Children, Adolescents, and Adults
Autism Spectrum Support in Manchester, NH
A formal autism diagnosis is only the beginning of the story, not the end of it.
Many of the families and adults who come to us already have a diagnosis in hand and are looking for someone who can help with what comes next: the anxiety that often rides alongside autism, the sleep struggles, the meltdowns that seem to come out of nowhere, or a psychiatric medication plan that actually fits how their brain works.
Others come to us with a suspicion but no diagnosis yet, unsure of where to even start. Both paths lead through our door.
Your Care Team
I am Dr. Lionel Pereira, a Board Certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and the founder of Serene Behavioral Healthcare. Our practice supports autistic patients across every stage of life, from young children through adulthood, through a team that includes board-certified nurse practitioners seeing patients in person and via telehealth.
Meet our full team for complete provider bios and credentials.
Conditions and Presentations We Treat
- Co-Occurring Anxiety and Autism
- Co-Occurring ADHD and Autism
- Irritability, Meltdowns, and Emotional Dysregulation
- Sleep Disruption in Autistic Patients
- Psychiatric Care for Newly Diagnosed and Previously Diagnosed Patients
- Support for Autistic Adults, Including Late-Identified Autism
How We Support Autistic Patients and Their Families
Autism itself is not something medication treats, and we are direct about that from the start. What we focus on is the psychiatric care that surrounds an autism diagnosis: identifying co-occurring conditions, managing symptoms that affect daily life, and coordinating with the specialists who provide formal diagnostic testing and therapy services.
Our approach typically includes:
Signs That May Prompt an Evaluation
Every autistic person is different, and presentation varies widely by age. These are patterns that often prompt a family, or an adult, to seek an evaluation.
In young children, families often notice:
- Limited eye contact or reduced interest in shared attention with others
- Delayed language development or unusual speech patterns
- Strong preference for routines and distress when routines change
- Intense, narrow interests or repetitive movements
- Sensory sensitivities to sound, texture, light, or touch
In school-age children and adolescents, families often notice:
- Difficulty reading social cues or navigating peer relationships
- Meltdowns or shutdowns that seem disproportionate to the trigger, often tied to sensory or social overload
- Rigid thinking or significant distress with unexpected changes
- Intense, highly focused interests
- In many girls and some children who have learned to mask, symptoms can look like anxiety, shyness, or perfectionism rather than the more commonly recognized signs, which is a major reason autism in these patients is identified later
In adults, this often looks like:
- A lifelong pattern of feeling socially "out of step" without fully understanding why
- Strong need for routine and difficulty with unstructured or unpredictable environments
- Sensory sensitivities that others do not seem to share
- A history of anxiety or depression that has never fully resolved, which sometimes turns out to be connected to undiagnosed autism
- Many adults seek an evaluation after recognizing similar traits in a diagnosed child
If these patterns sound familiar, an evaluation can help clarify what is happening and what kind of support will actually help, whether that leads toward a diagnosis or toward treatment for what has been identified along the way.
Why Patients Choose Serene Behavioral Healthcare
Families and autistic adults come to us because they want a psychiatric provider who understands autism specifically, rather than applying a generic approach to a condition that requires real familiarity.
Here is what sets our care apart:
- Board certified providers with specialized training across the full age spectrum, from early childhood through adulthood
- Honest, direct communication about what psychiatric care can and cannot address for autism
- A coordinated approach that works alongside your child's broader care team rather than in isolation
- Both in-person and telehealth options, so care fits your schedule and location
- A calm, predictable environment, which we recognize matters more for autistic patients than for most
Schedule an Evaluation
Whether you are just starting to ask questions or have a diagnosis already in hand, our team is here to help you find the right next step.
Book an Appointment or Contact Our Office to get started.
Serene Behavioral Healthcare, 1045 Elm St, Suite 204, Manchester, NH 03101