by Barb Cook, M.Aut., Dip.HSc. Registered Developmental Educator/Director NeuroEmploy Pty Ltd Autistic people are confronted with an array of barriers in many situations throughout their life. These situations centralise around what general society expects of all people, a one size fits all model, without the distinct consideration of disability, difference and inclusion. With the added individual challenges of effective communication skills, lack of self-advocacy and self-determination skills, and the overall impact of anxiety, feeling inadequate and little self-confidence, autistic people ar ..read more

Guest post written by Aron Mercer & Georgia Chinchen from Xceptional While the COVID-19 pandemic will eventually pass, our hope is the changes to ways of work will endure. 2020 was supposed to be a year of growth for Xceptional. Thanks to Google.Org, Westpac and AMP, a growing team, and diverse customers, we had funding. In March 2020, I was busy organising a neurodiversity at work breakfast in Sydney, a sold-out event that would be our key activation for the quarter. This changed on March 11, when the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, Australia followed many ..read more

Self-monitoring is a great practice we can all implement in our daily lives. But what does self-monitoring entail? And why should (and how can) you do it? Self-monitoring can help you to keep check on what you are doing at any given moment. For instance, is what you are doing really what you are supposed to be doing or is there something holding you back? Are you getting distracted, or are you hungry or in need of a bathroom visit? Or have you simply been sitting in front of the computer too long without taking a break? Now that is something I really struggle with when I am in hyper ..read more

by Barb Cook, M.Aut., Dip. HSc. Neurodivergent people often experience challenges in exercising skills associated with self-determination and self-advocacy. Being pinnacle life skills that drive their success in education, employment, independence and within society, with the right supports, tools and strategies, they can develop high levels of self-determination, providing a firm sense of self-confidence. When neurodivergent people gain these skills and feel supported and included, it’s an empowering feeling. Having their value and worth validated, and their supports, needs and accommodations ..read more

(51.02 mins) Hosted, by Autism Awareness Australia, watch ‘AUStism at Home…. an insightful discussion about “Transitioning into adulthood on the autism spectrum.”‘, recorded on 2 April 2020. The webinar panel included: Chris Bonnello, Autistic Not Weird Barb Cook, Neurodivergent Advocate, Writer, Speaker & Biker Charmaine Fraser, Autism mum and Director of Aurora Coordination Nicole Rogerson, Autism Awareness Australia. The post Video: AUStism at Home – Transitioning to Adulthood appeared first on NeuroEmploy Pty Ltd ..read more

How often do we hear ourselves saying “I just need to finish this job and then I can take a break”, or “If I can get this project finished, I can then take a couple of days off”? When we tell ourselves this over and over again, without taking action to ‘look after ourselves’, the cracks inevitably will begin to appear. The internal motivation of “I’ll get this job done, then I can…”, becomes the ultimate words of dread, with the “then I can…” seeming to never come, and the list of ‘things to do’ becomes increasingly bigger. The more we push and tell ourselves to get this job done, then I can ..read more

Autistic people are confronted with an array of barriers in many situations throughout their life. These situations centralise around what general society expects of all people, a one size fits all model, without the distinct consideration of disability, difference and inclusion. With the added individual challenges of effective communication skills, lack of self-advocacy and self-determination skills, and the overall impact of anxiety, feeling inadequate and little self-confidence, autistic people are desperate for their voices to be heard (Paradiz, Kelso, Nelson & Earl, 2018). These voic ..read more

Workplace social skills. These words strike fear into the soul of any autistic person. I know this, because I am one of those people. I’ve had a tumultuous employment past, prior to my official diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (autism), ADHD and dyslexia in 2009. I never truly understood the “workplace social skills”, even though I was incredibly good at my job, never lasting any significant length of time due to the “importance” of having apt social skills with co-workers being an essential part of staying happily employed. Pretty much every job I had would start out great. I would have my head ..read more

Opinion piece. The employment world can be a difficult one to navigate for most people, let alone for autistic and neurodivergent people. The employment journey starts way before getting a job. Society is led to believe that from a young age we need to get a good education, strive for a well-paid job, earn money to buy your first car, earn more money to move out and live on your own or with a partner, save and earn to support a family… the list goes on. This is something that many people aim for, that idyllic, perfect, fulfilling life. But what happens if you don’t fit the mould and expectatio ..read more

Information and technology (IT) has boomed over the past 30 years and become an integral part of the modern developed world. Employment opportunities in IT exploded alongside this growth and created pathways for autistic people in finding job security in an industry that has been stigmatized as the place where the ‘geeks’ gravitate. Software giants headhunt talented autistic people for positions in program development and defending against cybercrimes. Autistic people have been pigeonholed into this perception that we are gifted and talented in computers, math and science. Certainly, some of u ..read more