Observations of the galactic and subgalactic structure of our universe can be explained better if dark matter possesses sizeable self-interactions, rather than if it is collisionless. Particle-physics models of self-interacting dark matter can be well accommodated within the asymmetric dark matter scenario. Asymmetric dark matter hypothesises that the relic dark matter abundance is due to an excess of dark particles over antiparticles, and allows for sizeable and direct couplings of dark matter to light mediators. In addition, the dark particle-antiparticle asymmetry may be related to the baryon asymmetry of the universe, thus offering a dynamical explanation for the similarity of the dark and the ordinary matter abundances. Exploring the low-energy phenomenology of self-interacting asymmetric dark matter, including the effect on the dynamics of haloes, presupposes understanding the cosmology of these models, which can be quite involved. I will discuss the above, and illustrate them in the context of the atomic dark matter model.