer Connectors who are available inside MyAOG and read a little about their lived experience, conversation style, and general availability.
Choose a time
If a Connector has availability that suits you, use their booking option or the other contact method AOG provides.
Have a conversation
Talk something through, share experiences, ask a question, or simply spend some time with someone who understands.
Two sides of Peer Connect
Neither side is more important than the other. Some people do both, at different times.
I want to talk with a Peer Connector
Learn what to expect, find someone who feels like a possible fit, and arrange a conversation in your own time.
I might want to become a Peer Connector
Learn about the volunteer role, the boundaries, how much flexibility you have, and the support AOG provides.
What can I talk about?
There is no single right reason to use Peer Connect, and you do not need the “right” kind of problem. People might want to talk about:
- receiving an autism or neurodivergence diagnosis later in life;
- burnout;
- work or school experiences;
- relationships and communication;
- identity;
- self-advocacy;
- feeling misunderstood;
- navigating change;
- talking with someone who has been through something similar;
- or simply wanting some human connection.
These are examples only. Every Peer Connector is a different person with different experience, so each profile in MyAOG describes what that particular Connector is comfortable talking about. Read the profile before you book.
Want to have a Peer Connect conversation?
Peer Connect is available to adults in the MyAOG community, at no cost. Once you are signed in, you can:
- open Peer Connect in MyAOG;
- browse the Peer Connectors who are currently available;
- read their profiles;
- choose someone whose lived experience or conversation style feels relevant;
- arrange a conversation using that Connector’s booking or contact option.
A few things worth knowing
- Each Connector decides their own availability, and it may change.
- If someone is not listed, it may simply mean they are taking a break.
- You can talk with the same Connector again if you both want to, with one future booking with that Connector active at a time.
- Either person can decide not to continue.
- In-person meetings are not automatically part of Peer Connect and need AOG approval first.
Before a first conversation, AOG may ask you to review and sign the Peer Connect service user agreement.
Not a member yet? Create a free MyAOG account, or sign in if you already have one. You are welcome to create an account if you identify as, connect with, or support autistic and neurodivergent people and people with disabilities — a formal diagnosis is not required. Peer Connect itself is for adults 18 and over.
What happens in a Peer Connect conversation?
There is no script. You can talk, listen, ask questions, think out loud, or change direction. You do not have to share anything you would rather keep private, and you can end a conversation at any point.
Privacy, in plain language
- Conversations are treated as private, and Peer Connectors should not repeat what you share.
- They are not legally privileged or absolutely confidential.
- AOG does not record or transcribe ordinary conversations.
- AOG does not keep substantive notes about what was discussed — only basic operational information such as who was scheduled, the date, and whether the meeting happened.
- If there is a serious safety, safeguarding, or boundary concern, a Connector may need to share the minimum necessary information with AOG.
The Participant Guide explains all of this in full.
Peer support, not professional care
Peer Connectors listen and share lived experience. They are not acting as therapists, counsellors, crisis workers, case managers, or professional advisers, and they are not expected to have the right answer.
- no medical, legal, or financial advice, and no pressure to start, stop, or change treatment;
- no crisis intervention or emergency support;
- no professional treatment or case management;
- no selling, recruiting, business promotion, or donation requests;
- not a dating or sexual-contact service.
If you need help right now, please use the emergency or crisis services where you are rather than waiting for a Peer Connect conversation. In the United States you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency.
Interested in becoming a Peer Connector?
Peer Connectors are MyAOG members who volunteer some of their time for one-to-one conversations with other autistic and neurodivergent adults.
You do not need professional credentials, and you do not need to have all the answers. Lived experience, respectful communication, boundaries, and a willingness to listen are what matter. Saying “I’m not sure” or “I think that is outside what I can help with” is part of doing the role well.
What we look for
- autistic or neurodivergent lived experience that feels relevant to peer conversation;
- a genuine wish to connect one-to-one;
- respectful communication, including when you disagree;
- understanding and using the program’s boundaries;
- knowing when something is outside the role, and bringing AOG in;
- a sense that volunteering is manageable for you right now.
You decide what you can offer
- you control your own availability;
- there is no required minimum number of conversations, and no maximum;
- a month with no availability is fine;
- you can limit how many conversations you take;
- you can decline a request, or remove your availability;
- you can pause or leave at any time, without giving a reason.
What AOG provides
- orientation and training, alongside the role rather than as a hurdle before it;
- a clear person to contact when something difficult comes up;
- support and an offer to debrief after a hard conversation;
- friendly check-ins about availability, boundaries, and whether the role still fits — support, not performance review;
- help setting up your booking page, if you would like it.
Setting up your availability
Peer Connectors use their own AOG Google account and create their own Google Appointment Schedule. Your own AOG calendar is what checks for conflicts, Google handles the bookable times and creates meeting details where they apply, and you change your availability whenever you want.
You send AOG your booking-page link and we add it to your Peer Connect profile. You do not share your calendar with AOG, and we do not watch your ordinary bookings. If you would like a hand, we can meet with you online and walk through the setup together while you are signed into your own AOG account.
Becoming a Peer Connector is a conversation, not a competition. Reading about the role does not commit you to anything, and you are welcome to ask questions or decide it is not for you.
This guide explains the role, the boundaries, the flexibility you have, the support from AOG, and what to expect — so you can decide whether Peer Connect feels right for you. Peer Connectors are MyAOG members, so if you are not one yet you can create a free account first.
Common questions
Do I need an autism diagnosis?
No. MyAOG is open to people who identify as, connect with, or support autistic people, neurodivergent people, and people with disabilities, as well as family members, allies, and community partners. There is no requirement to provide a formal diagnosis.
Does Peer Connect cost anything?
No. A MyAOG account is free, and Peer Connectors are volunteers. Peer Connect is never a route into paid services.
Is Peer Connect therapy?
No. It is a conversation between peers. Peer Connectors are not therapists, counsellors, crisis workers, or case managers, and they do not give medical, legal, or financial advice.
Can I talk to the same person more than once?
Yes, if you both want to continue. There is no lifetime limit. Only one future booking with the same Connector should be active at a time, so once that conversation has happened you can arrange another if they are still available.
What if I do not feel comfortable with a conversation?
You can stop or end a conversation at any point, decide not to book again, or choose a different Connector. You do not have to contact the Connector to explain. You can also email AOG at info@autismonthego.org, and you do not need to write a long explanation before we respond.
Do I have to be available every week to become a Peer Connector?
No. You set your own availability, there is no required minimum, and a month with nothing available is fine. You can pause or stop at any time without giving a reason.
Can Peer Connect happen in person?
Not automatically. Peer Connect conversations use AOG and MyAOG booking and communication tools. If a participant and a Connector would like to meet in person, they contact AOG first so the circumstances can be talked through before any plans are made.
Who can use Peer Connect?
Peer Connect and MyAOG currently serve adults aged 18 and over.
Questions about Peer Connect?
You do not need to decide anything before contacting us. If you have questions about having a conversation, or about becoming a Peer Connector, get in touch and we can talk it through.
Or email us directly at info@autismonthego.org.